"You must regret calling off our engagement, right?!" I smiled faintly as my ex-fiancé lifted his chin proudly. "I don't regret it one bit for throwing out trash like you." Ethan was stunned. He couldn't accept that I had the courage to confront him. His pride had also been trampled upon when I called him 'trash.' Ethan raised one hand, about to slap me. However, his hand was caught by a large, muscular hand. "Uncle Nathaniel?" Ethan was shocked. His knees suddenly went weak at his uncle's sharp, cold gaze. "Be polite to your aunt." Ethan's eyes widened. He was even more shocked when Nathaniel's hand moved from my waist and embraced me affectionately. Ethan couldn't believe it. The ex-fiancée he'd left was now his aunt?!
View More“What happened?!”
Madeline got up, her heart beating fast. Her breath caught as her eyes looked around the strange, bright room. Her head throbbed from the drink last night; but what really scared her was the sharp hurt under her.
With shaking hands, Madeline grabbed a blanket that was around her, slowly pulling it up to check something.
She wasn’t wearing anything.
“It can’t be…”
Madeline quickly looked around and froze.
She saw her things spread out on the ground and a set of guys' shoes arranged close to the coffee table, because she wasn’t alone last night!
Fear took her at once. Madeline quickly grabbed her head trying to recall how all this had happened.
Last night, Madeline saw her future man, Ethan, giving a loving kiss to another lady in his apartment. And even more bad, that lady was Sonia, the girl who had picked on her the most in high school.
Who would have guessed that this girl was now a lover of the man who was going to wed her?!
It was not sad enough, Madeline even found out that Ethan did not really love her!
"If she ain't the only girl of the Brooks clan, why would I wed a dull lady?"
The time those words came out of Ethan's lips, Madeline's world fell apart. Her body could not budge, and she stayed stuck in place till the two betrayers saw her.
"Ma-Madeline?!"
Ethan tried to run after her but Madeline just turned and went out of the apartment.
In a burst of anger and sadness, Madeline drove without direction and found herself at a bar.
Madeline had never sipped a drink before. But, that night she gulped the booze like water. Each sip hurt her neck, but nothing was as sore as the hurt in her heart.
She didn't remember how much she drank.
All she could recall was a set of sharp eyes looking at her from far away.
Then, someone helped her up. A man.
A weak grin appeared on her mouth. Back then, she believed he was a nice guy who would bring her to the home safe.
But after entering the hotel room…
That warm feeling. The mouths that took her hungrily. The powerful arms that raised her form and put her on the bed.
Too clear.
Too real.
Madeline shook her head vigorously. No. No. No.
She didn't want to remember any more.
She tried to rise up slowly, but her body got stiff right away. The hurt...
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She had done something she couldn't take back.
Quickly, Madeline grabbed her clothes from the ground. But as she leaned down, the noise of the bathroom doorknob turn made her stop.
The door opened.
Madeline spun, her body right up against the wall, holding the blanket to her chest like a final hope.
Her heartbeat was chaotic.
A man emerged from the bathroom.
Tall. Cold. Dangerous.
The man wore just a white shirt with some buttons open, and he seemed to be easily fixing a Richard Mille watch that Madeline knew cost as much like a fancy flat.
He looked at her straight in the eye.
"Are you awake?"
His voice was low and quiet, like what took place last night wasn't a big thing.
Madeline swallowed, but her throat felt dry.
He didn’t say anything more. With smooth steps, he walked to a mirror, fixing his collar like it was just another morning for him?
But, his next words made Madeline's body tight.
"Are you not scared of being told off by a client?"
Customer?
Madeline's forehead creased a lot. Did this guy just think she was a worker?!
Her eyes widened.
No. This had to be a nightmare.
But when she saw his calm face, real life hit her more.
Madeline wished to reply but her lips were too numb. She could only look at him, the man who had taken something very dear from her.
As the guy turned and was gonna talk Madeline quickly ran to the bathroom and shut the door.
Her back pushed up to the wall, her body shaking hard.
The drops she had kept in check now flowed easily.
What did she do? Because of her silly choice to go to a bar, now Madeline had to give up her innocence to a man who didn't even mind about her!
Madeline didn’t know how long she was in the bath, thinking about how ashamed sh͏e would be if her folks found out what had happened.
She just wished that when she came out the man would have been gone.
However, her hopes were dashed in an instant.
When she opened the door, the man was still there.
Dressed up, she sat on the couch with her legs crossed. She looked at her phone screen with a blank face.
Madeline nibbled her lip. She did not want to stay here.
Without a word Madeline took her bag from the ground and walked by him to the door.
But—
"Take your payment."
Madeline stopped in her tracks.
Her heart was pounding.
Slowly, she turned around.
The man didn't even look at her as he spoke.
His hand went easy, showing to a pile of cash on the coffee table.
"Payment?" Madeline muttered, her body frozen in place.
At that moment, Nathaniel Sebastian Luis raised his gaze and glanced at Madeline. He raised his eyebrows, then decided to stand and approach the woman before him.
Tall. Dominating. Dangerous.
Madeline had to look up to meet Nathaniel's sharp, unreadable face.
"Isn't that enough?"
Madeline wanted to cry. This man really thinks he's...
"I don't know how much my friend paid," the man continued, grabbing Madeline's hand and forcing her to accept the stack of bills. "But take this. It's a fair price for you."
Madeline's blood boiled.
Her chest heaved, trying to contain her exploding emotions.
Without thinking, Madeline raised her hand and slapped him hard!
SLAP!
"Watch your behavior, you bastard!"
Without waiting for a response from the man in front of her, Madeline quickly left, holding back tears at the corners of her eyes.
