SADIE
I was beyond grateful to him for the way he treated me. I was thinking of not seeing the light again, literally. That was how my brother wanted me to keep in my head, that marrying someone like Cenric was a horror movie come to life.
I was hoping that this was not just his way to earn my trust, to keep me on his leash so that I would not be a pain in his ass. Or he was just kind without any hidden agenda at all, and he was getting bored with his life as a billionaire bachelor. But he made it clear that he didn’t want to get married. It didn’t make any sense right now, but I would find it out.
Honestly, though, I had nothing left to offer to him. I had nothing.
After our dinner, I took the glass of the finest wine with me to the terrace, facing the beach. As much as I wanted to soak my feet in the sand again, I was exhausted, but I still wanted to relish the luxury and fresh air I could have gotten for tonight.
“I brought the bottle. I thought you might need a refill.”
“Thank you.” I delightfully accepted the bottle from him. “I just don’t want you to think that I’m trying to get myself drunk.”
Cenric sat down beside me with his whiskey. He was still perfect with his dirty white shirt and pants. His hair looked messy, but it added to his perfection. He completely fascinated me.
“I have to go to another island early morning. I won’t take you with me. I don’t want to get you bored to death—”
“You don’t have to explain. I might just sleep the whole morning anyway.” I sipped my wine. My neck started to warm up to my face.
“Don’t sleep the whole morning. I arranged a spa for you.”
“I wouldn’t say no that.” I smiled at him. “I wish Zhuri is here that I can chat with, while we’re on a spa together.”
“Why don’t you call her? I’ll take care of her ticket.”
“Nah. She won’t accept it anyway. You know, she thinks I’m banging a hot crypto-magnet right now.” My face flushed.
“Is that what she calls me?” His eyes narrowed in amusement.
“Kinda.”
“What do you mean kinda?”
I waved my hand off to ignore him from prying. I rose from my seat and emptied my glass. “I think I’m getting drunk, and I might say something that I would regret in the morning.” I walked away from him while he was asking what would that be.
“Not saying anymore, hotshot.”
After I cleaned up in the bathroom, my nerves started to warm up, and so as my body, even if I drank a lot of water and washed my face.
I was a light drinker. After wearing something nice but not too revealing and slutty, I went right to the bed and made sure I gave a distance between us. If he initiated sex, I couldn’t say no. I wouldn’t decline it. He was hot, and I really wanted him, even if this wasn’t the effect of the alcohol I consumed.
I laid down on my side, hoping my nerves would calm down before he joined me, but it never happened.
***
I woke in the middle of the night with a heavy log—a warm log draped around my waist. As much as I wanted to enjoy his warmth against my back, I had to empty my bladder, not so thankful for the water I drank before I went to bed after all.
I slowly raised his arm around my waist and slipped out of bed. Thankfully, he didn’t even stir.
After peeing, I checked my phone for a message. So far, I only used this number to send messages to Zhuri.
I received a text from her.
ZHURI: Go, girl. Enjoy your honeymoon, and stop texting me already.
You can fill me in once you’re back.
back.
I typed my reply.
SADIE: I wish you’re here for my spa tomorrow.
She replied.
ZHURI: Spoiled already by a hot husband.
SADIE: Don’t call him that. Gtg. See you soon.
I put my phone back on top of the dresser.
Slowly, I slipped back to bed. This time, he stirred.
“Where did you go?” His voice was groggy, yet it sounded sexy, coming from him.
“Bathroom. Sorry to wake you up.”
“I’m a light sleeper. Part of being in a military.” He turned to my side, his hair messy on his forehead, making me itch to run my fingers through and push it back.
“You’re honorably discharged.”
He smiled lazily. “Yeah, after my last tour. I was supposed to go back, but my parents got into a car accident.”
“I’m so sorry.” Every time he mentioned his parents, there were pain and sorrow deep in his dark orbs. I wished I could help them ease away. I held and squeezed his arm. “When I lost my mother, I thought my world turned black. It was painful, and I had no one to open up to with the pain inside me. It was a very difficult time. My father didn’t care. He hated my mother for leaving him. I, for one, couldn’t stomach how my father treated my mother. I just wished I had spent more time with her before she died, but my father didn’t allow me.”
“I’m sure she loved you more than she had shown.”
“I know.”
“Go back to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Sadie.”
