Forever

Eleanor Dawson 20 years old. One and only child of billionaire James Dawson which made her the lone and only heiress of her father's multinational companies worldwide worth billions.

She's lucky!

That's what every single person thinks except her. Eleanor's father always wanted to have a son who could be his heir and lead his business further and earn more billions. Her mother Claire had a miscarriage at her first pregnancy. The baby they lost was the boy and then after a few years Claire was pregnant again but then Eleanor was born. James wasn't happy at all. Even though he didn't hate Eleanor at all. He accepted her but he was being way too impatient to have a boy, his son, an heir. Claire and James tried for years but weren't lucky enough and eventually they lost hope.

Claire loved Eleanor with all her heart but the little girl always craved for her father's attention who drowned himself in his work never paying attention to what he has; a daughter, rather he ignored the precious little girl while yearning for a son from the lord.

Eleanor was 10 when her mother was pregnant again. James was the happiest but Claire met with an accident when she was eight months pregnant. Claire along with the child who was a boy died that day and it was the worst day of James and Eleanor's life. James loved Claire immensely and when he lost her along with his unborn baby boy, he was devastated and drowned himself in the numbing sensation of alcohol. He stayed locked in his room for a whole month completely forgetting the fact that he has a little precious daughter who also lost her mother.

There was no one to console the little girl except for their middle aged maid whom she called Sami as her name was Samantha. Eleanor was shattered. In this big palace like a cold home, her only warmth was her mother who also left her.

Eleanor, being a child didn't know what death meant so Samantha explained it to the little child that her mother went to God and will now live in a beautiful place called heaven and will watch her from there. Eleanor being a child requested Samantha to take her to that heaven to her mother which brought tears in Samantha's eyes. She then answered Eleanor by saying that it's God's will; he will only choose people whom he wants to be up there on their specific times and Eleanor then prayed to God to call her there in heaven.

Samantha would leave after her duty got over and then the little girl would be all alone in her big room that'll haunt her at night making her feel so cold in that luxurious room.

It was after a week she got the courage to see her father. After losing her mother; he was all she had. Eleanor knocked and silently entered his room. She saw him sitting on the couch with a bottle in his hand.

Tears welled up in her eyes immediately as she looked at her father after a week of her mother's death. "Daddy?" She says in a low hesitating voice. The darkness in the room was scaring her, so she stood on her tiptoes and turned the light switch on which got a loud angry growl from her father.

"Turn off the lights!" He yelled loudly, scaring the little girl as she jumped in her place and turned the lights off with a whimper. "D-daddy I'm m-missing m-mommy." The little girl stuttered.

"Go to your room Eleanor!" Her father snapped angrily making big fat tears to form in her doe like big eyes.

"B-but d-daddy I'm s-scared. Can I s-sleep in your r-room tonight?" She whispered lowly.

"I said go to your room Eleanor!" Her father yelled so loudly making a cry to escape her lips as she ran back to her room.

The pain that her mother left her all alone in this place was one thing but her father being so scary and yelling at her scared the little ten year old girl to no end. She didn't see her father for a whole month after that.

It was after a month her father came out of that room all dressed in his business attire. If possible he became more detached from her; she would barely get to see him after months and this is what her life became.

When she was 13, she played in the garden with Samantha, there was mud there and she got mud all over her while playing. Samantha then called her inside to give her a bath. That is when James came out of nowhere and his jaw clenched looking at all the mud on her daughter.

"What is this Eleanor? Why were you playing in the dirt?" He asked angrily, making the small girl to shrink back and hide behind Samantha as she clutched Samantha's dress tightly in her small fists.

"I'll give her a bath right now, sir." Samantha said softly while placing her hand on Eleanor's shoulder, so she won't get scared.

"Hell with it! Samantha you're her babysitter. Didn't I tell you to make her behave like a daughter of a billionaire and look at what you are letting her do?" He yelled and continued.

"Teach her some manners and etiquette. I want her to be ladylike! Are you getting me?" He asked angrily.

