All Chapters of What Daddy Left Behind: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

181 Chapters

A Well Grounded Morning

~ Stellan's POV"Class," Thea gasped, her fingernails digging into the fitted sheet as her body convulsed around me. "Stellan... I have... Microeconomics.""Fuck Microeconomics," I growled, grinding my hips against hers to catch the last tremors of her release. I didn't pull out. The moment she had woken me up with that reckless, slippery grind, something feral had snapped the leash in my brain. She had started a fire, and I intended to let it burn the whole house down."But Maya..." she tried to argue, though her voice was weak, breathless.I bit into the sensitive cord of her neck and flipped us again, lifting her easily into my arms. Her legs wrapped around my waist instinctively, her head falling onto my shoulder. I walked us into the bathroom.The shower echoed her wet, desperate sounds. I pressed her against the cool glass, lifting her hips so I could drive into her from a standing position. The water cascaded over us, washing away the sweat of the night but doing nothing to co

Meeting Lance

~ Stellan’s POVThe administration building of Columbia University smelled of old paper, and the desperate mediocrity of bureaucracy. It was a scent I loathed.I walked down the hallway, Thea was trying to keep up, her gait slightly uneven, a lingering souvenir from the kitchen counter this morning.I placed a hand on the small of her back. It was a gesture of support to the outside world, but between us, it was a reminder. I put that limp there. I own the pain just as I own the pleasure."Stellan, please," she whispered as we approached the heavy frosted glass door labeled Office of the Dean. "Just... be civil.""I am the definition of civil," I replied, adjusting my cuffs.I didn't knock. I pushed the door open and walked in.Dean Oxi was sitting behind his desk, looking at a stack of files. When he saw me, the color drained from his face so fast I thought he might faint. He scrambled to his feet, knocking a pen holder over in the process."Mr. Vaughn!" he squeaked. "I... we weren't

Stellan’s Jealous Again

~ Thea's POV Lance’s hand hung in the air, a friendly, open gesture that looked absurdly fragile against Stellan Vaughn. Stellan didn't move to take it. He just stared at the hand, then up at Lance’s face, his expression filled with curiosity, as if he were examining a bug he was about to crush under his heel. I gulped. I saw the muscle in Stellan’s jaw feather. I knew that look. That was the look that preceded broken glass and ruined tables. "I..." I stammered, stepping physically between them, blocking Stellan’s line of sight. I turned to Lance, forcing a bright, frantic smile. "Lance! That's so sweet of you. The notes. Really." Lance blinked, looking past my shoulder at the stone statue of a man behind me. "Uh, yeah. No problem. Like I said, I can drop them off—" "I'll text you!" I blurted out, desperate to get him away from the blast zone. "We can talk over the phone a little later. I really have to go. Appointment. Stellan keeps a tight schedule." "Oh. Okay." Lanc

Maya Suspects

~ Thea’s POV"The money Stellan sent," she gushed, pulling me toward the student lot. "I didn't wait. I went to the dealership this morning before class. Look!"She pointed a key fob at a sleek, cherry-red Mini Cooper parked near the entrance. It was cute, sporty, and distinctly Maya."It's mine, Thea! Paid in full! Can you believe it?" She turned to me, bouncing on her heels. "I have wheels!"I smiled, the tension in my chest loosening slightly at her joy. "It's beautiful, Maya. Really.""Beautiful?" She laughed. "It's freedom! Come on, let me show you the interior. It has heated seats!"Maya began showing her the interior not knowing Stellan had walked to where they were. "Thea, look! It has a sunroof!"Maya was practically vibrating, her hand gripping the steering wheel of the cherry-red Mini Cooper as if she were afraid it might vanish into smoke if she let go. She looked at the car the way a mother looks at a newborn—with pure adoration.Soon after that I and Maya were standing

Stellan’s Impromptu visit

~ Stellan’s POV The wine tasted like vinegar. And I hated that taste.I held the glass up to the faint light bleeding in from the city skyline, inspecting the pale, watery liquid. Pinot Grigio. Probably twelve dollars a bottle. It was the kind of thing college students bought because the label looked fun, not because they knew anything about tannins or terroir.I took a sip, grimacing as the acid hit the back of my throat. I set the glass down on the side table, careful to use a coaster. Even when invading someone’s home, standards had to be maintained.The penthouse was quiet. Not the heavy, insulated silence of my own apartment across town, but a lighter, flimsier silence. The air here smelled different. It smelled of vanilla candles, Maya’s cheap hairspray, and the lingering, faint scent of Thea. It smelled lived-in.I sat in the high-backed leather armchair in the corner of the living room, shrouded in shadow. From this angle, I had a perfect view of the foyer, the kitchen is