I lay on my back. For the first time, I felt like I turn into stone as I stared up the ceiling with a beautiful sculptured wood chandelier.
“Relax. I can feel you’re uncomfortable.”
“I never spent a night with a man.”
“I’m not just a man. You can trust me with your life. And body.”
I turned my head to look at him. He was in the same position as before, with his arm under the pillow. “I know. I just wondered—”
“What?”
“Even a teeny-tiny bit, did you ever expect more from me than how you saw me the first time?”
“Much more than what I ever imagined. I would be in hell and die unhappy if I didn’t show up yesterday.”
A small smile curved up my lips. “Why didn’t you ever come to see me?”
“I don’t wanna make mistakes. I didn’t wanna get attracted to you and fall in love. I still have a lot of things to figure out for myself. I didn’t know what to do with my life after losing my parents and my brothers. So I spent my time building up my company. Somehow, it paid off. Then I saw you from afar. If you’ll ask me if I made a mistake not seeing you, maybe. Did I have regrets about staying away from you? No. I would still choose the same way I met you.”
“You surprised me. I only saw your pictures from the internet, Zhuri showed me, and they didn’t do justice.”
He smirked. “So, you’re contented, or you like better what you saw on the internet?”
I hit him playfully. “Are you kidding me?”
He caught my hand, his eyes dancing with humor. “I’m glad I made the right decision of throwing away 25 million dollars, mi Cielo.”
***
The sun shone right into my eyes, forcing me to wake up to an empty bed. After what we shared last night, I started to relax around him. I felt a little bit comfortable even if I still had a lot of things to learn who Cenric Wollf really was. He was still a complicated puzzle to solve—like puzzle pieces of the same color.
I found a note tucked under my phone in a very masculine scribble.
I read and replied to your friend’s text. Check it out. I can’t afford to be late, and I can’t afford to wake you up so beautiful and peaceful. Enjoy your breakfast.
S
CENRIC She was like an angel and curled like a ball as she slept. She looked like she couldn’t even hurt a fly, but I knew she had a fire deep inside her, and I couldn’t wait to see that come out. I knew she was a strong woman, just like her mother. As much as I’d love to ogle her, and it was creepy watching someone sleep, I had a business meeting to attend to. In less than thirty minutes, I arrived at Rios Resort with Beck. I knew where to find my soon-to-be business partner if things went smoothly. “I’ll be fine. Go and find some bar and get a drink.” Beck grunted, “You know I’m on the clock, C.” “This is different, brother. And I can take care of myself.” He glared at me before he nodded. “Call me—” “Get the hell out of my sight, and for God’s sake, Beck, loosen up. We’re at the resort.” I found Jett Grayson drinking Pina Colada with his wife for thirty-five years. I met them at a charity I attended. Belle saw me first, lifting her sunglasses on top of her head. “What the
SADIE “So, you’re looking into my things now, too?” I studied him across the table as we shared this lunch. I couldn’t call it a lunch date, but we were kinda on a honeymoon, so maybe, it was. And the seafood was delicious. Thank God I didn’t have allergies. “I can’t call it looking into your things. The screen just lit up while I was looking for a piece of paper.” He was unapologetic— that was his strong suit, the only thing my brother was right about Cenric. “I can’t call it snooping either. I mean, if you don’t have something to hide, right?” His eyes glinted. There was something he knew that I didn’t. “You’re fishing for info, Mr. Wollf, with double L?” “Is there info that’s worth fishing?” I dabbed my lips with the napkin. “I’m sure I have nothing to hide that you haven’t already known. How’s your trip to Rios?” “Successful.” He took his drinks. “To many more success.” “To many more success.” I sipped my white wine. The butter-poached lobster was to die for, and so as the Q
CENRIC What the actual fuck? My wife is still a virgin? I didn’t know if I should celebrate or be terrified. I had never fucked a virgin before, and I didn’t have a plan to, but this time was different. This was my wife we were talking about. I felt my chest expand a little, and I thought it was me being proud of her. She felt my body freeze, and she thought I was disappointed. I was shocked, yes, but I would never, ever reject her because she wanted to keep her hymen intact until she offered it to the right man. But was I the right man? When she thought I bought her out for twenty-five million dollars. Then those full lips tempted me, taunted me, even the way she ate, and nothing she ever did wasn’t sexy. I was much attracted to her that I never knew I would feel this so much beyond my will. She was the epitome of a living goddess. And I was damn shocked to find myself kissing her hungrily as though I starved for days, and I finally found a meal to gobble down. A part of me was s
