“A man like you, one who betrays their own wife and family, would be severely punished in the underworld,” Luca spits the words out. Stella internally wishes that she could unleash her resentment onto Adrian as well.Clara steps out from behind Adrian. In an attempt to make things right, she reaches
Third Person POVAdrian’s mind moves back to the hacker, Tracer, that he spoke with earlier in the day. Just like the mafia princess, she reminded him so much of Stella with the way her messages looked.His mind runs at a mile a minute, unable to quiet or calm down like he am usually able to. He pul
StellaAdrian’s weight on my wrists makes my skin tingle. His brows knit together and the usual crease forms in his skin.His face is unreadable under the dim lighting, but as soon as he tilts his head to side and licks his lips, I can see the heat behind his eyes. The hunger he holds inside the dep
StellaI slowly raise one of my eyebrows, crossing my arms over my chest. Adrian’s face contorts into confusion before it settles on shock. He clears his throat, eyes flickering between the laptop screen and my face.The laptop screen is filled with explicit and suggestive pictures of men. It’s an o
I jump into action, knowing that I have about one minute to undo all of their work and conceal my IP from them before they can get it.I count down the seconds in my head, furiously typing countermeasures into the keyboard.Fifteen seconds left to go…I bite my bottom lip to the point where it almos
StellaAs I slowly enter the room, arms crossed over my chest, and set my bag down on a seat by the door. I watch as Adrian drapes an elegant diamond necklace into Clara’s hands. The room fawns and gasps over the sparkling jewelry.“Congratulations on waking up from your coma, Clara,” Adrian looks d
StellaI tear my gaze away from Adrian’s unable to even look at the man that stands before me. I spot a nearby hotel employee, signaling them over. They slowly approach me, nodding their head, ready to receive my command.“I want to see the security footage,” I gesture to the security cameras that h
“The diamonds don’t even look real!” Clara boasts and turns her chin upwards, looking away as a form of protest.The jewelry appraiser from before approaches me with a kind smile.“May I?” He kindly asks. I nod.The man leans in and closely inspects the necklace. My heart races inside of my chest.W
Maybe, just maybe, we could have had a happy marriage together. One that had no contactual surgeries or ended in bright, festering flames.Maybe we could have been happy together.“Adrian?” Stella’s voice snaps me back to reality. I look down at her and nod my head, humming in response. “Your mom wa
AdrianMy foot taps against the marble floor of the resort’s lobby. I look around the room, which is now busy and vibrant from the people who are visiting, and glance at my mother. She wears a worried look on her face, watching the elevator entryway with close eyes.“You should go check up on her, d
One day, I’ll be away from him. Then I’ll be able to breathe again.The white screen is filled with jobs upon jobs. Many of them are to help others gain information on a cheating spouse or to see what their loved one is hiding from them.Suddenly, my screen turns black. Green letters and numbers pop
StellaThe morning breeze is light and gentle on my skin. It soothes my aching heart and helps me clear my mind from the events that transpired the previous night.Clara’s face is burned into my memory, the way she held onto Adrian so casually and so affectionately…it hurts my soul to even think abo
He shoves his hands into his pockets, my crossbody purse still hanging from his shoulder. He gestures his head to the hallway, his blonde hair falling into his face.“Come on. Let me show you to your room,” he says and turns around without another word.Once Adrian is out of my sight, I am able to b
StellaMy hand feels numb beneath Adrian’s touch. I attempt to wiggle my fingers away, to slip out of his deadly grasp, but he only tightens his hold on me. The numb feeling makes my skin and muscles of my hand feel like they are being poked by millions of tiny little needles.“Adrian,” I breathe ou
“We’ll also take your most expensive bottle of red,” Sebastian continues. I look down at Stella, who wears a small grin on her face.“And what would you like to eat, sir?” the waiter asks.“I’ll have the steak, rare, and she will have the salmon,” I say, knowing that Stella always has preferred fish
Adrian“Table for three, please,” Stella’s voice is gentle and kind as the three of us approach the hostess’ stand. The woman looks up at us and nods, gathering three menus in her hand, and gesturing to the open dining room.Many of the tables are empty and many of the other patrons are made up of c
Her words feel like a gut punch. I know she’s lying through her teeth. The words come out of her mouth so effortlessly and I can’t help but feel as if they are daggers hidden beneath silk piles, ready to pierce into my skin at any given moment.We step away from the desk and towards her, our feet mo