It all started with a strip search.... "Remove your clothes." “Excuse me?” “You are not leaving until I find what you stole from here. Get naked right now." ... Riley is reeling under trauma of her assault. She needs kindness and compassion in her life. Someone to help her pick her bits and pieces and make her whole again. Mikolaj is someone she shouldn’t be around. He is a ruthless CEO out for vengeance on her parents. How will she save herself when he has laid his eyes on her, to take his long-overdue revenge? She shouldn’t be held accountable for a crime her father committed two decades ago. But Mikolaj doesn’t think so. ... This story is a standalone spin-off for ‘My Hot Forbidden Neighbor.’ There would be no abuse. But this story can turn dark with some gray and questionable things, and I will give trigger warning if necessary.
View More94. Not a hotelI stroll into the corridor to see if I can spot a caterer. None. Riley chose this room at far end and there aren’t many partygoers lingering in this wing. I have no choice but to call Camilla. To my luck, she picks up. “Miko?” Camilla says in an extra chirpy voice. “Guess what? You can’t boss me around anymore.”I snort. The past few days she told me many times—teasingly—that she cannot wait to stop seeing my face.“If you are happy, I am happy.”“What is it?”With a slight turn of my head towards the bathroom, I realize the water is running. Is Riley taking a freaking bath?Pinching the bridge of my nose, I explain the situation, and Camilla giggles. I am not sure what’s so funny about it. Or maybe she is intoxicated too.“Don’t worry, I will send food along with some stuff for the stay,” she says, and I frown.“I have no plans to stay.”“Just in case…” she sings and cuts the call.Then It dawns on me… I can’t take Riley outside without the paparazzi swarming in the
93. Urge to hold. Mikolaj . -“I don’t know where she is,” Jonas says, and I shoot him a sharp glare.“What do you mean?”“I mean…. I’m not her damn babysitter!” he retorts, glaring right back at me.His words ring eerily familiar, echoing the incident when he lost Riley at a fundraiser party months ago. Though this time, I can’t fault him. It’s on me. I instructed him to keep her entertained so she wouldn’t get bored.My silence prompts him to continue, and he says, “We kinda had a disagreement.”“Disagreement?”He shrugs, almost childishly. “An argument… She was being mean. So I showed her I could be meaner.”A flicker of concern flits through my mind, but I dismiss it. “Sometimes I wonder who’s more challenging to handle… You or Jessie.”“Well, I learn from you.”It was my oversight to assume she wouldn’t hold a grudge against Jonas. With a sigh, I instruct him to take Jessie home while I search for Riley. Thankfully, he complies without complaint.… …Something similar happened
92. Vanish- . Riley . -It feels surreal to stand amidst Camilla’s opulent gathering, surrounded by strangers. I wasn’t expecting an invite. Hell, I wasn’t even anticipating any event because Mikolaj gave her a relieving party a few days back in office.This evening, when Mikolaj told me to get ready, I imagined it would be a small gathering or something. Not a freaking gala. My fingers brush the fabric of my dress, feeling the softness of silk under my fingertips. Not so bad for this event, but a heads up would’ve been nice. Not that I would ask him. I have adopted a no talk policy with Mikolaj. I am not gonna break it for a damn dress.“You look lost!” A voice brings me out of my trance and I blink. Is she talking to me? My eyes swim over Camilla’s stunning midnight blue gown. She looks beautiful as her dress shimmers under the soft glow of the chandelier above us.I look lost because I have been forced into a party I don’t belong to. But I cannot admit this to her. So I say instea
91. If she dies — . Young Mikolaj . — - 20 years ago - Harsh fluorescent light of the hospital corridor casts a sterile glow over my face as I stare at the white wall in front of me. It’s been five days since Mama has been fighting for her life. It’s hard to look at her. Despite the constant anxiety, I am confident that she will recover. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I take it out. The name flashing on screen puts a sour taste in my mouth as I press the red button. I never imagined I would ever feel this bitter about her. Maria told me Lena’s parents came to see my mother. But Lena wasn’t with them. Phone vibrates once more with a text message and I switch it off, stuffing it where it belongs as I see a nurse approaching me. “Hi…” I get up, as she glances at me from head to toe and asks, “The doctor would like to have a word with you in the morning. He will be here around nine.” Fucking finally. I don’t know what their problem is, but I have an inkling they are avoiding me