"Y-Yes, sir." Samantha answered with head lowered and James left. Eleanor was crying during the whole shower, no matter how much Samantha tried to console the little girl, she just kept on crying. After that day, she stopped playing those games which made her less ladylike; more precisely she stopped playing at all.

She wasn't allowed to go to school due to numerous threats on James and why not he's not a common man but the country's richest man that was the main reason Eleanor was homeschooled and her college was also done online.

It was her 17th birthday which she was celebrating with the staff of her palace; like a cold home. She has no friends. The people who work here are her only friends if she can even call them friends.

They cut the cake and celebrated. James wasn't there or maybe he didn't even know that it's Eleanor's birthday. Samantha gifted her a beautiful bracelet. Even though it was cheap, it was the best thing for Eleanor.

The more her father wants her to be like a rich elite ladylike woman, the more she hates these things. All she yearns is the love of her father and for that she did everything he asked her and molded herself into a perfect lady that her father wants but still he never showed any affection to her. Her being the girl was maybe a curse for her which keeps her away from her father's love.

That night coincidentally James was present on the dinner table and he became angry as he saw her wearing that cheap bracelet. He harshly ordered her to never wear such cheap things as it's his insult and he won't allow it. Eleanor immediately removed but never threw it away. That night she cried missing her dearest mother.

Eleanor wasn't allowed to go out of the mansion but sometimes her father did allow her to go out but with bodyguards and a little part of her would melt at this gesture of her father but the sensible part of her knew that it was Samantha's request to him for letting Eleanor out sometimes.

Now Eleanor is 20 and this is her caged life. She sat beside her large glass window as she stared at the beautiful twinkling city and the skyscrapers. The view from their mansion was breathtaking, this is the only thing she likes in this heavenly cage.

"I miss you mom..." Eleanor mumbled softly as her twinkling doe like big ocean eyes stared at the moon above yearning for freedom and love.

Eleanor was glad that her father finally let her go to university as it was necessary. She was doing business studies in university but her life wasn't a tad bit easy in university. Even though she started university just a week ago, she was already on the black list of some people just because she's rich.

She had so much hope and enthusiasm when she joined university with dreams of having friends and finally living like a normal adult for a time being but no! Nothing goes as expected.

Thanking her driver Johnson the girl walked into the university with her bag on her left shoulder. Walking straight to the locker section she placed her books inside and took out the books of her first period.

A football hit slightly behind her head and she flinched but didn't look back knowing very well who it was. Kevin the Mr. Popular!

"What's up sweet cheeks?" He mused as he casually leaned beside her locker staring at her for a reaction which didn't come.

Everything was going pretty good during the first three days at university but on fourth she was in her business analysis class when the professor put forward an assumption of a question and required an answer from Kevin directly because he was busy flirting with the girl who was sitting beside him. As Kevin didn't know the answer and just shrugged his shoulders, professor asked if anyone else knew the answer and Eleanor being a good girl answered and got an encouragement from sir. That little thing hit Kevin hard on his ego and from then onwards he started irritating her like a plaque, but she never answers him. The more she ignores the better it is.

Eleanor locked her locker and started walking towards her first class which was luckily not with Kevin but he kept on walking beside her. She often feels uncomfortable when he would try to stand closer in her personal bubble. "Come in sweet cheeks, talk to me." He mused with his pearly smirk.

She completely ignored him and walked in her class. Luckily he left her because the professor was already in the class.

Eleanor walked to her seat in the middle as she sat with the girl named Ava who barely talked. After class Eleanor decided to break the ice and finally get the courage to talk to that girl. "Hey!" Eleanor's voice came a lot cheery which got that girl's eyes widening as she looked behind her to find no one and then pointed the finger at herself. "Me?" Ava asked with a raised brow.

Eleanor gave her a soft smile and nodded her head as she put forward her right hand. "Can we be friends?" She asked so enthusiastically that Ava's jaw dropped.

"Are you pranking me?" She asked the first thing that came in her mind and Eleanor's brows furrowed. "No...." Eleanor said meekly and turned to leave while picking up her books.

She's so stupid or perhaps she didn't know to socialize. Maybe this is not the way you can ask someone for friendship. She ruined it before it even started.

