Lahat ng Kabanata ng Crown and Consequences- Falling for the hunted billionaire: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Aria's POVI saved a stranger from death and in return, he vanished with my heart and left me with his heir.It started like a mistake I wasn't supposed to make.It was supposed to be a typical night except that it wasn't. I had my headphones plugged in, hoodie up, and my mind set on the leftover sesame noodles in my freezer. The streets were too empty for a normal Manhattan street and maybe that was why I noticed him. Maybe that was why fate wouldn't let me walk.He was bent over in the alley, half-hidden in shadows and bleeding into the bricks like he was part of the night. I thought he was a corpse at first and I froze at the spot. My first impulse was to run but then he suddenly groaned. It was faint but enough to know he was alive and struggling. Everything within me screamed to simply turn a blind eye and walk away but I couldn't. As I stepped closer and my eyes adjusted to the darkness, something in his eyes pulled me in. They were glinting under the glow of a flickering stre

Aria's POVI felt his eyes bore into my spine even as I automatically wheeled around, grabbed my jacket and bag and almost pushed a confused waiter. I ran into the sidewalk in a sprint, my sneakers hitting the pavement mercilessly. My heart pounded over my footsteps. I heard him once, yelling after me. His voice deep and commanding. Oh, that voice. But I did not slow down. With the extra weight I now had, I tried to run faster but it wasn't possible. A block away, a hand grasped my arm and spun me around.I panted, fighting hard. "Let me go!""Woman," he growled, steel-gray eyes icy and cold. "We need to talk."I fought again, but his grip only tightened. "Let go of me or I scream!""You really want to cause a scene here?"“Try me.”“Why did you run off the moment you saw me?”Because I didn't want to see your ugly face. Can I go now?” He froze, short of words and then slowly, his eyes travelled to my stomach "Don't lie to me," he cut in, voice low and cold. "Is that my child?”I s

His words hung heavy in the air even as it settled in my mind. It sounded off and too wrong. “Your father murdered mine.”How could that even be possible? The words didn’t make sense. They couldn’t. My spine went rigid even before I even realised what was happening. “Rico…” I mumbled, “Take it back!”Rico’s jaw tightened. “Why?”“I said, take those filthy words back.”His eyes suddenly grew hard and he stared me in the eye. “This might be hard for you, but one thing I don’t do is lie.”“You have no right to throw that kind of accusation out of the blues.” My voice cracked. “My dad was…”“A traitor,” he said, cutting me short with a low, sharp voice. “He put a bullet in my father’s chest and smiled while my mother begged. I remember.”For a moment, I couldn’t tell which way was up. My hand flew to my stomach, instinctively covering the bump like that could protect me from the words stabbing through the air. Then I burst into a flat of laughter, too sure he was messing with me. But

The scarred man’s gaze moved from me to Rico and back again, calm as still water. My heart pounded so loud I felt it in my fingertips.“I said I’m leaving,” I repeated, my voice firmer than my legs.Rico stepped into the light, bare feet quiet on the tile, jaw tight and eyes darker than I had ever seen. “Lower it, Marco.”Marco angled the barrel toward the floor but kept it in his hand. “You told us to keep her inside.”My stomach sank as I stared at Rico. “You what?”Rico kept his eyes on Marco. “I said lower it.”Marco paused, then slid the gun into his waistband anddisappeared into the hallway shadows. The front door remained shut and I heard the soft click of a lock I had never noticed.Rico finally looked at me. “It’s not what you think.”“It’s exactly what I think.” My duffel felt heavier on my shoulder so I let it drop. “You kept a guard with a gun to stop me.”“I kept protection.” His voice came low and bruised. “You’re carrying my child and you’re upset and you were about to

I pulled the loose sweater over my head and the soft cotton brushed the swell of my belly as I tried to put it on. Another reminder that I needed to do something about my wardrobe before my clothes became inappropriate for my condition. The fabric clung more than it used to and for a moment I stared at it, wondering when everything had started to feel so small. I pulled the jean up slowly, wiggling continuously as I tried to close the button with both hands. My fingers strained against the metal clasp but it wouldn’t close without a fight. I sucked in a breath and tried again.My reflection in the mirror stared back at me and I took in the almost unfamiliar sight— flushed cheeks, eyes still puffy from yesterday’s tears, a tight sweatshirt that almost affected my breathing and finally, the increasingly tight jean. When did my body change this much? My stomach curved softly, a reminder of what grew inside me. My hair hung in scattered strands sticking out like I had been electrocuted in