LOGINI have to destroy him… but God, the way he looks at me makes me want to ride him instead.” Those were the last words Clara remembered thinking before she stepped into Ryder West’s world. One blackmail. One impossible mission. One dangerous secret that could destroy them both. Clara Bennett is a talented photographer hiding a massive secret .... she’s the anonymous owner of Ashton City’s most explosive gossip blog. Ryder West is the city’s ruthless, richest, and most mysterious bachelor. They say he’s not entirely human. Some call him a monster. Others swear he’s something far more dangerous. Now Clara’s cruel ex-fiancé has discovered her secret and is holding her dying mother’s life in his hands. He’s forcing her to get close to Ryder, dig up every dirty secret, and deliver the man to him. She has no choice. He says he’ll save her mother… if she destroys Ryder. She says she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her only family. But as Clara slips deeper into Ryder’s dark world, something shifts. The more she uncovers, the more she craves. His intense gaze. His dangerous power. The way he makes her feel alive for the first time in years. What started as a mission to betray him is slowly turning into something far more treacherous: She’s falling madly in love with the very monster she was sent to destroy. ***Trigger warning** 18+* Smut*
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Clara Bennett “Just one clear shot. One picture of this rich jerk with his side piece, and my blog numbers will surely blow up.” I hunched low in the driver’s seat of my old car. The very same one my mom gave me for my nineteenth birthday two years ago. I loved it with everything in me. As the wind blew colder, I kept my eyes focused on the target. The camera felt heavy in my hands as I muttered under my breath. “Come on, just a little closer…” I raised the lens to my eye as my finger hovered over the button. I couldn't help but admire the fancy hotel entrance that glowed under golden lights. It looked so perfect and definitely not the kind of world I belonged to. “ This was going to be a good gossip headline.“ I thought, as a small smile curved on my lips. Then a tall figure stepped directly into my frame disrupting my perfect shot. “Ugh!” I growled, already annoyed. I had a short temper for moments like these. I quickly glanced at my phone to see if there was any new message, and my stomach twisted instantly. I sighed immediately. It was already late, and Victor Sinclair...my fiancé...had not yet sent the address where our date was supposed to be tonight. I let out a deep breath and tried my best to be more patient. He would eventually send the address. Or so I believed. It was the third time this month, I couldn't understand why he would not just pick me up and take me out. “ Oh wait, he said his car was damaged and the machenic was still working on it. Shit.“ I nearly threw myself back on the leather seat. We had spent three whole years together, and just the thought of his sexy smile sent a flutter through my chest. The way he used to pull me close and whisper my name always turned my knees to jelly. He was indeed extremely handsome, tall and his eyes… oh, his emerald eyes that always started into my soul half hooded. They always drove me crazy. “Focus, Clara Bennett,” I scolded myself as the cold wind brushed against my cheeks. I pushed the car door open and stepped out, trying to find a better angle. That’s when two huge hands clamped down on my shoulders from behind. “You are not supposed to be here, young lady!” “Ah!” I gasped. “What the hell?!” My heart slammed against my ribs. Without thinking, I swung my foot back hard and kicked him right between his legs. It always worked. The man grunted in pain. “You little bitch!” I smirked for a split second, then twisted my arms free from his hold and dove back into the car. I slammed the door shut and drove away, the tires screeching as I sped off. My hands shook on the steering wheel as I kept my eyes forward while glancing back to see if I was being followed. Thankfully, I wasn’t. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out a shaky laugh. “Clara, you dummy,” I whispered. “Thinking about Victor again and nearly getting caught. Remember, the mortgage, the loans, and Mom’s medical bills won’t pay themselves.” I forced myself to breathe. Mom’s cancer was getting worse. She would even pretend she was fine so I wouldn’t worry, but I always saw right through her. She was my only family. And soon, Victor would be part of it too. I blinked away my tears and let out another shaky laugh. My life really was a mess. I kept driving slowly, my mind still spinning from everything that had happened. When I looked toward the far side of the road, I saw Victor stepping out of a luxurious black car in front of the city’s most expensive restaurant. He was laughing with his head thrown back, looking happier than I had seen him in weeks. “Victor?” