Getting Her Just Desires

Dear readers, for those who fell in love with Ava and Ashton in Disgraceful, their story continues! In this contemporary romance, we revisit their souls reborn in the present day. Though their circumstances have changed, their essence remains the same. Witness their fateful reunion and their journey to recognize each other as they rekindle a connection that transcends lifetimes. Getting Her Just Desires To my husband, Thanks for fueling my imagination with your unique taste in tropes. This one's for you. ; ) 2015 Some moments are meant to remain etched in the mind and never go away. For Livia, that significant event had occurred on the first day she set foot on her new stepfather's impressive mansion in Richmond, Surrey. Towering amidst meticulously landscaped grounds, the mansion stood out from the rest in the wealthy neighborhood. Its grand facade, constructed from warm red brick laid in a classic running bond pattern, exuded an air of timeless elegance. Tall, white columns in the Doric style flanked the double front doors, their capitals reaching proudly towards the afternoon sun. Expansive windows with delicate white grids, reminiscent of French doors, offered panoramic views of the sprawling emerald field beyond. A white, arched stable peeked out from behind the house, hinting at hidden passions within. The entire place exuded a sense of great wealth and power, a stark contrast to Livia's own humble upbringing. The inside of the house held features and facilities that most people could only dream of. A gleaming glass garage showcased a fleet of sleek, expensive cars. Through expansive windows, Livia glimpsed a private gym overlooking a vast, turquoise indoor pool. Hints of another life peeked from the windows of a dedicated gallery, promising a world of antiques and coveted collectibles. The opulence of the estate mirrored the extravagant estates she'd only ever seen on television and in glossy magazines. After her stepfather's opulent home tour, Livia snuck out to the manicured gardens. As she wandered aimlessly around the endless grassland, her mind swirled with restless thoughts. After years of scraping by, their impoverished days had finally come to an end. She must be grateful that her mother's efforts to secure their future had triumphed, but a nagging unease gnawed at her. She might only be fifteen, but she'd been aware, despite her mother’s attempts to sugarcoat it, that this hard-won victory had been built on the wreckage of other people’s happiness. Her mother, Adrianne Stanton, a former lounge singer, had started a forbidden relationship with her stepfather, Harvey Thorne, a shipping magnate, long before he separated from his wife. The affair had become the cause of his explosive, ugly split with his former wife, that had dragged into almost a year because his then wife had refused to accept it. The news of the woman's passing, mere months after the finalized divorce, gnawed at Livia's conscience. Her stepfather's explanation about his ex wife’s sudden illness sounded unconvincing, overshadowed by whispers of the heartbreak and despair that had driven the woman to take her own life. In stark contrast to Livia's turmoil, her mother, Adrianne, remained unfazed by the rumors. She practically vibrated with barely contained excitement. Her recent wedding to Harvey, a low-key affair held only at the courthouse without any family members present, served as evidence of Adrianne's singular focus: securing her position as the magnate's wife. Lost in deep thoughts, Livia barely registered a distant clatter coming from the opposite direction. Only when the thundering hooves grew closer did she jolt back to reality. A gleaming black stallion erupted from the other side of the field, a man in a riding suit astride its back, a helmet casting a shadow over his face. Terror flooded Livia's veins as the massive horse loomed before her. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. A scream tore from her lips, startling the beast. The stallion reared, whickering wildly, and for one terrifying moment, she thought the rider would be thrown onto the ground. But the man reacted with lightning reflexes. Leaning forward, he murmured soothing words in a low voice, his touch seemingly calming the jittery animal. The horse skidded to a stop, throwing Livia back a step. She raised her gaze to meet eyes that mirrored the icy expanse of the Arctic. A young man, his face sculpted with a captivating sharpness, regarded her with a haughty tilt of his head. Long, dark lashes fluttered down, obscuring the depths of his gaze. In a strange, mystifying moment, the world seemed to shift into another dimension. Sounds around her receded, their surroundings blurring into an indistinct haze. As Livia stared transfixed at the rider, a shiver ran down her spine. An inexplicable feeling of recognition, defying logic, washed over her. She was sure that she'd never met him before, because a face that striking wouldn't have faded from her memory. Yet, there was something unmistakably familiar about him. A flicker of a memory fleeted through her mind, a distant echo she couldn't quite grasp… A question hung heavy in the air, Is there such a thing as knowing someone from another life? It must have been just