AIDEN'S POV Devon: We need to buy some time. Sit down with Landon and make a deal. Me: Wrong number. Devon: You pay me for good advice. My advice is to sign a quiet deal and figure out your long-term plan after you handle this problem. Me: The only thing Landon will get from me is something that’ll send him to surgery. He hurt me once. This time, I’d be the one hurting him. Devon: I get that you hate him, Aiden, but we were young. Give him some money, make him feel good, and move on with your life. You could lose your CEO job, a lot of money, and face jail time if you mess with this trial. Me: He was a monster who made me a better monster. Now we are both dangerous. Let’s see who can cause more damage. I threw my phone on the leather seat and looked out the window of the car. Herold wasn’t going to stop until he saw me lose everything. It wasn’t about money. It never was for me. It was about being a better CEO than my father, because he was better than his father. A long ti
AIDEN'S POV She tried to challenge me with deep thoughts, which made her cute enough to want. But honestly, I didn’t need much reason to want her. I often thought about what her pussy tasted like. After the card game on the ranch, I licked my fingers, and her scent alone made me incredibly turned on. “It’s okay if you don’t want to take any chances,” she said, about to put the contract back in her bag. “There’s no such thing as a soul,” I said flatly. “In that case, I’d like to buy yours,” she said. “How did it end on that TV show?” I leaned back and twirled my cigar. “Billions?” She looked puzzled. “The girl who thinks like you signed the contract, showing she really didn’t believe in her soul.” “Amateur mistake.” I held my cigar with my teeth and used my hands to adjust the necklace around my wife’s neck so the clasp wouldn’t show. “The first rule in business is supply and demand. You put a price on something based on how others see it. My beliefs don’t matter. You think so
AIDEN'S POV “You held my hand the whole drive, since you took the contract from me.” I looked down and quickly pulled away from her. “Didn’t notice.” “You look good when you’re flustered.” “I swear, Aurora, I’ll send you to your precious Namibia if you don’t stop annoying me.” “So now I annoy you all the time.” Her blue eyes sparkled. “That’s one feeling. Twenty-six more to go!” There are twenty-seven feelings? That seemed impossible. No wonder most people were completely useless. The driver opened the back door. I got out first, holding my wife’s delicate hand as the cameras flashed, wanting more of the woman who chose to be with The Villain. I put my wife behind me and walked past the cameras, using my body to block the bright flashes so she wouldn’t trip and embarrass me. It was showtime. The charity ball reminded me why I didn’t like being around people. At least not outside the bedroom. A heavy cloud of perfume filled the air above perfectly styled hair. The marble fl
AIDEN'S POV One reason I really liked Aurora was because she had very good manners. She stood up, gave a friendly smile, and held out her hand to my enemy, even though she didn’t have to. “Aurora King. Nice to meet you.” “Herold Landon, and this is my wife, Morgana. I think you’ve already met my sons, Tinder and Tree.” “They made quite an entrance.” Aurora laughed and gently brushed Tinder’s wet hair out of his face. Don’t touch his kid. “I’m bored. Can you play with me, princess?” Tinder pulled on my wife’s dress, still wet from the champagne he made her spill. I wasn’t jealous of a five-year-old. I really wasn’t. Even if the way my wife looked at him made me annoyed. “This place is boring, huh?”. She then winked at him like they shared a secret. “ So, let’s go find something fun and exciting to do.” “No, thank you. We still need to say hi to some people.” Morgana pulled her kids closer. She was having a hard time keeping them still. She looked plain, especially next to my
AIDEN'S POV If Aurora felt weird, she didn’t show it. She put her hand in Herold’s. I had to try really hard not to jump in and pull her away from him.It was just a dance. And maybe it was good practice because one day, I’d have to see her with someone else. That would happen in a few years, after she gave me kids and finally gave up on me and my cold heart.We’d end up like my parents. Polite strangers, staying together only because of deals, shared stuff, and what people expected.Now I was stuck alone with horse faced Morgana and her annoying twins. Morgana leaned on the bar with a sly smile and lipstick that didn’t look right.“She’s sweet,” she said.“She’s fine,” I answered.I should have looked away from Aurora in Herold’s arms, but I couldn’t. Watching them made me feel strange. My head started to hurt. Mrs. Landon’s eyes lit up with interest.“That’s not a great thing to say about a wife you can’t stop staring at. How’s married life so far?”I looked at her face. No wonder
AIDEN'S POV She turned pale under her makeup and stepped back, almost falling. I reached out, grabbed her arm, and helped her stand. And still maintained the polite smile on my face to onlookers. "That’s what I thought. If you tell anyone that my wife visited her old grandmother in law, I’ll make sure everyone in America finds out your husband cheats on you. Have a good night, Mrs. Landon." "Aurora will sleep at my house tonight. No need to stop at her apartment," I told my driver as we got into the back of the car. Aurora took off her high heels with a happy sigh then leaned her head against the cool leather seat, too tired to talk about what just happened. She had danced with every important man at the party tonight. She was passed from one man to another, like a shiny toy. Everyone wanted to see the woman who had won over The Villain. Since most people had stopped trying to talk to me, Flower Girl was the next best thing. "Looks like you’re starting to like me," she said,
