Chloe Three words. I fucked up. Ah, Chloe. You have really fucked your whole life up this time. Not only had I acted like an absolute idiot by going to a strip club of all places, but I had actually gone and done the unthinkable—I slept with a man. Not just any man. A stripper. Oh. My. God. I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands tangled in my hair as I yanked at it in frustration, trying to process what I had just done. My eyes darted to the bed, where he was still lying naked under the sheet. Please tell me this was a dream. Tell me my fucking ass didn't act improper last night. I shook my head. Yes, everything was a dream. Maybe if I just closed my eyes, I would be in my room, ready to make breakfast. And…. I blinked at him, then immediately covered my face with my hands. Ah! This was real. This was really real. What should I do? What the hell should I do?! I peeked through my fingers again, and there he was. His toned chest rose and fell in steady rhythm, and his messy
Alexander “Hahahaha!” Joshua was doubled over, clutching his stomach as loud, as he laughed loudly. His obnoxious cackling echoed through the room, grating on my already frayed nerves. I sat on the edge of the bed, my jaw clenched so tightly it felt like it might snap. The sheet rested low on my waist, leaving my upper body bare. My hair was a mess, and I ran my hand through it in frustration, the events of the morning replaying in my mind. That woman. That damn woman. I could still feel the humiliation boiling under my skin, hot and suffocating. How dare she? How dare she even think of doing this? “Does she want to meet her maker soon?” I muttered under my breath, my tone sharp and deadly. “Is she insane?” Joshua straightened up slightly, wiping tears from his eyes as he held up the crumpled note she had left behind. “Oh my god,” he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. “Let me read this again. Excuse me, Mr. Stripper—” “Don’t,” I growled. But of course, Joshua ignored me.
Chloe "Tap-tap-tap." I knocked on the door gently, glancing over my shoulder, praying no one saw me like this—at least no one who knew Logan or my family. If they caught a glimpse, news would spread like wildfire. I would be a dead woman before I even realized what had happened. “Come on, Stella, open up.” I whispered, biting my lips. The door stayed closed. I knocked again, a little louder this time. I wanted to kick the door open. This girl was probably hungover. Stella was like a dead person in the morning when she was hungover, and getting her to open her eyes was a miracle in itself. “Damn it, why don’t you fix your doorbell? I told you to fix it!” I hissed, knocking on the door again. When she didn’t open it, I groaned in frustration. “Please, Stella, just open the doo—” I was just raising my hand to knock one more time when the door flew open. A very disheveled Stella stood in the doorway, her red hair a frizzy mess, her eyes puffy and bloodshot, and her entire expres
Chloe “Are you insane?!” Stella’s scream echoed through the apartment, making me wince. “Why are you yelling?” I said, holding my towel tightly around me. My hair was damp, and I had just taken a warm shower to clear my mind. I really needed it after last night’s madness “Why am I yelling?!” she shouted, sitting up on the bed. “How could you accept a drink from someone in a club? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” I sighed, rubbing my temple. “The bartender gave it to me, okay? Besides, I was already drunk by then. I didn’t know what I was doing.” “This is why you should never go to a club without me! I understand this was your first time, but there’s one rule every woman must follow if you want to stay safe.” I frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed as I pulled on the clean, presentable clothes she had lent me. “What rule?” “Never, ever drink anything that isn’t made in front of you. Don’t even think about trying something different unless you’ve seen people drink
Chloe “Where is your stupid friend?! Does she think she can hide it any longer? How dare she even think of doing that!” My heart dropped. Stella and I locked eyes, both wide-eyed and frozen in shock. I felt suffocated, it was as if the air in the room was closing up around me. I couldn't breathe as my mother-in-law's words echoed in my ear. “I know she is there with you.” She continued, her voice loud. “She left her phone here, so give the slut the ph—” Without a word, Stella hurriedly ended the call, her shaky fingers fumbling with the screen as she hung up. She clutched her chest, taking a step back. “Shit. H-how does she know?” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “Was I right? Is she really a witch?!” I wasn’t listening. My thoughts were racing. Does she know? Does she know I cheated on her son, and slept with another man? My eyes darted around the room, and a chill ran down my spine as panic clawed its way through me. Was I followed? Had Logan sent someone a
Chloe Slam! Something struck the side of my head, hard. My vision blurred as I staggered back, a sharp pain spreading through my skull. The sound of shattering glass rang in my ears as the vase crashed to the floor, breaking into a hundred jagged pieces. I barely registered the warm, wet sensation trickling down my forehead until I saw it—drops of red splattering against the cold tiles. Blood. I blinked, my head throbbing, before slowly looking down at the growing crimson stain on the floor. “Woah, Mom,” a voice drawled lazily. “Your aim is better than before. I almost didn’t see it with how fast that throw was. Your personal trainer is really good.” I slowly lifted my gaze, my pulse pounding in my ears. Sitting comfortably on the couch, completely unfazed, were two women. My mother-in-law and Layla, my sister-in-law. My mother-in-law was casually admiring her nails, while Layla was smirking like she had just watched something mildly entertaining. “Really?” my mother-in-law
