Isla pov Right, my foot! Did he not realize what he had just said? Marrying? He was supposed to be my boyfriend— fake boyfriend, actually. That was what I told him yesterday, what we both agreed to. So why was he looking at me like that? Like he had no intention of correcting himself. Like he had purposely said those words. Like… It was insane, but why did it feel like he was staring at me as if I had just walked right into his trap? Something wasn't right. Before I knew it, those words rang in my head again. He was the devil— the kind who whispered tempting things, making it impossible to resist, making you crave him even when you knew you shouldn't. Stay away from the devil. He is dangerous. He is horrible and cruel. If you give in to his temptations, your body and soul will be his. You can't run from him because, in the end, he always takes what is his. Shit. My eyes widened as I stared at Alaric, and instinctively, I wanted to take a step back but his arm tightened ar
Isla pov Flashback. “Use me,” Alaric said the moment I stepped out of the car, standing just inches away from me. After unbuckling my seatbelt, he had gotten out first and opened the door. And now… He stood there with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, that infamous grin tugging at his lips as he watched me. “W-what?” I stammered, blinking at him in confusion. Use him? What did he mean— However he closed the distance between us, a shaky breath escaping me as he leaned in. We were barely an inch apart now, his face so close I could feel his breath on my lips. “Do you want to know how she did it? How she destroyed her father in the story?" he drawled, his voice low and lazy, strands of hair falling slightly over his face but his gray eyes were locked directly on me. My heart pounded heavily in my chest as I stared at him, and before I could stop myself, I found myself nodding in response. I wanted to know. How she did it. How she became strong. How she broke free
Isla pov Shock. That was the first reaction from everyone seated as they stared at me, Suhyeon, and Esther. Their eyes were wide, fixed on us as if they were still trying to wrap their heads around what they were seeing. I stopped walking, tilted my head slightly and narrowed my eyes as I slowly scanned the room. My gaze landed first on my father and let me just say, I never thought I’d see the day when the usually indifferent and composed Desmond Ashford would ever look shocked. There wasn’t that cold stare. There wasn’t even the anger that usually came before he reacted. It was just shock. Plain and clear. And it wasn’t just him. Isolde, Kieran, and my stepmother all stared in stunned silence, unable to utter a single word. The corner of my lip twitched, and I dragged my gaze away from them to focus on the unfamiliar faces— the Brightstones. Their mouths were slightly agape, their eyes raking over me in disbelief. From my research, I knew who they were: Edgar an
Isla pov “Wow! Never in my wildest dreams did I think Isla would ask us to do this. This is insane. Are you sure this is what you want?” Suhyeon asked, leaning forward to check herself in the car’s vanity mirror. She deepened her eyeshadow with an excited grin. “Oh, come on, Suhyeon. Will you stop asking her that?” Esther said from the back seat, lazily chewing gum. “She’s a hundred percent sure. I mean, just look at her, she even wore a wig.” Esther flipped her hair with a smirk. “But I must say, out of the three of us, I’m the one who really looks the part.” Suhyeon rolled her eyes and reached for the red lipstick, applying it clumsily. “Like a hooker? Yeah, you definitely nailed that look, darling. You know, people like Isla and me are just too classy. Even when we try, we still end up looking effortlessly pretty.” Esther scoffed and reached out to slap Suhyeon on the back of her head, but Suhyeon was quicker and dodged it with ease. Undeterred, she continued applying h
Alaric pov Boss, I apologize for disturbing you, but I have some important information to share. I just received a wedding invitation on your behalf, Miss Isla is getting married to Mr. Ezra, the CEO of Brightstone Company. The wedding is set to take place in two months. That was what Liam had told me. He said my little rose was getting married. In two months. The corner of my lip twitched into a humorless smirk. Ezra of Brightstone Company. Interesting. “Is it true you’re getting married?” As soon as I asked, her eyes widened in shock. She choked on water and slammed the glass onto the counter, as if she’d just heard something completely absurd— something she wasn’t even aware of herself. “What?!” she blurted out, clearly stunned. I narrowed my eyes, my grin widening as I slowly pulled my hands from my pockets and walked toward her, each step deliberate and light against the floor. “You heard me, little rose,” I echoed, stopping just inches away from her and watching h
Isla pov Hm. How did I even end up in this position? That was the only thing running through my mind as Alaric carried me out of his room over his shoulder like I was some kind of rag doll. I stared at the black door as it slowly drifted further and further away from me. I was stunned. Flabbergasted. In complete disbelief. Why? Because just a moment ago, I had been watching Alaric lazily tug on a pair of sweatpants over his briefs. Then, out of nowhere, he walked over, made me wear one of his oversized hoodies while I was clearly telling him that I wasn’t hungry and then boom. Before I knew it, I was lifted up like I weighed nothing and then tossed over his shoulder like I wasn’t even human. To be honest, I was still trying to wrap my head around it, especially with his hand resting squarely on my ass as he walked down the stairs without a hint of shame. God, this was beyond embarrassing. “What would you like to eat, little rose?” Alaric asked, his voice thick with
Isla pov He fell asleep. After Alaric pulled out, he wrapped his arms around me, held me close, and whispered that I was a good girl- then drifted off. It had been over an hour now, a little past one in the afternoon. I’d fallen asleep beside him, my body too exhausted to stay awake. But I’d woken up about thirty minutes ago and had been lying here ever since— just staring at him. Not because I was some creep who couldn’t tear my eyes away (well, maybe partly because of that), but mostly because I couldn’t move. Every time I tried to shift, Alaric’s arm around my waist would tighten, he would frown in his sleep and refuse to let me go. However, he looked peaceful this time around, unlike how he had been this morning. His breathing was steady, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm. His lips were drawn into a straight line, and his tousled hair framed his face in the most effortlessly attractive way— his bedroom look was really breathtaking. Everything about him was flawles
Isla pov “I won, my little rose.” I wasn’t sure what happened next— what emotions I felt or what thoughts ran through my mind after Alaric spoke those words. All I knew was that I now found myself between his thighs, my hands wrapped around his thick length, stroking him slowly as I gazed up at him. I needed to see his face, to read his expression, needed to know if he liked it, if I was doing it right, if I was pleasing him. Alaric’s head was tilted slightly back, his hair falling across his face, partially obscuring his eyes. His hands rested at his sides, he didn’t touch me, didn’t control the pace. That power belonged to me. "You’ve been so good for me… now show me just how badly you want it." That’s what he’d said and now, here I was, stroking him, slow and deliberate, feeling every heated pulse beneath my palm. I bit my bottom lip, my gaze falling back to his hard dick. My throat tightened as I watched the precum coat the tip, and without a second thought, I leaned in,
Isla pov Did I hear Alaric correctly? Did he just say I should crawl over to him— to show him how desperate I was to please him? My breath hitched, fingers tightening around the sheets as the echo of my heartbeat thundered in my ears. It was fast, relentless– like it was about to explode right out of my chest. And if my heart was bad, my body was worse. The moment those words left his mouth, a shiver of pleasure shot down my spine, heat pooled between my legs, and I was certain I grew even wetter in an instant. Fuck, what was happening to me? I continued to stare at Alaric, trying to convince myself he was joking but the look in his eyes told me otherwise. That familiar smirk tugged at his lips, the one he always wore when he teased me. But his eyes... they were different. Cold and emotionless, yes but beneath the surface, there was hunger. Lust. A challenge. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. His gaze held me captive, pinning me in their depths. Before I knew it, I couldn’