Nathan"Don’t trust Sebastian?" Lena frowned at me like I had grown a second head.I nodded once, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants. "You heard me.""Hmmm." She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "That’s very rich coming from you. He’s the only person in this house who doesn’t look at me like I crawled out of a sewer!"I almost smiled. How little she knew. "You think playing video games and cracking dumb jokes makes him harmless?""Compared to your stepmother and that circus act you call a family? Yeah, he’s practically a saint."I didn’t answer that. I just shook my head because there was no point explaining the dynamics of my family to her. She wouldn’t understand."Go to sleep, Lena," I said quietly. "We’ll talk later."She muttered something under her breath that sounded like "Hale men and their cryptic warnings," and stomped off toward her room, laptop clutched to her chest like a shield.I chuckled under my breath. The woman had claws.I headed outside and t
LENA’S POVI woke up with a banging head and an aching body the next morning. Tired, I let out a whistling yawn. It was morning, yet my body wouldn't wake up. I stretched under the sheets, covering my mouth with one hand.“ Tired…” I whispered to no one.Then, just as I began to lower my hand, I felt the brush of something cold against my cheek. The sensation had come from the same palm I had just covered my mouth with.When I checked quickly to observe, a glint from my finger hit my eye. With a squint, I took a glance, and my eyes almost popped out of its socket.“A diamond ring.”It looked stunning, too expensive, and unfamiliar. One look at the ring and I could tell even money couldn't buy it. It was the highly sought-after Star Diamond. “Where did this come from?” I murmured in confusion. It was obvious I could never afford this. As I sought the reason why I had such an expensive ring, my head started banging once again. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to replay the events of
LENA'S POVNo one could answer me. Only the urge to go to him seems stronger. I took in a deep breath as I continued scolding myself. Why would I think of being with a stranger and betraying David?Yet, I couldn't stop myself. Barely audible, I let out a question.“You belong to me?”My heart wanted to know what the hell was happening. I tried to process the weird declaration from the stranger and even my weirder question. I swallowed hard as I tried to make sense of it.So, my sudden forgetfulness wasn't a result of stress? Has something really happened to me? Like something really serious?Even though the earlier murmurs from the other customers watching us from the corners had started to go down, I could not say the same thing about their stares, which were now boring holes into my skin.The embarrassment was killing me.Then, in a sudden forceful movement, David lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward himself as if to protect me from the stranger.As if to make a s
LENA POV The next day, I was sitting and lost in thoughts in my office, when the door suddenly burst open to reveal my secretary Samantha. I jolted with eyes wide.“What is it?” “There’s someone here for you, ma’am.” Samantha gestured nervously. He says it’s urgent.” After that I started to hear footsteps. I held my breath. Was it the stranger again? Nathan? In a matter of seconds, a tall man entered, with head slightly bowed. As he lifted it up, disappointment or relief rather, settled on my face. It wasn’t the Nathan guy, though something about this other one’s polished attitude appeared similar. He placed a hand on his chest to say, “I’m Ishmael Ross, Mr. Hayle’s personal assistant.” The mention of that name Hayle made me tense. Samantha shifted awkwardly behind me while the Ishmael fellow started to extend a black phone toward me. “Mr. Hayle would like a word with you.” I eyed it suspiciously. “I don’t take orders from anyone.” The man’s expression didn’t change. His arm
Lena's POVThe elevator dinged open, and I walked out, hurrying toward my apartment. Balancing the box in one arm, I fumbled with my keys and shoved one into the keyhole. Finally, I stepped inside. I pushed the door shut behind me, flung my bag aside, and kicked my shoes aside.I placed the box on the coffee table and stared at it like it was a ticking bomb. What if it was? What if this Nathan Hale of a man had sent me some kind of explosive to punish me for refusing to accept his marriage proposal? My mind replayed the way he had laughed on the phone earlier that day, that deep and amused sound. The man was truly insane!Cautiously, I backed into the kitchen and grabbed the mop from the corner. Returning to the living room, I extended the mop handle and poked the box from a safe distance. Nothing happened. I exhaled, then decided to take a more aggressive approach. I let out a short shriek and began smacking the box repeatedly with the mop.Thwack, thwack, thwack!When I finally st