AIDEN'S POV She moved closer to me without waiting, soft and ready. Perfect. I had never met someone so easy to touch, yet so hard to control. We were pressed against each other. Her sweet, flowery smell filled my nose. “Seen your Aunt Tia lately?” I asked, touching her cheek with my hand. She took a shaky breath, her whole body shaking from just that small touch. I wondered if she reacted like this with her ex-husband. Did she shake like this when she was with the man she had picked?. The man I had sent her back to. “Yeah… I did,” she said, her voice unsure. “I think it was… Tuesday?” She couldn’t think clearly. And, sadly, neither could I. I lowered my head as she lifted hers. Her lips opened for me. I kissed her, pressing my knee between her legs. Her body pressed tighter against mine. She let out a small sound and pushed her chest to mine, rubbing against me like she needed more. My tongue played with hers as I held her face and kissed her deeper then moved my mouth down
AIDEN'S POV It felt nice. “Now show me why you moved far away from your exes. What kind of wild things did you do with them?” I asked. Then without waiting for an answer, Aurora grabbed my hand and dragged me to the hallway, looked around and waited for me to lead the way to my bedroom. I did even though I knew she snooped around my house when I wasn’t home. I saw it on the cameras when Petar gave her a tour. I closed the door and locked it, just to be sure. She stood in front of me, slowly sliding off her dress and letting it fall to the floor like soft snow then grabbed my hand and placed it gently on the front of her pale neck. "Is this what you like?" she asked. Her chest moved fast with her quick breaths, and her eyes were full of excitement. "You did this that day… that time…” The day I threw her out, screaming. “Or…” She moved my hand down her body to her backside and slid it between her cheeks. “Maybe this? I don’t mind doing things with you, Aiden. I’ll do anything, a
AIDEN'S POV Please don’t let it be Grinder or Nature Valley. The smile on his face was so big it looked like it might break. “Tanya” I drove to Herold Landon’s house as soon as I kissed my new niece, Tanya, hello. She was a little pink ball with a head full of red hair, just like her mom, and blue eyes, just like her dad. The loud crying, she probably got from Michael Phelps. The kid could scream so loud, it felt like it would blow the roof off. All in all, Tanya was one of the cutest babies I had ever seen and a great addition to the family. I really appreciated how Sandy didn’t call me out for being a terrible person for what I did to her best friend. She took my congratulations with a smile that wasn’t very warm, even though it was clear I was the reason her husband had come back to her hospital room all beaten up with two black eyes. A few hours later, I saw Herold, in dirty sweatpants and messy hair, walking from his front door to a truck with a cardboard box in his hand.
AIDEN'S POV He ignored me and knelt down to pick up more manure. A childish idea of revenge popped into my head. I crouched down to grab as much manure as I could. “She never loved your fake personality, idiot.” Hunter swung his arm back like he was throwing a baseball, hitting me in the chest. I threw my manure ball at his face, hitting his neck and chin. Now we were both in deep trouble. Literally. “Stalin had a better personality than you, moron. She was always stupidly and I’ll add, unreasonably in love with you!” He threw another ball at me. I threw one back at him. “She owed a lot of money,” I shouted. “I paid it. That’s why she married me.” “I know!” Henry laughed loudly, leaving the manure and jumping on me. He pushed me to the ground, grabbing my blazer’s collar as he pinned me down. “I know, because after the night Aurora agreed to your offer in the snowstorm, I went to her door. I knew I had to fix things. Not for her, or for you, but for my wife. I didn’t w
AIDEN'S POV I let go of the empty vodka bottle, watching it roll to Henry's stall. That asshole almost cost me a wife. What a jerk. The car stopped, the engine turned off, and the person stepped out, the sound of boots on leaves really annoying me. “Aiden? Are you there?” Henry’s deep voice called. When did my brother start acting all serious? “No,” I growled, knowing he was coming in anyway. He did, stopping at the door with his hands on his hips. “Sandy had the baby. I have a daughter.” I thought I’d feel relief that it wasn’t a son, someone to take over Royal Pipelines, but I just felt nothing. Normal people would be happy for their brother, but I wasn’t normal. “Congrats,” I said with a bored tone. “Are they both okay?” “Yeah.” “Good. I set up a trust for your daughter. Three thousand dollars each month until college.” “That’s not why I’m here but thanks for the gift” Then he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Daniel found out Herold put Thomas Reynolds on t