Alexander Power. What does it really mean? Does it mean having people under you, bending to your every whim? Does it mean standing on top, looking down at the world as if it’s your personal chessboard, where every piece moves at your command? Or is it something else entirely? Maybe if you’ve had power and wealth all your life, you’d see it as something trivial. It would be a birthright, an expectation, nothing more. But for me, power wasn’t just a concept or a status. It was control. Control over chaos. Control over people. Control over myself. Without power, you’re at the mercy of others. You’re a puppet, your strings pulled by hands you can’t even see. But with power, you hold the strings. You dictate how the world spins around you. With power nobody would dare mess with you. I was Alexander King, a man at the top of the world. Arrogant? Maybe. But that didn’t make it any less true. The door opened, and I stepped out of the car, the crisp morning air brushing against my f
Chloe I walked upstairs, one hand pressed against my throbbing forehead. At least it didn’t hit my eye, I thought dryly. That would’ve been a whole new level of pain to deal with. Lucky me. All I wanted now was to get to my room, shut the door, and block out the world, even if just for a moment. But as I reached for the door handle, it swung open before I could touch it. Amelia. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a smug, knowing smile curving her lips. The kind of smile that said I’ve won. I stiffened, my eyes flickering past her, scanning my room, or at least, what used to be my room. It looked different. Slightly rearranged. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. Logan had given Amelia exactly what she wanted. She was in the master bedroom now. I inhaled slowly, trying to swallow the anger rising within me. All I wanted was to slap that smirk right off her face. Amelia leaned against the doorframe, smirking. “Now do you see how worthless you are t
ChloePresent timeSome mornings I’d wake up in an empty bed, the sheets cold, and Tristan's voice would echo in my ear.“You and Logan can never have a happy ending.”And on those mornings, I'd ask myself the same question I’d asked a hundred times, if I could go back, if I could do it all over again… would I have listened? What had Tristan seen back then that I refused to? What had I been so desperate to believe?Now, standing in front of him after so many years, I felt like I’d been pulled back into a moment I’d tried to bury. Tristan, the high school bad boy who’d beat up seven students and walked away without a scratch. The reckless idiot who once climbed into my window like an outlaw. The boy who irritated me because he liked seeing me mad.But this wasn’t the cocky high school boy who’d broken into my dorm and commented on my terrible taste in music. This was a man.He was taller, more refined and attractive, but the look in his eyes hadn’t changed. He still had that same fie
Chloe Eight years ago I yawned. I had just stepped out of the library. My eyes stung from all the reading. I’d spent most of the day reading between book pages. My only thought was collapsing into the comfort of my pillow and sleeping. My phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket and instantly felt my stomach drop at the name flashing across the screen. Psychopath: Come home tomorrow. I have something to show my lovely sister. I promise I’ll make it last longer this time. I stared at it for a long time. My hand trembled slightly around the phone. Last longer. What he meant wasn’t what anyone would normally think. It was so much worse. There was a reason I’d saved his number that way. Richard wasn’t just cruel, he was twisted. He used to torture animals, those little, harmless creatures, and he’d make me watch. He’d time it, test new ways to kill them. Like it was both a game and a challenge for him. And Father… Father never stopped him. Sometimes, he even provided the "subj
Chloe Eight years ago “I’m in love with the shape of you,” I sang at the top of my lungs. “We push and pull like a magnet do, although my heart is falling too…” I turned off the shower, still humming, and grabbed a fluffy towel from the rack. One I wrapped around my body, the other I wrapped around my hair to dry it. I snatched my phone from the counter, still blasting Shape of you by Ed Sheeran, and stepped out of the bathroom, dancing my way into the room like the pop diva I clearly was. “And last night you were in my room…” I shimmied my hips, twirled slightly, grinning at my reflection in the mirror. “Now my bedsheets smell like you…” Still swaying, I made my way to the dorm kitchen. I placed a kettle on the stove and dropped a tea bag into my favorite mug. I was halfway through another verse, hips still moving, when a deep voice echoed in the room. “You’ve played this song on repeat for like… three minutes. Don’t you have anything else?” I paused, the mug slipping from my
Chloe The car jerked forward and slammed to a sudden halt, dragging my body slightly forward. My chest hit the restraint of the seatbelt hard enough to knock the air out of me. “Stella, goddamn it!” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “Do you want to kill us?!” Stella rolled her eyes and slammed the gear into park. “I should be asking you! Chloe Summer, are you trying to give me a heart attack?! I’m too young. Too fucking young to die of shock!” I blinked at her, confused, until she reached toward me. “No—wait—what are you doing?” I asked, fending her off. “I have to make sure you’re actually you,” she muttered dramatically, inspecting my face like I was some sort of alien clone. She touched my cheek, then my forehead, then her fingers slid down to my neck. I shrieked, jerking away with a laugh. “Stop that! You know I’m ticklish there!” Her hand dropped, and she slumped in her seat. “Shit. You are Chloe alright. Not an imposter.” I rolled my eyes. “When are you ever going
Chloe I looked at him. I had thought about what I would say, but now that I was here, I was acting awkward again. I cleared my throat, trying to regain some control. “I’m leaving,” I said. “My friend will be here in a while. I thought we could discuss a few things before I go.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket, and that innocent expression on his face didn’t match the glint in his eyes. The mischief was obvious if you looked close enough. I had to be careful with this man. I didn’t know him well, but I could already tell he was sharp. If I wasn’t careful, I could lose myself before I knew what was happening. I took a deep breath and stepped toward him. “I want to continue this relationship with you, and if you want to continue it with me, I’ll be happy to. But there will be a few rules before we start.” He moved closer to me. My eyes traveled downward, and I swallowed. Those abs, that V-line beneath his sweatpants... it was impossible to look away. “And what are those?
