Chapter: Chapter 45Lorenzo I took her to my hotel room. We didn’t even turn on the lights. She just dragged me in by the hand like she’d already decided how this night would end.Her name didn’t matter. I barely remembered it—Tasha, maybe? Tanya? Whatever. She pushed me down onto the couch, straddled me like she knew what she was doing, and started kissing me. Hard. Wet. Messy. She tasted like mint gum and vodka, her tongue eager and clumsy.I didn’t stop her.My hands found her hips out of habit, gripping tightly, pulling her against me. She moaned, probably thinking I was into it. I wasn’t. Not really. But I let it happen. I needed it to happen. I needed the noise, the heat, the pressure. Anything to get Aryn out of my goddamn head.I let her unzip my pants, let her take me in hand. She kissed my neck, whispered shit like “You’re so hot,” and “I’ve wanted you since I saw you walk in.” I didn’t reply. I just closed my eyes and tried to focus. Tried to forget those fucking green panties.She pulled he
Last Updated: 2025-06-24
Chapter: Chapter 44LorenzoI knew I was fucked the moment I saw her.There she was—in nothing but that stupid lace nightwear and those fucking green panties. Goddamn green. I don’t know what it is about that color, but it punched the breath out of me like a fist to the gut. It was the kind of green that should be illegal. Sinful. The kind of green that made a man forget his goddamn name.I leaned back on the couch, one arm thrown across the top like I was relaxed, but my whole body was on fire. My jaw clenched. My pants felt like hell. I couldn’t move without giving myself away, so I just sat there like a ticking fucking bomb.She’d landed on me like a damn angel with a death wish. Her skin was soft. Her robe had slipped. That lace left nothing to the imagination, and her thighs were bare against my leg. I didn’t dare look between them again or I’d combust. And fuck me—I already had.I shouldn’t have let her stay. Hell, I shouldn’t have even talked to her. But it was already too late. The second she str
Last Updated: 2025-06-24
Chapter: Chapter 43ArynWe pulled up to the house late, the driveway dim in the moonlight. At this hour, everything seemed quiet—too quiet. I followed Lorenzo inside, my feet heavy. The night’s fight in the auction room still glowed behind my eyelids.A maid appeared in the hallway, hovering politely. Lorenzo stopped. She held something behind her back. He raised an eyebrow.“Mr. DeLuca,” she said softly. “This arrived for you.”She handed him a thick cream envelope. His name was written in bold black ink. I pressed forward, peering over her shoulder. I caught sight of the word Antonio in fancy script.“What is it?” I asked.The maid stepped back, earth quiet. Lorenzo opened the letter with slow, calm fingers. Before I could look closer, he tucked the envelope inside his coat pocket. I wanted to reach for it.“Antonio Marquez,” he whispered, eyes dark. He showed me nothing. Took the maid’s message. She bowed and backed away as if she’d just passed through glass.We were alone again. Tension coiled in t
Last Updated: 2025-06-23
Chapter: Chapter 42ArynThe auction house stood at the end of a long, curving driveway, quiet and hidden by tall trees. It wasn’t flashy like the big mansions you saw in magazines. There were no gold gates or fancy water fountains. No huge statues or anything shouting for attention. Everything about the place looked expensive, but in a quiet, careful way—like it was meant to impress the right kind of people without saying too much.Still, something about it made my stomach turn. It's probably because of my nerves or because I had been here before albeit on my terms. Since I had been blindfolded both times when I was brought here and taken out of here, I couldn't recognize the place.Lorenzo didn’t knock when we got to the massive wooden doors. He didn’t have to. A butler in a crisp black uniform opened before we even reached the last step. His face was a mask of polite disinterest, but I could tell by the way his gaze flicked to Lorenzo and then to me that he knew exactly who we were.“Mr. DeLuca,” the
Last Updated: 2025-06-22
Chapter: Chapter 41ArynI couldn’t breathe.The world shrunk to the size of my phone screen.Lily. My Lily. My best friend Bound. Bruised. Terrified.I saw her eyes, wide with a silent scream, and it cracked something raw and brutal inside of me. Her face haunted the back of my mind for months now, but this—this was a slap. A jolt straight to my chest.I gasped.Suddenly it was like I was underwater—suffocating in guilt. Drowning in it.Because I had forgotten her.I had been so wrapped up in Arya, in my own pain, my own trauma, that I hadn’t even thought to ask where Lily was. Not once.Not. Once.“Fuck,” I whispered, the phone falling into my lap. “Fuck… no… no, no.”Lorenzo turned sharply at the tears running down my cheeks. His eyes scanned my face with confusion.“Aryn?” His voice was tentative. He looked shaken, and not much shook him. “What’s wrong?”I couldn’t answer.I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.Only one word did.“Lily.”He tilted his head. “Who’s Lily?”But the moment he asked, I
Last Updated: 2025-06-21
Chapter: Chapter 40ArynThe second we stepped out of that pristine glass door, hell opened its mouth and swallowed us whole.Cameras. Everywhere. Lights flashing like we were walking into a warzone instead of onto the sidewalk. Reporters shouting over one another, their voices like a violent tide—crashing, overwhelming, hungry. Microphones extended like weapons. Flashes bursting in my face like little explosions. The noise hit me first—loud, relentless, desperate.Then the hands.Not touching—thank god—but hovering, reaching, pushing phones in our faces, like if they got the right shot, the right angle, they’d unlock some kind of truth they weren’t ready for.I blinked, thrown by the sheer force of it. I’d expected media, sure—but this? This was a circus.They were already snapping us like we were celebrities caught doing something forbidden. Lorenzo’s hand tightened around mine, firm and grounding, and I let him lead. He didn’t flinch, didn’t stumble, didn’t blink. Just walked like the chaos was made f
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
