Ethan's eyes went wide, Bruce put his hands on his head and Arnold stumbled a bit.The officer finally decided he had had enough and left after tucking the speeding ticket into Bruce's pocket. He shook his head and mumbled, “Rich people and their problems”.When he had come out to work today, he had not expected to see the drama from the novellas his wife always watched in real life.The other guards stood by silently, watching and wishing they had not given in to this Young Miss. She wouldn't have been able to come here on her own.Jane clenched her fists and finally decided she had had enough and she let her words out without filtering them one bit.“Now listen here, you poor excuse of a noblesse daughter,” Everyone's eyes went wide, “I do not care where you have come from, your money, title or none of that shit.”“That is all you will say in front of me. You open your gutter and utter one more word, I will make sure to give you what your abductors did not.”“A new facial reconstruc
Jane was stunned silly, his father had gone that far?“Jane?...”“Continue, I'm listening. How did he even know her in the first place?”“He had an ulterior motive that he didn't want to handle directly so when Claire orchestrated the accident that took the Owens' lives, he secretly contacted her and threatened her with it.”“She was only too ready to comply with his orders. Claire had initially thought that Cassidy and I would be married when we were older and she apparently… liked me.”“So she figured marrying me as Cassidy would solve that for her but you came into the picture, she was receptive to my father's orders.”“He had told her to get you out of the house in anyway possible and he would take it from there…”“So?”“He arranged the robbery… when your passport was stolen. You would be stuck there if you didn't have it.”“He had arranged for you to meet Brock Davenport at the hospital so he would take you with him…”“Hold on, so Brock knew?”“He was in on it because my father p
Jane woke up in an abandoned warehouse north of the city.Because the wedding was tomorrow, Jane had been resting very early recently and even slept in separate rooms with Ethan.Ever since they started having sex, her husband's self-control seemed to evaporate every night, as if he wanted to make up for years of deprivation.It drained Jane of her energy, leaving her unable to wake up the next morning. Ivy had laughed about it at her expense for a long time.However, Jane did not expect to receive a call from the old folks' home the day before her wedding. They had said that her grandmother was dying and wanted to see her for the last time.After careful consideration, Jane decided to grant her request. Ethan had been very busy recently as most of his businesses were conducted domestically now.Now, Ethan had changed and was stepping into new shoes as a new man, so Jane chose to pop down and come back without disturbing him.Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped into the ward, her gra
Standing in front of the mirror in an ill-fitting wedding dress, Jane studied her reflection and felt the corner of her lips twist into a wry smile.“Sign this contract”.Jane caught the document that her father, Peter Harrison, tossed at her. Her eyes traveled to the bottom of the page where her husband-to-be’s signature stared back at her: Ethan Harrington.The handwriting was neat as though in fine print but the pen had been gripped with enough force for the ink to have bled through the other side of the paper. “You’ll be well taken care of as his wife but…”, he warned, “… you’d better behave”.An edge crept into his voice like the hints of a dark cloud looming over the horizon.“Think about what will happen to your grandmother if you ruin everything”.It should have been Stacy in her place, Jane thought. But Stacy didn’t want to marry a man on the verge of death — why would she?She had fled just a few hours before her wedding but to tell the groom’s family would be nothing short
On the surface, Jane was calm but her palms were sticky with sweat. She had never been this close to a man before and now she would have to be the one to lean in, to press her lips to his, someone who was a stranger…Best get it over with quickly.Summoning her will, Jane shut her eyes and planted a kiss on his thin lips before pulling his mask back in place and rising to her feet.Ethan was startled by her brisk, businesslike actions. His gaze narrowed, simmering with unreadable depths. Had this woman really just kissed him so boldly?He had thought she would be scared or at least disgusted by the scars on his face but she had merely glanced it, hardly giving any indication of noticing anything out of the ordinary.As Jane rose, her veil swept off his head but her scent, faint though it was, lingered. He let his eyes slide down, on the inside however, he was filled with a new burning certainty.This woman was not Stacy.Ethan was in poor health and no activities followed the wedding
Before the butler could finish, a feeble voice traveled from inside the bedroom punctuated by a cough. “Is that you Jane? Come in”.Jane arched one brow at the butler who had no choice but to step aside and let her in.Ethan Harrington’s bedroom was sparsely furnished, a stark canvas of black and white that was almost stifling to look upon. He was still in his wheelchair. He coughed several times before turning his gaze to Jane in an unspoken question.“I’ve never been anyone’s wife before”, she explained, “I thought I’d… come and ask what duties are required of me”.The words were poised to leave Ethan’s tongue, to assure her that nothing was needed of her, but then he changed his mind.“The room is a little warm. If you don’t mind… you could help me change my clothes”.He was still dressed in his formal suit from the wedding. Jane nodded, moving to unbutton his suit with deft fingers.As she was removing his jacket, their eyes met. She didn’t resist, allowing him to observe her. On
“Shall I do something, Young Master?”Bruce asked in a low voice as he turned to Ethan. Ethan glanced at Toby’s hands groping Jane’s hips. A glint entered his mild, gentle gaze.“Look again”.Beneath them, Jane took in the sight of Toby’s body trapping hers with visible disgust . With finality she said, “For the sake of your older brother, I’m warning you one last time: Get away from me”.Paying her threat no mind, Toby gripped her chin again, savoring the texture of her porcelain skin. He had had his fun with countless daughters of noble families but never one like Jane whose doe like appearance belied her feisty temper.He allowed himself to contemplate what she would be like between the sheets.“Isn’t a life with me better than one in the kitchen, pretty little thing? The work here gets all dirty and tiring, come with me and I’ll…”Without hesitation, Jane kneed him between the legs, cutting him off.Toby let out a howl of pain, doubling over and staggering back.“How dare you…”, h
Ethan stared at her, slightly dazed. He had planned to present Jane with a challenge and let her take charge of finding a solution, but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so straightforward. Her soft lips pressed against his, and just like that, they were gone, leaving him with no time to react to their flavor.“It is”, he said, helpless to argue.Toby took in the sight of both of them, then the hideous burn scars littering his brother’s face. Disgusted, he lifted a hand to shield his eyes.“That doesn’t seem right, brother. Can a mere kiss prove that this woman is your wife? If I take her to bed, does that mean I can start calling her my daughter-in-law?”In the blink of an eye, Ethan’s expression darkened, his gentle gaze turning dangerous.“What did you say, Toby Harrington?”Bruce had served Young Master Ethan for years and he knew his master was truly enraged. He retrieved the knife Jane had discarded on the chopping board and seized Toby’s arm.“You dare to disrespect my Young