Lena's POVBefore I could fully process my parents’ betrayal, the MC’s voice rang through the hall again.“And now, ladies and gentlemen, I have a special announcement.” He paused for dramatic effect, scanning the crowd with a knowing smile. “Tonight marks a monumental occasion: the official union of the esteemed Hale and Carter families through marriage!”A deafening round of applause erupted around me. My mother nudged me, her eyes shining with excitement. “Go on, dear, stand up. Let them see you!”“Oh, I’ll get up, alright,” I hissed. “But I’m leaving!”I grabbed my bag and pushed my chair back with more force than necessary. The murmurs started immediately. Confused whispers rippled through the guests, but I didn’t care. They could talk all they wanted. They could speculate, judge and gossip but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered.My heels clicked against the marble floor as I stormed out of the hall, past waiters balancing silver trays, past men in tuxedos and women dripping
Lena's POV"Have my baby, Lena," he whispered to me. "He'll throw you away himself once he realises you're pregnant. He won't marry a woman who is already pregnant with another man's child.""What?" I gasped. "David, no. That's... that's insane!" "Oh, come on, Lena!" His hand came around to cup my cheek. "You know you want it. A part of me inside you, growing and changing you. Tying us together, forever!"I turned my face away, trying to break free of his grasp. "Stop it, David. This isn't you."But he didn't stop. If anything, my pleas seemed to encourage him. His hand slid down to my throat, squeezing lightly. "It's exactly who I am, Lena. This is the man you fell in love with, the man you're betraying."I tried to push him away, but he was stronger than I was. His other hand moved down to my waist, his fingers digging into my behind."David, please," I pleaded with him. "Don't do this.""Shh," he whispered and brushed his lips against mine. "Just relax."I turned my head away ag
Lena PovNathan Hale glanced at me, one hand resting lazily against his thigh, and the other draped over the armrest. He looked completely at ease, which only pissed me off more. If only I could smack that proud look from his face. Nonetheless, I was the one in dire need of a solution. I desperately want a way out of this mess.At the end of a lengthy one minute, he simply spat out the words. “You know the law, Lena.”“Ugh,” I groaned, throwing my head back against the seat. “There has to be a way out.”He sluggishly replied, “There isn’t.”"Is that why you weren't at the gala thing you invited me to tonight? Bought me a fancy dress and everything, just to not show up?" I asked sharply. Instead of an explanation, he totally ignored my question. "You are a feisty woman, Lena Carter." Nathan Hale muttered under his breath, but I caught every word.“We settled for a marriage of three years, but the law says we can dissolve the marriage after three months. Three months,” he added casua
Nathan"Don’t trust Sebastian?" Lena frowned at me like I had grown a second head.I nodded once, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants. "You heard me.""Hmmm." She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "That’s very rich coming from you. He’s the only person in this house who doesn’t look at me like I crawled out of a sewer!"I almost smiled. How little she knew. "You think playing video games and cracking dumb jokes makes him harmless?""Compared to your stepmother and that circus act you call a family? Yeah, he’s practically a saint."I didn’t answer that. I just shook my head because there was no point explaining the dynamics of my family to her. She wouldn’t understand."Go to sleep, Lena," I said quietly. "We’ll talk later."She muttered something under her breath that sounded like "Hale men and their cryptic warnings," and stomped off toward her room, laptop clutched to her chest like a shield.I chuckled under my breath. The woman had claws.I headed outside and t
Lena“I might just cook for all of you one of these days,” I said, smiling at Sebastian across the table. He had this childlike grin plastered on his face, and honestly, that boy needed hobbies that didn’t involve food or video games.Victoria scoffed. “Wonderful. So we’re all dying of food poisoning by tomorrow.”My smile faded, just a little. I turned to look at her, brows lifting. What did she even want from me? A few minutes ago, I was an unworthy daughter-in-law for not cooking. Now, if I did, I was a murderer with a frying pan?“I’m sure her food will be amazing,” Sebastian chimed in, cheerfully ignoring the tension. “I bet she’s one of those girls who watches fancy French cooking videos in her free time.”I blinked at him. “How did you know?”“See?” He clapped his hands together. “I knew it!”Victoria rolled her eyes, clearly over it. “Sebastian, shut up and chew.”He looked wounded. “I’m just trying to build family spirit.”“Chew,” she repeated through gritted teeth.I lowered
Nathan's POV The whiskey was good, the bar was dim and my best friend refused to shut up. Exactly what I needed to get Lena off my mind, or so I thought. "So let me get this straight," King said, swirling his whiskey glass. "You married Lena Carter. As in, Carter-Carter, daughter of James Carter. Old money, power connections, all that royalty bullshit. That Carter?" I leaned back and gave a slow nod. “The very one.” He whistled and shook his head. “Man. Those people are extremely low key. I even heard the real power doesn't belong to Mr. Carter. Could it be her?” “ Still not sure…” I slurred. Then he let out a grin, his eyes dancing with mischief. “ Dude, you really are something else. That girl is hot, though.” I gave him a look and he held his hands up. “Hey, I’m ju