Chapter: Chapter FourteenNerissa I spent the rest of the morning trying to act like I wasn’t spiraling. How could everything change so fast? One day I was a simple assistant with a semi-peaceful routine, and now I was being told to shadow a man like Asher Grayson to every meeting and every event like some executive groupie. And worse—I had no way out of it. The contract I’d signed blindly on my first day, desperate for work, had just become a leash around my neck. At exactly three o’clock, Asher stepped out of his office. I was already on my feet before he even called my name. “Let’s go,” he said, not waiting to see if I followed. I did, of course. Because what else could I do? He didn’t speak much in the car, just typed away on his phone. I sat beside him, stiff as a board, fidgeting with my skirt and wondering if he could sense how badly I wanted to be anywhere else. The boutique was in a quiet corner of the city—discreet, classy, expensive. Everything about it screamed Asher Grayson. I stepped insi
Last Updated: 2025-04-14
Chapter: Chapter 7Nerissa The next morning, I arrived at the office feeling a sense of calm. The previous evening's drama with Jace and his girlfriend was behind me, and I was ready to tackle the day's tasks. Balancing work and caring for Luke had become my routine, and I was growing more comfortable with it.As I stepped into the building, I exchanged greetings with Leah and Dan, who were chatting near the entrance. Their friendly smiles were a welcome start to the day."Morning, Nerissa," Leah called out."Good morning! How's everything?" I replied.Dan chuckled. "Same old, same old. Ready for another thrilling day in the world of IT."We shared a laugh before I made my way to Asher's office. My plan was to organize his workspace before he arrived, a routine I had maintained during his absence. I knocked lightly on the door, and hearing no response, I pushed it open.To my surprise, Asher was seated at his desk, reviewing some documents. He looked up, his piercing blue eyes meeting mine."Nerissa,"
Last Updated: 2025-04-09
Chapter: Chapter twelveNerissaIt had been a few weeks since the first awkward elevator encounter, and I was starting to get used to seeing my neighbor with a new girlfriend every week. Honestly, it wasn’t my business, and I kept reminding myself of that. Still, I made sure Luke didn’t come in contact with him. The last thing I needed was Luke picking up any habits from someone who clearly didn’t care about anyone else’s comfort.The loud music blasting through the thin apartment walls didn’t help either. Sometimes it started early in the morning; other times, it kept going well into the night. I’d started using earplugs just to get some sleep.At work, things were surprisingly better. Asher hadn’t been coming to the office lately, which was a huge relief. I didn’t have to constantly worry about accidentally saying or doing something that might give away my secret. I could actually breathe.I’d also made a few friends. Dan, from the IT department, was a sweetheart with a quick wit, and Leah from accounting
Last Updated: 2025-04-03
Chapter: Chapter Eleven NerissaI walked back toward the office, my heels clicking against the polished floors, but my mind was miles away. Why did Dan bring up Silver? Had he seen her? Had she asked about me?I shook my head, pushing the thoughts away. It didn’t matter. She didn’t matter.What mattered right now was getting through the day without losing my sanity. By the time I reached Asher’s office, I had regained my composure. I knocked twice, waiting for permission to enter. “Come in.” His voice was clipped, impatient. I pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately noticing the tension in the air. Asher sat behind his desk, his fingers tapping against the dark wood, his jaw set tight. “You took your time,” he remarked, not bothering to look up from the papers in front of him. I bit back a retort. Professional. Indifferent. Play the part.“I was in the middle of something,” I replied smoothly, walking over to stand beside his desk. He finally looked up, and for a brief moment, somet
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
Chapter: Chapter TenNerissa I pushed Asher off me cleaning my mouth furiously even though the feeling of his lips still lingered. "How dare you kiss me without my permission?" He gave me a smug smile and sat on his chair, "Because you are mine now, Nerissa. The moment you became my secretary you became my possession." How in the name of everything normal did I end up with this cocky rich man? "Think about the money, think about the money" I chanted to myself. I took a deep breath and flashed my professional smile. "With all due respect, Mr Blackwood..." "Please call me Asher." "With all due respect, Mr Blackwood, please don't touch me without my permission or you would be sued by assault." I didn't wait for him to talk before I walked out of the room. I walked towards the ladies room still seething from what had just happened..The nerve of that infuriating annoying...... I forced a polite smile as I passed a few colleagues in the hallway. The weight of expectations clung to me like an ill-fitt
Last Updated: 2025-03-21
Chapter: Chapter nine NerissaI walked into the office the next morning. The usual chatter filled the air, but today felt different. There was an uneasy feeling hanging over the room, and I couldn’t shake the sense that something was wrong. Just as I sat down, my boss called me into his office. My stomach twisted with nerves; the last time he did this, it was for a performance review, and I’d only just managed to pass.“Nerissa,” he said, his voice serious. “I need to talk to you about a transfer.” My heart sank. I knew what that meant. I’d heard the rumors, but I was hoping they wouldn’t be true. “You’re being moved to the top floor. Black Industries has merged with us, and they want you working directly under Mr. Blackwood.”I nodded, even as I clenched my fists. Damn Blackwood. I had only just started my life here and he was already set out to ruin it. Coupled with the fact that I was hiding his baby.I went to the bathroom to clear my head, hoping to shake off the anxiety. As I leaned over the sink, tw
Last Updated: 2024-11-09
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