"Damn it!" Scott roared in frustration. "I told you this would happen—but you never listen!" Daniel snapped. "You can't be stubborn your whole life! Alexia Hartley is a nobody—with nothing. She was just a means to an end! All you had to do was take her to that fucking interview!" Scott slammed his papers onto the table and buried his face in his hands. It was a disaster—but the real questions weighing on him weren't the ones Daniel thought. "When will Gerber's decision come in?" Scott asked. "In a couple of days—by Thursday at the latest," Daniel replied. "But forget it. That man was already resentful after what you said at your house. You know what's coming. I need to start preparing everything—schedule a board meeting, figure out who runs the company while you're gone." Daniel stormed out, leaving Scott staring out the window. He'd faced bigger enemies—but he couldn't believe that a single man, a stupid immigration decision, could stand in his way. "I know why you did wha
"…Harder, please," she begged, and he growled in delight. "Correct answer," he whispered before flipping her around and positioning her from behind. He grabbed her hips and drove into her again, matching the perfect rhythm their bodies had found. Alexia arched her back to give him more, to feel him deeper—and that only made Scott thrust harder until she could barely stand. He drove her back and forth against the Jacuzzi wall, making her scream as every movement shook her body. The pace was frenetic, wild, and, caught in her own frenzy, he slid a thumb between her cheeks and teased her ass. Just as she felt the first contractions of an orgasm rising, he bit her earlobe and cupped her breasts. "I hope you're a little lady when it matters," he whispered, parting her cheeks and pushing in from behind. Alexia lifted her head and screamed as his hot thrusts consumed her just as she climaxed. His movements deepened and intensified, and Alexia dug her nails into the pool's edge as wa
She was trembling. Trembling in his arms—and not from the cold—and Scott couldn't explain why that thrilled him so much. "It's not hard, Alexia. Do you want to be here or not? Do you want me to kiss you… or not?" he whispered. "You're not going to stop at a kiss," she whispered, and Scott grinned. "Of course not. I'm no Prince Charming, baby. I'm the Big Bad Wolf—especially when it comes to 'eating you better,'" he murmured against her lips. Alexia swallowed. It really was a tough decision for her. She had only ever been with one man—and he had betrayed her in the worst possible way. A thousand doubts clouded her mind, making her feel suddenly small. "I don't know if I'm any good at this…" she murmured, and Scott frowned, intrigued. It was strange to see her so insecure. "I can teach you," he whispered against her skin. "And I bet this won't be over in TikTok time." Alexia smiled. She knew she could leave, but the truth was she didn't want to. It was just sex, nothing mor
Alexia looked him in the eyes, and Scott shivered at the emptiness he saw in them. He couldn't explain this strange need to see her safe and happy. He took her hand and gestured for her to follow him. "Okay, what I'm about to show you is top secret," he said. "No one—absolutely no one—knows about this but me. Not even Beast." "Seriously?" Alexia murmured, skeptical. "You'll see why." They entered the game room, and Scott locked the door behind them. He pressed a button on the back of the TV cabinet, and Alexia watched as the panel slid aside to reveal a narrow, dark passageway. "You do have a dungeon! I knew it!" Alexia exclaimed. "Even better." Scott went in first, and small motion-sensor lights lit up as they walked. They went down a spiral staircase—maybe six meters deep—and Alexia was stunned by the soft blue light glowing from the middle of what looked like… a cave? "You have a cave under your house?" she asked, amazed. The cave walls looked like a honeycomb, ful
Alexandra Kingsley had died on the 26th of April, the day before her honeymoon. A year and three months later, as that man hit her in the head and kidnapped her, her last thought was whether she was really destined to die. It felt like life just wasn't on her side. And now it wasn't Albert and Claudia trying to kill her, but thieves and kidnappers tied to Scott. While Garrick drugged her and she fought back, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe it'd be better to just die already. But her survival instinct was stronger. Thankfully, somehow all those dark thoughts faded a little whenever he was near. Alexia could feel Scott's arms around her, holding her, though she couldn't tell if she was awake or dreaming. Another day passed before Alexia could finally sit up on her own and look at him. "Thanks for saving me," she murmured, and he stroked her cheek. "Forgive me for putting you in danger," he replied. "You didn't do it, he did…" Alexia grimaced and hugged herself. "I want
The detective looked puzzled but shook his head. "No, it's fine. You can go." "You seem disappointed, Detective," Scott hissed. "No, just confused. Someone killed Garrick and beat Gunther Phelps nearly to death. That means there's someone else involved…" "Or maybe your timeline is off. Maybe Gunther killed Garrick in self-defense—he was beaten to a pulp," Scott shot back. "Either way, that's your problem now. Please leave. I'd prefer not to have cops around while I wait for updates on my wife." The detective nodded. Truth was, there wasn't much more he could do, so he left. Once everyone was gone—including Daniel—Scott looked at his grandfather. As soon as Mr. Gerard had arrived at the hospital, he'd dragged Scott into the nearest bathroom. "Come with me." He locked the door and handed Scott a small bottle that looked like shampoo. "Jack said you fired a weapon. Is that true?" Scott nodded. "He told me to have you wash your hands up to your elbows with this and hold it fo