isla’s pov. I should have done it on my wedding day. I should have slapped him. I should have acted like a crazed woman, clawed at his face, or better yet, aimed straight for his dick. Instead, I cried. Instead, I let myself be weak. I should have gone full-on crazy. But I hadn’t. Because back then, the pain had drowned out the anger. It had clouded my mind, made it impossible to think straight. Now, though? Now the anger burned through me like wildfire. And all I could think about were his lies. His fake promises. His fake smiles. His relentless persistence just to get inside my pants. It was all so painfully clear now. But Isla? Why are you hurt? You should have been used to this from day one. You should have known that no one would ever truly love you, that no one would ever care. Even… My gaze darkened as I glared at Leon, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. Even the man you once loved. Silence. “Oh. My. Fucking. God.” Kieran was the first to break the suff
Isla’s pov. My father never loved me. He never cared. But one thing I knew for certain—he would never allow anyone to lay a hand on me. Anyone aside from him. That explained the fury in his glare as he looked at my stepmother. And she knew it too. It was written all over her face, in the fear that widened her eyes as she stared at him, frozen in place. Like I said, my father was a man who commanded and demanded respect. From his wife to his children to everyone around him. The only man I had ever seen my father bitterly yield to was Alaric. And that was because Alaric was more ruthless than he was. Alaric could bankrupt a company overnight—my father couldn’t. Alaric could make billions in minutes—my father never could. But most of all, Alaric was a Voss. Even if he was an illegitimate child of the Voss family, he was still one of them. And that alone made all the difference. My body went deadly still, and my heart pounded heavily against my chest—so loud, so insistent, I could
Alaric pov. Daniel continued ranting as he wrapped the bandage around my hand, his frustration evident in every word. “So, seriously, how insane do you think my twin brother is? The poor girl didn’t do anything wrong, and yet he went ahead and changed her entire identity to match his late wife’s. I’ve never met anyone as crazy as he is. It’s honestly frustrating watching her live a life that isn’t even hers, but I know if I say anything, Alexander will have my head. What do you think I should do? Should I tell her or not?” I barely heard him. If you asked me, I wasn’t paying attention at all. My gaze was fixed on my phone, on the message glowing on the screen. Isla: Let’s make a deal. If you help me, I’ll give you anything you want. What do you say? The corner of my lips curled into a slow, amused smirk as I reread the message again and again. Tilting my head slightly, a dangerous glint flickered in my eyes. Anything I wanted? Did she truly understand what she was offering? Di
Isla pov. What have you done? Why are you here? Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into? Those questions echoed in my mind as I stood outside the lavish mansion before me—Alaric’s mansion. Everything in me screamed to turn around, to forget about this and drive away. I was on the verge of making a fucked-up decision, one I knew I’d regret. I thought my father was terrifying, but Alaric? He was worse. Maybe that was why I convinced myself this was a good idea—to seek help from the only man I’d ever seen my father bow to. But was it really? What if Alaric wasn’t the solution but another monster I should be running from? Damn it. There was no turning back now. I had to do this—there was no other choice. And nothing could be worse than getting married. I bit my bottom lip, hesitating for a moment before reaching out to press the doorbell. But before my fingers could even touch it, the door suddenly swung open on its own, nearly making my heart stop. I gasped, my eyes wi
Isla pov “I don’t need to know what you want, little rose. I would do anything for you. Just sign the deal, name your price, and whatever you want is yours.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point, but before I could do either, I needed to stop staring at Alaric in a daze—I needed to snap out of it. But I couldn’t. Instead, my eyes remained wide, my mouth slightly open in pure shock. Alaric wasn’t joking—he was completely serious. I could tell from the way his smile had disappeared, the coldness in his eyes, and the sheer intensity of his stare. It was all too overwhelming. Honestly, I could understand having to obey his every command (since he was my boss after all) or even the rule about not leaving Voss Corporation without a valid reason. But telling me to call him Daddy? That was just weird and sexual. Why on earth would he want that? “Time is ticking, Miss Ashford. Would you sign it?” He asked, one brow raised in challenge. I blinked, snapping out of my d
Isla pov My mind went blank. My body went deadly still, frozen in place as Alaric’s lips pressed against mine. His kiss wasn’t soft or tender like Leon’s—it was rough, almost bruising, filled with a possessive intensity that left me breathless. A shiver ran down my spine, my hands trembling at my sides. I should have pushed him away, should have done something, but my body refused to move. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And yet… I couldn’t seem to pull away. My eyes fluttered closed before I could stop it, and my arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer. My back sinks into the soft couch as Alaric moves, climbing over me, and pinning me beneath him. My breath hitched as Alaric tilted my head to the side, his lips moving in sync with mine. His hand slid up my face and he cupped it, tracing his thumb softly across my skin. A gasp escaped me, and Alaric took full advantage, deepening the kiss, his tongue brushing against mine in a way that left me d
