"So, you aren't here to show how much you love me." I sat down, placing a cup of coffee on the table. "Why are you here?" I asked.Xavier let out a humorous laugh before grabbing the coffee cup. "You never disappoint me with your sharp recognition. That's true. I am not here only to show my love for you!" His voice shifted to seriousness as he sipped the coffee."I met Carl Anglesey in LA. He had a secret meeting with some businessmen involved with the case you have been investigating. However, they seem to be having cracks in their trust.""Cracks?" I leaned into the chair. "I thought they were solid as stone!""Well, you know, stone gets cracked too. They are having a debate about a blueprint. Something related to their illegal business.""Hmm."It wasn't hard to betray the closest people in their lives when it came to greed."Keep yourself out of that mess if you don't want to drag your company into it, Xavier. All you have to do is keep an eye on them.""Thank you. Yes. I am not t
For some reason, I had a good sleep last night. No nightmares, no headache or insomnia. Yet, the peace felt foreign, almost suspicious, as if my mind was preparing me for a deeper plunge.Knox didn't return last night... Probably stayed over with his beloved woman. Each time I remembered about him, a sharp rage crept into my mind, tightening my chest with a suffocating bitterness I refused to acknowledge. I was pregnant with his child and at the end of the day, the child would go to him. After all, I wasn't in the right position to raise a child by myself. A hollow ache gnawed at my ribs, spreading like a quiet fire I couldn't put out.But it might look like a Zero-sum situation. But if I thought differently, it was a Non-zero-sum situation for me. But certainly, I couldn't think about it anymore. The mere thought twisted something inside me, a knot of resentment and helplessness I quickly shoved away.I would try and love the child as much as I could. But I didn't know if I c
"Vio!" His voice came out a bit impatient and irritated. As if he was frustrated with my behavior. "Let's talk. I can't understand what's happening with us. I don't know what happened to you either. Why did you suddenly -?" "There is nothing happening with us, Knox." I faced him, my eyes sharpening, slicing through the air like a blade. "We have already had our answers. Go back... Move out of the house. Knox. I would rather spend time with empty walls than facing you!"Knox's eyes widened when he heard that. Clenching his jaws, he took a deep breath and attempted to stay calm. "Violet! Please I can't understand what is happening. We have a deal. We had a deal that we can't tell her about our marriage. We can't -!" "Is this what you have been upset about?" I asked with disbelief. "You are upset because your woman has become the other woman without knowing?" "Vio!!!" His voice raised, his eyes darkening... "Don't do it!" "Don't fucking raise your voice, Knox." I gritted my teeth, b
Lying in the empty room in the hospital, surrounded by the scent of disinfectant and an uncomfortable feeling within me, I realized that I was getting attached to this baby more than I actually wanted to believe.The moment the doctor explained that because of stress, I almost miscarried, I felt like I was going to lose something important in my life.And certainly, it was bad. Once my mind accepted something as mine, something that belonged to me, I became obsessed with it. What if I couldn't let it go once the time came?I couldn't understand what to think about it. I wanted to feel neutral. But now it was quite impossible.As I took a deep breath, I heard the door opening. Knox went to talk to the doctor and Mirah to lock the house since we left it as it was in the morning.But when I tilted my head, I noticed a figure walking towards me with hurried steps."Violet!? What happened to you?"Xavier! What was he doing here? How did he know that I was here?"Lying in bed." I responded
" Well~" Xavier chuckled when Knox reluctantly left with Sarah. His face was a bright shade of red when he looked at me if I was serious. I saw that raw pain in those eyes. But I couldn't hurt myself to protect him constantly. " I never thought you would one day tell him to leave! This is new!" He muttered, clearly shocked. He didn't witness me being so cold towards Knox before... " He is angry. How are you going to make up?" " We aren't kids anymore!" I sighed, brushing the imaginary dust off my lap." He got his priorities and I got mine!" Xavier stared at me for a while. I didn't know what he was thinking. But that look on his face would question you if you were forgetting to mention something important. " You know... It's not first time a solid friendship gets destroyed by a woman. Especially when it involves two people with opposite genders!" He said, his eyes meeting mine. He wasn't hiding the amusement in his tone. " Why are you saying that?" I asked, closing my
Xavier clenched his jaws and lowered his gaze, " Can... Can I just be your boyfriend for a few weeks? Just as courtesy!" His voice came out pleading. I was stunned for a second. It hit me harder than expected. " Haha! What? Like playing boyfriend and girlfriend game? We aren't kids anymore!" I forced myself to laugh to shake off the awkwardness. But deep down I saw my reflection on his words. He lowered his gaze, looking devastated. I felt a pang of guilt. I didn't want to make him feel like I disregarded and disrespected his feelings. He opened his mouth and then closed it. After waiting for a second, he finally spoke, " But dating you has always been my-!" “How about being my plus one for the business association party?” I said softly, watching his hopeful face begin to shift. “What?” Xavier blinked, stunned. “Not as a couple. Not as something more. Just two friends. One night. As closure—for you, and maybe even for me.” He looked down, fiddling with his keys again. “I