a fanciful idea on her part, because clearly the sentiment wasn't reciprocated. A flicker of icy contempt sparked in his blue eyes as he took in her wide-eyed stare. A tense silence stretched between them before the young man finally dismounted with a practiced ease. Not a word of concern for her startled presence passed his lips, his movements radiating cold indifference as he removed his helmet, revealing a shock of dark hair that framed a face that took Livia's breath away. Sharp cheekbones and a refined jawline hinted at a hidden intensity, but his eyes – those arresting blue eyes – held an unreadable depth. "Haynes! You've met Livia." The voice snapped Livia's attention away from the captivating rider. Emerging from a manicured hedge maze, her stepfather, Harvey, sauntered towards them, his salt-and-pepper hair tousled by the wind. Her mother, Adrianne, clung by his side, a warm smile lighting her beautiful face as she held out a hand to the young man. “Glad to finally meet you, Haynes. Your father speaks about you all the time,” But Haynes completely ignored the introduction, letting the proffered hand hover awkwardly in the air. Without so much as an acknowledging glance, he tossed his helmet onto the pommel of the saddle with a sharp click and took the reins, leading the stallion away in a purposeful stride. “Boy, where’s your manners?” Harvey shouted after his son’s retreating back, but his voice lacked conviction. He turned to the stunned Adrianne with an apologetic smile. "I'm terribly sorry about that. He's been going through a bit of a rough patch lately. Please don't give it too much thought." Adrianne quickly recomposed herself, her smile returning, albeit a touch strained. “It's alright, honey.” “I'll talk to him.” Harvey promised, shifting his attention to Livia. “Now why don't you come with us inside, sweetheart? I haven't shown you to the library. You'll love it. Your mom told me you want to be a writer, aren't you?” Livia followed the pair back to the main house, but she couldn't help stealing a glance back at Haynes' receding figure. A strange mix of annoyance and intrigue settled in her stomach. His plain hostility was not surprising, given her mother's role in the fractured relationship of his parents. But there was something about him that sparked her curiosity, something she couldn't quite grasp, like a forgotten dream – or perhaps a memory from a life she couldn't quite recall. Part of her wanted to explore the treasure awaiting in the library, but a stronger pull led her mind elsewhere, and no matter how much she tried to ignore it, it kept dragging her back to the pair of enigmatic blue eyes. ***** Loud, jovial laughter erupted from the bottom floor as Haynes crossed the hall towards his bedroom. He stopped by the railing, peering down to the dining room below. There, in the heart of his childhood home, sat Adrianne, the gold digger, perched on the chair that once belonged to his mother. Beside her, his father, Harvey, beamed with a sickeningly lovestruck smile. The sight of Livia, Adrianne's daughter, occupying his former spot at the table twisted the knife in his gut. Together, the three of them made a perfect picture of a happy family. A picture that could have been his. A life that had been stolen from him and his mother. A fresh wave of devastation washed over him, a sickening echo of the past. He squeezed the railing so hard his knuckles turned white, the polished wood digging into his palms. Images flickered behind his eyelids; his mother’s hysterical outburst when she first discovered the evidence of her husband's cheating in his cellphone, a series of intimate photos of Harvey and Adrianne in a hotel room. Constant quarrels eventually drove his mother from the house, taking him with her. Over the following months, he'd watched his mother's spirit fade, swallowed whole by severe depression. His father, the bastard, continued his affair with a sickening nonchalance, and Haynes resented the fact that he had been powerless to stop it. The memory of that bleakest day slammed into him; the uncanny silence of his mother's apartment when he returned home from school, the hollow echo of his own voice calling out to her unanswered. The painful pounding of his heart as he flung open the bedroom door. The sight that greeted him stole the air from his lungs: his mother's pale, delicate hand dangling from the edge of the bed, an empty pill bottle lying on the plush carpet. The final image, forever etched in his mind, was her face - pallid and lifeless; a heartbreaking, tragic end for the once vibrant, lively woman. A shudder ran through him and he shut his eyes, willing the images away. Anger, hot and potent, threatened to consume him. Wrenching his gaze from the mocking scene of his shattered life, he stormed away, the echo of his footsteps rang hollow in the quiet hallway. ***** In the following days, Livia soon learned that the frosty welcome was merely a prelude to greater animosity. Haynes had treated them with complete disregard. Any attempt at a more personal connection with him was coldly rebuffed. He wouldn't deign to look at them, much less speak to them. His expression was stiff and guarded, his entire posture radiating undisguised hostility. But sometimes, for a fleeting