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CHAPTER 19: Take off my belt.
Last Updated:
2025-05-03 05:09:57
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TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER 20: Idiocy.
Palix jumped mid-glance at his wristwatch, like a kid caught lying, his spine visibly stiffening. The others reacted like a ripple effect - Scott, the balding one, jerked upright, his collar already soaked through with nervous sweat, while Parker, the dark-skinned smooth-talker fumbled a step forward then back again, like his legs were trying to make up their mind. All three of them shook as if stillness might get them killed.“Uh, Rapha,” Palix stammered, his lips pulling up into a smile but failed woefully as his lips twitched around the edges. “It’s nothing. New watch. I keep looking at it.”Scott and Parker exchanged a glance, uncertain whether to play dumb or nod along like fools.From the far corner of the room, Kade peeled himself. In his hand was a tab identical to Rapha’s - same model, same custom specs, even the same faint smudge clinging to the lower corner. He let it drop onto the glass table behind Rapha with a soft clack that somehow echoed louder than it should have.Hi
Last Updated : 2025-05-08TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER 21: Get off me!
He’d had several women in the past, hell, and a goddamn threesome barely half an hour before she walked in, yet he couldn't control how his body jiggled at the sight of her clothed. For a man in his line of work, he’d mastered the art of restraint, kept his libido in check, but now it felt like every year of discipline just stopped working.He wondered how ripe her breasts would feel in his hands, how her lips would taste under his. His mind painted pictures of what she wore under the clinging crop top and leggings until she actually took them off, fuck! it took ever ounce of self control not to tear her apart.But that wasn’t him. Rapha didn’t take what wasn’t freely given even if her whole body screamed yes, still, he waited for the voice. Always the goddamn voice, and that is what made it worse. He hated that voice, hated that she hadn’t refused the offer, even though he would’ve taken it like a blade to the ribs if she had. Hated that she thought seduction was something she chose
Last Updated : 2025-05-09TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER ONE: I think I love him.
The only sound accompanying the rhythmic beeping of the machines that had tethered Niya Kendrick to life for the past month was her breathing. But now, those cords were gone, and she was free to leave—at least physically. Her mind, however, was a haze of fragmented memories and a hollow ache she couldn’t understand.She slipped into the faded jeans and soft sweater Pony had brought her, before she sat back down on the edge of the bed, crouching forward as her hands brushed her thighs.“You shouldn’t leave yet,” Pony said, smacking her lips softly. Niya turned to see her best friend leaning against the med cart, though her weight barely rested on it.Pony’s long blonde hair, streaked with brown roots, was tied in its usual side braid. She wore a plain blue long-sleeved shirt as Niya tried to piece together what made her temples throb. Pony's golden-brown eyes fixed on Niya with a bluntness that was hard to ignore.“I’ve been here for thirty days, Pony. I’ve rested enough,” Niya croaked,
Last Updated : 2024-12-31TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER TWO: You're never enough.
Her breath caught as a memory surfaced in her mind. She couldn’t understand the moment, but the faint scent of cedarwood and citrus suddenly filled her senses. It was subtle but undeniable.“Alex.” The name floated to the forefront of her mind, but fell out of her lips in a sharp breath. Another figure stepped into view. She slipped her arm through his and leaned into him, a halo of golden light over her as she tilted her head to look up at him. Niya’s heart plummeted as Alex leaned down and kissed the woman on the lips, his smile softening and widening even more.Maybelle?Niya’s legs threatened to give out beneath her as the room spun around her. Memories she couldn’t grasp flooded her mind like a sharp jab to her fragile heart. The party around her blurred, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t. The strangers and decorations fading into the background. All Niya could focus of was of the man who had once been hers being lovey dovey with her s
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PASTAlex adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, his mind unwillingly drifting to the meeting ahead. He had no clear picture of Niya, only memories of a lanky girl from high school who always seemed to have a book tucked under her arm. But her grandmother, Ma Phil, had painted a different image—poised, graceful, capable. Although, he doubted her grandmother's words. She may not fit his idea of the perfect wife, but she needed money. Fast. People didn’t change that much, did they? He couldn’t help but wonder if this arrangement would be more trouble than it was worth.When the door opened, Alex’s breath hitched. Niya stepped in, her yellow off-shoulder top paired with dark blue jeans, cutting a figure that was neither timid nor polished at all. Her long pin straight, black hair was pulled back into a low loosed bun, but a few strands framed her face, softening her serious expression. Her skin gleamed like polished bronze, and her almond-shaped dark eyes held his gaze with a directness he wa
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PASTNiya slammed the cash register closed and pulled off her name tag with a tired sigh. It had been a long day at the supermarket, one of three jobs she juggled to keep her life afloat. The first shift was at the local diner from six to noon, followed by the supermarket until three, and finishing with freelancing she ran between BookLore and her tiny room in her grandmother's manor.She’d been juggling this routine for nearly six months, ever since her father passed away. His unexpected death left her drowning in medical bills and loans she hadn’t even known existed. On top of that, her stern grandmother had barely given her room to breathe, piling on expectations and criticism as if grief wasn’t already enough.“One last dollar for the sweat,” Niya muttered under her breath as she signed out of her shift.She turned to leave, but paused when she noticed Pony bounding toward her. Her cheeks were flushed, rosy from the cool air, as she leaned against the sign-out counter, a grin ligh
Last Updated : 2024-12-31TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER FIVE: Reality.