SADIE We had to cut our honeymoon short when Cenric received an emergency call from Cas. I didn’t pry. I hoped Cas was okay, though—Cenric’s expression told me nothing seemed alright. We had to leave the island right away while the jet was waiting for us in the private airport. “Hey, everything is gonna be okay.” I squeezed his hand. Even my words had no assurance. I knew they could figure it out together. He squeezed my hand back. “CENTH just recently listed on Archer Markets, and then what a coincidence. There was a security breach last night.” “How does it even possible? I thought trading platforms couldn’t be hacked. I don’t know how it works, but I thought when it comes to banking, shouldn’t it be more secured than Fort Knox?” He sadly chuckled, “Even NASA and NSA can be breached with their state-of-the-art security.” “So you mean to say nothing is guaranteed? Nothing is safe anymore?” “You could say that, but I’m about to figure out how far the breach is.” “Well, that’s a
CENRIC The meeting didn’t go anywhere. We still had to be very accountable, even though every cryptocurrency was affected by the breach. We valued our customers, and we wanted to guarantee that their investments were in good hands. “It’s already plunging. Aren’t you supposed to do something?” For a crypto investor, sometimes, he was just stupid. “Archer is one of the largest markets, and it shouldn’t be breached.” Aaron Arnett was one of the boards and OneMore Exchange founder. “It happens all the time. I mean, not the breach. Cryptocurrency is the most volatile currency on the planet,” my brother said. “You should know by now. The stock market as well. It crashes when there’s a prolonged bull market.” I trusted my brother. Since we were young, he was drawn to mathematics. Before my enlistment, he took advanced courses in programming and cryptography, and it all paid off. “Can’t you be at least thankful the breach did not happen in our system? CENTH will bounce back and fly to th
SADIE I woke earlier than Cenric to a cramp in my lower belly. I rolled out of bed, hoping I wouldn’t wake him currently sleeping under the comfy satin duvet. I had completely forgotten that today was a day of the month, and I had no tampons. Thankfully, my first day didn’t flow like a river.I dialed Devin for help.“Mrs. Wollf?”“Can’t you just call me Sadie? I’m younger than you, yet you make me look like a seventy-year-old grandma.”“No, ma’am.”“Fine, but don’t annoy me, and I need your help.”“Anything.”“Can you drive to a convenience store or the nearest pharmacy?”“Is something wrong?” His voice changed to alert mode.“No. Are you going to drive me there or not?”“Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you.”I growled, “I told you not to annoy me. I want to buy something myself. Wasn’t my husband telling you to take me anywhere I want? This is an emergency, Devin.”
CENRIC Sadie loosened up around me. If she continued to open things up about her, this marriage would start to bloom into something more than just a business deal. I also started to know a bit about her. She liked to be cocooned. She snored a little, and she wasn’t sorry to show what she wanted. I liked the boldness in her character. The first time I saw her picture, I knew there was a fire inside her, and I couldn’t wait to see it flare out. “I thought you wanted to stay at home.” Theo barged into my office with brows knitted and an iPad over his chest. “Are you trying to kick me out of my office?” I’d been reading through the company proposal I wanted to start. And this was something very personal to me. All the companies I owned were personal to me, and I always thought those employees depended on me. One wrong move I made, everything would crumble down, and if it happened, they would lose their jobs. “Would you like me to grab
SADIE “Your husband—” I jerked inside the fitting room, my hand on my chest. My heart was in my throat. Shivers ran down my spine as I watched my brother in the mirror standing behind me. “How the hell did you get in here, Jasper?” I turned around to face him, stepping back. At least if he would think of doing something, he couldn’t do it from behind. “He’s going to ruin this family, sis. He’s going to destroy the Greer legacy.” With a calculated pace, he took steps closer to me. “You should do something. Tell me about his plan.” I clutched the garments in my hand against my chest. “Back off, Jasper.” “You will spy on him, Sadie. He trusts you.” “I’m afraid your judgment is wrong. Cenric doesn’t trust me.” With his eyes bloodshot wide, he hovered and gripped my arms that I knew would leave marks. “If you, as much as enjoy your life outside, you will do as