"Hey, Eleanor, wait!" Ava yelled as she jogged towards Eleanor and then put forward her hand. "Friends?" Ava asked, smiling and a wide grin appeared on Eleanor's face as she shook hands with her.

"Sorry for my behavior but Kevin spread these rumors that you're really a rich brat bitch and whoever loves their respect, should keep their distance from you." Ava spoke while scratching her neck awkwardly whereas Eleanor's jaw dropped.

"That's so insolent of him!" Eleanor muttered lowly and her nose turned red in anger which got a laugh from Ava.

"He's a dick!" Ava muttered and Eleanor's doe like ocean eyes widened to the size of saucers and her jaw dropped to the floor. "Ava!" She gasped horrified at the cuss word that her friend used.

"What? Why are you so shocked?" Ava asked while pulling her brown hairs up in a ponytail as her soft brown orbs stared at Eleanor.

"Don't cuss." Eleanor says in a whisper as if someone will hear them and then kill them for cussing.

"You're funny. I like it!" Ava mused and chuckled as she entangled her arm around Eleanor's as both the girls walked towards their second class.

"So you mean to say that I'm your first ever friend?" Ava asked exasperated. Eleanor gave her an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, dad didn't find it safe for me to attend school or college so I was homeschooled but luckily I was allowed to attend the university and yeah I wasn't allowed to get out of my home often because of the safety reason so that's why."

"Woah! No wonder you were so enthusiastic while asking me for a friendship." Ava mumbled as they ate their lunch in the cafeteria.

"I'm sorry. I'm socially awkward." Eleanor mumbled softly.

"Oh my dearest Eleanor, the first rule of friendship is there's no thank you and no sorry." Ava mused. "And I'm delighted to be your first..." Ava teased her trying to gauge her gasping reaction but got shocked herself when Eleanor gave her a warm smile. This girl didn't know a shit about those things, Ava shook her head and completed her sentence. "Friend ever."

"Thank you." Eleanor said and the very second shook her head recalling the rule that Ava just told her.

"Eleanor I would like you to meet this friend of mine. His name is Caleb and he's on scholarship in our university. He's my only friend here and you'll love him, we can make an amazing group of us three." Ava says enthusiastically, making Eleanor chuckle.

"And where is Caleb?" Eleanor inquired with a smile. "Well he's out of town for a while." Ava says.

"So your life must be really cool being the billionaire's daughter?" Ava says while wiggling her brows and a soft but sad smile appeared on Eleanor's face. "Hmm." She just hummed as Ava changed the topic and they talked about random stuff.

Eleanor was really happy as she finally got a friend. Maybe things will change for good.

Fate chuckled at the naive girl...Only if she knew what was coming her way....

"ELEANOR!" Came the loud yell of Ava which completely scared Eleanor as she abruptly stopped in her tracks and was met with a bone crushing hug of Ava in the middle of the corridor as other students gave them weird looks.

Eleanor chuckled lightly and barely stopped herself from falling back and maintained her balance. "What happened?" Eleanor asked a little confused seeing Ava so overly excited.

It's been just three days to their friendship and they became so close to each other.

"Guess what?" Ava mumbles with twinkling eyes as soon as she breaks the hug.

"You realized you're stupid." Eleanor mumbled confused only to earn a smack on her arms as she laughed out loud looking at Ava's annoyed face.

"Caleb is here!" Ava mused earning a raised brow from Eleanor. "I see, no wonder your cheeks are turning scarlet and I can probably hear your heart beating wildly. On a serious note; am I missing something Ava?" Eleanor teased her while wiggling her eyebrows at her flustered friend.

Eleanor let out a laugh when Ava blushed furiously. "Jesus! I can bet you're head over heels for this Caleb." Eleanor mused, earning a glare from Ava but her blush said otherwise.

Ava took Eleanor to the parking lot at the backside of the university where most of the students were probably bunking their classes.

Ava walked up to the guy who was leaning casually on a sports bike. Just from the distance she can say that Caleb is good looking.

