It was a Wednesday, and the boardroom at Blackwood group was buzzing quietly with the sound of multiple people talking. Every now and then, you would hear the click of a laser pointer or papers being passed from one person to the next.Damien himself was sitting at the head of the long glass table wearing a sharp suit, though his collar was slightly loose. His eyes for now wear not saying much.Meanwhile, the rest of the table was full of executives men and women in their business best, all focused on the meeting going on.A large screen at the front of the room showed graphs and slides.“We’re expecting a twelve percent increase if the partnership holds through Q3,” one woman was saying, pointing to a bar graph with her laser.Damien barely reacted. All he could do was let out a vague grunt and looked up for just a second… before his eyes dropped back once more to the phone in his hand.The phone….and not the meeting was Damien's main point of focus right now.He was actually wat
Grandmother Hayes stormed Nate's residence like she had come for war. And indeed she had.She did not wait to be announced.Her heels struck the floor like the bell of judgment. Her face was taut with restrained fury, her lips pressed far too tight as she muttered furiously.“Of all the shameful creatures…That…that embarrassment of a woman has the nerve to still breathe the Hayes air?”On getting to the front door, she pushed aside the living room curtain with a dramatic swipe.And there she was.“Vanessa!”Sitting so daringly calm, like royalty, she was even sipping a glass of juice! Eyes steady. Like nothing had happened earlier that day.Not the lies. Not the scandal. Not the betrayal.Not the fake pregnancy, the false charges, not the heap of public disgrace she had tried to hang around Isla's neck like a noose.The sight of her was enough to turn one into a cold-blooded murderer.Grandmother Hayes stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were red and flaring. Her jaw set. For a momen
As soon as the door went shut behind them, a hush followed.Damien didn’t speak. He only gazed very intently into her eyes now.Not with the usual strategy or plain calculation but just a yearning need.Their lips glued together again but not roughly; rather, the friction of lips was slow, deep, and certain. Like both of them had been holding it in for too long so that now that it had finally shown forth, there was no more going back.When he finally set her down again, she wobbled slightly on her feet.But Damien was there to steady her with a look that spiked her desire twice as much.Then came the undressing.He reached for her shirt first, fingers brushing her skin as he peeled it upward. Isla raised her arms to help him. Her hands slid beneath his shirt next, dragging it upward and over his head. Pants followed. Her own first. Then his.Damien pushed her gently to the bed, making her fall on her back while his masculine frame descended on her.There was no performance here. N
On their way back from the hospital, Damien drove with one hand on the wheel while the other held onto Isla's hand.He hadn’t said much since they stepped into the car.Neither did Isla, who sat calmly beside him, angled slightly toward the window, but her hand stayed right where he held it. Her fingers pliant in his touch while her eyes were quiet and distant.Her mind was elsewhere.It was spinning, replaying everything that had taken place just moments ago. How Vanessa’s carefully built illusion had ended in vanity.“So she lied?”“She really lied about all that?”“Faked a pregnancy? Fabricated pain? Brought the police? Framed me? Vanessa?”The thoughts struck like cold water, not because they were new, but because of the sheer depth of cruelty. The lengths Vanessa had gone to ruin her.“How far was she even willing to go?”Isla blinked slowly, her expression neutral as the last question floated quietly through her. After some time, her mind started to shift now, it began to s
"Stop there now! The lady can’t leave. This is a potential case of manslaughter, Mr Blackwood,”Another voice stopped them before they could go any further.Isla jerked, making a slight pull inward.Damien felt her hesitation quietly and stopped with her as they turned simultaneously in measured silence.Two new officers were waiting behind them now. Not part of the earlier group. Behind them, as if fed by a new fire, Grandmother Hayes surged forward with both hands in the air."Yes, please! Don’t let them move an inch! That…that witch! She killed my great-grandson! She has to rot in jail!"Then her gaze met Isla’s own coldly."Ensure you are standing tight…because our lawyer is already on his way as we speak."And to that, Damien laughed. The tone is slow and dark, "Are you really sure you want to play this game?" He asked with one brow raised.Grandmother Hayes didn’t answer. Her eyes glared but her lips remained tight. Behind her, Nate stood rigid, uncertain. Damien started to t
After looking at the screen of his phone for a little while longer, the doctor finally lifted his eyes to the eager and curious-looking faces before him.He drew a slow breath as if to clear the anxiety in the air before pushing out the words;“About Mrs. Vanessa Hayes,” he began,“I regret to inform you that she lost the pregnancy due to trauma sustained during the fight… with Madam Blackwood here,”Isla swallowed and blinked at the same time.“Miss Blackwood here?”She gasped and instinctively stepped back. All heads had turned to her now, making it feel like a wave of judgment slamming against her body.Her legs buckled slightly as she caught herself against the back of a chair. Her voice trembled when she eventually found it again.“Pardon me doc….W-what fight?” she croaked. “What are you saying, doc? I never fought her…I... I barely even touched her!”The air vibrated with tension, until finally, Nate stepped forward. Since his arrival with his grandmother, this was the fir