moment, their eyes accidentally met, and a flicker of something other than anger would cross his face, something she couldn’t quite make out. An almost palpable tension that sent an electrifying jolt through her, but whether or not she only imagined it all, she couldn’t tell. For some reason, Livia couldn't shake the feeling that she'd known him before. One night, she even dreamed about him. Not a clear, vivid dream, only fleeting images, fragments of a shattered picture. In the dream, her eyes met his across a crowded ballroom filled with swirling figures in old-fashioned attire, a glimpse of a party from another time. His gaze seared into hers with the same icy disdain as the first time they met in the lawn. Then she snapped awake, her heart a relentless drumbeat against her ribs. The remnants of the strange dream lingered on long after that. Where did it come from? Who was he in that dream? The questions swirled in her mind like dust motes dancing in a sunbeam. The next day, when Livia had lunch with Cathy, her best friend, in the school cafeteria, she couldn't wait to tell Cathy about it. “That's probably because of your obsession with Pride and Prejudice, and all those period romances.” Cathy, the curly blonde beauty, laughed, then her eyes peered suspiciously at Livia. “Seems like you have a huge crush on your new stepbrother.” “No! That's ridiculous,” Livia blurted out, a touch too quickly perhaps. A traitorous warmth bloomed in her cheeks, even as she inwardly denied any attraction. Cathy ignored her remark, sipping her Cola before popping another fries into her mouth. “What does he look like?” “He is…” Livia left the rest of the sentence hanging. Breathtaking… Something out of a dream, or a magazine cover perhaps. The memory of his piercing blue eyes and the graceful way with which he carried himself sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. Under no circumstances would she ever admit that to anyone. Watching at her impatiently, Cathy took her phone and swiped the screen. “What's his i********: account?” Livia’s brows furrowed, “I don't think he has one. Haynes is rather private.” “His father is that famous tycoon, isn't it? Let me google him.” Cathy swiftly typed the name on Google’s search engine. Her jaw dropped when a picture popped on her phone screen. “Holy s**t! He's like a model for Calvin Klein underwear who just stepped off the magazine page!” Cathy’s ecstatic scream caused a few heads to turn. “No way!” Livia snatched the phone from Cathy's hand and peered at the image. “Oh my God, Livia! Those eyes could melt glaciers. You have to introduce me!” “That's impossible. He glares at me like I stole his last drop of blood, remember? He treats me like I’m invisible.” “Alright, alright,” Cathy huffed, slumping into her seat with a dramatic sigh. "Fine. You can keep him all to yourself. But mark my words, Liv, secrets like this? They always claw their way into the light." “There’s no secret! We hate each other. And he is… all brooding and intense. Not my type at all!” Livia insisted, the blush creeping up her cheeks betraying her vehement denial. Her thoughts, however, drifted back to the unexpected tension in the kitchen a few days ago… The Saturday morning sun slanted through the kitchen window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Livia looked up frustratingly at the cereal box perched precariously on the highest shelf. For the millionth time, Livia stretched to reach for the package. Her fingers brushed against the cardboard, but it remained just out of reach. With an exasperated huff, she rose onto her tiptoes one last time, the floor suddenly feeling slick beneath her bare feet. A dizzying lurch sent her reeling backwards, and she bumped into something hard and unyielding. A strong hand, calloused and surprisingly warm, clamped around her arm, arresting her fall. Startled, Livia spun around, her breath catching in her throat. Haynes. His gaze, the color of a summer ocean, was fixed on her, utterly devoid of emotion. She instinctively recoiled, a flush creeping up her chest. An alluring, manly scent, a hint of soap mixed with a clean musk, filled her nostrils. The warmth of his hand seeping into her skin, a startling contrast to the coldness in his eyes. Again a flash of memory startled her, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Livia opened her mouth, but no words made it past the tightness in her throat. Haynes released her, his gaze momentarily drawn to her parted lips, and lingered there for a beat too long. A flash of something unfathomable crossed his eyes for a fleeting instant before he turned away. Without a word, he reached past her, his muscles flexing beneath the thin fabric of his shirt as he effortlessly retrieved the cereal box. He held it out to her, his expression still unreadable. Dumbfounded, Livia automatically took the offering, her fingers brushing his for a fleeting, electric moment. She watched, speechless, as he turned and disappeared, leaving her alone with the lingering warmth of his touch and the pounding of her heart. “Dreaming about your brooding prince, huh?” Cathy's sarcastic voice pierced through her musings. “Of course not,” Livia retorted, but she avoided Cathy's gaze. Leaning back on her seat, her friend regarded