PRESENT“So, that’s why you quit your job?” Her grandmother’s voice cut through the brewing silence like a chopping knife.“Yes.” Niya huffed, perplexed. Her brows pulled up, then she quickly averted her gaze, letting it drift somewhere past Ma Phil.There was a long pause. No sound came from either of them as if they were ready to pounce on the first to breathe a word. Finally, Niya spoke.“It was killing me. And it’s not like I had a choice.” Her eyes finally met her grandmother’s, and something flickered in them. Something new that Ma Phil had never seen before. And for the first time, she looked away. Ran her wrinkled fingers through the thick, matted fur of her ugly, puffed-up cat, before her voice dropped to a low murmur, “Since when do you get to make such decisions?” Niya swallowed, but before she could answer, Ma Phil slurred, interrupting her. “You’re still under my roof, Niya. I’m the one who’s been here, making sure we didn’t lose this house when your father died.”Niya
Last Updated : 2025-02-12TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER SIX: I remember them.
“Miss Kendrick! Oh, thank God. I’ve been meaning to reach out, but I wanted to give you time to—”Niya knew there was only one person who had refused to stop addressing her like that. “Claire?” she straightened. “From BookLore?”The name hadn’t crossed her mind, not even once. But the second she heard that voice—like a switch being flipped in a dark room—it spark-plugged her smudged-out memory. It was strange, really. How some things clung to her mind without effort, while everything else felt like it had been scrubbed away.“Yes! It’s me. Listen, I don’t want to keep you long,” Claire exhaled audibly, the static of her breath crackling in Niya’s ear. “I wanted to say I’m so glad you’re back on your feet.”Niya let out a dry breath, her gaze drifting to the floor. She’d barely found solid ground. “I—uh, thanks,” she muttered.“I know it’s a lot to process,” Claire continued in the most careful voice she could. “But BookLore still wants you. We all do. And Mason Chloe… she was really ex
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Latest chapter
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER 21: Get off me!
He’d had several women in the past, hell, and a goddamn threesome barely half an hour before she walked in, yet he couldn't control how his body jiggled at the sight of her clothed. For a man in his line of work, he’d mastered the art of restraint, kept his libido in check, but now it felt like every year of discipline just stopped working.He wondered how ripe her breasts would feel in his hands, how her lips would taste under his. His mind painted pictures of what she wore under the clinging crop top and leggings until she actually took them off, fuck! it took ever ounce of self control not to tear her apart.But that wasn’t him. Rapha didn’t take what wasn’t freely given even if her whole body screamed yes, still, he waited for the voice. Always the goddamn voice, and that is what made it worse. He hated that voice, hated that she hadn’t refused the offer, even though he would’ve taken it like a blade to the ribs if she had. Hated that she thought seduction was something she chose
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER 20: Idiocy.
Palix jumped mid-glance at his wristwatch, like a kid caught lying, his spine visibly stiffening. The others reacted like a ripple effect - Scott, the balding one, jerked upright, his collar already soaked through with nervous sweat, while Parker, the dark-skinned smooth-talker fumbled a step forward then back again, like his legs were trying to make up their mind. All three of them shook as if stillness might get them killed.“Uh, Rapha,” Palix stammered, his lips pulling up into a smile but failed woefully as his lips twitched around the edges. “It’s nothing. New watch. I keep looking at it.”Scott and Parker exchanged a glance, uncertain whether to play dumb or nod along like fools.From the far corner of the room, Kade peeled himself. In his hand was a tab identical to Rapha’s - same model, same custom specs, even the same faint smudge clinging to the lower corner. He let it drop onto the glass table behind Rapha with a soft clack that somehow echoed louder than it should have.Hi
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER 19: Take off my belt.
Niya couldn’t look at him but also couldn’t not look. He was watching her, and somehow that made her want him more. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, her heart thudding hot against her ribs. Her body traitorously trembling, wanted this, wanting him. Wanting a man so badly.What was wrong with her? But still, she kept undressing. She lost count of how long she’d been in there, but It felt like the clocks outside had stopped ticking the second she stepped into his orbit.“Take off my shirt,” he grinded his jaw as he adjusted to the edge of the chair.Her legs moved on autopilot before they stopped before him. She lowered down, hands, still hovering uselessly by her side, trembled as they moved up toward his buttons. The first button slid out of its hole, then the next.“Look at me, Niya,” he called out. Her fingers stilled and she angled her head before she could stop it. Her name in his mouth is like honey being licked off a steel spoon, God! it was the first time he’d said it.His ey
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER 18: What's next?
