LOGINRHEA’S POVAnd I meant every word of it.After we left the coffee shop, I hatched a plan so satisfying it made me smile just thinking about it. On the surface though, nothing changed. I still texted the group chat. Still dropped my emojis like clockwork. Everything normal.The day Mia was supposed to return, I picked my outfit with intention. I even had to double-text Lyra twice just to talk her off the edge.Mia missed the first class, so Lyra and I were already seated in the school cafeteria when she walked in like a beam of light.“Girlssssss!” She came hopping towards us, new hairstyle, her Chanel bag swinging, and those shoes: Lord, those shoes. I would’ve killed to walk in them. Too bad the person wearing them was a snake.“How are you both doing?” she said, sliding into the seat across from us.I forced my warmest smile. “I’m good. You look amazing.”“Yeah, too good…” Lyra’s voice came out hard and loaded but I pinched her under the table and she stopped short. She shot me a g
RHEA’S POV“Remove all the cameras in her room, I won’t be needing them,” Rowan had said.I didn’t bother asking about the camera. I mean, who cares?The rest of the week was a dream come true. The cuddling, the soft kisses, the slow lovemaking. Name it. He didn’t sleep out. He would even let me lie on his chest while he made his business calls, his voice low and steady vibrating through his chest while I just lay there, warm and half asleep, listening to him like he was my personal lullaby. If that wasn’t love, tell me what is.The weekend flew by, and before I knew it, I was back in school. Except this time, I was more than a little excited to go.“Girl, you’ve been flooding the group chat with pictures of you and your dear husband,” Lyra said the minute she spotted me.And yes, I had been. Pictures of us sleeping, me drowning in his shirts, his little gifts, every single detail documented like evidence. I had a reason.“I know.” I grinned. “It wouldn’t hurt to show the world how h
FEW DAYS BACKAUTHOR’S POV“What do you mean, no lead?” Rowan asked, shoving the files off his desk in anger.The men standing in front of him flinched. It had been days since Rowan started demanding more details about the man they had captured.“I asked for one simple detail, trace him back to whoever sent him. How hard is that?” Rowan asked angrily as he stood.“I gave you all one week, one fucking week, to bring me everything, every detail about his life, including the last place he peed,” Rowan warned, and the men bolted out of the room.“So damn useless,” Rowan swore as he sat back down.He stared at the picture in front of him, his anger boiling. He had let the man go because he wanted to track down the one who sent him, but up till now, nothing.“I would so enjoy cutting off those hands of his,” he said, his voice low and certain, fists clenched.He left the office immediately and headed straight to the club to calm himself down. The drive there was a struggle; he could barely
RHEA’S POV“Is anywhere hurting?” Rowan asked, as he touched my face softly. He had carried me all the way from the hotel room down to the car and wouldn’t let me go.The way he had flung that guy to the side and rushed toward me, his eyes filled with worry, almost made me forget that the guy had still managed to escape through the window.Still, Rowan kept asking if I was alright. Apparently my last-minute text was what had saved me.“Here.” I pointed at the spot where the man had slapped me.He leaned in and pecked my cheek. “Don’t worry, when I get him, I’ll make sure he loses both hands first.” He held me tightly.“He wasn’t working alone,” I said.Rowan nodded. “Yeah, I ran a background check on him a few days ago, he’s just a hoodlum. It must be one of my business partners.” He rubbed my shoulder softly. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to the root of this.” He assured me. He also apologized for not believing in me, just one single apology, and my heart melted.When we got home, he soaked
RHEA’s POVHe was right. So damn right. No, no, no — he might just be guessing. He must be fucking guessing.“You also have a mark in your pelvic area. I asked about it once and you said it was from a bicycle accident.” He said it confidently, like he’d rehearsed it. My legs wobbled and I hit the ground.He was about to open his mouth again when I screamed, “Stop!!” I couldn’t hear more. I couldn’t bear another single word from him.I blinked back the tears burning at the corners of my eyes. I knew this wouldn’t be easy. I was here for business, so I steadied myself and stood right back up.“Fine. I believe you,” I said. “So how did you find me?”“Find you?” He laughed, his tongue sliding over his bottom lip in a way that made my skin crawl. “Nah, I was just out chilling with my boys and I spotted the pretty shorty begging to be touched. You’re fine, so I couldn’t say no.”Rhea, keep going, I told myself. “So no one sent you?”He scoffed. “I don’t work for no man.”I nodded slowly, ma
RHEA’S POV“I have some of your nudes. I don’t know if you would want to see them?”The text stared back at me.I sat on the floor, my breath coming out uneven. I picked up my phone several times just to be sure I wasn’t misreading it, but the words were right there, written in all caps, each one impossible to miss.I dialed the number over and over. It didn’t go through. I tried again. Nothing.“How did I fucking forget? How?” I pressed my hands against my head, squeezing like I could force the memory out of hiding.It was my phone buzzing that reminded me I had somewhere to be.“I’m on my way,” I said as I picked the call.I couldn’t even bring myself to drive. I ordered a ride, the security men trailing behind me in their own car the entire way.“Oh my God, you got me worried, Rhea. I was about to march to Rowan’s house if you hadn’t texted.” Lyra rushed toward me the second she spotted me, but I just forced a smile and dropped into my seat.“Girl, you had us both scared with that
RHEA’S POVRowan and I walked out of that room like nothing had happened. Like a girl hadn’t just eaten me out. My legs still trembled slightly as we descended the stairs, both of us moving like the kind of couple that owned every room they walked into.We slipped into the crowd easily. I grabbed a
RHEA’S POV“Sit watch,” Rowan had said to me, no warmth in his eyes, not even an ounce of guilt.His gaze left me and returned to the girl kneeling in front of him.“Yeah, just like that.” He moaned, and she stroked him slowly before parting her mouth and taking him in.I stood there frozen, my leg
RHEA’S POVThe smile on my face vanished instantly. I stepped closer, certain my ears were deceiving me, but I heard it loud and clear.“Yes, master.” The feminine voice moaned loudly.My legs moved before I could think, and the next second I was in my room, dropped to the floor with tears rolling
RHEA’S POVMia quietly shoved me aside and clung to Rowan’s arm. “I was robbed today at my apartment,” she said, starting to sob. “It was so scary.”I stood to the side, watching. Rowan immediately freed his hand, discomfort plain on his face. “Then you need to be at the police station, not here,”