Knox"Please keep in mind that the fetus is in a fragile position. Don’t let her stress over anything. This period is crucial for the baby.”The gynaecologist handed me a prescription while calmly outlining what Violet needed. Her tone was professional, but her eyes held quiet urgency. I took the paper with a nod, clutching it like it was the only anchor in the storm swirling inside me.After she kicked me out for siding with Xavier, a deep ache rooted itself in my chest. I didn’t blame her. I had it coming. But even then, I couldn’t bring myself to walk away. Not when she was in pain. Not when she was still carrying my child.Violet has always been the center of my world. Seeing her stand with another man over me—God, it made my blood boil. But I had no right to be angry. Not anymore.Once Sarah left alone after asking me to accompany her, I rushed to the hospital. I didn't want to disturb her with my present but I couldn't leave her alone.Earlier, When I saw her, curled up in pain,
Knox,It all started two years ago when I accidentally discovered my grandpa's real job behind the façade of being a perfect billionaire.The world I was born into—full of freedom and trust—crumbled that day, like it had never truly existed.My father knew. He kept me in the dark so I wouldn't get trapped in this unbearable secret. But life has its own twisted way of leading us where we’re meant to go.And when I accidentally stumbled into that world, there was no way back. They knew exactly what my weaknesses were. They knew what would keep me from standing against them.At first, I tried my best to escape the mess. I believed that managing the estate, running the company, doing what I had always done—was the only way to stay clear of their grip.But I was painfully wrong.They didn’t just want control of the company. They wanted everything. And before they took it all, they set out to destroy every part of me—every weakness, every joy, every last piece of who I used to be.It starte
Knox,I lost control."Shut up!" I roared, slamming him against the chair, gun against his temple. "She is not part of this madness! She hates crime. She faints at the sight of blood. She’s terrified of the dark. She’s not like us. She never will be!"My pulse thundered. My hands shook."I will protect her. From people like you. From everyone. Not even my fucking grandfather can touch her. I will kill anyone who comes near her. She’s mine. Mine to protect.""Boss," Mark’s voice was cautious. "Let go."I stepped back, breath ragged. The man slumped, face purple. I had nearly killed him.I couldn’t believe it. Violet wasn’t like us. She was light in the middle of my nightmare. I had shielded her from this world with blood and lies. Now someone dared say she was behind it?No. It had to be my grandfather. That old monster had always wanted control. And he knew my weakness—her. She had been using her to control me. Not fucking anymore. Of course he’d use her to manipulate me. I would kil
Knox,Work on the weekend?Violet didn’t even blink. Didn’t question it, didn’t complain. Either she didn’t hear me—or worse, she didn’t care anymore. And that stung deeper than any bullet I’d ever taken.Each day, I watched her drift further away. And it was killing me. She didn’t fight. She didn’t cry. She didn’t get angry. She just… shut down. Like I meant nothing. Like we meant nothing. And for a man like me, silence was more violent than screams."Boss."Mark’s voice echoed through the underground chamber. He held a file in one hand, a laptop and phone in the other, face taut with urgency."They caught the rat. One of our buildings. You need to see him."He handed me the devices. Foreign. Not ours. "Found these with him. IT says he was siphoning data. Trying to steal our internal protocols."A smirk pulled at the corner of my lips."A man with a steel heart had the balls to crawl into my territory? Brave. But fucking stupid." I stood, adjusting my cufflinks. "Let’s pay him a visi
I froze. A flicker of something stirred in my chest—something sharp, unwelcome. She smirked and leaned back, watching me like a hawk. Her eyes searched for cracks, but I quickly masked it. Expressionless. As always.Still... I froze. Knox likes me? That was laughable. He didn't even see me as a woman. “What makes you think that, Ms. Sarah? Everyone knows Knox likes me. I’m his—”“Romantically.” She cut in..Her smirk deepened.I felt my chest tightening. It would explode anytime. But I knew what I needed to do. She was trying to push my button. And I would show her that I wasn't a weakling like her, “Hah. Are you delusional? If he loved me, he would be with me. Not you, Ms. Sarah.”“You don’t believe me? Fine. But what about you?”This time I straightened my back. I had planned to treat her respectfully since she came to talk business. But now she was testing my patience.“Do you think you’d be sitting here if I loved him? I don’t share—”“No need to lie to me about it,” she smirked.
