|| KATHERINE HARPER's POV ||
There would be time in life when you will feel dead inside. That's what I felt after the unexpected kiss. Thankfully, it was all dark and nobody got the chance to see that I kissed my ex instead of my boyfriend.
I couldn't believe my own eyes even though he was sitting in front of me for ten minutes.
ACE KING! THE NEW NAME OF THE TOWN!
Ezra once again exaggerated, passing him another glass of wine,
" Ace bro! I never thought that you would come. You have become a big shot now. I thought, you would never give a fuck about this reunion."
He smirked,the same devilish smile, carrying on his face,
" Neither did I! It's good to see you guys again."
I stayed on the couch numbly. It felt like all the years of memories had been crushing in front of my eyes in a second. It had been ten years since I last saw him. Except for his deep enchanting voice, nothing had changed in his features. His pitch dark suit highlighted the light whiter shade of his skin and those deep brown eyes were like demonic souls that put everyone in place. I was surprised to see that he was still wearing the earring in his left ear. Except for the white one, he was wearing a round top. Even though he had become a big shot now, his habits didn't change. Not to mention, the small tattoo on his left wrist was giving off an aura of Mafia Boss. Some would have mistaken him as a gang if his name wasn't so well known in society.
Ace set his eyes back on me, uneasiness fighting inside my body. His lips pulled up into a smile, shifting between me and Rowan,
" I heard that you two are getting married soon. Congratulations!"
Rowan responded with a polite smile, not having any damn idea that he was talking to my ex,
" Thank you! I hope that you will definitely attend it."
Gosh! I wish that I could shut this boy up!
Ace smiled lightly, his response giving me goosebumps,
" Of course! How can I miss it?"
Despite the fact that he had kissed me in the game, I brushed off the thoughts at the beginning. But now, his words were beginning to get uncomfortable inside me. Until today, I was so proud to think that I had moved on from him. But one kiss, it was like we were living the high school life again.
Why did he kiss me? Was it just a co-incident?
I would take it as a yes after what happened between us. We were no point in talking to each other as well. The urge to stay calm became severe in my head. I wanted to go away from here as soon as possible.
Wake up, Katherine! You can do it!
I shot a ridiculous, big smile, hopped onto Rowan's arms before saying hurriedly,
" Sorry guys! I have to meet my in-laws today. We can't be late. Rowan, honey! Let's go back!"
Ezra tried to say something but I was already dragging Rowan up with me. Even though I had walked far away from him, I could feel his heated eyes on me all the time.
I hope, we will never meet again!!
_________
" I thought, you would stay in the party longer.", Rowan said with a smile as we sat across the dinner table, waiting for his father to join us.
Rowan had been the only heir of Katteso family. They were noble and rich in the town. Even though I was born as an heiress as well, it was nothing but empty talk now. Not only that,my family was from a criminal background. For this reason, I had refused Rowan several times but he was persistent to make me, fall in love with him. Lastly, I had to admit my defeat in front of his love.
" Sorry honey! We kept you waiting!", Mrs Kattesso descended from the stairs, the jewels around her body almost blocked my vision. It was no doubt that she liked to adorn herself like a delicate noble lady from a rich family. Mr. Katteso kept a straight face as he sat together with his wife at the dinner table.
My nervous nerves started kicking hard but Rowan always encouraged me to stay calm. The dinner started with an awkward atmosphere. It was more like we were in a training field, not allowed to talk randomly.
Mrs.Katteso started, chewing the steak elegantly,
" We heard about you a lot, honey. Well, we have really nothing to know about you especially but the fact about your father..I heard that he will be out of jail soon? Isn't he?"
I felt blank for a split second. I hated to discuss about my father but what could I do? I wished that we didn't share the same bloodline. It pained me to think how malicious he was to the innocent people.
Rowan reacted first, his hand gliding down to grab my palm in a comforting manner,
" Mom! I told you about this already! Why should you insist on asking her again?"
Mr.Katteso's roar resonated across the room, startling me a bit,
" Because it matters to us. The heir of the Katteso family can't just marry off to a criminal's daughter. This marriage can't happen if her father isn't out of jail."
I fought back the sob that was coming out of my throat. I should have expected this to come but Rowan said that his parents were very loving and would do anything to make him happy.
