Chapter 2

Elena's POV

I was now a waitress at a five-star restaurant.

I had no choice than to accept it, in exchange for a place to sleep, eat, and not feel the cold bite of the streets.

One of Adrian’s close friend’s wives had been kind enough to offer me the job.

She had no idea how cruel he was, or maybe she did and didn’t care.

Either way, she ignored Adrian’s warnings to his circle not to help me in any way.

It's not his fault, it's mine.

I had been stupid enough to fall for someone who had made it painfully clear from the beginning whose heart he really belonged to.

Four weeks had passed since the divorce and I had not seen my daughter even once.

I have been searching for ways to contact her, through lawyers and intermediaries but all to no avail.

I sighed as I entered the staff quarters after my shift, dragging my tired body toward the cot they had allotted me.

I dropped my bag, kicked off my heels, and collapsed onto the bed

I was just settling in when the sharp, commanding voice rang out.

“Place your hands on your head! You are under arrest for theft!”

My mind raced. Theft? Arrest? What the hell…?

The voice barked again, and I heard the metallic click of a weapon being unholstered.

“Turn around slowly! Hands behind your back!”

Tears burned my eyes as my hands instinctively went up to my head.

“I swear to God, I didn’t steal anything! I…I’m not a thief! You’ve got the wrong person!”

The officers didn’t listen, instead they grabbed my arms, harshly, and pushed me toward the door.

My heels clicked against the floor as they forced me outside.

“Please! Please, I can explain!” I cried, but my words fell on deaf ears.

Before I could even register what was happening, I was shoved into the back of a police van.

At the station, they detained me in a small, sterile holding room. My arms ached from the handcuffs,

Then one of the officers came back with a laptop. He opened it and hit play and there I was on the CCTV camera, taking a wallet from a table after a customer left.

“No!” I whispered. “I was going to hand it over to my boss tomorrow! I swear, I was going to return it! I…please, you have to believe me!”

The officer raised an eyebrow. “You should have thought about that before taking it.”

An hour later, the owner of the wallet arrived and I froze.

It wasn’t just anyone.

It was Walter Black.

Adrian’s stepbrother. His biggest rival in the business world.

He was everything Adrian was not.

Where Adrian was calm and controlled and behaved like a proper gentleman, Walter was chaos embodied with tattoos sprawled across his arms.

He was the first son of the Black family born before Adrian yet the world didn’t treat him that way.

His mother had been nothing but his father’s side piece.

And because of that shame, Walter had been stripped of everything and his inheritance handed over to Adrian, the legitimate son.

His eyes scanned me like I was a puzzle, or maybe prey. I swallowed hard, trying not to shrink under his scrutiny.

Walter leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a slow, dark laugh rumbling from his chest.

“This… this is the funniest joke of the century,” he said, eyes gleaming. “Who would have thought my perfect brother’s wife… would be a thief?”

I swallowed, my throat tight, trying to steady my trembling voice.

“I… we’re divorced,” I whispered, almost too softly to be heard. “Walter, you know me…I'm not a thief, It's all a misunderstanding. Please this job is the only thing I have right now”

He raised an eyebrow, the smirk on his face widening

“Divorced, huh?”

He shook his head, chuckling again, that dangerous, knowing look in his eyes.

“Bail’s granted.”

He stood up, his gaze lingering on me in a way that made my pulse stutter.

Then he turned on his heel and left, the sound of his boots echoing down the corridor.

I sank into the chair, heart racing, hands still shaking.

That look… I knew it too well. It stirred memories I hadn't dared touch in years.

I remembered that night, years ago, after my father-in-law’s remembrance.

I had walked in on Adrian and Gabrielle having sex on our matrimonial bed.

I was angry, drunk, humiliated, and confused.

And in that haze… I didn’t even realize what I did until the next morning.

It had been… our little secret.

He had taken me like no one ever did before. If Adrian's cock had been thick and long, Walter's was double and it worked wonders too.

Every thrust had left me trembling.

The way he buried his tongue inside me.. the way his dick kept sliding in and out of my wetness or was it the way he made me suck his dick…

I swallowed hard, my thighs tightening at the memory.

I jumped as the door to the holding room swung open.

A police warden stepped in, clearing his throat.

“Miss Carter,” he said, his voice firm but neutral. “Mr. Walter is outside. He requests your presence.”

My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I followed the officer out of the holding room.

Why was Walter asking for me? What did he want?

The cold night air slapped my skin the moment I stepped outside.

His car was parked by the curb, I hesitated then I knocked on the tinted window.

It slid down slowly, and there he was smirking.

He tilted his head, tapping the steering wheel.

“Get in.”

My fingers trembled as I pulled the door open and slipped into the passenger seat. His lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

“With the look on your face,” he said lazily, “I’d say we were having the same thoughts.”

Heat crawled up my neck. “No. Walter… that night was a mistake.”

He scoffed, a low, amused sound.

“Mistake? You should’ve seen yourself that night Elena. You were so reckless, like a woman starved”

My breath caught. “Stop, Walter.”

He chuckled, leaning in just enough to make my pulse raise. “I know you are wet down there, mind if I use my tongue to clean your juice?”

“Walter!” I snapped, cheeks burning.

His smile sharpened “I like it when you say my name like that.”

“Stop,” I whispered again, barely holding myself together. “Adrian is my…”

“Ex-husband,” he cut in sharply. His jaw tightened, voice dropping into something darker.

“Adrian is your past. I’m talking about right now.”

My heart was beating very fast now like it was going to explode.

Walter’s eyes locked onto mine. “Elena… I’ve been thinking about that night for three years.”

“And I loved you before that,” he added, voice low and certain. “You don’t know that part, do you?”

My lips parted, but no sound came out.

“I met you first,” he said quietly. “I should have been the one you married.”

My breath trembled. “Walter… please…”

His eyes darkened, something dangerous flickering there.

“It’s time someone taught Adrian a lesson he won’t forget.”

“Walter…”

He leaned back, gaze burning into me, as he pressed the button and his car roared to life.

“You’re mine now, Elena.”