her with a knowing smile. “Liar.” “Whatever.” Livia rolled her eyes. Inside, a chaotic mix of denial and longing churned within her. The echo of his touch still lingered on her skin, imprinted on her memory. The unexpected intimacy from the innocent contact had stirred a dangerous spark within her, one she couldn't seem to resist. And she got a feeling somehow, that despite Haynes’ outward display of indifference, she wasn't alone in this. ***** In the meantime, Adrianne, newly flush with cash and eager to imprint her taste on her new home, had done a huge makeover on every part of the house. Every corner of the house bore the mark of her audacious style. Flamboyant, extravagant pieces replaced the pale, inoffensive furnishings. The once subtle paint and curtains had been banished in favor of a riot of color - a symphony of bold hues that left no room for subtlety. Having transformed the interior, Adrianne now set her sights on the small garden beyond the living room. Livia watched silently as her mother directed the gardeners. "This garden could really use a pick-me-up, don't you think?" Resting a hand on her hip, Adrianne observed the place and pointed to a row of rather drab ferns. “Let's brighten this place up a bit! First, take out all those old stone pots with the ferns. We'll put the geraniums in their place." "What in the world is going on here?" A cold voice cut through the air like a whip, freezing the gardeners mid-step. Heads snapped in his direction, and Livia's breath hitched. Haynes, just returning from his horse riding routine, stood rigid in the living room, his icy blue eyes scorching into them like a pair of blue flames. His very presence radiated such a potent fury that everyone turned to a petrified statue. Tension coiled in Haynes’ jaw as his gaze raked across the house. He could barely recognize his childhood home. Gone was the elegant simplicity, replaced by this garish, ostentatious display of wealth. The tramp that his father brought home had done a fantastic job of demolishing any remnants of his mother's existence in his very home. Not only did she remove the lovingly preserved furniture in every part of the house and replace them with the new ones, she’d done the same thing to the staff. The loyal, beloved servants from his childhood had suddenly disappeared. New, unfamiliar faces moved with practiced efficiency around the house. And today the witch expanded her claim to the garden that had always been his mother's favorite, another attempt to erase any trace of its former mistress. His piercing eyes settled on Adrianne, who instantly flinched as if stung by a needle. “This garden belongs to my mother, and it stays that way. You can do whatever you want elsewhere but leave this garden alone.” His voice was controlled, but there was something dangerous, almost feral beneath the carefully composed surface. His steely gaze swerved to the bewildered workers. “Move all this stuff and leave this place as it is.” Livia could see colors draining her mother's face. Part of her rebelled against this humiliation, but her own tongue seemed to freeze in her mouth. Haynes’ presence emanated a chilling authority that the gardener crews scrambled to obey him. The metallic clangs echoed through the otherwise silent garden as they shoved their tools back into their crates and crouched away, leaving the shocked Adrianne frozen in her spot. Without a word, Livia reached out to hold her mother's arms, the only thing she dared to do in Haynes' suffocating presence. The tremor that ran through her mother's body echoed in Livia's own, a cold prickle that snaked down her spine as Haynes brushed past them without another glance. The tension lingered heavily in the air even after his imposing figure had disappeared from sight. However, Livia found herself torn between her love for her mother and a grudging sympathy for Haynes when she witnessed her mother confronting Harvey later that night. “I can't take it anymore, Harvey,” Adrianne's voice, usually tinged with easy confidence, cracked mid-sentence, momentarily suspended by a choked sob as she recounted the humiliation she suffered today. "The way he treats me and Livy... the way he looks at us... it's like we're invisible, or worse, like we're the enemy." Harvey's expression hardened. He placed a comforting hand on Adrianne's shoulder. 'There, there, darling. Calm yourself. I'll take care of it. I promise you that.' Despite her sympathy for her mother, Livia couldn't really blame Haynes for resenting them. Beneath the hardened facade, she glimpsed a raw, exposed nerve. It made her yearn to offer him solace, an absurd idea that she quickly banished from her mind. How could she even try to comfort him when he practically spurned any attempt at a polite exchange? A few days later, Livia tiptoed down the hallway, the plush carpet muffling her footsteps. She was heading towards the library to grab a book for a school project. As she neared the heavy oak door, a sliver of conversation drifted out from the slightly ajar crack. Her initial curiosity was quickly eclipsed by a jolt of surprise as she recognized Haynes' deep baritone. "You got rid of Mom," His voice, clipped with anger, pierced the silence in the room. "Now you're exiling me?" To be continued