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper. My heart slammed against my ribs. The car almost swerved as I stared harder. No. This couldn’t be real. His arm was wrapped tightly around a stunning woman in a designer dress .... Amelia Hart. Her long, shiny golden hair glowed under the restaurant lights as she leaned into him like she belonged there. She smiled up at him, and he looked down at her with that soft, loving gaze I thought was only meant for me. My stomach twisted painfully and tears blurred my vision instantly. I gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white. This wasn’t happening. Not my Victor. Not the man who said he loved me....and certainly not the man I had sacrificed everything for. Everyone knew who Amelia was.... The Millionaire Richard Hart’s spoiled daughter. Chief Director at West Group Company. She was rich, beautiful, and from a completely different world. A world of luxury and power. The reason as to why she was working for West Group and not her own daddy's company was still a mystery...Rumours said she had a thing for the CEO of West Group of something...Such a bitch. But Victor? My Victor? He was supposed to be mine. We were supposed to be building a future together. He always told me we couldn’t afford fancy dates yet. That one day, when things got better, he would take me to places like this. Lies.....All of it was lies. I kept feeling a throbbing pain exploding in my chest, like someone had stabbed me and twisted the knife. I felt my heart breaking into a thousand tiny pieces right there in the cold night . And tears kept rolling down my cheeks as I watched him gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear .... the same sweet gesture he used to do with me. I couldn’t breathe at all...and my hands started shaking immediately. How long had this been going on? All those nights he said he was “working late”? All those times he canceled our plans? I parked the car at a distance, my whole body trembling. The man I loved more than anything had just shattered my world… and he didn’t even know I was watching. I slipped out of the car, following them carefully. I didn’t care about my outfit. I was wearing a simple black dress that hugged my curves and a black leather jacket that kept out the cold. Just as I was about to enter through the huge doors, the doorman blocked my path with a raised eyebrow. I flashed my brightest smile. “I’m meeting my fiancé inside. He just went in.” He hesitated, glaring at my outfit like I was wearing a potato sack, but he stepped aside anyway. “Go ahead.” Inside the restaurant, soft music played, and the smell of expensive food filled the air. I hid behind a large potted plant, my chest aching as I watched the scene in front of me. Victor leaned across the table, laughing louder than he ever had with me. He reached out, gently tucking a strand of Amelia’s bright golden hair behind her ear. Then he cupped her face and kissed her lips slowly, deeply, and full of heat. I felt the world tilt as tears burned my eyes. “So this is why he was delaying,” I muttered to myself. It finally made sense. All his recent excuses. The way he said he’d text me the location tonight. I had been sitting in my car working, thinking he was running late… while he was here with her. I snatched a glass of red wine from a waiter’s tray and downed it in one gulp. It burned my throat, but I didn’t care. I needed the extra courage to face that two-timing cheater. I calmly marched straight to their table, ignoring the obnoxious stares from the rich snobs around me. The second I stopped at their table, Victor’s head snapped up, and his eyes widened in pure shock. “C-Clara? I mean… who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?” I forced a cold little laugh. “Why don’t you look happy to see me… fiancé?” I lifted my hand, letting the engagement ring catch the light. Amelia’s eyes narrowed at Victor. His face went pale, then hardened instantly. “Engaged? I don’t know what she’s talking about. We’re not engaged. I don’t even know her.” I let out a short, bitter laugh as pain exploded in my chest. “Do not play dumb with me, Victor Sinclair.” Then I slapped him across the face, the sound cracking through the fancy restaurant. I heard Amelia gasp. She tried to stand, but Victor held her hand like she was some delicate antique. “Never come near me again,” I hissed. I grabbed his glass of wine and poured it slowly over his head. I smirked as the red liquid dripped down his perfect hair and onto his expensive shirt. People gasped and started whispering around us, but I didn’t care. Before I could finish pouring the wine on him, Victor jumped up, sputtering. “Clara! Have you lost your mind?” “I cooked for you every night,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “I paid your rent when you had nothing. I listened to all your big dreams. I gave you every piece of my heart!” Amelia stepped between us, her lip curled in disgust. “Victor is rich. He could never want someone like you… a poor, desperate slut. He’s the heir to his family’s fortune.” A broken laugh tore