MasukWhen morning came, Zara stirred in her sleep, mumbling gibberish as she tossed and turned. But as soon as she shifted, she ended up hissing, her entire body aching. Opening her eyes, she turned over but immediately sat up abruptly. Her hand flew to muffle her mouth in awe. She looked around the ruined room, and when she looked down at herself, all hope vanished.“Oh no, oh no… this can't be,” she muttered, quickly wrapping the surrounding sheets naked body.She didn't have to think twice to know what had transpired the previous night. The sharp, stinging pain all over her skin and the throbbing ache between her legs were proof enough that she had slept with Chance.“Oh God, no.” She frantically tried to get out of bed, but the moment her foot stepped onto the carpet, she hissed in agony. Glancing down at her heel, Zara saw multiple shards of glass embedded in her skin, with blood already drawing from the cuts.“Not again,” she muttered in pure frustration. She leaned down to get rid o
Zara's lashes flickered up as Chance came up on her, his knee tucked between her legs. His sharp, lustful eyes fixed on herZara sucked in her breath, her hands moved to Chance's chest. The sight of his broad, muscled shoulders and the dark, predatory gleam in his eyes was a drug. She didn't want to think about the devastating wreckage of her divorce. She didn't want the ghost of her pathetic, cheating ex-husband hovering over her anymore. She wanted to erase it all. She wanted to be ruined, put back together, and ruined all over again.“You're looking at me like you want to kill me, Zara,” Chance growled, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that vibrated straight to her core. He shifted, his bare thigh brushing against hers, and the contact was like a spark to gasoline. “Or like you want to devour me.”“Shut up,” she hissed, her voice trembling with a toxic mix of fury and pure, pure lust. “Just… shut up and make me forget.”That was the exact moment the dam broke.“Forget?” he whispered
Zara’s sneezes unsettled her as she stripped off her damp clothes. Undressing with Chance right outside the door was agonizing. Seeking privacy in the bathroom, she realized too late there was nothing to wrap herself in.“Damn it… I didn’t think this through,” she muttered, running her hands through her wet hair as she stared at her reflection in the blurry mirror. The slightest sound from the bedroom had her pulse spiking, desperately trying to cover her bare skin.“Are you okay in there?” Chance’s voice boomed from the other side. Zara’s heart skipped a heavy beat as she stepped back from the door.“Y-yeah… just… well…” she called back, her mind racing. How was she going to walk out? Outside, the rain lashed violently against the glass, and each flash of lightning made her flinch.“Zara, do you need help?” Chance, asked. Zara opened her mouth to refuse, but to hell with it. She was a grown woman; why was she letting a man make her feel this unraveled?“Umm I need something to cover m
“Mira, don't worry, I'll sort this out soon,” Zara said into her phone, trying to project a calmness she didn't feel.On the other end of the line, Mira was in a total panic. Apparently, Mrs. Kate was still throwing major tantrums at the studio.“Sweetie, it's not your fault… I'll pass by and see exactly what went wrong. Just stay at the studio,” Zara added. But it was no use; Mira was crying hysterically, blaming herself for the entire disaster.After disconnecting the call, Zara set her phone on the kitchen table. She placed two glasses of fresh orange juice onto a tray and carried it toward the stairs. She needed to get to Mrs. Kate’s private estate as soon as possible to damage-control the situation.As she reached the top of the stairs, the sound of bright giggles and cheers echoed down the hallway. It was Ivy. Zara paused, her heart swelling; this was the first time her daughter had laughed like that since being discharged from the hospital. Lately, Ivy had been constantly cryin
“Are you seriously drinking now?” Andy asked, his brows arching as he watched Chance gulp down his whiskey without breaking rhythm.The bar wasn't fully packed, just a scattering of patrons nursing their drinks in the dim light. Andy narrowed his eyes, pouring himself another beer. “I've never seen you like this before…”Chance didn't answer. His sharp eyes remained fixed on the amber liquid in the bottle before him.“You still won't talk?” Chance asked after a heavy silence, casting a sharp side-glare at his friend.Andy let out a long sigh, shifting his weight in his chair. “Zara is different,” he started, his voice laced with an underlying irritation. “She cares about people… too much. One would say she’s too nice, and people take advantage of that.”“Her ex-husband?” Chance asked directly.Andy hesitated, leaning forward across the table. His voice dropped to a low growl. “I'm not in the right place to say this… but if I ever see that son of a bitch anywhere, I'm going to rip him
The bedroom was suffocatingly quiet, save for the uneven rhythm of their breathing. Zara pressed the damp cloth a little too hard against Chance’s torn shoulder, trying desperately to focus on his shoulder rather than the sheer expanse of bare skin beneath her hands. She had given him a few pills to swallow, Chance didn't question it."Ouch,” Chance hissed, though the smirk playing on his lips entirely ruined the effect. “Careful, sweetheart. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to finish the job.”“If I wanted you dead, Chance, I wouldn't waste my time cleaning you up,” Zara snapped, keeping her eyes glued to his swollen shoulder. But it was impossible to ignore how close they were. Her thighs were brushed against his uninjured side, and every time he exhaled, she felt the warmth of it against her collarbone. Her heart hammered violently against her ribs… she prayed he couldn't hear.Chance leaned in slightly, his dark eyes tracking the rapid pulse in her throat. “You
~Zara’s POV~When Stanley suggested a quiet place for our meeting, I didn't expect a noisy bar full of old, drunk men dancing and trying to flirt with girls. As soon as I walked in, all eyes were on me. I felt awkward, unsure if they were staring at my outfit or something else. Either way, I was ir
~Zara POV~After a long day, I settled for a hot shower. It turned out Henry owned a rising construction company called HJ Construction. He’d helped me renovate the rented space and start my firm. Thinking about it, I couldn't help but smile at how everything was turning out. The thought of startin
~Zara POV~“You can’t possibly be that stupid!” I heard someone say from behind when I was busy throwing out the trash. I turned around, and it was Chance. The man seemed to be everywhere. Didn't he have a job to keep him busy?“Excuse me?” I wondered why he was following me. I had stepped out to t
~Zara's POV~“You can put the box there… I'll handle it,” Chance said while he struggled to clean his wound. I was stunned that this man was here and to know Mrs. Bridget was busy praising him. I ignored him and walked over to him.“Please don't touch it; it will get infected,” I said, sounding a b