Chloe The man introduced as Logan raised an eyebrow and stiffened. “But I’m—” He didn’t get to finish, because Joshua slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him close. Logan yelped, then let out a nervous chuckle. “This is Logan,” Joshua said with a proud smile. “My fiancé.” The man swallowed and forced a smile, his cheeks slightly pink. “Y-yes, I’m Logan. Nice to meet you.” I raised a brow, looking between the two of them again. Logan? Was that really his name? Something about this felt...off. It was suspicious. But before I could fully spiral into overthinking, Alexander was walking straight toward me. “What are you do—oof!” My breath hitched as he lifted me like I weighed nothing. Instinctively, my legs wrapped around his waist, my arms tightening around his neck. His intoxicating scent overwhelmed my senses. “Stop it,” I hissed, trying to keep my voice firm. “What do you think you’re doing? Put me down, Alexander!” He chuckled, that smug smirk tugging at the corn
Chloe I opened my eyes slowly, blinking at the ceiling above me. Bright light streamed through the curtains. I sighed. I fell asleep again? Really, Chloe? I squeezed the white blanket tighter around me, feeling the warmth still lingering in the sheets. My face flushed as I remembered what we did a while ago. My hand drifted up to cover my face as heat crawled up my neck. “Stop it, Chloe,” I whispered. “Just… stop thinking about it.” But it was hard. Because what kind of woman was I? Did I really call myself that? Even when my family humiliated me, even when Logan’s mother and sister insulted me, none of them ever dared call me that. I called myself a whore for him. And somehow, a part of me found that… arousing. A shaky breath escaped me as I tried to sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. The moment my foot hit the floor, a sharp ache jolted through me, radiating from between my thighs down to my knees. I whimpered, falling back into the bed with a soft thud. Wha
Alexander I stepped out of the bedroom, towel in hand, dragging it lazily through my damp hair. I was shirtless, sweatpants slung low on my hips, the hem of my boxers peeking out. The door clicked shut behind me, and the two voices that had been echoing through the hallway fell silent. Joshua and Leo stood stiff as statues, eyes pinned to me like I’d grown a second head. I didn’t need to hear their thoughts, their faces said it all. Shock, curiosity, judgment. Pretty much the usual. I headed toward the kitchen, but Joshua stepped in front of me. "Where do you think you're going?" “Considering this is my house, shouldn’t I be the one asking why you’re still in it?” Joshua narrowed his eyes, lowered his voice, and tilted his head toward the closed bedroom door. "Don't play dumb. I know your games, Alex. And they don’t work on me. Leo told me everything. Are you seriously going to pretend to be a stripper?” I glanced at Leo, who was scratching the back of his head like a kid cau
Chloe The only sound in the room was the ticking clock and our breathing. I wanted to say something, but it was like my voice had forgotten how to function. I just stared at him, heart pounding, words slipping away. Run away? Was that what he thought I was doing? I wasn’t even sure what I had been trying to do. Maybe I just needed air. Maybe I wanted to avoid the reality of waking up in his bed, naked, tangled up with a man who looked at me like I was both his challenge and his reward. My mouth moved before my brain could catch up. “Um… good morning, Alexander. How are you?” God, what a stupid question. He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. I looked away quickly, cheeks burning. Seriously, Chloe? This was ridiculous. Since when did I get shy? Where the hell had all that confidence from last night gone? I caught the slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips before he leaned in, his eyes locked on mine. “Haven’t you been fucked enough to stop that shyness?” he said, voic