SADIE
Watching Devin beaten up for being wrongly accused broke my heart. I wiped my face dry.
“Untie him, please?” I looked at them one by one and to my husband.
“Untie him,” he ordered Beck. “What is it that you’re not telling me, Sadie?”
“Devin is just the weak link. My brother wants to destroy him for choosing me and changing his loyalty to you. He didn’t take it lightly. Devin knows his dirty little secrets that he can use against him. I know how Jasper thinks, but Devin and I are just pawns for him—the Achilles heel. His main objective is coming after you.”
“What is that he wants for Cenric?” Beck asked.
“I heard my father once that my brother is not capable of running his business or organization, whatever it is. Of course, since I was born, I’m out of his preferences. Women can’t lead. That’s what he believed in.”
My husband chuckled, “And he thinks I’m a perfect choice? I’m running my empire. I don’t need hi
CENRIC “I’m sorry. I was just protecting Zhuri. It’s not her fault.” “Babe, I know.” I squeezed her hand. I was pissed off but not for not telling me something was going on with her friend. And that her brother was already using Zhuri to get information from her. I understood why Zhuri had to give him what he’d asked. “I wish you just that tell me right away.” “I was also trying to figure out how to tell you and how to solve it without getting too complicated. What are you going to do?” “Don’t worry. No one is gonna touch Zhuri. Your brother might have leverage against her. I need to talk to her in person.” “Okay. We’ll do that. Don’t get mad.” When she looked at me like that, and she used that tone at me, how could I? I kissed her forehead. “We’re in this together. And I’m not mad at you. I’m pissed off at your brother, yes. And beyond. Why won’t he just leave us alone?” “We’re here,” Beck announced. “Le
SADIE He’s going to kill me. He’s going to be so mad at me. While he was giving orders to the guys, I sneaked out. I knew he just gave me an order to stay put, but I was not his employee. I wanted to put an end to this madness. My brother had gone irate, threatening those two hardworking employees for his own satisfaction. Seeing them so terrified because of my brother’s doing and that family had to leave their home for their safety—that was just horribly wrong and unfair. Cenric could be furious at me. I cared about him, but Jasper had targeted his company. I couldn’t just watch him as he ruined lives and my husband’s properties. I had to do something. Maybe, my way would not cause more chaos to both parties. I hailed a cab to a coffee shop where I knew it was exposed, and my brother could not hurt me in public. I also had to be careful with a possible viral video of Jasper and me in a heated argume
CENRIC “Where the fuck is my wife?” I yelled at the three of them. They were the best, and I just proudly told Toby, yet a woman who was not capable of escaping managed to sneak out from them in broad daylight. “Are you all just gonna fucking look at me?” “There’s only one thing I think she would do,” Beck replied. “She’s going to meet her brother.” “I can find her if you let me use a computer,” Toby suggested. “No!” we chorused. “Okay.” He cowered into his seat. “Let me find her,” William offered. “No need,” I told him. “I can’t believe my finest men just get played by a woman.” I fished out my phone and tapped on the app. “Your wife is a smart woman. You just underestimated her, sir,” Devin said. I lifted my gaze from the screen to him. “I’m not asking for your compliment and opinion. And, of course, my wife is smart. Why else would I marry a beautiful but lacking intelligence?” I
SADIE The trip home was the most excruciating and awkward I had. No one had tried to break the silence. I kept my mouth shut as well. I didn’t want to cause more anger to Cenric than I already had. I could also feel that he was about to erupt like a dormant volcano. What kept me thinking was how to deal if he would do what I felt I deserved. Even if he would cut my internet privilege again, I would gladly accept his retribution. But I did what I thought would help us, and I had no regrets. The silence was killing me. I could even hear my own heartbeat. Cenric’s eyes were on his phone, and he was typing the entire time, but I didn’t miss the way his jaw tensed. Beck and Devin noticed the tension, but they didn’t say anything. Beck turned on the Podcast instead—the topic was about the kids who were the casualties in a war. I managed to divert my tension as I listened with him.
CENRIC After we fucked in the shower, we made love in bed. It was intense and addicting as I watched and gave what made her craze and bend to her desire. “You’ve been silent.” I look down at her. I was running my fingers against her soft skin while her head was on my hip. Her hand was just on my lower abs, and her arm was literally on my dick. “Just thinking about what your brother said.”This is not over. “Find something to stop him, even if he will go to jail. It’s better than threatening an innocent guy who works hard to meet his needs.” “It’s hard to lock your brother up. You should know that your father has some connections both in the government and criminal world.” “What do you mean?” she lifted her head, staring at me in shock. She really had no idea about her family, had she? “I’m not gonna let you carry the burden of your family secret.” I shook my head. “You ar
SADIE “Oh, my God!” I peeked my head out of the window of a running SUV. I always dreamed of living on a farm full of cattle, horses, sheep and having freshly gathered eggs from the chicken coop for breakfast. “This is awesome! Marry me, Beck!” “You didn’t just say that while you’re beside your husband.” “Wow! This is vast.” I ignored Cenric just spanked my butt. “200 hundred acres,” Beck said proudly. He was sitting on the passenger’s seat while he let Devin drive. It was a fantastic trip. We chatted and played scrabbles, and I never won while my husband was on his laptop the entire trip. Beck was full of surprises. He was kind of chatty and had won all the time when not on the clock. He was smarter than any of us, I guess. “Nice house, bro,” Devin commented as we entered the iron-wrought gate. The two-story ranch-style house with a devoted patio came to view. “Thanks. Been for Corbin for generations.”
CENRIC I wasn’t expecting to end a pleasant dinner like this. Marriage was not something you took lightly or for fun because there was divorce. I disagreed with how Austin pushed Beck to settle down if he was not ready for it. Maybe, I was still lucky that despite the arrangement I made, my wife was wonderful, and she was not like those women who were after my bank accounts, though sometimes, I wished she enjoyed spending. But Sadie was different. She would rather work hard for the money she earned—that DNA she never got from her father. I followed Beck to the backyard. The silver moon was full, casting a glow above us. I couldn’t remember the last time I appreciated something like this. It was ages ago when I wasn’t running a billion-dollar empire. When I was in the military, I enjoyed the outdoors, camping with Beck, Linden, and Becka’s late husband, one of my brothers, Wade. He was a good man. “Let’s head back, Beck.” He scratched his head in irritation. “I know it would come u
SADIE I missed that feeling of being free. The word free alone sounded foreign to my ears. When I rode a horse, it always felt like that. And it had been a while. Once I was on the horse, it came back to me naturally. Becka was so great despite losing a husband at a young age. She always found a way to live a life. “I always thought of what Wade would say if I kept crying and blamed somebody for losing him.” We rode along with the expansive ground. I was awed at the herd as I watched from the horse. “You have a great life with him, even just for a short time.” “Yeah. Wade was my first love. We’d been together since high school. You know, at first, your brother hated the guy you dated. That’s what happened to Wade and me, but he’d proven how serious he was about our relationship. He joined and enlisted with Beck later.” I smiled. It was a great love story, even if it ended abruptly. “Do you ever think of going out th