out of me. I knew the truth about Victor, but the words still cut deep. Victor was broke. He barely had anything to his name. Or so I thought. I stared at his tall frame. His eyes didn’t show even a hint of regret. His attire told another story. I was the one who dug into people’s lives, yet I couldn’t even see the lies of my own fiancé. Ex-fiancé. Victor waved frantically at the security guards heading our way. “Get her out of here!” Before they could touch me, I slapped him again, harder this time, making sure I left a red mark. I yanked the ring off my finger and threw it at his chest. It bounced off and clattered to the floor. “You disgust me!” I turned and walked away, my head high even as tears streamed down my cheeks. “Clara! Clara, wait!” Victor shouted after me. He tried to grab my jacket, but I shoved him off. I didn’t stop. I didn’t even hear his footsteps coming after me either. “That cheating jerk!” I pushed through the doors into the cool night air.Clara BennettI couldn’t sit still. After Victor left, the apartment felt too small, too quiet, and way too dangerous. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling as I paced the tiny living room. Ryder’s text still glowed on my phone screen...I stared at it for the hundredth time. Should I reply? What if I sounded too eager? What if I sounded cold and he got suspicious?“Ugh,” I muttered, rubbing my face. My throat felt dry from all the crying. I needed water.I walked to the kitchen on shaky legs, my bare feet cold against the cheap tiles. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filled it with tap water, and took a big gulp. The cool liquid did nothing to calm the storm inside my chest.My phone suddenly rang.The glass nearly slipped from my hand. Ryder’s name flashed on the screen. My heart slammed against my ribs like it wanted to escape. I stared at the ringing phone, frozen. *Pick up. Don’t pick up. Pick up.*On the fourth ring, I swiped to answer, pressing the phone to my ear with a shak
Clara BennettI barely made it inside my apartment before the dread hit me like a truck. My hands were still shaking from Ryder’s touch, from the way he had looked at me like I actually mattered. I locked the door, leaning my back against it and letting out a long, exhausted breath.That’s when I smelled it .... that same expensive cologne that used to make my stomach flutter. Now it made me want to vomit.Victor stepped out of the shadows of my tiny living room like he owned the place. He was sitting on my couch, legs crossed, holding a glass of my cheap wine like it was champagne.“Welcome home, darling,” he said with that smooth, fake smile. “How was your first day with the big bad wolf?”My heart slammed against my ribs. I dropped my bag and took a step back. “How the hell did you get in here?”Victor laughed softly and stood up, walking toward me slowly. “I still have my key. You never asked for it back, remember? Or were you hoping I’d come crawling back?”I crossed my arms tig
Clara BennettMy legs felt like jelly as I walked through the empty parking lot. It was already past 9 PM, and the cold night air bit through my thin jacket. I clutched my bag tightly against my chest, my mind still replaying every second of that charged moment in Ryder’s office. *Not yet.* Those two words from him had been running on repeat in my head like a warning.I was so distracted that I didn’t see him coming.Ryder suddenly stepped out from between two parked cars, tall and powerful in his perfectly tailored black suit. We collided hard. My bag slipped from my hands, and half my files went flying everywhere across the asphalt.“Ah!” I gasped, bending down quickly to grab them before the wind carried them away.“Clara,” Ryder’s deep voice cut through the night. He crouched beside me instantly, helping pick up the scattered papers with those big, strong hands. “I didn’t see you there. Are you alright?”Our fingers brushed as we both reached for the same document. A stupid spa
Clara Bennett Ryder stopped right in front of me, his tall, powerful frame blocking out everything else in the room. His dark eyes moved slowly from my face to Amelia, who was still clinging to his arm like she owned him. “Mr. West, please!” Amelia whined in that annoying high-pitched voice, pressing her fake breasts against his side. “She was snooping through your desk like a thief! She even called me a bitch! You can’t trust this cheap little nobody!” I kept my chin up, even though my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would explode. *This is it. I’m done. Victor is going to kill me and my mom.* Ryder’s jaw tightened, then he looked at me with that cold, intense stare that made my knees feel weak. “Clara. Is what she’s saying true?” Before I could even open my mouth, Amelia cut in again, her voice dripping with tears. “Of course it’s true! I saw everything! She was digging through your drawers like some desperate spy. She’s obviously jealous because I’m close to you an












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