MasukCoraIt was scorching hot at the lake house. It was 3:00 PM in the middle of a July heatwave, and the ancient air conditioner had finally given up the ghost with a pathetic rattle two hours ago.Now, the only sound was the rhythmic, annoying thwack-thwack-thwack of the ceiling fan as it moved the stagnant, ninety-degree air around the living room.I was sprawled on the hardwood floor, my cheek pressed against it, trying to find a patch of wood that wasn’t already warm from my body. It wasn’t working.“I’m actually going to die,” Sloane said suddenly.She was lying about three feet away from me. Her blonde hair was a matted, damp mess stuck to her forehead and the back of her neck. She was wearing an oversized gray t-shirt that was currently translucent with sweat, clinging to her shoulders in patches.“You’re not going to die,” I muttered, though I felt like I might. “You’re just being dramatic.”“Cora, look at me. I’m melting. I am literally a puddle.” She sat up suddenly, the moveme
GenevieveThe gala was a failure. It was just a room full of people in expensive suits pretending in each other’s faces. Every “congratulations” from a board member felt like a slap. The champagne was too cold, the lights were too bright, and I just wanted to scream.Father and Uncle Artie had masked the ceremony as a celebration of a merger; meanwhile, it was a funeral for my old life as Genevieve Jacobson. My mother had been awfully silent through all of this.My father stumbled over to me for the dance. He reeked of scotch and whiskey. He was disheveled. How he managed to stand on his own two feet was a miracle. When he pulled me onto the floor, his hand was clammy, and beads of perspiration formed on his head despite the perfect air conditioning. He was so shaky I felt like I was the one propping him up.“You look beautiful, Genevieve,” he whispered. His head actually sagged toward my shoulder. He sounded pathetic. “Thank you. Seriously. You’re saving the family, Gen. I know it’s
GenevieveWalking through the hidden room behind the bookshelf was nothing short of humiliating. I hadn’t signed the papers. I couldn’t. I just stood there, staring at the ink as if it were blood.Arthur didn’t push. Instead, he reached for a leather-bound book on the shelf, pulled a lever, and the wall groaned loudly and opened. “I have more to show you, Genevieve.”I was still naked. Goosebumps erupted over my skin from more than just the cold in the room. Uncle Artie held my arm, his grip firm and possessive, while my father trailed behind us. Every time I tried to fold my arms over my chest, Arthur’s gaze landed on me. If his eyes could shoot daggers, I’d have dropped dead on the marble floors.“Arthur, your employees are going to start asking questions about the lockdown,” my father muttered. He kept his eyes fixed on anywhere except my bare body. “Especially if they can’t reach you. We need to get her dressed and get out of here.”“The people see what I allow them to see, Richar
GenevieveThe silence in the room was a heavy weight, broken only by the sound of my father's ragged breathing. I scrambled back, my knees hitting the floor, my hands trembling as I tried to scrape up what was left of my dignity. I tried to gather my clothes, but they were strewn across the floor in different directions. My panties were kicked far away. I weighed the option of crawling toward it and just staying put, and realized crawling was far more humiliating.So I pulled my knees tighter and shielded my breasts with my hands. I looked at him, waiting for the explosion, for the rage that would surely end us both. I was officially dead, like cold in the morgue dead. I could see my life disappear in front of me.I stole a glance at Uncle Artie, if I was having it worse, his was definitely going to be worse. There was no way in hell my dad would spare him. And yet when I looked at him, he had that same blank, unbothered expression he had had on his face when he told me he would handl
GenevieveI heard the office door click shut behind me; the silence of the room was loud. My eyes were burning from lack of sleep, and my mind was stuck on the empty desk I’d passed on the way in. Marcus hadn’t shown up. No call, no email—just an empty chair where he usually used to be.“Where is he?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.Arthur didn’t look up from his laptop. He looked perfectly composed, the silver of his watch catching the morning light as he scrolled. “He won’t be returning, Genevieve. I’ve handled the situation.”Warning bells went off in my head. “Handled it how? Uncle Artie, he was just here yesterday. People are talking. What did you actually do?”He finally lifted his gaze, his expression a blank, unreadable mask. “It’s better for everyone if you don’t have those details. Just know that the threat to your reputation and mine is gone.”“What do you mean, gone?” My voice faltered in panic. “You can’t just erase someone,” I breathed, the uncertainty gnawing
GenevieveThe next morning, the tension in the office between us felt like a live wire. My father was pacing the rug, concluding a meeting with Arthur, Marcus, and two other board members. I stood next to Arthur, leaning over a stack of spreadsheets as the final directives were given.“The numbers for the April targets are here,” I said, my voice professional and steady.“Let me see,” Arthur murmured. He didn’t look at the tablet. Instead, he reached out, his hand sliding under the table and resting on my hip. His thumb hooked into the waistband of my skirt, tugging it just enough to let the air hit my skin. “You’ve been very thorough, Genevieve. I like the attention to detail.”I felt a flush creep up my neck. My father turned around as the others began to pack up. “She’s a fast learner, isn’t she, Arthur?”“The fastest,” Arthur replied, his fingers digging into my flesh. “She knows exactly how to follow instructions.” He looked up at me, a knowing smile on his lips.At the close of
ChristieMom peered at me. “We’re here, Christie.”I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Yay,” I said dryly.She heaved a deep sigh and watched me in the rearview mirror. “Are you still in a mood?”I huffed and looked away. “Can we just go?”“Christie…”I got out of the car quickly, and she rushed after m
EmmaEveryone turned toward me, brows perked in worry. Except for Noah, he had the nerve to have a smirk on his face as he studied me."Are you okay?" Olivia asked."Yeah, are you okay, Emma?" He repeated.His fingers had slipped inside my entrance, smearing my juices all over, even over my inner t
🌟 Happy New Year! 🌟 May this new year bring you fresh hope, renewed strength, and endless opportunities. May your days be filled with joy, peace, and success. 🙏 New Year Prayers: I pray that God goes ahead of you this year, opening doors no one can shut. May He grant you good health, wisdom, f
EmmaHe handed me a glass of water and stared at me as I gulped it down. I avoided his eyes, but he kept staring at me.He set the glass aside when I was done and caressed my face. “You’re so freaking hot, you know that?”I stifled a blush and lowered my eyes."It was so hard to say no to you, real