AIDEN'S POV Aurora raised an eyebrow, looking at me with eyes so intense, if I had a heart, it would have broken for her. She clearly wanted me to care. “And you, what would you have done if Herold did something to me?” she asked softly. A cold shiver ran through me as I remembered the torture, burns , beatings and being locked in a dark church for hours, only with my demons to keep me company. Coming back to him, asking him for more. To pay for my father’s sins. To mourn our friendship. To numb my feelings and just like that, I remembered who I was. Who Herold Landon had made me. Who my father, my whole family wanted me to be. A sad smile twisted my face. I leaned down, my lips near my wife’s ear, my hot breath in her pale hair. “And I wish he’d finished what he started, Aurora, so I could finally marry someone better than you. You were a mistake. A stupid, careless mistake. I can’t wait for the divorce.” I felt, but didn’t see, her step back and that’s when I realized I
AIDEN'S POV She walked quickly toward me. “I kicked him out the night he came. You would’ve known that if you had answered any of my calls. Or if you had let me see you when I came to your house.” Your house. Of course, it was mine. Why would it be ours? I had taken her from the plain apartment I put her in, moved her into a guest room, and thought she would…what? Feel anything for the place? “Do you want a prize for staying loyal?. " She stopped right in front of me and her smell filled the room, making it hard to think. I wanted to grab her, shake her, push her out, kiss her, sleep with her, yell at her. All those things showed feelings and no control. “Daniel told you, didn’t he?” She tilted her head, watching me. She meant Herold Landon’s laptop. She must have seen the videos. “He works for me.” “So does the rest of the city.” “You too. So stop digging into my business before I cut you off.” “We both know I’m not here for the money. I want to talk about what I f
AURORA'S POV The third time I ran to the bathroom to throw up, I gave up. I shut my laptop and hid it under my bed, like the videos could still hurt me. I couldn’t watch my husband back when he was just a teenager being hurt, beaten, stuttering, crying, laughing, losing control and getting it back anymore. I wanted to hurt Herold Landon with my own hands and I knew, deep down, that I really could do it if I ever got the chance. Herold’s face wasn’t in the videos. But his voice was. You could hear why he did what he did. At six thirty in the morning, I got up and went to the shower. My eyes were swollen from crying all night. I knew two things for sure: One, I was going to make sure Landon paid for what he did, even if it was the last thing I ever did. Two, Aiden didn’t know how to feel anything after all he’d been through. But even someone who doesn’t feel love still deserves love. He still deserved peace, a place to belong, and a real home. From now on, I was going to give my
AIDEN'S POV After weeks of not seeing or hearing from Herold at Evon, I finally saw him at the main chapel. I felt both happy and scared. I waved at him from across the chapel. There were lots of students between us, and we all wore the same uniform. Herold saw me and looked away. A sharp pain hit my chest. That scared me. I couldn’t feel anything. Feelings would cause more nerve attacks, and nerve attacks would make Father kick me out. I did like baby Henry, but I didn’t want him to take the oldest son’s spot as heir to King Royal Pipelines and Father, Mother, and Henry were the only family I had left now. Herold probably hated me. After Sunday Mass, I walked across the lawn with my hands behind my back, looking at the grass and frowning. I didn’t care much that I had Tourette’s. It was annoying, yes but after reading a few books and medical papers about it, I had made a decision. I would beat it before I finished school and went to college. And when I make a decision, I always
AIDEN'S POV "Well,I guess it's because I have something called Tourette's syndrome." I leaned back in the chair, looking at all the white around me. It felt calm, and that made me feel better. There was a long silence from the other side of the window. "How long have you known?" "About a week." I heard pages turning on a clipboard from the other side. I smiled sadly. Usually, it's the patient who doesn’t know. "How can that be? It says here your tic attack happened two days ago," another voice said. It was a middle aged woman's voice. Both doctors had accents. One sounded Italian, and the other probably Swiss from the French side. "Yes," I said slowly, giving them time to write. "But I felt the attack coming in the days before, so I looked it up." "So you knew it was going to happen?" the Swiss doctor asked, surprised. "The attack." I nodded. She gasped. "Poor thing," she said. It wasn’t very doctor-like. "Well that's a new one. I’ve never been called that before,"
AIDEN'S POV THE PAST The first time I went to a juvenile treatment clinic was when I was fourteen. Earlier that week, I hurt myself so badly that I was still bleeding and had lost some teeth. My face was so swollen that it took three people to recognize me when they found me on the library floor. My mother went with me to the clinic in Switzerland. She didn’t want to go. I wore a coat, hat, and sunglasses to hide my bruises, like a celebrity trying to stay unnoticed. My mother didn’t say much on the flight from England to Zurich, except for one quiet sentence after the flight attendants had passed by. “Your father can’t know.” That was the first thing she said. Not asking how I was. Not asking how it happened. “Your father can’t know.” I didn’t say anything. She was right. Father couldn’t find out. And honestly, there was no way to explain what happened. One moment, I was sitting in the library studying hard to be first in my class like always, feeling a strange pressure i