Evergreen: An Alpha Billionaire Romance

by Michelle Love

  “Why couldn’t they have just fire him?! Why did they have to take my father’s life away?! He had a family that he loved so much and we loved him!” she was now crying uncontrollably and I felt horrible. I hated whoever did this to her and her family.

  Her dad was always so nice and sweet to me. After his death I never seen Anabella’s mother again. She was always locked away in her room when I came over and never cared about what Ana or her siblings were doing. I guess his death made her terribly sick because she wasn’t as beautiful and radiant as she used to be. She looked sick and evil which made it hard for me to even recognize her at the restaurant.

  I shook my head slowly as she screamed and yelled at me. Her words were going in one end and out of the other. All I could think about why Arsen did this? Was I being used by him to antagonize their family? I hope not. I didn’t want to speak to him right now but at the same time I just wanted to be safe in his arms.

  Did Arsen kill Anabella? Was I next to die?

  All of these questions were weighing heavy on my mind. I’m not sure if I could take it. I got really dizzy and everything around me was spinning. I heard the back door close and I drifted away into pure darkness.

  I woke up in a different house. I was tied to a chair and my head was still spinning.

  “We’re going to make a call to your little friend, Lola! Are you ready?” I heard a male’s voice.

  I tried opening my eyes but they felt swollen, I could only see slightly between my eyelashes. I saw Ana’s mom and three other men standing across the dimly lit room, watching me. There was one guy kneeled in front of me with a phone in his hand.

  “I said are you fucking ready?!” I felt a hard smack against my face and I winced. The stinging sensation was almost unbearable but my vocal cords weren’t letting me muster up a scream.

  I nodded my head slowly and it felt like I was going to pass out again. I’d probably die if I didn’t have a glass of water soon.

  “Hello?” I heard Arsen’s voice and that made me stronger in a sense. I felt like I could hold on a bit longer.

  “Arsen?” I called out for him. I couldn’t speak very loud but I tried for him.

  “Lola?!” He asked. His voice was so loud I couldn’t tell if he was on the phone or in the room. My eyes were now completely shut.

  “Help me” I mumbled out not being able to say much else.

  “Lola, baby. Where are you?!” was the last thing I heard before my mouth was covered with a cloth with a very distinct smell.

  As soon as I inhaled it, I began to choke and soon felt myself fading into the darkness again.

  Arsen

  I tossed and turned all night. There wasn’t much I could do but wait for that call to say that I could get my Lola back. I got dressed and looked into the mirror. Bags were starting to form under my eyes and my hair was out of place. I pulled a comb through my hair and left the bathroom.

  I grabbed a bottle of water on my way out of the house and hopped outside of my car. I was going to meet up the boys for breakfast and explain everything that was going on.

  I was too afraid to turn on any music thinking that it may have reminded me of the times that I have shared with Lola. The only thing on my mind was getting her back. All I wanted was her and I'd do anything to have her.She was the light to my darkness, the stars to my night sky, and that was something but I couldn't give up.

  I pulled up to the restaurant and parked on the side of the building. I walked inside it was immediately escorted to the back room where all of my friends were sitting and waiting for me. They sat us down and sent a waitress into the room to take our drink order. It was early in the day but some of the guys insisted on getting a beer while the rest of us settled for coffee.

  “Guys, I brought us here all today to tell you guys the good and bad news”

  “What is it?” one of the guys asked from the other end of the table.

  “The good news is that the kidnappers are willing to give Lola back”

  “And the bad news?” David looked at me.

  The waitresses came back with our drinks and I got silent. They didn’t need to know our business. They took our food orders and left back out.

  “Anyways” I sighed. “They want everything we stole back. Meaning the entire 50 thousand even though they stole a majority of that from us”

  The guys threw up their hands in disappointment and all groaned in agony. No one seemed willing to give up the money which is why I thought of a plan while I was in the shower this morning.

  The room fell quiet again as the waitresses came back into the room with our food. They had weird looks on their faces because of how immediately quiet it had become. They sat our plates in front of us and left us alone, once again.

  “So, what’s the plan” David asked, noticing the look on my face.

  “I want you guys to hide out, and when it’s time for us to exchange. Take them out. All of them, and we leave with both the money and Lola.” I took a sip from my cup of coffee. The warmth of the cup laid upon the pads of my fingers.

  “That’s a damn good idea” Pete said laughing and picking up a piece of bacon.

  I flashed a slight smile and nodded.

  “I’m down” David chuckled.

  The rest of the members agreed and began eating their breakfast. I, on the other hand, wasn’t eating because I didn’t order anything. I knew I couldn’t keep any food down with the thought of some asshole’s hands all over her body. I cringed and finished my drink.

  I got a call from a blocked number again and answered it instantly.

