Chapter 2
Jennie Orlando The heat caught in my chest, breath stuttering as the stranger pinned me to the wall... his mouth on mine, hungry, unrelenting... tongues fighting for dominance, hands exploring my body... In a way no man has ever done to me before. He paused, eyes on me. "Are you sure about this, miss?" I pulled him close, kissing him like I already knew how the night would end. That should be enough for an answer. He swept me off my feet, and I giggled as my fingers traced the sculpted lines of his chest. I needed this. Needed him. I couldn’t wait to feel him, to be filled in a way that left nothing untouched. I didn’t stop to wonder if I’d regret it. For once, I just wanted to feel something… just anything. He lowered me carefully to the bed. I tried to focus, to memorize the lines of his face, but the alcohol turned everything into a soft blur... So I gave up trying, deciding to just enjoy the moment. His hands, warm and rough, slid up my inner thigh, sending sparks dancing beneath my skin. My hands instinctively grabbed the bedsheet, pulling it, head pressed against the bed, breath hitching, soft quiet moan thickened in the air as he left burning kisses on my face... neck... chest... Every part of my body where fire was hidden. Then slowly, his hand slipped beneath my dress, fingers brushing the aching warmth between my thighs... ***** “Hey, wake up!” The gentle tap on my back had me groaning tiredly, but I didn't open my eyes. I continued sleeping. “Wake up, Miss,” I tossed tiredly on the bed, but my eyes flew open as I felt the presence of someone. A man sat on the bed, his back facing me. “Wh…who are you?” I muttered, sitting up, but a gasp tore through my throat the moment I felt my naked body beneath the duvet. My eyes scanned the room briefly... My clothes laid carelessly on the floor. I clutched the duvet tightly to my chest as I scrambled back. “What did you do to me?” Heat blossomed in my chest the moment his eyes met mine. My brain stopped to process his damn handsome face for a moment. “Are you serious?” he spoke, but I barely paid attention to his words. How could I possibly do that when his face had captured all my attention? He was the most handsome man I've ever seen in the twenty-five years of existence. His almond eyes pierced dominantly into mine. Those eyes I could take command from. Sharp jawlines, complimenting his oblong-shaped face. My fingers itched to touch his highbridge nose. He was damn... Beautiful. But something caught in between my admiration... His age. He was in his mid-forties. 'What have you done, Jennie?' “Who…are you?” I brushed thoughts off, looking him straight in the eyes, but I felt something twitch in between my legs... my pussy. “The man you approached at the club last night to have sex with you…” he replied casually, and my eyes widened. “Wh…what are you talking about?” I stuttered, my grip tightening around the duvet as I shook my head. I would never do something like that. He ignored my question and demanded. "My money..." "Wh...what money?" "You promised to pay me if I had sex with---" "Stop it! Just stop it!" I squeezed my eyes shut, covering my ears tightly. 'I'm not a sex worker.' His familiar voice played in my head. Slowly, everything started clicking in... Every single detail of what happened last night. “I see you remember everything that happened. So, are you paying with cash or transfer?” he asked as he closed the buttons of shirt. “Why didn't you stop me? Why the fuck didn't you stop me? You knew I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing!” I ran my fingers through my hair like I had lost my mind. Oh, yes. I had really lost it. "So was I, Miss..." He picked up his phone. "I was also drunk." I scoffed. Is he playing with me now? “So, are you paying with cash or transfer?” I glared at him. How could I do have done something so stupid? What the fuck was I even thinking? Was it worth it? I buried my face in my palms shamefully, trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, but was soon distracted by the sound of my ringing phone. I looked up and found him holding both my phone and his. “I have your number now. I will forward my account details to you later. Payment for my service,” he said, tossing my phone back on the bed, while I stared in silence. Just as he was about to leave, I threw a question at him. “Did you use protection?" He paused. "You didn't have sex with me without protection, did you? I know nobody would take that risk.” my voice trembled, as I prayed silently that he didn't do something so stupid. It was already driving me nuts that I slept with a stranger, carrying his baby or getting infections as a reward was the last thing I wanted. He looked back at me, his lips curling up in a smirk, “Darling, my sperm is too expensive to be deposited just anywhere... Not even in the body of a woman who begs random men for sex. So, we are both safe.” I clenched my jaw tightly. He was right after all. After he left, I cleaned myself up and left for my apartment to get some rest and clear my head. My mind drifted to the text I got from my boss last night as I drove home, but I quickly shook it off. Going to work was the last thing on my list. I barely got home when my phone began ringing, and I reached for it. My stomach riled up with anger the moment I saw it was Ciara calling me. What does she want? She is not planning to come back to the house, is she? Oh, we lived together. We had been living together for the past five years before we moved in here a couple of months ago. The call ended, and another followed. I hesitantly picked up. "Hey, cousin. I thought you were going to ignore my call again. Are you still mad at me for what happened?” she whined. “It's not my fault that your man wants me, Jennie. Justin came for me, and not the other way around. I couldn't say no to him. You won't take it to heart, will you?” I went silent for seconds, my heart wrenching painfully. I loved Justin with everything in me, yet he chose to betray me. “You two deserve each other, sweetheart. You should deal with his cheating ass now,” I hung up on her, tossing my phone away. My phone screen lit up with a text from that bitch, Ciara. 