Stumbling off on my feet, I excused myself from there, forcing the tears to not fall down,
" I am sorry for ruining your moment. I should leave now!"
I ran to the exit, Rowan's shout kept echoing from the table,
" Kat... Stop.. Don't go..Kat.."
Once I was out of the mansion, my knees became wobbly before hitting the ground. I burst into wails and cries.
Why did I imagine this happy life? Did I really think that it was easy to let go of my past life?
For the first time, I felt like a failure in life. Despite being so strong for years, I couldn't take the heartbreak that I felt today. Rowan deserved someone better than me. I should have left him long back.
Before I could manage myself, my phone had started ringing aloud. Wiping the tears off, I unlocked it to see Uncle John, calling me at this late hour. My expression drastically fell as I answered his call clumsily,
" Uncle John..Dad..is he okay?"
Uncle John sighed heavily through the phone. In this whole New York City, he was the only person who stayed there to support me. Because he thought that whatever happened to my dad, it wasn't my fault. I deserved a better life. He stayed in touch with me and provided necessary information on time.
Uncle John sounded hesitating before telling,
" Well.. Katherine..I have bad news for you..I am afraid that your dad will need to stay another year in jail."
I gasped hard in surprise, muttering incoherently,
" What..do you mean? You said that he..he will be released next week. Why is the delay now?"
Uncle John replied with a helpless sigh, the sound of flipping papers coming from his background,
" Because someone has reopened a new case against him. He is charged with guilt again."
I stammered, staring at the darkness ahead,
" Who? What... what is the case about?"
Uncle John gave me a response that took my breath away for a long while,
" The slaughtering against..the King family that he did ten years ago. Someone big has reopened the case again and charged him guilty."
|| ACE KING's POV ||" His sentence has been extended to one year,Sir. Would you like to put more charges on him?", Max reported in his robotic voice, so emotionless like mine.I shook my head off with a dark chuckle, pouring the ice cube into my whiskey," No, Max! One year is enough for me to destroy his baby girl."Because the king is back!Ten years ago, the boy who had been beaten, crumpled by the man behind the bars was back again. This time, no one was going to use him again. No one was going to trap him in fake love again because I will take back everything that belongs to me including her.It took ten years for me to hate her fully. Now, all I wanted to see was her crying and begging at my mercy just like the way I did ten years ago. But she left me broken, abandoned on the street just because I didn't have the money like her father. Time had changed and now I had everything which once belonged to her.Max nodded, taking his leave. I moved away from the long window, naked fro
|| KATHERINE HARPER's POV ||Ace snatched the chance from me, his lips curling up into a devilish smile," Seems like I have to introduce myself again. I am Ace King, your girlfriend's ex and the man who took her virginity, kissed her a while ago in the party."Too stunned, I shot Ace a knife like glare. I never knew that he was so desperate to tear me apart. Rowan's face sank as he clenched his fists on his side. To my surprise, he shifted his attention to me, not willing to discuss in front of Ace," Katherine! We should go back to our home first. I can hear you there."Tears of emotions rolled down from my eyes. I knew that Rowan was the right man for me. He had accompanied me for years and knew the best of me. I nodded hurriedly and went over to him before giving Ace a final glare," Let's go back first, Rowan!"We both walked in a different direction but I could feel his piercing gaze on our back always like the devil who never leaves shadow.______" So that's how it is! Why did
|| KATHERINE HARPER's POV ||What the hell was happening here?I felt utterly clueless until the visual displays of bodies began to play in front of my vision. It was none other than my so-called groom in that video. There, he was fucking a brunette over a bed, letting out shameful moans. An ounce of regret never appeared on his face.Rowan shouted even before me, sounding panicked," Who the fuck.. dare to do this... Stop it..Stop.."" Honey, listen to me..", he nudged on my forearms, using the same sweet tone to delude me. The whole world felt non-existent in front of me. I felt the deepest stab, going deeper into my heart until I stopped breathing. I asked him back, stammering," You...why did you do this..to me?"I had spent most of my lives alone even growing up without a mother practically. Rowan always had options to leave me but I couldn't understand why he chose the cruelest way to betray me on our wedding day.Guilt morphed on his face. He took a small gulp before telling me