Violet,My grandma, bless her soul, used to say—never provoke a soul if you can’t handle the outcome. Always stay humble with people who are honest, and stay quiet when you don’t want to reveal yourself to those you don’t trust.Sarah—this woman—I didn’t hate her at first. Not when Knox told me he broke our promises and got engaged. Not even when we first met. I actually pitied her. She lost everything. She didn’t even have the ability to get pregnant.I didn’t find any reason to hate her. I was envious of her. I had everything the world could offer—but she had the one thing I wanted most. And I'd trade it all, every last piece of it, just to have what she did..I thought she was lucky. She got my man.However, she didn’t think of me the way she should have. The way I would’ve blessed her—with my whole heart and a very expensive wedding gift.Too bad she thought she needed to compete with me for someone she already had.What a stupid girl.After she asked to talk, we came back home. K
Violet,I felt a strong thirst for him. When my eyes met his, I forced myself to act normal, letting the thirst dissolve within me. I ran to him, chased him, walked to him, and even crawled to him. Yet... he was never mine. Knox was there. The phone I saw earlier was his. So he returned last night after I fell asleep.When I returned to my ward, I found him frantically searching for me. Yes, for me. Seeing the man you love become desperate brings a whole different level of satisfaction—maybe something else. I didn’t quite know what it was. Yet, I wanted him to be like this—to want me, to desire me, to see me as someone he would love, kiss, and crave.“Hey!” I said, my voice calm.Although I felt a hint of heartache after seeing that woman, I could do nothing more than help her in the way that would secure her child’s future. She was ready to do anything for her child.The child was lucky—having a parent who would go to any extent to save him. I wondered how the kid would feel when h
Gisele,My mind was spiraling when that woman appeared before me. She was smug, her attitude arrogant—like she was looking down on me.When she sat down on the bench right in front of me, I was dumbfounded. It was as if she was enjoying my misery.She was rich, holding a black card like it was disposable, flaunting her wealth while I was ready to die for my son.When she asked me to give her what I considered my most valuable possession in exchange for my son's life, I handed her the most sentimental, most important thing I had—the ring my fiancé gave me the day before our son, Alex, was born. That same day, his father, my fiancé, died in a crash.I had never met such an arrogant and cruel woman. I thought she was mocking me—trying to show me I couldn’t do anything for my son. Not even the most precious thing my fiancé left behind mattered to her.She watched me cry like I was performing some tragic act that intrigued her. Her eyes never left me, but held an emotion so complex, it fel
Violet,I opened my eyes, finding myself lying in the hospital bed. Saturday was over, and now Sunday would end with this unwanted stuff.However, for a second, I looked around, wishing someone would be here. But nobody was. The tranquility of the room felt like a slap on my face.It reminded me of that night when I was lying on the bed with a knife in my back and no one around.Taking a deep breath, pushing those unwanted memories aside, I grabbed my phone to check if there was anything important. I didn't have anything to do at this hour.But the moment I turned my phone on, the flood of messages made me drop it. It rattled for a second before I turned off the vibration.But I regretted checking those messages."Hey! It's Mom. I heard you're hospitalized. Don't you think it's karma for humiliating the entire family?" — from my mother's number."How are you doing? I heard from Mom that you're at the hospital. I have surgery, so I won't be able to meet you. Be careful when you move ar
Sarah,I was breathless when I arrived at my parents' estate. For once, I didn't have time to pretend I was afraid of driving. After years of being an actress, I knew how to fake a breakdown—how to look shattered without feeling a thing. But now, with Violet, I didn’t have to act.She made me feel it for real.The servants greeted me as I entered, but I brushed past them without even trying to hide my irritation. I had no patience for their presence or their hollow smiles. My heels clicked sharply on the marble floor as I headed straight for the living room.That’s when I heard my father’s voice.“Twenty million in termination fees. It’s in the contract!” he shouted. His voice was rough—strained with disbelief.I slowed down, curiosity halting my steps.My mother sat next to him, her trembling hands fumbling through a stack of papers on the table. I watched her face drain of color as she read whatever was printed there.“Honey… did we act too quickly? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have s
"Grandpa! What will happen if we terminate any contract without any explanation or solid reason?"I asked, feeling the chill down my spine. My hair stood up, feeling the terror creating turmoil inside me. His brows raised, "Maybe you will be blocked by her company. If she blocks your company, that means the entire Business Association will block you as well!" "What?" I exclaimed with horror. "Why would the Business Association block our company? You said she doesn't play dirty!" "Listen, kid!" He leaned closer... "Despite the fact that she has all the little dirty secrets under her control, Violet is one of the most trusted businesswomen. They'll choose her over me without a second guess. Now, if she thinks that she doesn't want to be a partner with a certain company, those people will automatically pull themselves away. Because Violet never plays unfair games in business. She puts her business and personal life separately!" My heart raced against my chest... What if we face som