  “Hello?” I answered,

  “This bitch is fucking annoying” he spat from the other line.

  “Excuse me?” I asked with a bit of attitude.

  “She has a big mouth. Doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up” He chuckled.

  “You little-” I started but was cut off.

  “650 Promise street. Tonight at 12” He spoke then hung up the phone.

  When I sat the phone down all of the guys were staring at me.

  “Looks like we have a mission tonight, boys. 650 Promise Street. Tonight at 12 sharp” I sighed. I was frustrated at how he talked about her but I was happy that I got to get her back into my arms.

  The boys all cheered and laughed, surprisingly. I thought they’d be bummed that they’d have to set this up all on short notice but I guess the rush of doing this and keeping the money filled them with excitement.

  “Meet me at the clubhouse at 9 to prepare,” I said while standing. I dropped just enough money to pay for everyone’s meal on the table and left. All I could think about was seeing Lola’s beautiful face again.

  Lola

  I’ve been tied down to this chair since we’ve gotten here and I can’t feel my body. I don’t think I have the ability to feel anything anymore. My face was swollen terribly, my wrists felt as if they were going to break, my hair was dirty, and my clothes accumulated all of the dust that filled this dirty room.

  I was starving. Starving and nearly dehydrated. I found myself praying to god and asking why was this happening to me. Although I’ve never been friendly, I wasn’t mean either. I was just always focused on myself. Is this what I get for worrying about myself? Or is this what I get for hanging out a drug dealing billionaire?

  The possibilities were endless but I know in this very moment, I didn’t care about what Arsen did. I’m still very hurt about what he did to Anabella’s father and the possibility that he may have killed her too but all I wanted was to be in his arms right now.

  The way things were going right now I thought I would never see him again. Not him, not my family, and not even my best friend. I so felt completely helpless and hopeless but if I died right now, or if I am dying right now, I could care less. I guess this is what I signed up for when I fell in love with Arsen in the first place.

  How wonderful life would have been right now if I didn't skip class to be with my best friend. She would have still been ali
ve and we could have been having so much fun over the summer break. I would have never met him, I would have never fallen in love, but then again I would have never remembered those moments of being young again; and again, I would have never fallen in love. Who knew there could be two sides developing feelings for someone?

  That feeling that goes way beyond being friends or considering each other as family. The feeling of pure bliss and serenity while being around that one person. Being around someone that can bring back memories that you wish you can relive or create moments that you wish would never end. That's what I felt with him. Not any of my ex-boyfriends, not with my family, not even with my own best friend. I knew our relationship was going to come to an end soon but I never thought it would end with her being dead.

  This is not what I wanted. I never wanted her to be in pain, I never wanted to betray her, I never wanted to fall in love, I never even wanted to meet someone new. I thought my past would just stay in the past but when it was brought back up it felt so good that I couldn't deny it. I couldn't push it away. It came alive in my mind and it was here to stay.

  I got so caught up in my love for a man that I barely knew, that I was ignoring my best friend's cry for help. Although she refused to tell me what was wrong when I was genuinely confused I still felt like I could have tried a little harder to find out. It's too late now. She's gone and I don't think I'll ever be able to see Arsen again.

  And now I'm sitting here trapped in a room, practically losing my mind and giving up on life. It's only been two days so far but my life has changed drastically. My mindset is completely different from how it was before. If I make it out of here alive I'm going to live with no regrets and I'm going to treat every day like it's my last. But then again, who knows?

  Today could really be my last day.

  I felt the tears begin to fall down my face. The things that we're going through my mind right now were sickening. My breath began to quiver and I became nauseous. The pain that was buried inside of me at this moment was unbearable. Death seems like the only way out right now.

  Arsen

  When I got home, I changed into my sweats and decided to take a short nap. I knew that it would be hard for me to sleep because the thought of Lola was on my mind heavy but I thought that the reassurance that I would have her back in my arms in just a couple of hours would help me rest a little bit. I closed my eyes and began to drift off.

  "I love you with all of my heart, Arsen. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me" Lola said stroking my hair gently.

  She used her free hand to caress the side of my face. Her eyes stared deeply into mine and I felt my heart beat so fast that it begin to melt. As painful as it sounds, it felt so good. It felt so right. Like we were meant to be here together with one another. It felt as if he were already a couple. Like we had already made it official. Like we had already broadcasted it to the world.

  I turned away from her for a quick second to admire the view of the sunset behind us. It was breathtaking. Truly stunning, but it wasn't as beautiful as her.

  When I turned back to look at her, she was gone. The sky instantly turned black and all I could hear were her screams in the distance. We were no longer on this beautiful and dreamy island, there wasn't even a "we" anymore. It was just I. Standing in nothing but darkness. Pitch blackness surrounded me and engulfed me in its terror. I didn't know where to run or which way to turn, but I knew that I had to find Lola. And I had to save her.