Caleb stood straight after noticing Ava and they hugged and then Caleb rustled Ava's hair, who whines like a child. Caleb's brown eyes then met Eleanor's and she stiffened a little. She was never comfortable around men.

"Caleb, this is Eleanor. She's new in university and is a friend of mine now." Ava said while looking at Caleb and then Ava faced Eleanor. "And this is Caleb..." Eleanor cut Ava in the middle.

"Whom you talk about every time." Eleanor said with an amused face earning a death glare from Ava and Caleb gave Ava an amused smile.

"Hey!" Caleb said as he forward his hand for a shake and Eleanor shook his hand softly with a smile. "Hey." She says softly.

Caleb was tall from them but not very much tall. His height was probably 5'11. Brown hair, clean shaved, sharp jaw and charming smile. His body also appeared fit. He was handsome, Eleanor approved his looks for Ava.

"Which department?" He asked. "Business." Eleanor replied softly. "Woah! Nice, guess we three would stick together more often." He mused with a smile and Ava nodded enthusiastically. Eleanor has to stifle her chuckle, her friend is totally whipped.

Eleanor felt Caleb's eyes on her attire, then at her shoes and finally at the Rolex women's watch on her wrist.

He raised his brow and shook his head on his own thoughts. "Let's go, I don't want to miss any of my classes; I've been missing them already for a few days now." He mumbled as all three walked to their class.

"What's up sweet cheeks?" Eleanor jumped in her place when Kevin came in front of her out of nowhere.

Kevin then looked at Caleb beside her and grinned. "You already got a boy on your tail, huh?" Kevin mused and Eleanor quietly decided to walk out from there.

It's not that she didn't want to put Kevin in his place but because she was afraid that if anything got to her father and it displeased him, she'll be out of the university very next day. She didn't want to risk it.

"Look dude!" Caleb took a step in front of Eleanor and stood facing Kevin. "Stop bothering my friend!" Caleb spoke calmly and motioned Ava and Eleanor to go to the class and within a minute or two Caleb also came into the class.

The first thing he asked was why Kevin was bothering her and then Ava elaborated each and everything to him.

Eleanor felt really happy. She finally has friends by her side. She's not alone. But this freedom is only in the university because as soon as she comes out of the gates of her university, her bodyguards will surround her almost suffocating her but she's still happy for this little freedom.

At home she was doing her assignment of finance when her door was knocked and Samantha entered holding a branded box in her hand.

"Darling, your father is taking you out to a party. He chose this dress for you and he wants you ready in two hours." Sami mumbled softly opening the box to reveal a beautiful red dress.

Eleanor was on cloud nine with so much happiness, she hurriedly went to the restroom for a shower as she wore the dress. It looked beautiful on her. Eleanor was a little shocked to see a beautician waiting to get her ready for the party. Eleanor felt really happy.

After the beautician was finished doing their work on her; Eleanor was looking ethereal. She asked them to let her hair down so her little bare back won't make her uncomfortable.

She gave thumbs up to Samantha before leaving but the girl was completely disheartened when instead of her father, her bodyguard escorted her to that party.

Her mood dimmed but she tried to stay enthusiastic. Once they reached the party, she was utterly uncomfortable to say the least and her being alone there was making her more uncomfortable.

She thanked lord deeply from her heart when she spotted her father and almost jogged up to him, but hurriedly straightened her posture recalling how much her father hates unladylike behavior. The men and women around were all of elite class wearing riches and what not.

As soon as James saw her coming, he gave a curt smile to her and forward his hand for her to take. Eleanor grinned at the soft gesture of her father and placed her hand on his. Completely unaware of the man who was just in front of her father and gazing at her deeply. "You look beautiful." James mumbled softly.

"Thank you Dad." She grinned.

"Eleanor meet Mr. Titus Benjamin." James introduces his daughter to the man who was standing in front of her and that is when her eyes met his intense ones and she lowered her gaze, immediately feeling small in front of that man.

"This is my daughter Eleanor Dawson." James said to Titus who nodded his head and then he took her hand in his and kissed the back of it making her extremely uncomfortable as she took her hand back with a polite smile.

"You're really beautiful Eleanor." He says.