All Chapters of Corrupt Temptation: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

IVY.The lingering strands of the nightmare were not much lessened by the predawn light coming through the heavy curtains. Sitting bolt upright in bed I could still feel Willa’s screams echoing the frightful rhythm of my heart pounding frantically against my ribs. Even with the heavy duvet wrapped around my legs I was still chilled to the bone by the cold sweat that covered my skin and the constant chill that went through me. The dream or rather the warning hung over me like a heavy veil. Willa’s pale tear-streaked face her bloodied hands and the distressing discovery that the Mark was actually a cage rather than a key. You’ve already agreed to be included in our collection.The words played back in my head in a mean demeaning tune. I put my arms around my body in an attempt to stop the shaking. I was feeling really really ill. Horrible understanding and a disgusting mixture of fear made my stomach turn. My love for Willa and my desperation had been used against me by her. As the s

SLOAN. With more force than was strictly required I slammed the sickbay door shut the quiet click reverberating in the quiet hallway like a gunshot. My jaw hurt and was clenched so tightly that I could almost hear my teeth gritting. The crimson Mark. Each syllable of the words sent a new jolt of annoyance to my brain. She wanted the Mark. In reality, Ivy the woman I was attempting to shield from this whole pernicious world wanted to brand herself with the very image of its chains. I paused a few steps away from the door and leaned against the cool shiny wall my hands clenched into fists by my sides. I had the first overwhelming urge to go straight to Ivettes office kick down her absurdly elaborate door and vent my frustrations. An enormous furious piece. She had been feeding Ivy those sneaky half-truths and portraying the Mark as a VIP pass to ultimate knowledge so she had been whispering in her ear hadn't she? The sheer insolence. I detested the fact that Ivy knew about it much l

SLOAN.With a sharp reverberating thwack rather than the soft finality I had hoped for the sickbay door clicked shut behind me. My jaw hurt and was so clenched that my teeth were grinding into dust. The Mark of Crimson. In my mind the words themselves were a festering wound with every syllable delivering a new shock of flaming rage. Her desire was for the Mark. Ivy the woman I was attempting to protect from this whole pernicious world desired to brand herself with the chains very emblem. The broth could wait. Ivy was able to wait. My own boiling anger was unable to do so. There was a frantic drumbeat in my chest and I practically stalked down the long silent corridor my footsteps echoing that. There was only one person that sprang to mind as every nerve ending cried out for an outlet. Ivey. That manipulative cunning witch. It made my blood boil to think of her. I made no attempt to knock. With enough force to rattle the entire frame my fist struck Ivettes absurdly elaborate door. M

IVYThe storm raging inside me was a sharp contrast to the mansions quiet hum. With my eyes still scratchy from the nightmare I gazed at the elaborate ceiling in blankness making imaginary lines. A faint barely perceptible knock signaled the arrival of two maids who moved with the trained stealth of ninjas on a food delivery mission. A tiny delicate spoon was carried by one while a silver tray held a steaming bowl of broth. “Good morning Miss Ivy” One whispered in a calming voice I didn't want to hear. In an attempt to entice me she came up to the bed while the scent of chicken and herbs filled the air. It was failing. I just lay there a statue of human misery. My mind was a million miles away a maze of red threads and spectral murmurs. A flash of Willa's accusing pale face appeared behind my eyelids. Thank heavens for their patience the maids waited. and bided time. After that the woman with the spoon—a kind-eyed woman with a frown that never stops worrying—gently pushed against

VICTOR.In sharp contrast to the din of ineptitude that seemed to disturb me every waking moment the stifling quiet of my office served as a salve for my jangled nerves. With the exception of the dim amber glow from the lone lamp on my desk the room was enveloped in a perpetual twilight as the heavy velvet curtains were drawn.This is how I liked it. Darkness was my old friend and a blank canvas that allowed my ambitious plans to really come to life. I took a slow methodical drag from the fat cigar resting between my fingers as I reclined in my enormous leather chair—the kind that swallows you whole. As a tiny evil eye in the darkness the cherry at its tip pulsed. As a brief transient symbol of the plans swirling in my head thick pungent smoke billowed from my lips and swirled languidly towards the high ceiling. reports. More reports are always needed. Each one of them was a new insult and evidence of the universes harsh sense of humor and they were heaped up on my desk. Ivy. That g