All Shades Of Forbidden.

BRYAN.

Thea's POV.

'This has to be a Joke.' I thought as I stared at the woman, who was still proudly showing me her engagement ring with a smile that made my stomach sink.

"Oh! I know you!" She suddenly exclaimed, finally dropping the hand that made me want to wrinkle my nose from disgust.

"You do?" I raised an eyebrow at her, super confused now.

She knew I was Bryan's girlfriend and still dared to tell me she was his fiancee?

How can people be so shameless? She was probably one of his numerous exes he told me about. The crazy ones who always found a way to sneak into his apartment.

"You must be Bryan's younger sister, Iris, who is coming in today. Welcome, please come inside, my dear." She told me, leaving me speechless.

I widened my eyes at her. "What?"

But before I could complete my statement, she grabbed me by the hand and led me inside the house, closing the door behind her.

"I hope the journey wasn't too stressful. Bryan went out now to get something but he will be back soon. In the main time, come eat, I made your favorite. He told me about it and a lot of other wonderful things about you." The lady kept blabbing while I stood there, watching with my lips slowly parting.

Was this madness?

Yes, I knew Iris. The spoiled brat that felt entitled to my money but I always let it slide because Bryan pets me to ignore her and I love him so much.

So she was to return today and Bryan didn't deem it fit to inform me? Was that why he needed my credit card?

"Please have a seat." The lady gestured to a chair behind me and I sat down, ready to break the news to her that she was being delusional and I was Bryan's only love and future fiance.

"You know the wedding is in three weeks right? Is that why you are back?" She suddenly asked and I paused, going pale.

Wait! Wasn't she lying?

Just then I looked up and my eyes caught a picture I have never seen in my entire months of coming to Bryan's apartment, hanging on the wall.

It was a picture of him and this lady, holding one another romantically as he buried his head into her neck, her face filled with laughter.

She followed my glance and giggled. "I see you are admiring that. We just took it and were thinking of using it as the picture for the wedding reception."

My insides boiled.

"What's your name?" I asked as I felt my hands trembling in my laps. I needed to be sure whether Bryan had once mentioned her as a lunatic ex or something because all of these had to be a misunderstanding.

Bryan couldn't be cheating on me. He loved me just as much as I loved him, right?

"Benita. I thought you knew though since we mostly talked through chats and Bryan also mentioned to me that you were the one who picked out the Gucci bag for me. Thank you so much, it must have been so expensive." Benita appreciated as I sat there, like I had just been drenched in cold water.

What?

The 2026, limited edition, Gucci bag he told me was for his sister, was actually for her?

'Oh my God! Had I been played for a fool?' My heart tightened in pain as I sat still, trying to be calm.

My dad had always warned me that no matter the situation, violence was never the problem.

That was rich, coming from a Mafia lord though.

But then, since I had never known about her, did she also not know about me?

I decided to ask.

"Do you know anyone called Thea?" I asked and watched as the smile vanished from her face, replaced by an ugly frown.

So she did know about me?

A sense of hope was about to raise in me when;

"That little b***h? To think that I once felt threatened by her but Bryan already reassured me that she is just his money bag since apparently her father has gotten more than enough money to fill up this whole damn country." Benita told me and it felt like I had been punched in the guts.

I wanted to get up and slap her for the insults but at the same time, I couldn't breathe as I blinked repeatedly at her.

"He also told me that she goes around forcing herself on him and being too damn clingy that it's irritating. He promised to dump her by next week, once he had gotten some huge cash from her." Benita revealed and I couldn't take it anymore.

I got up suddenly and dashed out of the apartment, heavy tears stinging my eyelids, threatening to fall.

"Thea. You okay?" Vincent asked worriedly as I dashed past him into the bristling streets, ignoring his calls.

How could Bryan do this to me?

After everything we shared, after everything he promised?

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore as I continued running, my heart hurting so badly that all I wanted to do was rip it out so I could feel better.

Was he all with me just because of my money? Did he never truly love me?

And to think I was planning to introduce him to my parents and also lose my virginity to him on my birthday night.

"God." I suddenly paused in the middle of the street and yelled into the sky as everyone around stopped to look at me, their eyes flickering with curiosity.

My face burned and I turned around to leave only to find a man standing in front of me with a gun pointed to my face.

My heart raced heavily against my chest as I stopped, my legs wobbling especially when another man c****d his gun and fired into the air.

"Everyone, down now. If you cooperate, we will let you go. We are just looking for someone." he yelled as black, tinted SUVs suddenly drove around the streets with men all dressed in black overalls coming out in large numbers.

"Out of my way, Girl." The man with his gun pointed at my face kicked me aside as he moved past me further into the crowd.

Oh my God!

The air was suffocating as I immediately glanced around for an escape, now wishing I hadn't run and left Vincent behind.

Would he be able to find me now? And even if he did, he was outnumbered.

Just then, from the corner of my eyes, I saw a pathway, hidden so discreetly that neither of the armed men could notice so I hurriedly crawled in there, trying to calm my wildly beating heart only to look up and see a very handsome but old man, with grey hairs sitting on the floor and resting against the wall.

His hand was soaked with blood, so was his shirt, especially his stomach which seemed to be shot with a bullet.

"Easy, Girl. They are after me so I suggest you leave here now, otherwise you would be caught with me." His voice came out low but firm.

"But you are dying. I can help." I found myself saying like some i***t as I walked over to him, despite shivering from fear.