  "Man, get up" I heard David speak outside of my dream, waking me up.

  I gave him a confused look wondering what he was doing here and how he even got inside.

  "Rose" was all he said, answering the questions that I haven't yet gotten the chance to ask. I nodded in response and sat up on the bed. I ran both hands on my face and then through my hair.

  "What is it? What's the problem?" I asked.

  "It is 9:15, man. How long have you been asleep?" he asked and my eyes widened.

  "Honestly, it felt like only a couple of minutes but I guess in actuality it was a couple of hours."

  "Get dressed, boss. It's time to go get your girl back" he smirked and left the room.

  I got dressed in my all black outfit. It was go time and I felt stronger than I was before. I was on a mission to get Lola back and that was just what I was going to do. I made a promise to myself that I would keep her safe and under my watch at all times but I failed and now it's time for me to redeem myself.

  I got my phone off the nightstand and headed out to get inside of the car with David. We sped off into the night, driving as fast as we could to make it to the clubhouse. It was time to prepare and get ready for everything that was coming for us. I had a strong feeling that they were going to try to pull some type of trick on us and try to kill us. We weren't going to let that happen.

  When we pulled up to the clubhouse, we quickly hopped out and went inside. The rest of the guys were dressed and their all black and waiting for us. The bags were packed and loaded with guns. There was one specific bag for me that's sat on the table. It was the bag that we were supposedly going to exchange for Lola.

  I grab the box of gloves and handed them to everyone. They knew what time it was. We packed our things inside of the truck and we're on our way. The street they wanted to meet us on was in the next town over so we had to leave a bit early to make it there just in time for us to set up. The guys held great conversations with each other on the ride there. The funny part about it wasn't that none of the conversations worry about what was about to happen in an hour.

  When we made it to the street, we parked in the far corner. We left one person in each truck to sit behind the steering wheel for when the job was done. I stayed in the car with the bag so that I could see when the scumbag pulled up with Lola.

  The other members checked their surroundings and made their way over to the buildings, in which they cut the connections to the keys to the specific buildings so that they could make it up to the roof. When they made it up there they laid down and hid so that no one could see them. By now I was getting anxious. I hadn't seen her face and two whole days and I was hoping but it looked exactly the same or things might not get too pretty.

  When I saw the car arriving, a placed a gun into the back of my pants and hid it beneath my jacket. It was a little cool out tonight. I grab the bag and proceeded to walk towards their car. I stopped in the middle of the street and waited for them. When the driver's door opened only one man got out, but I wasn't dumb enough to believe that he was alone.

  He walked around to the back door of the car on the right side and open the door. He grabbed a girl by the arm and pulled her out. But that wasn't my Lola. It couldn't have been. Her face was swollen and badly bruised, he had to hold her up because your legs look extremely weak, and she looked extremely pale and lifeless. Her hair was a mess and all over the place. This looks nothing like Lola.

  "This isn't her" I spoke up and a smile crept on his face.

  "It's me, Arsen" I heard her speak. It was very low but I know it was her and my heart broke. I could feel the tears begin to swell in my eyes but I fought them back.

  "Give her to me" I demanded.

  "Not just yet" he spoke. The smirk on his face was the most horrendous thing I have ever seen. "Give me the money and I'll give you the girl. It's a part of our deal."

  I threw the bag of money towards him. When I went to go grab Lola, his gang came from around each corner pointing their guns at me. There were about 3 on each side which made it easy for my men to take them out.

  "Do you really want to do this?" I questioned while raising an eyebrow. A smile appeared on my face and I cleared my throat.

  Just then bullets rained down from the building tops hitting each and every member except for the man holding Lola. I pulled out my gun and aimed it directly towards him. I moved it over just a little and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Anabella's mother directly between the eyes killing her instantly. She thought I didn't see, but I
watched as she looked through the window of the car the entire time.

  The guy dropped Lola onto the ground and tried to make a run for it. I allowed him to make it all the way to the car before shooting him in the back of the head. He died instantly as well. I put the gun up and signaled for the guys to come down. I ran over and picked up Lola. I carried her in my arms back to the truck I held her on my lap until we made it back to the clubhouse. I know you're wondering about the bag, well, that bag was full of trash. We wouldn't actually bring the money here if we weren't actually going to give it back.

  When we made it back I put Lola in the car and David drove us home. I took her inside and laid her on my bed while I ran her a bath. It was really hard to look at her face and to see the damage that they've done to her without breaking down. When the water was perfect enough for her to get in, I dropped in a few rose petals and walked back into my room. She's sitting on the edge of the bed and was looking at me.