“You’re here to satisfy me tonight.”Her heart skipped a beat, then kept going like it didn’t matter, but it did. Still, was she expecting a casual drink and handshake?Rapha could smell how tightly she was wound, so his jaw flexed once before he spoke again.“But don’t worry,” his deep voice was as dry as gin, as his eyes swept down her body in one clean motion, almost like he was judging her. “You won’t need to sleep with me. You’re not my type.”It wasn’t that she wanted him to want her. No, that wasn’t the point. That’s exactly what men say right before they try to screw you anyway, she thought bitterly.Niya's tongue brushed her bottom lip before the words tumbled out too fast as if they’d been stacking up in her throat.“Maybe that’s just ’cause you haven’t given me the chance,” she took a step closer, ignoring the twisting in her belly. “Maybe I’m not your type yet. I mean -” she let out a breathless laugh, nerves bristling up her spine, “- you haven’t even looked at me properly
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Buying me?!
She cleared her throat, but before her knuckles grazed the door, a deep, unhurried, masculine voice spoke from the other side.“Come in.”Her hand hovered in the air for a second, her nerves clashing in her chest. Then she turned the knob.The room was dim, a low amber light pooled in the corners, barely enough to make sense of the space. Somewhere in the shadows, a screen’s pale blue glow flickered against a man’s profile. Caught in the ghost of a light, that was all she could see of him.He lowered the screen the second she entered, and just like that, he became a silhouette.She clasped her hands together, pressing her fingers so tightly the tips turned pale. “Hi,” she began, breathy. “Um. I’m Niya. Daniel sent me. I guess you already know that, though. Obviously.”She laughed just a little, but it died in the air, just like she had been thrown into this void of a room.“I mean… not that I assume anything. I just, well, I’m here for the evening. Or the night. I wasn’t sure if it w
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Golden cage.
PRESENT"Out," Daniel Lexi said without glancing up from the tablet he was scribbling on.Rina huffed, her nose scrunching. "The fuck, Dan—""As in, close the fucking door on your fucking way out," he cut her off. "I’m allergic to backup singers during serious talks."Niya stifled a cough, unsure if he was serious or just mean with flair."Daniel..." Rina warned."Rina," he exhaled loudly, visibly impatient, finally lifting his head, one brow arched high enough to throw off the symmetry of his tanned face. "If you breathe too close to the contract, it might revoke itself. Go bother the bartender or threaten a valet, something more in your damn department."She grinned. “You’re lucky I like you.” Then to Niya, “I’ll be right outside.”Daniel gestured to the chair in front of his desk without a word. Niya sat, quietly counting how many times he could fit the word ‘fuck’ into a conversation.“You’re fucking quieter than I expected,” he observed.“I figured it was safer to listen first.”
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER FIFTEEN: HE is watching.
Up high was a huge stage bled red with metal bars and white ropes that looked like the type used to hold ships to anchors. They were moving glittering bodies with red under-toned makeup, dressed in nothing - except stars covering the nipples and W-area, chained in different cages. They were the most beautiful women Niya had ever seen in her life. They danced on poles, against the bars, unbothered by its heaviness, probably bruising on their wrists. Below them. Slam! Niya just noticed the golden masked people watching. Some leaned back lazily in the velvet seats, others relaxed forward, nestled in purposely severed glass compartments.They didn't speak but the continuous buzzing coming from their compartments and the occasional switch of glittering bodies proved to Niya that she wasn't dreaming but actually witnessing humans bidding on other humans.She stopped breathing or she couldn't, her heart still galloping when a woman in a black corset bumped into her. “Here, babe. Just take
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Red marble hell.
A Few Hours Before.She was already late, and somehow, the fucking cab kept rocking like it was trying to sabotage her winged liner on purpose.Niya dragged the small pouch open with her teeth, compact mirror in one hand, trying not to stab herself in the eye with the brush. Pony’s highlighter sat on her lap - she swore by that thing like she wasn’t already ethereal with that porcelain doll complexion. But on Niya, it didn’t ‘glow.’ It shimmered, obnoxiously.She barely wore makeup, and when she did, Alex usually wouldn’t let her do it herself. This sloppy attempt was supposed to be a peace offering for Rina, for being late. She just hoped it said ‘I care’ and not ‘I cried and wiped my face on glitter.’Niya bit her lip as the cab swerved again, this time her brush slipped, dumping too much onto one cheek. “Holy mothe—”She heaved a deep sigh. Perfect. Now she looked like a disco ball.“You're late already, calm down,” the cab driver said without looking back.“I know I’m late,” Niya
TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Vantablack Temple.
Palix scoffed. “You her handler now?”“No,” Rina continued smiling as she started towards him. “I’m the woman who decides whether you walk out of here with your face intact. So if you’re smart, you’ll sit your entitled ass down and remember that you’re here to do business—not act like a frat boy on spring break.”“Fuck,” Baldy clapped under his breath. Rina’s gaze darted towards him, pausing for a beat longer than necessary. For a moment, she could feel the pull in his ocean blue eyes like tide crashing at shore, sending beads of moist air against her skin. Rina didn’t understand it, but the hairs on the back of her neck rose. She shrugged it off, turning to her side.“She’s not yours. That’s your problem. None of the girls here are. And if any of you think you can treat them like dirt, try another club next time. Or better yet, grow up. Now if you're all done playing Who Can Get Sued First, I’ll be taking her.”Rina didn’t even look at him again as she looped an arm around Niya.Niy