On the other hand,
The man, Nathaniel, remained unmoved. He hadn't expected to be slapped when he wanted to overpay the escort his friend had booked.
Inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder: Are escorts these days really this fierce?
Sighing, Nathaniel turned to grab his jacket and leave. However, at that moment, his gaze fell on the bed.
The man froze.
Red stains. Blood?
Nathaniel stared at her for a long moment, then frowned.
Was the call girl still a virgin?
Nathaniel gazed at her face, his eyes filled with a hard-to-define mixture of irritation, concern, and possession.“Your body may be fragile,” he muttered slowly, almost to himself. “But your heart is stubborn. And that is why I won’t let you break.”Tightening his arms, he lifted her in a bridal carry. The evening breeze swept over them, but Nathaniel paid it no mind.Leaving the bridge behind while carrying the sleeping Madeline in his arms, it felt as though she had finally surrendered herself, at least for now, to the only man willing to defy the world alongside her.Nathaniel’s steps were steady as he walked down the quiet pavement beside the bridge. The streetlights reflected across his face, emphasizing the sharp lines usually so cold. Yet now, there was something different in his gaze—something faint, a feeling he rarely revealed to anyone.Madeline looked fragile in his arms. Her hair
Madeline froze, her body still pressed against the iron railing of the bridge. The night wind slapped her face, carrying the sharp chill of the river below. She blinked, making sure the shadow before her was real.Nathaniel stood not far away, his tall frame unshaken, his piercing gaze heavy with authority. He was like the final wall standing between Madeline and the abyss of despair.Her fingers clutched the icy railing, her body trembling not only from the bone-piercing cold but also from the presence of the man before her. Nathaniel's unwavering stare seemed to strip away every weakness she tried to hide.Beneath the bridge, the river rushed violently, reflecting the flicker of streetlights like false stars. The roar of the current mingled with the howling wind, creating a suffocating silence. Madeline’s chest tightened; each breath felt like a battle to keep going.Nathaniel’s silhouette stood sharp in her vision, both a threat and an unwanted shield. His presence made her realize
Since Madeline's mother's death, Uncle Haris’s house was the only place she could seek refuge. Yet lately, even her uncle had begun to show signs of weariness with her troubles. Madeline knew Haris only took her in out of pity, not because he truly wanted to. That realization made her feel even more like a burden.Her phone vibrated on the small table. She turned her head. Ethan’s name appeared once again on the screen. Her hand reached out, then froze in the air. Her heart pounded as if some trace of feeling still lingered.“No!” she whispered, then grabbed the phone only to switch it off completely. She refused to be trapped again by Ethan’s sweet lies.Silence fell once more. But her mind wouldn’t stop arguing with itself. If I marry Nathaniel, I can make Ethan regret it. He will see me standing beside his own uncle, stronger than ever. No! That’s madness. I can’t possibly bind my life to a man like Nathaniel, not just because of heartbreak.Madeline rose and sat on the edge of t
Madeline swallowed hard, her face pale. A contract marriage?She still couldn’t believe Nathaniel could say something like that.“Impossible!” Madeline finally shouted. She tried to pull her hand away from Nathaniel’s grasp. “I will never marry a man like you!”Nathaniel only looked at her coldly, as if completely unaffected. “A man like me?” he repeated in a low, pressing tone. “Then what? You’d rather go back to the man who betrayed you? Or live with a father who never trusted you?”His words cut deep, leaving Madeline speechless.“I don’t need your pity!” Madeline shot back, her voice trembling. “I can survive on my own!”Nathaniel’s lips curved into a faint smile, as though he had expected her answer. Slowly, he released her hand. “You’re stubborn, Madeline Brooks.” His voice was low, but carried authority. “But think carefully. I never offer something twice.”Madeline lowered her gaze, took a deep breath, then hurriedly stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her
Many workers in the lobby who had been quietly watching Madeline and Sonia's fight turned their heads when Nathaniel showed up. Thomas, her helper, was behind her.They said hello to their boss nicely, but many of the women workers couldn't hide their surprise.The boss, not often in the place, now stood in the middle of the lobby - tall, charming and giving off a scary feel of control.Sonia saw Nathaniel and quickly changed her face. Her grin got bi͏gger, as if nothing was wrong."Sorry, mister. I didn't want to make a fuss I was just telling him since he looked like he didn't get the rules when he came in here' Sonia said nicely but her eyes peeked at Madeline with dislike."Nathaniel didn't react.As soon as he walked in the lobby, his eyes were on just one person Madeline.The guy's eyes were closely watching Madeline, like he was seeing into her thoughts.Aware of the attention, Madeline felt uneasy.Why was this man looking at her like that?A weak grin bent Nathaniel's mouth.
Madeline stared at the man before her.His face seemed known, like she had seen him somewhere.But, her brain was still too mixed up to recall clearly. Her heart, which had been racing from almost being struck by a car, hadn't even gone back to normal."Are you fine, Miss?" The man's worried voice pulled Madeline from her daydream."Oh, yes. I'm fine," he replied quickly.She tried to get up but when she moved her leg pain shot from her knee. Madeline frowned then looked down at the leg."Your knee bleeds," the man said, sounding more worried.It seems, he didn't pull quick enough and the car brushed Madeline's leg.Yet, odd, the hurt from the cut didn’t seem to be felt. Maybe because the hurt in Madeline's heart was bigger.Betrayed by her fiancé.Thrown out by her own father.Expelled from her family's company.Next to all that, the cut on her knee was naught.Madeline lifted her head, looking at the guy watching her state with sadness in his eyes.She grinned a bit, but it seemed f
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