'I know you might not like to hear this, but I'll still tell you. Justin's dad is back from the States, and he's going to introduce me to him. We'll start our wedding preparation soon after the introduction'. Tears blurred my vision, heat burned in my chest. I scoffed. Now I know that I've been a fool. In the two years that we dated, he had never talked about his family. He never told me he had any, so I assumed he didn't. My phone was still in my grasp when it pinged with a notification. Justin had just posted a new story. My heart ached as I clicked on it. He must've posted a picture of how happy he was with his family. Curiosity made me click on it, but what I saw made me freeze on the spot. It was a picture of Justin... And a familiar man. 'Dad' The caption... Just a single word. But that wasn't the problem. It was the fact that his dad looked familiar. My fingers trembled as I slowly zoomed in on his dad, and my breath stuttered the moment I recognised the man. It was the man from earlier. The one I slept with. He was Justin's dad…Chapter 8Jennie Orlando Mr. Smith?Heat blossomed in my chest as I took a step back. "Hey! I know you are home. Open the damn door!"My fingers curled into my hands. For a second, I wanted to run away. To hide anywhere I could... Just to get away from him. But my legs refused to give in. They were rooted rigidly in the same spot.Even after years of working my ass out, trying to pay up this loan, I still couldn't meet up. I didn't even know for how long I would continue to live like this.My father used to be a businessman, doing well for himself although he wasn't wealthy. But his business suddenly stopped thriving, and he was soon drowning in debt, until he fell ill and passed away. Well, as the only child, Mr. Smith, the CEO of the loan shark company demanded that I pay off the money.Five million dollars was no joke. And the fact that he kept increasing the money each month was already killing me slowly."Come outside, Jennie!" I flinched whenI heard his bang on the gate. As
Chapter 7Jennie Orlando The next morning"Are you kidding me, Mr. Holt?" My eyes scanned through the sack letter as I gripped it tightly, lifting my gaze to him."You are firing me?" I scoffed.God, please. Not now. I can't lose my job."I'm sorry, Ms. Orlando, but we can't continue working with you." He said with no remorse, reclining on the chair, his pair of blue eyes locked on me. "That doesn't make any sense, Mr. Holt. You can't fire me just like that!" I tried to compose myself, but my blood was already boiling. "You are married to MH group's CEO. Our rival. Would you still keep you in my company if you were in my shoes?" "Mr. Holt... We can talk about this. You can't fire me because of this. It's just personal life. Who I choose to be with have absolutely nothing to do with my job, does it?" He scoffed, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Don't you still get it, Ms. Orlando? You betrayed us. You betrayed my trust. Hiding such a thing from us. You've been dating our ri
Chapter 6Jennie Orlando "You are hurting me!" I cried out as Maverick dragged me along the hallway, but he didn't stop. Not until we got to a room, then he shove me inside, slamming the door behind us. "Ugh! You didn't have to do that. My hand is all red now," I muttered, rubbing my wrist.He paced in the room, raking his fingers through his hair, breath heavy. He paused and turned to me, gritting out. "What was that?" His eyes searched mine for answer. "I heard wrong, right? You didn't date my son, did you?" His nails dug into my shoulders.I sighed. The fact that he was the CEO of our rival was already driving me crazy, and now this?"Let go of me!" I shrugged his hands off my shoulders."Answer me, Jennie!" He demanded, his eyes searching mine. Not a trace of anger. Just frustration and curiosity.I dragged in a deep breath as I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted out. "Let's divorce, Maverick."Silence thickened around us. And as I opened my eyes, I was met with his eyes. Gazing
Chapter 5Jennie Orlando Maverick was invited to the stage to give a speech."Tonight is not about me, but still, I would like to make an announcement to everyone here tonight..." He paused, and glanced at me. "MH group has topped the chart of the most sought after artificial intelligence hub for ten years. Your support was what got us here. Tonight, I would like to unofficially announce the partnering of MH group with Fluxx automative." The villa buzzed with applauses and screams, but I froze on the spot, my eyes widened.MH group? He is the CEO?MH group has been the most successful artificial intelligence company in LA for years, and until a moment ago, I never imagined Maverick was the CEO of MH group. Our rival company.I was still reeling from the shock, when Maverick spoke again. "I have another announcement to make..."I clenched my purse, my eyes scanning the floor, my heart pounding hard. What more bombshell did he have to drop?A heavy silence echoed in the hall. Everyone
Chapter 4 Jennie Orlando 'Mathew will pick you up in a few minutes.' My husband, Maverick. While we were registering our marriage at the city hall early this morning, Justin and Ciara were also in another registry, getting their marriage registered. 'Alright. I'll be waiting.' A throaty chuckle escaped my lips as I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection with a smile on my face. It was Justin's wedding eve. I just couldn't wait to see the expression he would have on his face when he realised that I was now his stepmom. Wouldn't it be that sweet? My marriage certificate lay beautifully in my drawer as I pulled it open. With a smile dancing on my lips, I picked it up, running my thumb through it. While this was fun, one thing I knew was that Maverick had something hidden under his sleeve. A popular billionaire wouldn't have proposed marriage to me just like that without a reason, but that didn't matter. It was a win-win for us. Mathew came to pick me up a few mi
Chapter 3 A few days later Jennie Orlando 'Getting married so soon ’ My lips curled up in a smile. Finally! The moment that I had been waiting for. Justin was going to pay for wasting my time all these years. And Ciara? She was going to crawl to my feet and beg me for forgiveness. I checked myself in the mirror to be sure I looked great, and just as always, I looked gorgeous. Black dresses had always