Thank you for reading. please make sure to comment your thoughts!
Isla pov Oh my days, I thought my heart was about to explode. Literally. I could hear it pounding so hard against my chest, the sound echoing in my ears as Alaric wrapped his arms around me, kissing me with an intensity that left me breathless, that made my whole body hot and bothered, my mind a complete mess. Fuck. What had just happened? One moment I was punching the daylight out of James and screaming at him, and the next I was kissing Alaric, his lips burning against mine and then apparently, I was also his girlfriend. I was Alaric Voss’s girlfriend? Ah… everything seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye, and I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. But now, I didn’t care. Not when my hands had already found his shoulders, pulling him closer as I kissed him back. I felt the slight curve of Alaric’s lips against mine, and my other hand threaded through his hair as a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through my chest, remembering the tears that had fallen from his eyes.
Alaric pov My eyes were fixed on her, wide in disbelief, as I watched Isla throw punch after punch at James, her rage palpable. I just stood there, unmoving, unblinking, stunned by the sudden turn of events. But the next second, as she released his shirt and grabbed his hands, pinning them to the ground, then leaned in so close that there was barely any space between their faces, I snapped out of my daze, a frown tugging at the corners of my lips. Hell, I didn’t care if she punched the bastard to death but that position was getting on my nerves. There was no way I was letting my little rose get this close to him. Before I could move to pull her away or do anything, she screamed, her voice raw with emotion, freezing me in place. “Why did you treat him that way? Why do you hate him so much? Why?! What did he do so wrong that you could do all that to him?” I stiffened, eyes widening even further as I stared at the scene unfolding in front of me. What? “Why do you have t
Isla pov “Keep my boyfriend out of your fucking mouth!” I roared with everything in me and before anyone could react, the moment James hit the ground, I pounced. My fist shot up, rage burning through me, as I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him closer. His eyes widened in disbelief, but I didn’t hesitate, I crouched low, gathered every ounce of strength I had, and slammed my fist straight into his face. He groaned, his head snapping back, but I didn’t stop. I kept hitting him, each blow fueled by the fire in my chest, Alaric’s words from two years ago echoing in my head again and again. The way he was treated by his own family was unbearable. He was their flesh and blood, yet they acted like he wasn’t human, like he was nothing but an animal, just because he was an illegitimate son. But why did that matter? Why did he have to suffer so much because of it? Why… why… “Why!” I screamed, slamming my fist into him harder this time. James jerked back, blood spilling fro
Isla pov I wasn’t even sure what stunned me more. The fact that Alaric was here, standing right behind his brother, or the fact that he had just called me his girlfriend in front of everyone. Wait—what the hell was I even saying? Of course, it was the fact that he had called me his girlfriend in front of everyone. Girlfriend?! As in boyfriend and girlfriend? As in relationship? Dating?! My mouth fell open as I stared at the gorgeous man in front of me, utterly shocked. My heart pounded so loudly against my chest that I swore I could hear the echo, and my jaw nearly hit the floor as I waited for him to correct himself, to laugh, to say it was just a slip of the tongue. But he didn’t. He just kept staring at his brother, James with that infuriating grin. Still reeling, I felt both Esther and Suhyeon lean in close on either side of me, their whispers brushing against my ears. “Hey, did I just hear Mr. Alaric Voss say girlfriend? So you really are his girlfriend and kept saying y
Alaric pov I couldn’t stay away. No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn’t. And that was when I realized, this was the first time I had truly lost control. I was a man who rarely cared about anything, or anyone. Anyone… except my little rose. She was the only one who mattered. My salvation. The reason I was still alive, still breathing, the reason I hadn’t jumped that day. If you thought about it, she was my everything. But she was also my weakness. The only weakness I had. The only one who could make me lose control. So when I told myself to keep some distance from her, while I investigated the bastard stalking her, in case he lost his mind further at seeing me near Isla, I had truly expected to keep to it. It seemed the wiser choice. Less distraction. Because whenever I was with Isla, I was always distracted, one way or another. And yet, I still found myself ordering Liam to head to the penthouse where she was staying. I had no real plans to see her, but perhaps…
Isla pov It wasn’t Alaric, but James, Alaric’s brother, who stood before me, his cold, chilling expression fixed on me. His gaze sent shivers racing down my spine, my heart pounding harder against my chest, especially at our close proximity as he towered over me with one hand tucked casually into his pocket. For a brief moment, as I stared up at him, I couldn’t stop the thought that crossed my mind, how James looked a little like Alaric. If you saw them standing side by side for the first time, you’d immediately know they were brothers, but you’d also know they were nothing alike. James was nothing like Alaric. He didn’t smile like him. His presence was colder, and while Alaric was taller and more muscular, James had that tall, slender build. But he wasn’t my Alaric. Maybe it was because this was the first time meeting him face-to-face after finding out what he had done to Alaric, but rage surged through me. My hands curled into fists as I stared at him, my gaze narrowing into a