LOGIN“No way! I can't,” she yelps, nervous. “I’m not—I’m not properly dressed for a place like this. I'm in a hoodie.”I don't look at her clothes. I look straight into her ocean blue eyes. “It doesn't matter what you wear, bunny. You’ll belong anywhere you choose to stand.”She huffs out a small, disbelieving laugh. “Stop trying to patronize me.”“I’m not,” I deadpan. “Now, take my hand before I decide to carry you in.”She exhales, her lashes fluttering like butterfly wings. When she feels steady enough, she places her hand in mine. Her fingers are trembling against my palm which makes the monster in me want to tighten my grip and never let go.“You’re good?” I ask.She nods. As we step into the 5-star restaurant, the tension in her shoulders finally begins to dissolve into something that looks remarkably like wonder. The atmosphere is thick with the scent of champagne and delicacies.A hostess approaches us almost instantly, her smile practiced but her eyes sharp and kind. “Mr. Hemswort
~Zayn~I find her before she even sees me. Dave didn't have to call me and tell me anything. The necklace around her neck is like a leash. Wherever she goes, I know. And I’ve learned her patterns.The way she walks when she’s thinking too fast. The way her shoulders tighten when she’s pretending she isn’t tense. And right now, she’s both. She collides into me like she’s trying to outrun something. I steady her without thinking, the scent of her sweet jasmine perfume enveloping me.“Careful,” I say.Her breath catches. “Zayn? What are you doing here?”I don’t answer immediately. Because I’m not looking at her face. I’m looking at her wrist. Her fingers twitch slightly, like she’s suddenly aware of it too. “What are you looking at?” she asks sharply, pulling her arm back just a fraction.I glance up at her then, slowly.“My gorgeous wife,” I say.Her eyes narrow immediately. “Don’t start”A corner of my mouth lifts. “Too late.”The response I gave her earns me a look I’ve come to recog
I know Victoria’s schedule like the back of my hand. She doesn't believe in the Sabbath.. To her, Sunday is just a day where the rest of the world is too lazy to compete, which makes it the perfect time to sharpen her claws and make sure her poison is deadly enough. She stays in the office from nine to two, followed by a boutique fitting where she demeans a tailor, and ending with a spa treatment that involves the tears of a thousand orchids. I used to be the one carrying her bags and absorbing her insults just for extra pay. But I stopped when I married Daniel and started to fall sick. Dave keeps catching my eye in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable, but I don't offer him anything. I don't have anything left to give. My heart feels like it has been taken out and filled with liquid nitrogen. “We're here, ma'am,” Dave says as the car glides to a halt in front of the towering glass building. The building is nearly empty. The weekend crew of security guards are the
My father has the audacity to look annoyed. I think I see guilt flashing across his face, but it's quickly replaced by the greed I’ve known all my life. He doesn't look like he’s facing his final hours; he looks like he had just won the lottery and is terrified he’d have to return the ticket.“I thought you were dying,” I say. “But you look better than I do. Must be the fresh air of a successful scam.”“Jade,” he calls, his voice gruff. “What are you doing here? We didn't expect you to show up so soon after... well, after last night.”I look at his steady hands, his clear eyes, and the fresh pack of cigarettes tucked neatly into his shirt pocket. A slow, bitter smile spreads across my lips.“I shouldn't be here?” I take a step toward him, watching him flinch. I gesture to the expensive dress wrapping my mother’s frame. “Is that new? I swear you look completely different from last night. No one would believe it’s the same woman who was groveling in the dining hall. You went into that r
My mother’s fingers clutch my dress. It’s sickening to see her like this. “Jade, please!” she sobs, her voice raw and echoing off the vaulted ceiling. “Don't do this to us. Don't let them throw us back in that cage. We’ll go back to jail if the creditors find us. Your father, he’s sick, Jade. He’s dying in a basement while you sit here pretending we don't exist because we’re poor.”I feel the collective intake of breath from the Board—the sound of fifty pedigrees recoiling.“Security,” Zayn calls. He doesn't move, but the air around him turns cold.“No, wait!” my mother shrieks, looking up at the guests, her eyes wild. “Look at her! Look at my daughter! She’s living lavishly, wearing more money on her neck than our whole family has ever seen, while she lets her own family rot! Is this who you want in your company? A woman who forgets where she came from the moment she finds a rich heir?”I don’t look down at my mother. I look across the table. Damon leans back, a slow, predatory grin
The knock is a sharp, demanding staccato that shakes the heavy wooden door against my spine.“Zayn? I know you're in there. The Board is reconvening in five minutes.”I gasp. “Damon.”My breath hitches in my throat, my fingers digging into Zayn’s shoulders as I prepare for him to pull away—to fix his suit, to mask the hunger, to be the professional heir again. But Zayn doesn't let the knock bother us. “I know,” he says, pushing inside me again. “Let him hear how you scream my name. Let him know you’re mine.”He thrusts deeper. “Fuck!” I scream, fingers digging into the fabric of his tux, my eyes rolling to the back of my head, my toes curling.“Zayn?” Damon calls again, the door handle rattling.My whimpers grow louder as Zayn’s thrusts grow more brutal. “Zayn?” Damon sounds aggravated. “I can't believe this.”He must hear us now. And he sounds really pissed. But I don't mind anymore. Zayn’s eyes lock onto mine, burning with a defiant craving. He settles deeper into me, claiming my m
If looks could kill, I’d be dead, buried, and haunting this building. Victoria’s trembling, her designer handbag clutched so tightly her knuckles are white.“Morning, Ms. Victoria.”She says nothing. Her eyes refuse to leave Zayn. “Have a great day, babe,” he says before turning to her. “Hello, Vi
My father’s voice is sharp with fury. “You shameless girl!” I taste blood in my mouth. “Look at what she’s wearing,” Natasha sneers. “She was with that man. She’s been having an affair with him even before the wedding.” My mother’s eyes fill with rage. The old me used to hide under oversized
Barbara pulls me into the pantry and shuts the door. She crosses her arms, eyes blazing. “What is wrong with you? You seem different. VERY different.” She sounds concerned. In my past life, I’d have believed every word that came out of her lying mouth. I would've cried about work and how diffic
The gates slide open before us. I don't ask how. The place looks magical. It isn't a New York high-rise. It’s a sprawling, modern estate tucked away behind high walls. The mansion is in the middle of green lawns. The glass windows reflect the moonlight. “You live here with your family?” I whisper