90. Family time– . Mikolaj . –Riley disappears into another room and I shift my focus at three angry men standing in front of me. Owen steps forward, extending his arm for a handshake. A friendly gesture was the last thing I was expecting, but alright. “This is the first time we are meeting…” he comments, and I nod. “You were still a freshman at school when I started college...” I have never met Ramsey, either. Apart from seeing him at school a few times, we never outright talked. Now I understand why Garrett was never keen on inviting me to his place while he often made himself comfortable at my home... The one that burned into ashes. Suppressing my rage, I comment, “You’ve made quite a name for yourself... compared to Garrett.”“Is this the purpose of this meeting? To derogate me?” Garrett says in exasperation.“Do I need to?” I stare at him with a cold expression. I was infuriated about the fact that he accepted Callum’s case, but now, when they are preying on my nephew, I want
89. Karma– . Riley . —His words slice through me like a knife as he disappears into the suite. I stand there, trying to understand how the hell did this happen? How I could be so reckless.Mikolaj offers me a kerchief while I want to melt in my spot. “I am sorry it happened this way… You can leave if you want,” he says and I glance up at him, unable to hide my horror.Did he kiss me on purpose?He takes my expression for something else and says, “All I am saying is… If you don’t want to face them, go home and let me deal with this.”“That’s not my home,” I say, numbly. Now that dad hates me, I don’t think I have any place called home anymore. All because of him. He sighs. “I cannot delay this meeting. Now that your family knows… Ramsey must be itching to release that article.”That would be a tremendous inconvenience for Mikolaj. We are in dark about what Granddad has covered in the article against Jonas. But I know Miko will suppress or divert the attention using his methods. After
88. Disappointment– . Riley . –.“Why is everything happening at the same time?” I say in disbelief. It’s too much to process. Last time I had an anxiety attack when I was digging into his emails with Ashley’s help. “I know it’s not something you would like to talk about,” Natalie says, but doesn’t know what’s bothering me. Ash saw some nasty images when she accessed his emails. Who knows who that girl was… I swallow hard, feeling guilty. I should have reported it. But how could I have explained it to the authorities? That we accessed someone’s email who has been on the run for two years?“He is dangerous.” “I think he always was…” Again. Natalie doesn’t know about Maxim. What do I even tell her? I don’t remember everything. The memories that resurface sometimes feel like figments of my imagination.“His company is not good. The people he was supposed to work with… were monsters.” I try to divert my attention away from them. I am supposed to keep my shit together.“Yet he pulled Ja
87. Consider it done– . Riley . –Sitting alone at the dining table, I am staring at the artfully decorated chicken salad on my plate. While Mikolaj is hovering around like a hawk to make sure I finish my food. Goodness. How old does he think I am? “Jessie, it’s bedtime,” Mikolaj reminds her, and she shrieks.“NOOO. FIVE Minutes!”“Keep your voice low. Five minutes and then we’ll go.”Jessie goes back to playing while Mikolaj sits comfortably on the sofa. They had dinner almost an hour ago while I was lamenting the loss of my relationship with my parents and family, as I know it. My appetite is long gone because deep inside I know things might never be same. But I cannot afford to get sick. It’s better to eat. After swirling the fork around forever, I finally take a bite. See! It’s not that bad.“I need to have a word with you after dinner,” Mikolaj informs me, and I internally roll my eyes. Would it be possible to avoid each other living under the same roof? But I need to know wha
86. Crescent—. Riley . —Mikolaj leaves the room, following Jessie as I unlock my phone to throw a quick glance. So many calls and messages.“Law enforcement. Please open the door.” My heart skips a beat when I hear the words. Loud and clear. I thought Jessie was reacting to something she watched on TV.I rush out, but I hold myself after a few steps. Mikolaj has not kidnapped me. I am here at will. ‘Convince them.’Moving nearer to my door, I strain to catch the conversation. A faint smile forms at my lips as the officer says, “We want to meet Riley Adams. Her family has requested a wellness check on her.”I have no reason to feel happy. But I am sure Mikolaj didn’t anticipate this. At least, I didn’t.“Sure,” Mikolaj says lightly and I stroll out of my room. He turns, meeting my gaze as I make my way towards them. He raises his brow at me with a smile. As if he wasn’t about to throttle me barely a minute ago. I can almost hear him say, ‘Try to be convincing.’Standing next to him
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