Punish You

~ Thea’s POVLance stood frozen in the middle of the living room. His eyes were wide, fixed on the man who had just materialized from the shadows like a demon summoned by a bad thought."Stellan," I breathed, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. "I... I didn't know you were here."Stellan set his wine glass down on the side table with a deliberate, soft clink. He stood up slowly, unfolding his massive frame from the armchair until he towered over the room. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit, impeccable and sharp, a stark contrast to Lance’s hoodie and worn sneakers."Clearly," Stellan murmured, smoothing his jacket.He didn't look angry. That was the terrifying part. He looked calm. He looked like a predator who had just realized dinner had delivered itself to his doorstep.He walked out of the shadowed corner and into the light, his eyes locking onto Lance."Where are my manners?" Stellan said, his voice smooth as silk and just as cold. "I didn't realize my ward was

A Collar for her

~ Stellan’s POV"Punish me?" Thea breathed, the words barely audible over the thundering of her heart against my chest. Her pupils were blown wide, swallowing her irises, turning her eyes into dark mirrors reflecting my own savagery."You think this is a game?" I asked, my voice low, vibrating through the bones of her sternum. "You think because I bought you a car and let you play university student that the rules have changed?"I didn't wait for an answer. I didn't want one.I gripped her waist, my fingers digging into the soft flesh through her sweater, and lifted her off the marble table as if she weighed nothing. She gasped, her hands instinctively clutching my shoulders for balance, her legs wrapping around me.I marched toward the B&B Italia sofa—the expensive, dove-gray leather sectional that cost more than that boy’s entire education. The sofa where he had sat. The sofa where he had sweated and stuttered and dared to look at what belonged to me.I stopped in front of it. I c

Meeting Ethan Again

~ Thea’s POVI woke up reaching for my throat.It was an instinct, a sharp, panicked reflex born in the haze of sleep. My fingers brushed against cold, hard metal instead of warm skin. The diamonds bit into my fingertips, unyielding and eternal.I had been awake for a while now, thinking of last night.I sat up in the massive bed, the sheets pooling around my waist. The room was empty. Stellan was gone.The penthouse was silent, save for the hum of the high-tech air filtration system. But even in his absence, he was everywhere. He was in the scent of cedar lingering on the pillows. He was in the soreness of my thighs. And he was, quite literally, wrapped around my neck.I scrambled out of bed and ran to the en-suite bathroom. I gripped the edges of the marble sink and stared at my reflection.The woman staring back looked haunted. My hair was a mess, my lips were swollen, and there were faint shadows under my eyes. But all I could see was the necklace.A thick band of platinum and di

Dress Fitting

~ Thea's POV"See you around, Mercer," Ethan said, his grin victorious as he tapped at his screen. "Don't be a stranger this time."I didn't answer. I practically fled toward the library exit.I pushed through the heavy glass doors of the library, needing to get to my next lecture, to bury myself in a sea of students where no one could see the guilt written on my forehead.My phone buzzed in my pocket.I nearly jumped out of my skin. I pulled it out, my breath catching when I saw the name on the screen. Stellan."Hello?" I rasped, ducking behind a stone pillar."Where are you?" he asked, and I frowned."I... I just left the library," I said. "I'm heading to my next class.""No, you aren't," he said. "Walk toward the faculty entrance. The black Mercedes is idling at the curb. I’ve been waiting for ten minutes."My blood turned to ice. Ten minutes. He had been there while I was upstairs with Ethan. He had been waiting at the very spot I was supposed to be."Stellan, I have a lecture—""

Dress Fitting 2

~ Stellan's POVShe thought that would be all we would be doing.Going only for only one fitting, but this was different, she would need a couple more, because the events piled up for her, were a lot to count with one hand.Sitting back in the sofa, I drank from a champagne glass.A vintage Dom Pérignon, crisp and perfectly chilled, but it did nothing to cool the simmering impatience in my blood.I sat in the velvet armchair of the private viewing suite at Maison de Luxe, one leg crossed over the other, watching the parade of mediocrity."This one is a classic A-line," the head designer, a woman named Madame Dubois, chirped nervously. "French lace, high neck, very demure for a debutante."Thea stepped out from behind the heavy velvet curtains. She looked beautiful, of course, she would look beautiful in a burlap sack, but the dress was a tragedy. It swallowed her whole. It covered her throat, her arms, her collarbone. It hid the fire I knew burned beneath her skin. It hid the marks I

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