Mona’s POV
"We're leaving," Ian said to me. I was still processing the words when he bent, picked me up like I weighed less than a feather, and began to walk back to his car. The camera flashes resumed with a vengeance, and through my haze, I spotted several of the reporters staring after us in shock. "Let me go." I tried to wiggle away, but he held on tight. "Not a chance, Miss Carter." He said in a hard voice, "You started this, and you're going to finish it." A dark promise rang in his voice and I shivered in terror, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I was in deep trouble, I could just feel it. Ian didn't strike me as the sort of man who just forgave and let things slide. The question wasn't if he was going to have his revenge for the assault, the question was what he was going to do to me. He dropped me into the passenger seat of the car and buckled me in before going around to the driver's seat and sliding in. Before the paparazzi could get over their shock, the car had peeled away from the curb. The drive was fraught with tense silence that made me want to throw up, "How do you know my name?" "Excuse me?" He asked without sparing me a glance. "You called me Miss Carter back there. How do you know my name?" "Do you think I wouldn't do my research on the woman who kissed me, tossed champagne on me, hit me and then caused a media scandal that's costing me millions of dollars?" He asked in an even tone. I sucked in a breath, "Millions of... Oh God." "You also ruined my partnership with the Elliots. A business deal that was easily worth sixty five million dollars." I stopped breathing. How could he mention such a large sum with such a flippant tone? Had he really lost that much? Mia had said he was the richest man in America, and I had the feeling a man like Ian wouldn't waste his time lying to me. "I'm s-sorry," I said pathetically. He scoffed, "Sorry isn't going to replace my money. Luckily for us both, I can afford to lose that much without losing sleep." "So why am i here?" I asked, confused. Had he just saved me from the paparazzi because he was a good man? Somehow I doubted that. I didn't know him, but I had the strong feeling that he didn't believe in charity. "You're here because I don't believe in losing money." He said, "You've cost me a lot and you're going to pay back every single cent." A hysterical laughter slipped out of my mouth, "If you really did your research, then you should know that I can't even offer you ten dollars in compensation. I'm sorry, but you're wasting your time." "Trust me, I did my research thoroughly." He drawled. Suddenly the car came to a screeching halt. "You're going to pay back with your body, whenever, however and wherever I want it." Ian said coldly. Fury curled through me immediately, "Who do you think you are? If you think me being poor makes me a prostitute, then you'd better think again." How dare he suggest such a thing? "I'm not going to become your whore, you bastard." "You're mistaken, Mona," his eyes met mine, "I'm not making a request, I'm telling you exactly what will happen. You don't have a choice." "What's that supposed to mean? I refuse!" I spat, "I'm sorry for kissing you, and everything that happened. But I'm not going to become your whore just because of that." My blood bubbled in my veins at his audacity. I reached for the handle of the door to step out of the car, but just then my phone started to ring. I snatched it out of my purse and picked it immediately. "Hello?" I said, heart pattering in my chest. "I can't believe you actually did it," the nurse said, "I thought you were crazy when you said you'd pay for the treatment today. Your mother is asleep now, but as soon as she wakes up, I'll let her know the good news." Confusion filled my head, "what are you talking about?" She paused, "you made a payment of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a few minutes ago for Mrs. Carter's treatment. Wasn't that you?" I was about to blurt out a resounding no when it suddenly hit me. My head snapped to the side staring at the man at my side who accessed me through dark eyes. I had no doubt that he had been the one to pay it. But why would he... Unless it was a ploy to get me in his bed. "Uh, I'll call you later," I hung up and faced him, "You sick bastard! How can you stoop so low as to try to use my mother to turn me into your whore?" Tears welled up in my eyes but I hurriedly wiped them off. "I'm a man who's used to getting what he wants miss Carter. And I'll do anything to keep it that way." He informed me, "That's the first thing you need to note before we begin." I opened my mouth to say we weren't beginning anything, but immediately changed my mind, "And if I say no? You've already paid my mother's hospital bills. What's stopping me from saying no?" His mouth curled up, "All I have to do is call my bank, and they'll reverse the bank transfer." My stomach soured. Mia was right, this man was a monster and I'd somehow managed to fall into his net. "You're a monster." Ian leaned forward, and I froze, as his large body stopped an inch from me, separating our mouths by a breath. “And I can’t wait to devour you” he whispered. I unbuckled the seatbelts and stumbled back from the car, gasping, as Ian’s headlights bled into the night. And then— My phone screen flashed: *[INCOMING CALL:ST MARY’S HOSPITAL]* Ian’s shadowed figure waited, one hand extended, not in invitation , but command and the next words that came out of his words were.. “Five seconds. Choose: your freedom..or your mother’s heartbeat.”Ian’s POV The police lights painted the night in streaks of red and blue, casting long shadows across the gravel driveway. Uncle Brown was shoved into the back of a squad car, his face pressed against the glass, eyes burning with defiance even in defeat. I watched as the car pulled away, the weight of his betrayal still settling in my chest like a stone. Mona’s hand found mine, her fingers threading through my own, warm and steady. *Alive.* That was the word that echoed in my mind. After everything—after the lies, the danger, the years of silence—we were still here. Still standing. Vance cleared his throat, his arms crossed as he leaned against his car. "We can’t put this off any longer," he said, his voice gruff but not unkind. "The company, the will, the truth, it’s time." I exhaled sharply, nodding. He was right. My father’s legacy, Uncle Brown’s vendetta, the secrets that had festered between us—none of it could stay buried. Not if we wanted to move forward. --- **
