LOGINI didn’t go back to his house that day, leaving my phone with him. Good thing I had a spare to use in the meantime. Two days had already passed, and part of me still hoped he would show up at my door and apologize. I would stand outside my house around the time he usually got home from work, hoping that if he saw me, he might finally realize his mistake and say something. But since his ego was too high, he would just ignore me as if he had done nothing wrong. The last bit of hope I had finally crashed when another day passed, and he still hadn’t approached me. Before I knew it, I was already standing in front of his door, knocking before I could change my mind. I needed my phone back. All my contacts were saved there. I barely managed two knocks when the door opened. He stood there, looking just as composed as ever. Without a word, I raised my palm in front of him. He looked at it, then lifted his gaze to my face, his expression unreadable. “My phone,” I said coolly. He blinked
“Hey! Open the damn door. I have good news!” I shouted, pounding insistently against Xerces’s front door. He swung it open, irritation written all over his face. “What?” “I have good news,” I repeated, brushing past him without waiting for an invitation and stepping inside. He closed the door behind me with a sharp click. “And what exactly is that?” “I saw your ex earlier this morning.” His jaw clenched. Instead of asking me about the details of how I met her, he asked, “What did you do?” Was he seriously expecting me to harm her? “Relax. I didn’t do anything to her,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re acting like I’d jump at the chance to ruin her life the second I see her.” He didn’t look convinced. His eyes stayed narrowed, wary. “We exchanged a few words after I introduced myself to her,” I continued, leaning casually against the wall. “And guess what? She got subtly jealous. I knew it. She still has feelings for you,” I proudly said. “Why would she?” he asked, his voice fl
I stopped by a café to grab coffee before heading to work when I suddenly bumped into someone. The cup tilted in my hand, but thankfully, the coffee didn’t spill on his clothes. When I looked up, I was met with a familiar face. “Altagracia?” His face lit up. “It’s nice to see you again.” My brows slightly furrowed as I studied him. I knew him. I was sure of it. The problem was, I couldn’t remember where we had met. “I’m sorry. Who are you?” I asked. He let out a soft laugh and rubbed his brows, looking almost shy. “I knew it. You don’t recognize me anymore.” “So who are you?” I repeated my question. “Apollo,” he replied, extending his hand for a handshake. I glanced at his hand and then back at his face. “Apollo what?” I meet a lot of people every month, so I couldn’t really remember each of their names. “Apollo Vergara.” The name tugged at something in my memory. I scanned him from head to toe, trying to place him, but it still wouldn’t fully click. “From high school,” he
I wrapped my arms around his neck and moved my lips as well. His hand was warm against my jaw and chin. His kisses weren’t rough, but they were passionate. I was sober, but his kisses were drowning me in drunkenness. My mind was so hazy, and all I could think about right now was the way his lips felt on mine. He cupped my buttocks and lifted me up to sit on the backrest of the couch. He caressed my legs. My mouth parted when he fondled my breasts over my clothes. Soft moans escaped my mouth as he sucked on my skin. “Do not leave marks,” I whispered. He didn’t listen and continued what he was doing. I wrapped my legs around him and pushed him closer to me. I heard him growl as I felt his bulge. Just as I thought we were gonna do it, he broke the kiss. We were both breathing heavily, catching our breaths. My eyes were heavy as I looked at him. Meanwhile, he kept his intense gaze locked on mine. “Sera is a good kisser. She wouldn’t be jealous of someone who doesn’t even know how to
My gaze went past him. Xerces was standing there, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes were cold as he stared at us. Gavin tilted his head toward Xerces’ direction. One side of his lip lifted, as if he were not pleased. He let out a low, mocking laugh. “So here comes my fucking scheming brother.” Xerces’ face didn’t even flinch, completely unaffected. He strode over and took Gavin’s hand off my arm. “The next time you fucking lay your hand on my girlfriend, I wouldn’t hesitate to let my fist land on your face,” he threatened. His words made Gavin smirk. “You’re ridiculously full of yourself. Is that because you’ve managed to snag one of my exes again? Sorry to burst your bubble, but she’s just using you to move on from me,” he said cockily. My jaw tightened. Instead of responding to his brother, Xerces looked at me. “Let’s go, love,” he said softly. He led me to his car and opened the door for me. “Wait for me here. I’ll just get our things inside, okay?” I nodded quietly,
I received the payment that same day. Considering how many restaurants he runs, I knew it was just a drop in the bucket. I turned my phone on and messaged Xerces about my plans for tomorrow. Ruelle: Clear your schedule tomorrow. We’re going somewhere. 10 a.m. onward. He replied almost right away. Xerces: What for? Ruelle: I heard Gavin is taking my sister out on a date tomorrow. Xerces: You want me to cancel everything I have going on just to go along with your craziness? I couldn’t see his face, but I could picture the irritation all over it. I could only sigh at his nagging. Ruelle: Please? Ruelle: I’ll pay for your time. Tell me your price. Xerces: Can you afford three hundred thousand? I gasped. That was way too much! Ruelle: That’s a lot, you asshole! Any discounts? Xerces: None. Take it or leave it. I rolled my eyes. I had no choice but to agree. I got a hundred thousand from him, but apparently, it was only for him to take it back with triple the return. The next
That night, I brought some alcohol to his place. It was actually my friends whom I invited first for a drink, but they declined, saying they were busy. The good thing was that Xerces lived just across from me, so I could pester him anytime I wanted. “I’ve got a deal. We’ll compete on how many drin
“When are you planning on getting married?” Mom asked.This is why I never liked coming home. I know they'll keep pressuring me about marriage.“That’s not in my plans yet, Mom,” I said.“You’re not getting any younger, Ruelle. You might as well start a family now so we can at least see our grandch
He shot me a cold look as I approached him. “What are you doing here?” I asked. He handed me my bag. “You left this in my car yesterday.” I took it from his hand. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to wait for me. I’ll come to your place for breakfast tomorrow anyway,” I said, grinning as I walked towa
Gavin’s expression darkened as his eyes fell on Xerces’ hand wrapped possessively around my waist. “We’ll go ahead,” I said. “Let’s go, love.” We turned our backs on them and walked away. Once we were sure we were out of their sight, Xerces finally let go of my waist. I found myself oddly disappoi