|| KATHERINE HARPER's POV || " I..I don't understand.. how every small crime of his..are coming back..even crossing a red signal on the traffic? Seriously?" I murmured in bewilderment, flipping through the pages of my father's past crime that had been reopened by someone one after another. The pages felt too heavy in my hands. I knew that my father wasn't a good man. But nobody held grudges against him. His arch nemesis had all died in cross fire already. Those dark empires were a fairy tale now. Uncle John released a sigh, showing me the paper one after another, " I can't help anymore if the cases continue opening. Your father's timing has already extended. I am afraid that if it continues, he can probably never get out of the jail." I slammed my fist on the table, growling softly, " This.. can't happen..He must come out or else I will lose whatever is left in my life." Uncle John asked another question, looking at me pitifully, " Kat! Remember! Did you offend someone? You kn
|| ACE KING's POV || " Thank you for keeping my words, Mr.Mayor. I will definitely keep my promise as well." I thanked the man who had been a great help during the trial of Mr.Harper's case. Mayor Hendrix was a man of fifty. He was a wise man. When I had given him the offer of controlling the North state, he agreed quickly. In exchange, he helped me, digging out all the buried crimes of Mr.Harper. Mayor Hendrix chuckled, raising the glass to clang happily, " Mention not! But I don't understand. Why are you suddenly interested in bringing hell to Mr.Herpar? His power has ended long back in this city. " I stayed silent without telling anyone. His power might have ended but the scars that he left on everyone's life were never gone. Now, it was his time to pay for every crime that he did. For the things that he had done to me would be his worst nightmare because I was going to make him pay and his dearest daughter in the worst way possible. I replied, taking a sip from my drink, " S
|| ACE KING's POV || " So, how was my wedding gift to you, Princepessa?" I asked with a smirk, letting myself lay comfortably on the couch. Max approached me to turn the lighter on. He knew that I liked to smoke in tense moments. Honestly, I wasn't tensed now but a little happy regarding the whole situation. Finally, Katherine Harper was back in my cage. Her eyes snapped open in rage, glaring as she faced me from five feet away. She mumbled, gawking at my face hatefully, " So... it was you...you sent those.. footage?" I didn't need to give her my explanation. Glancing up at the AC, I ordered Max nonchalantly, " Lower the temperature, Max. I am hot." It was just a little warm up of her torture. I didn't offer her any warm or dry clothes as soon as she got into the house after hours of waiting. The clock was already heading towards three a.m at night. Max followed my order. I brought my eyes back to her. She was shivering and trembling in coldness. When the AC's temperature dropp
|| KATHERINE HARPER's POV || LISLE HOSPITAL, " You will be fine, Mom! I..I promise..you...you will be out of this coma, one day. I am not gonna leave you alone again!" Tears trickled down from my eyes as I held my mom's hand after a long time. Talking to her without getting any response had become my favourite hobby in these years. Whenever I visited her, I made sure to tell her everything about my life and dad. She had been in a vegetarian state ever since I was only seven. Dad said that it caused her from an accident. The doctor said that there was no hope from her side to wake up again but I wasn't willing to trust it. She was my mother. How could I give up on her so easily? Even dad sometimes said that we should let go of her to heaven but I had never agreed. Until there was one tiny hope left, I was going to wait for her. Her medical expenses were bored by me so far. Dad's savings were more than enough to give her financial support but it wasn't working for her anymore. That'
|| KATHERINE HARPER's POV || Tears stung my eyes as I heard him commanding like a master as if I was just his fuck buddy. I couldn't help but growling those words out loud, " If you wanted to just fuck..you didn't need to marry me, Ace King." His sharp eyes returned to me, smirking as he slipped out of his clothes. In a few seconds, he was towering over me, pressing a finger on my lips to threaten me, " Sshh! Watch before you speak, Princepessa. I am not your prince charming anymore. I am the devil who is here to suck your soul. If I made you just my fuck body, what will the world call my child? An illegitimate one? In no way, I was going to allow it. Get on the bed and wait for me. I want your back to remember because I really don't wish to kiss your poisonous lips ever which fed me lies for years." I hated him today more than I loved me. A part of me shouted to remind me that I was responsible for the things happening today. It was me who ruined his beautiful life first. It was