Ian povI couldn't fathom the gravity of the situation unfolding before me. "Come on, this can't be happening, Uncle," I implored, my voice strained as I struggled to maintain my composure. "After all these years, you're actually here for the property?"Uncle Brown's eyes narrowed, transforming his once familiar face into a mask of cold calculation. “The property was merely a means to an end, Ian,” he sneered, his voice laced with venom. “Your father’s company was supposed to be mine—the rightful inheritance that was stolen from me. I’ll stop at nothing to reclaim what is rightfully mine.”Fury surged through me, and with a sudden burst of strength, I broke free from Vance's iron grip. "You’re a liar!” I shouted, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I charged toward him, my heart pounding defiantly in my chest. “My father’s company was never yours to take!”The air crackled with tension as the weight of our family’s troubled past hung heavily between us, and I felt the resolve with
Mona povI turned to Flynn, my voice barely above a whisper, laden with a mixture of anxiety and urgency. "What are you doing here?" I asked, striving to keep my tone neutral despite the tempest of confusion and dread roiling within me.Flynn's gaze remained locked on Ian, her finger pressing firmly against the trigger as if it were an instinctive extension of her will. "Shut up, Mona," she growled, her voice low and tinged with menace, sending an unsettling chill racing down my spine.As Vance took a deliberate step closer to me, the air between us crackled with tension. His eyes, ablaze with a potent mix of anger and raw, haunting pain, bore into mine. "You want to know why I’m here for Ian?" he asked, his voice thick with venom, as if each syllable were laced with deep-seated rage. "It’s because his family is responsible for the deaths of two cherished souls in my family."My heart raced as I processed Vance’s words, their weight hanging oppressively in the air like a dark cloud. "
Vance povI have waited an eternity for this moment, the chance to confront Ian face-to-face. As I lingered in the shadows behind Flynn, her eyes blazing with fierce determination, she brandished a gun tightly gripped in her fist, the metal glinting ominously in the dim light. I caught a glimpse of Mona, her jaw dropping in disbelief at my unexpected presence, but her reaction was the least of my concerns. I had sacrificed too much and endured too many trials for this long-anticipated day to finally arrive.FIVE YEARS AGOI sprawled across my couch, the soft fabric pressing against my skin as I enjoyed the sun-drenched afternoon. Davina sat beside me, her fingers gliding effortlessly over my body, a tantalizing touch that sent shivers down my spine. She wore a vibrant bikini that hugged her curves perfectly, the bright colors contrasting against her sun-kissed skin. Just as I turned my head to meet her playful gaze, my phone erupted with a sharp chime from the table, disrupting the mo
MonaIan’s grasp tightened protectively around me. “It wasn’t my intention, Mona. I was desperate to secure the contract. I thought it was just a one-time mistake, but… it meant nothing in comparison to what we have. You mean everything to me.”I pulled back slightly, lifting my gaze to meet his, my eyes swollen and reddened from the tears. “You love me?” I asked, the words almost escaping in a whisper, fragile and filled with uncertainty.He nodded solemnly, his eyes unwavering, fiercely locked onto mine. “I love you, Mona. I was foolish, and I made a terrible mistake. But I promise, from this moment on, I will do everything to make it up to you.”A surge of emotions collided within me, swelling in my chest like a tidal wave. Before I could grasp the weight of my feelings, the words escaped my lips, unfiltered and raw: "I love you too."Ian's face brightened instantly, a glimmer of hope igniting in his deep, expressive eyes. He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me with a warm
Moña povI stood at the window, gazing out as the morning sun poured its golden light into the room, illuminating every corner with a radiant warmth. The sunlight danced playfully across the walls, casting whimsical shadows that flickered in the stillness. Yet, despite the beauty surrounding me, I felt no joy and no sense of peace. It had been two long days since I last saw Ian, and the ache of his absence lingered like a heavy fog, refusing to lift. I blinked twice, the brightness cutting into my eyes like shards of glass, and finally drew the curtain closed, effectively banishing the cheerful light that seemed so foreign to my mood.Turning away from the window, I trudged toward the door, the motion feeling mechanical and heavy, as if an invisible weight pressed down on my shoulders. I grasped the cool metal handle, feeling its firmness beneath my fingers, and turned it slowly, pushing the door open with a soft creak. The corridor beyond was eerily quiet, the air thick with a stilln