MasukANASTASIA I stepped down the stairs into the living room. Dominic had just come in, loosening his tie. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, and I saw his chest, the tattoo ink dark against his skin. I moved closer, and he stopped a few feet away, turning to look at me. My fists tightened at my sides, and I swallowed hard. Then I said, “Let’s try it again.” He raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and asked, “What?” "let's kiss again" he raised his brow, his face flickering with surprise. I repeated it.I stepped closer, "let's kiss" I say.****DOMINIC I stood there, still as she stepped closer, her words lingering in the air. Before I could say anything, she kissed me. I froze, my mind blank, every thought trailing off as she pulled back. I could barely catch my breath when I finally asked, “What are you doing?”She looked up at me, her lips parted and her breaths coming out in low breaths. “I’m just checking if I want to sign the contract,” She muttered. Then she stepped in again, she surge
ANASTASIAI groaned into my palm, slumped over my desk with a pile of files spread across it.Rita sat across from me, reading through them one after the other.“This one needs your signature, and this one is the updated schedule for next week. The meeting with the—”Her voice faded into the background.I stared at the file in front of me without reading a single word.My mind kept going back to yesterday. The contract.I still hadn't signed it.I hadn't even given Dominic an answer.When he dropped it in front of me two days ago, I had stared at the bold words on the cover, then at him.I didn't know what he expected me to say.What was I supposed to say?Oh, I have been wanting to kiss you too?No one wanted to kiss someone they disliked. Someone they hated with every fibre of their being.The thought made me press my lips together."Anastasia?"I blinked and looked up at Rita."Are you listening to me?""Yes."She stared at me.I looked down at the file in front of me, pretending I
ANASTASIA “Kiss me.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. But the itchy feeling on my shoulders and wrists wouldn’t go away. I wanted so badly to erase it, the dirty sensation Drew’s hands had left on my body. I still hated Dominic. Absolutely nothing had changed. I was just using him right now… that was all. “Touch me,” I repeated. His body froze against mine. My eyes dropped to his lips, the pink flesh glistening wet. He broke out of my arms and swam away. I sank a little without his support. “You’ll catch a cold if you stay in here,” he muttered, still moving away. I reached for him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back to face me. He didn’t resist. I swam closer and pressed my lips against his. “You’re breaking a clause,” he muttered into the kiss. I ignored him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Maybe if I kissed him deeply enough, the feeling would disappear. I pressed my body against his. His arms came around
ANASTASIAMy hands shook at my sides.Drew was thrown off me, his body colliding with the flower bed and bending the flowers. Dominic's eyes snapped towards me, taking in my torn dress and my cheeks, which I was sure were red from how many times I had been hit.His eyes darkened, his jaw locked. “Fuck, what was that—”Thwack.Dominic's fist connected with his face. Blood dripped from Drew's nose.Dominic was on him before he could even get up. The first punch landed with a sickening crack.Drew grunted, his body twisting beneath him. I stood frozen. Dominic hit him again, and again.Drew tried to fight back, but Dominic caught his fist and slammed it into the ground before driving his own into Drew's face.I couldn't make out Dominic's face in the darkness. All I could see was the broad outline of his body as he continued hitting Drew, his fist connecting with bone. Every time it did, a sharp crack sounded.My breath caught in my throat.I pressed both hands over my mouth, but it did
ANASTASIA “Let go of me,” I seethed, trying to yank my hand from Drew’s grip, but his hold was too strong. I kicked at him, shoved against his chest with my free hand, but he barely moved. He glared at me. “I’m trying to save you. Ramon will do much worse if he finds you.” He yanked my body closer to his. Tears rimmed my eyes. I could still feel the sting of his slaps.How the hell did I end up here, in the middle of a massive garden, about to be assaulted by a man I’d only met once? ______ Earlier, after Dominic left, I had moved toward the dessert table. I reached for a cake when a familiar voice stopped me. “Ana.” I looked up. Drew Sinclair leaned against the wall, a glass of wine in his hand. He wore a black tailored suit, hair styled back. The same man I’d met in Miami. There was a glint in his eyes that made my stomach twist. My hands tightened around the tray. After how Dominic had reacted the last time I talked to him, nothing good would come from this. “I didn’t thi
DOMINIC I looked at Ramon Blackwood, my father in name. He sat behind the desk in his office, his mistress occupying one of the two guest seats, her dress hiked up in her sitting position, revealing her thighs. "Take a seat, son," he started. I moved toward the chair. As I neared, his mistress stood and walked toward me. She leaned against my chest, her manicured fingers grazing it as she pressed closer. Her strong cologne reeked. I glanced at Ramon. He looked relaxed, simply observing with a blank expression. "What is this?" I questioned. He chuckled. "She was dying to entertain you. An old Blackwood like myself couldn't satisfy her, so she opted for the younger version." He shrugged. I grabbed her wrist, my grip tightening. "Leave," I said without looking at her. "You see..." "Did I stutter?" I asked, my eyes cold. Her cheeks turned pink. She broke away from me and stumbled out of the room, the doors slamming shut behind her. Ramon leaned back in his chair. "Yo
ANASTASIA“He just has to show up late, dosen't he” I whisper, glancing toward the entrance—no sign of Dominic.The hall is huge, flooded with people. I feel painfully out of place, maybe because I’ve avoided them for so long. Everyone has something to say about me.Hushed whispers about me, yet lo
ANASTASIAI stare up at the mansion in front of me, it’s huge, the building standing tall, representing power and everything the owner stands for. The air carries the faint smell of rain, old money, and fresh roses from the garden surrounding the mansion. The building reminds me of him: tall, big,
ANASTASIA “Ana, Ana. Come on, it’s almost nine.” I yanked the sheets over my head to muffle Maria’s persistent voice. “Jesus Christ, Maria, let me sleep,” I yelped when the blanket was torn from my body, the cold morning air of the city taking its place.“Give me back my blanket. It’s so cold,”
ANASTASIA“Marry me, Miss Brooks,” Dominic says, like he’s offering me an invitation to a soap opera.I stare at the contract in front of me, as if staring hard enough would make it somehow disappear, turn into something that isn’t a marriage contract to the most condescending person on earth – Dom







