LOGINArielleCome to think of it…wasn’t Lisa bothered at all that Darius chose me out of every peaceful, decent, and less violent family he could have married into? Or maybe she hadn’t thought about it deeply enough. That my entire life was tied to bloodshed, violence, betrayal…deadly secrets. Yet none of that seemed to matter to her. She just kept looking at me. Studying me softly as if I werealready part of her family. The thought unsettled me. She froze the moment I asked the question. I knew it wasn’t really meant for her, but he was her son. “What’s he going to do with me?” I asked again quietly, my eyes shifting between both of them. For a brief moment, nobody answered. Then Lisa slowly looked toward Darius. “That,” she said carefully. “Is what I’m also curious about.” I swallowed hard before speaking. “I’m really sorry your family had to go through all of that with my psycho of a father,” I said honestly. “But what does any of it have to do with me? I wasn’t even there wh
Arielle Shortly after, Darius pulled the curtains aside and stood beside me, following my gaze toward the gate. “Whose car is that?” He asked casually. Then after a short pause, his brows furrowed. “That’s not my car.”His voice stirred something uneasy inside me. I could feel how close he was standing. Instinctively, my fingers moved to my neck. Even when he spoke softly now, a part of me still feared him. Not always. But whenever he got close. I swallowed and shifted away carefully without making it obvious.I watched as the car reversed slowly. Just then did another car approached the gate. The guards opened it instantly. Darius’s expression changed immediately. “That’s my mother’s car,” he said. Then his eyes snapped toward me. “Arielle–““I didn’t invite her. I swear.” I cut in quickly.He paused. For a second, he simply stared at me. Then his jaw clenched. “Stay here.”And he walked away fast. Too fast. The bedroom door slammed loudly behind him. I blinked in confusio
Arielle “I’m not doing that,” Darius said flatly as he walked away. “I won’t repeat myself, Darius–““Shut your fucking mouth,” he snapped suddenly, turning back toward me. My heart jumped violently. “Okay? Enough!” He barked. “I have a long day tomorrow, and I need to prepare.”Fear spread across my face before I could hide it. The kind that froze my body instantly. And he noticed.Darius stopped moving. The anger in his expression faded almost immediately as he stepped back from me. I couldn’t say a word.“I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly, blinking hard like he was trying to regain control. “You need to sort that out yourself.”Then he left the room.The moment the door shut behind him, I finally breathed properly again. God. It took everything in me to stand up to him without backing down. When I saw him clench his fist earlier, I genuinely thought he was going to lose control again. But this time, he stopped himself. That alone shocked me. A text suddenly entered my phon
Arielle Darius had maybe turned a new leaf. Or maybe he was just pretending better now. Lately, he had been acting…different. The random stares whenever I changed clothes in the closet, thinking I wasn’t paying attention. The way I’d wake up in the middle of the night and catch him silently watching me sleep before looking away. He never argued back. Even when he loses control, he apologizes almost immediately afterward. The old Darius would never do that. He hated me too much to care. But now? He was slowly becoming the man I met at the beach house again. Gentle. Attentive. Dangerous in a quieter way. And somehow even more attractive. I just hoped none of it was an act. Or maybe he was only behaving because Tessa was around. Either way, I tried not to think about it too much. The weekend eventually came to an end, and Tessa started packing her things. Thankfully, I was feeling much better now. The dizziness had reduced, and the cough wasn’t as terrible as b
Arielle Darius got on his feet the moment he sensed the strange silence hanging in the room. I hated that my body reacted before my mind now. Fear. That was what he’d left inside me after last night. Tessa noticed it too. I saw it in the way her eyes followed my movements carefully whenever Darius got too close. He noticed it, too. That was the worst part. As he turned the door, I stopped him quietly. “Tessa’s spending the weekend here,” I said with full confidence, like I owned the place. “I really need her.”He blinked once and turned slowly. Then his eyes moved to Tessa. And hardened. “You heard the doctor. You need to rest.”“I know, but–““What exactly can she give you that I can’t?” He interrupted calmly. He had me completely shook. “There are maids in this house ready to get you whatever you want.”Tessa crossed her arms instantly.“And you,” he continued, finally looking at her directly. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”A small frown settled on her face. “This is e
Arielle I froze completely. For some reason, the news hit me harder than I expected. Joel’s reaction was even worse. “What in the bloody hell happened?” I asked in disbelief. Tessa exhaled heavily before answering. “According to Summer, Tiffany helped Blake rob her boss after she got fired. The same boss, by the way.” My eyes widened. “What?” Joel asked sharply. “What do you mean by fired? We talked three days ago.” “Look, maybe we shouldn’t talk about her right–“ “No,” I cut in quickly, turning to Tessa. “Keep talking.” Tessa blinked slowly. “Tiffany got fired two days ago,” she explained calmly. “Apparently, Darius actually meant it when he threatened her. After she lost the job, she needed money. Blake came up with the idea to rob her boss.” I stared blankly. “And now she’s in jail while Blake disappeared.” Of course she did. “Wait–“ “That’s not even the worst part,” Tessa added quietly. There was more? “This one’s about you.” I frowne
Arielle “Nice to see you again, Mr. Darius.” She said, after he stopped laughing. “I’m really sorry for not paying attention to the person sitting next to her. I was carried away by the bruises on her face. Thank you so much for saving her”. “Tiffany, right?” He asked finally. She nodd
Arielle I floated in darkness. I didn’t know where I was or what had happened. It all felt distant, as if I were underwater. All I was hearing was my mom’s voice, calling me for help. The more she called, the more the fear filled my chest. The sound grew sharper and louder. Then her voice bo
Arielle Darius's eyes stayed on me, unblinking, as if he was waiting for something to fall from my lips. The silence between us stretched, thick and heavy, broken by only the hum of the engine and the faint rush of the wind against the windows. I folded my hands in my lap, staring s
Arielle “Arielle, I can’t let you do this,” Tiffany said firmly. “You’re not accepting that son of a bitch’s deal just because he’s forcing you to.”Tessa clearly didn’t want me to either. She handed the letter back to me slowly. “I have no choice," I said quietly. Tiffany hesitated, still not c