Isla pov “Let’s make a pact—if either of our partners ever cheats on us, we’ll make sure they burn in hell.” “Oh, Suhyeon,” Esther chuckled darkly, eyes glinting with mischief. “We don’t need to send them to hell.” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a whisper. “We’re going to bring hell to them.” I shook my head, forcing the memory away as I slammed my foot on the accelerator, weaving through traffic with reckless urgency. My heart pounded violently, my grip tightening around the steering wheel. Shit. Shit. Suhyeon and Esther were here—and they didn’t tell me. That could only mean one thing. Leon was in danger. As much as I hated that guy, I couldn’t ignore the fear creeping up my spine. This was Suhyeon and Esther we were talking about—the same girls who once sent a guy to the hospital just for making fun of my body after I rejected his advances back in university. The same girls who hacked my stalker’s laptop, sent his private browser history to his mother, and
Isla pov “Let him go,” I said as I stepped onto the rooftop, wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead while shooting a glare at the two women before me. Suhyeon and Esther leaned away from the railing, turning to face me with bright smiles. I froze for a moment, caught off guard. These were my best friends since college— the only people who had ever truly been there for me. I had met Suhyeon and Esther at Harvard. Back then, they were everything I wasn’t— gorgeous, confident, and fully aware of their own worth. Surprisingly, our first encounter happened outside the library. Someone had stolen my bag, and before I could even process what had happened, Suhyeon and Esther had already dashed off, chasing down the thief. Within minutes, they returned, handing my bag back like heroes while the thief was basically beaten up. I had once asked them, back when we grew closer, why they had done it. Their response had been, "That was a Hermès Himalaya Birkin—there was no way in hell w
Isla pov I could remember it all— The embarrassment, the pain, the betrayal from that day are still vivid in my mind. Back then, I hadn’t paid much attention to Leon’s mistress. She was pregnant, after all. And even though she was a bitch who knowingly cheated with Leon despite knowing he had a fiancée, I placed most of the blame on Leon. He was the one I trusted— she was just a stranger. So, I tried to ignore her. But still, there was a debt left unsettled between us, especially after the way she acted that day. I tilted my head slightly and narrowed my eyes as she stormed toward us in fury, before halting beside Leon, who closed his eyes and muttered something dangerously like a curse in frustration. I lifted a brow as her gaze swept over everyone before landing on me. Almost instantly, I saw a flash of disdain in her eyes. She glared at me, then spun to face Leon, pointing in my direction. “Why is that bitch here? What is going on? Is she the one who hit you?! You bas
Isla pov I’ll be late today. I’m at the police station— something happened with Leon, but I’ll explain everything when I get back. I reread the message before finally sending it to the group chat, my trembling hands clutching the phone tightly. Lifting my head, I turned to look behind me— Leon was still being questioned by the officer. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, his head shaking repeatedly as he tried to explain himself. “I really wasn’t following or trying to scare her! I just wanted to talk, so I went to find her at the parking lot. But when I touched her, she screamed, that’s really what happened!” I sighed, frowning at Leon. Of all the people I thought I might see at the parking lot, he was the last. He had given me such a fright, my heart had nearly burst out of my chest. But even more shocking than Leon being there was the person who had hit him. James. He sat behind me in one of the chairs, giving his statement to a police officer. His face was unrea
Isla pov My father's expression didn't change in the slightest at my words. Instead, he held that same familiar, emotionless gaze I had known all my life— the one devoid of any feeling. The air around us grew tense and heavy, and for a brief moment, it felt as though no one was going to speak. We stood there in the thick silence until, just when it seemed it would drag on forever, he finally moved. His eyes flickered past me, toward Isolde and Kieran, and with an air of cold indifference, he uttered a single command: "Get out.” Just those words— a single command were all it took to snap Isolde and Kieran out of their daze. I stepped aside, watching as Kieran forced a nervous smile before lowering his head in a slight bow. "Y-yes, Father," he said, quickly scrambling toward the exit. Isolde, however, stood frozen, her hands clenched into tight fists, her face flushed a deep red as if the very air had been sucked out of the room. Her eyes— burning with fury were locked ont
Isla pov Why should I acknowledge someone who never wanted me? Someone who never cared? Someone who, since the day I was born, never showed me an ounce of love— why should I call that kind of man my father? I remember it clearly. I was just seven the first time he laid a hand on me. A small, clueless child who had never even seen a picture of her mother because, according to him, I didn’t deserve to. My mother had died giving birth to me, and for that, he blamed me entirely. He said I was the reason she was gone, so he hid every picture of her away in his room, keeping her memory out of my reach. It was my birthday that day. But like every other year, my father wasn’t home. Even as a child, I understood why. My birthday was also the day my mother died. That was why I was never allowed to celebrate it. No cake. No candles. No presents. No birthday wishes. I wasn’t allowed to celebrate my birthday like other kids. He said it was the day I was supposed to repent— a day to
Isla pov The ringing. It was all I could hear. It drowned everything else out, made my vision blur— made me nauseous. I’ll deal with that bastard for touching you earlier. That was what had been written on the back of the picture I found yesterday after coming back from the club. And the man who had died... was the same man from that night, the owner of the car who had demanded compensation. The video- was from the club that night, the one Isolde had used to threaten me, he had it. No, something told me he was the one who had taken it. But what truly sent a shiver down my spine was the word ‘little rose’. It was what Alaric always called me, but never in public. So, seeing someone else use that name… it made me wonder just how long this person had been watching me. What was going on? Was this a stalker? It couldn't be my family, something deep inside me told me it wasn’t. A shaky breath escaped my lips as I shut my eyes, unable to look at the photo on the TV any longer.