Lena's POVThat fierce gaze was enough to make one shit on her pants. However, I was Lena Carter, not just anyone. “ Lost and came across this dusty library. I would go mad without anything keeping me company,” I let, adjusting my hands while skillfully closing whatever document I just saw.There was a particular picture in one of the emails that stood out. A picture of Nathan and a woman. I couldn't get enough information before Victoria barged in. “ Leave!” Her voice sounded paranoid, as if distraught by something or someone. Well, I was going to do just that even if she doesn't say.As I left, I could feel a suppressed hateful aura around her. Not at me, but at whatever was in the room. Damn! These powerful families surely have it all… secrets, whatever snobbish attitude one can think of.I spent the rest of the day pretending that I wasn’t bothered. I answered emails, read over a few contracts, and even gave some direction
Nathan's POV "Beware of people around you. You never know who could be the enemy." I stared at the message for longer than I should have. This just confirmed everything that I had feared for so many months. I was living amongst vipers. "Beware of people around you. You never know who could be the enemy." It wasn’t fear that I felt exactly. But a chill settled at the base of my neck, and it hadn’t moved since. I dropped my phone in the passenger seat, tossed the rest of my tennis gear into the trunk and stepped into the driver’s side of my car. I needed to make a call. As soon as I pulled out of the country club lot, I pressed the button on my steering wheel. "Call Adrian King." The line rang twice. "My liege!" Adrian answered cheerfully. "To what do I owe the royal summons?" "
Nathan's POV I stared at the screen, but I wasn’t seeing anything, not really. James from finance was going on and on about quarterly projections, the logistics team was waiting for an update, and all I could do was sit there, barely registering the words flying past me. "Mr. Hale?" someone called. "Mr. Hale, can you head us?" "Perhaps his signal is off..." "MR HALE!" My head snapped up. "What?" There was an awkward pause on the Skype call. James cleared his throat. "We were asking if you'd like us to move forward with the vendor transition." "Yeah. Sure. Do it," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Do whatever." "Alright. Do you think we should continue with the numbers, or...?" "No, end it here. We'll reconvene later. My secretary will send you the details for the next meeting" I clicked the mouse, ending the call before anyone could say an
Lena's POV I turned away from the pillar and headed back to my room. I needed my phone. I needed Grace. She’d know what to say or at least make me laugh long enough to forget about the breakfast interrogation from hell. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and placed a call across to Grace. Just one ring, and I couldn’t stop the words from flowing. “ Mrs. Hale,” Grace called out, suppressing her giggles. “ Fuck that! These people are going to be the death of me,” I boomed, falling on the bed. I heard her gasping, “ I knew it. They gave you poisoned tea, didn't they?” I couldn't hold back my laughter at her insinuations. What poison? “ Girl, your imagination is surely out of the world. Who poisons their son's wife?” “ Oh…then it's worse, right? Girl, I could hop on my car right now and kidnap you before faking your dea
Lena's POVI was hurt as hell. Nathan Hale had just walked out like nothing happened. Like we didn't just kiss passionately. I yanked the covers off and stood up, completely enraged, storming across the room with fury. I tore off every piece of clothing on my body as I passed restlessly. If Nathan Hale had installed security cameras in here, then congratulations to him. I wandered over to the mirror, catching my reflection. My hair was a mess, my skin was also flushed. Everything felt hot, confusing and unfinished. How did he just leave like that after giving me the best kiss of my life? He just got up, buttoned his stupid shirt and left. “Asshole,” I muttered.I picked up my clothes one by one, dragging them back on with an annoyed huff. I still had my life outside this mansion. I had a career, deadlines and clients. I have an empire I had to take care of. Besides my insurance company I built from scratch.Still, it hurts. As I zipped up my pants, my phone dinged. I picked it u
Lena's POV "Lena! Get up! You’re going to be late!" I groaned as someone shook me roughly. I pried my eyes open to see Grace looming over me, fully dressed for work and looking way too chipper for this hour. Meanwhile, I was sprawled across the couch, surrounded by the aftermath of our pity party. Empty bowls of ice cream littered the floor, and an abandoned pizza box sat on the coffee table. "Ugh," I grunted, stretching my arms above my head. "What time is it?" "Time for me to head out," Grace replied, smoothing down her blazer. "I would have let you sleep in, but I figured you would want to know before I disappear." I waved her off groggily. "Yeah, yeah. Have fun being a functioning adult." Grace laughed and grabbed her purse. "Try not to drown in self-pity, okay? And for the love of God, don’t go close to that mother fucking David." I snorted. "Noted." She shot me finger guns and headed for the door. "Text me if you need anything!" The door clicked shut behind her and I