When I heard her say those words, I froze in place. I stopped kissing her and was completely taken aback. I took a step back to give her adequate distance from me. Those are the words I've been waiting to hear. And she just blurted it all out right now. I'm not sure if I'm hearing things or if she actually said that. She whimpered, "Elliot." I tried to find justification by staring her in the eyes. I'm sure she doesn't mean what she states. Not at this time, when she had only recently discovered that her fiancé had cheated on her. When she's just broken up with Matt, how can she claim she loves me and mean it? "I'm sorry, Elliot. I'm sorry if I scared you." Ari stumbled over her words, unable to articulate what she had spoken. But this time, I'm not having it. "Baby, believe me when I say that I enjoy hearing those words from you. And I'd love to hear that over and over again, but I'm sure you don't mean it that way. You don't intend those words in their truest sense. Not now, when

"From a legal standpoint, everything is fine with their transactions. Contracts and plans were all in sync with their operations. Gregory's group, in my opinion, is no longer relevant to our concerns. Their dealings have nothing to do with us." Kyle said after we ended our talk about the A-hotel group's development and projects. "Brit, any updates on that potential lead we're tracking on?" I asked, nodding my head and turning to Briton. "According to the most recent information we have, the Lucios and Dimitris conspiracy appears to have disintegrated. According to insiders, both factions are now on the lookout for each other after a recent deception." This piqued my interest even more. It appears that the closer we get to the information we seek; the newer loops emerge to bind us. "What started going down between those thugs?" I inquired, intrigued. With this incoming knowledge, I can see Kyle being more serious as well. "It appears that Lucio defrauded Dimitri about something. We

I can't stop the thrill I'm experiencing as soon as I hang up the phone. When I converse with Elliot, I always seem to have a wide range of emotions and good feelings that warm my heart. Yes, Elliot has been by my side for about three weeks since my separation from Matt. He impressed me by devoting most of his days to me. Despite his hectic schedule, he always finds the time to be with me and ensure that I should have moved on already from Matt. And I'm grateful beyond words for Elliot's presence in my life. I managed to block Matt after receiving his last text message. It's pointless to ponder what happened to our relationship. There is nothing I can do about his decision to go astray. It was his choice, and while I am devastated and disappointed, I am seeing it as fate's way of telling me that perhaps Ethan was right all along. Elliot and I were always destined to be together. And a part of me genuinely hopes this is the case. I don't want to come across as a slut and a bitch who

My entire day was consumed by work. I can't stay with Ari as much as I'd like to because we have a lot of significant shipments this weekend. Despite my heavy workload, I make a conscious effort to message Ari every hour. What for? simply because I wanted to do things that her ex could not seem to do. I wanted her to know how special she is to me, and that no matter what really is going on in my life, I will almost always favor and choose her. And this is something that Matt wasn't able to do for her. And I can't stop smiling when I think about the make-out sessions we had last night, which nearly took my breath away. Ari's sweet kisses gradually warmed my heart and, as I kept repeating, those sinful kisses would be my sweet surrender. "Wipe that fuckig grin off your gorgeous face, lover boy," Kyle says. "Do you realize that we'll be meeting your father? And that is not how you should conduct yourself in front of him. Elliot, the heartless and merciless mafia boss, should be let loo

My eyes darkened as soon as I heard Matt's name, and all I could see was blood red. I can feel my labored breathing as I grip the handgun concealed in my jeans. "What the hell is that fool doing out there at Ari's apartment? Then why hadn't any one of Briton's men informed me about something like this earlier? What happened to Briton? Where the fuck is that asshole right now? Tell him to meet me because I am compelled to graze him and his men with a bullet right now." I was fuming mad as I said those words. "Leo, drive fast or I'll shoot you as well." I added, causing Leo to rev the vehicle as quickly as he could. Kyle only scratched his head at me without uttering anything. He is aware that if he says something that I don't want to hear, he'll be the first one to bear my wrath. "What the hell is he doing there at Ari's? How could he get into the house without any of us knowing? What happened to Chloe?! Why didn't she inform any of you that the wuss had escaped her?" My voice could