Isla pov “You make me want to rip your eyes out.” That was what Alaric had said and just like that, the entire room turned tense within seconds. I could feel it in the air, see it on everyone’s faces, the shock, the disbelief. All eyes were on Alaric, who stared coldly at Isolde with that same emotionless gaze, and Isolde… she looked like she couldn’t breathe. Fear flickered in her eyes as she stared back at him in both shock and confusion. D–Did he really just say that? Did I hear him right? No one moved or said a word in that moment, and I blinked, glancing around to make sure I hadn’t misheard but the expressions on everyone’s faces confirmed I hadn’t imagined it. James and my father had deep frowns etched into their faces as they stared at Alaric. Kieran looked equally stunned, his mouth hanging open, while Liam— well, Liam was just Liam. His face remained unreadable, blank as ever. Either he was used to hearing such things from Alaric, or he was simply someone who n
Isla pov I couldn’t move. My eyes were glued to the three people in front of me, and instinctively, my hands clenched into fists as I took in their expressions. As usual, my father looked at me with that same empty gaze— cold and unreadable. But I still caught the slight disapproving frown that formed the second he saw me and a second later, he looked away, as if I were nothing more than a stranger. Kieran, on the other hand, stood there with a bright smile plastered on his face, waving enthusiastically at me. His other hand rested casually in his pocket, his posture relaxed, like this was just another normal day. And then there was Isolde. She stood beside him, dressed in a short pink skirt and a white blouse with the top few buttons undone. Her brown hair cascaded down her waist, and her makeup— flawless, perfectly highlighted her already striking features. She looked beautiful. The corner of her lips curled into a smirk as our eyes met. I caught the glint in her eyes just b
Isla pov “It will be fun.” That was what Alaric had said back in his office, and now, as I walked behind him, I couldn’t help but stare at his back, my brows slightly furrowed in confusion. Why exactly did he want me to come with him to this meeting? I mean, it wasn’t like it was unheard of for me to attend— after all, I was his secretary. But still, Liam had told me when I started last week that he usually accompanied Alaric to all his meetings, and that since I was new, I should focus on paperwork instead. I shook my head and drew in a sharp breath, trying not to think about the wicked glint in his eyes when he’d said it. As soon as I looked up, I noticed the staff instantly bowing their heads the moment they saw Alaric. They quickly scurried away like the devil himself was hot on their heels. Another thing I couldn’t ignore, none of them, especially the women, dared to look Alaric in the face, and if they did, they never held his gaze for long. It was as though doing so
Alaric pov Lust— use it to mask your pain. Laughter— use it to hide your emotions. Always smile to conceal your nightmares. Let no one see the scars on your wrists, the demons you carry inside. Let them never know how weak you really are. Because weakness is a disease. “But how do you feel about wrapping those pretty lips around my dick instead?” I murmured, a slow smirk curving my lips as I felt her stiffen, my breath grazing her ear. Her skin flushed a deep shade of red in an instant. She gasped softly when my hand moved to her neck, gently brushing her hair back, while the other hand trailed down to her shirt, swiftly undoing the first button, then the second. Without hesitation, I tugged the shirt back slightly, revealing just her shoulder to me. The moment I saw it, I ran my tongue over my teeth, the urge to sink them into her flesh and leave my mark there nearly overwhelming but instead, I leaned in and whispered under my breath. “Hm? Do you want to, little rose?” I mu