All Chapters of OWNED IN THE DARK: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

CIARA"You are pregnant.""I beg your pardon?""You're pregnant, Miss.""How could I possibly be pregnant? I'm on the pill, and I take the morning-after pill every time despite my IUD. There is no way those test results are accurate."The doctor stares at me for a while "Do you have your pills with you?""Yes, I do, Doctor Richard.""Let me see it." I hand it over, and he checks the tablets.He stays quiet for a while before clearing his throat "I'm sorry, Miss Ciara, but these are just vitamins."There's a sudden ringing in my head as I stare at him in shock.No way. All along, I'd suspected Matthew had messed with my things. But to get me pregnant just for me to stay with him? Who on earth does this? I swallow and shift uncomfortably in my seat. "I want an abortion."Doctor Richard stares at me "Are you sure Miss Ciara? Why not take some time to think about it?"I shake my head "No...I want an abortion right now. I will not stay one more hour knowing I'm still pregnant with this ch

CIARAMaggie's eyes narrowed as she took in our dishevelled state-mud-caked shoes, rain-soaked clothes, and the undeniable scent of sex clinging to us like a second skin. I instinctively stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest as if that could hide the evidence of our encounter."Well, isn't this cosy?" Maggie's voice dripped with venom as she smoothed her designer dress, looking utterly out of place in the chaos we'd created. "Matthew darling, you've been playing in the rain without me. Trust you had fun? Hello Ciara""Maggie, what are you doing here?" Mathew's voice was tight, and I could see the muscle working in his jaw.She laughed-a cold, calculated sound that sent shivers down my spine. "I came to check on you after the storm but it seems I interrupted something... intimate." Her gaze flickered to me as she walked towards me "You're soaked darling should I be concerned?""Watch your mouth," Mathew warned, stepping between us. "Ciara's not-""She's exactly what she looks li

MATHEW I stood in the centre of the ring, my knuckles wrapped in tape, looking at the guy opposite me. Tony. The same guy who had been buying drinks for Ciara at the university bar for months. The same guy who looked at her with those smarmy, possessive eyes and the same idiot who came with her to my engagement and stood outside the door while I fucked her senseless. The thought alone made me smirk.My brother was dead, he had been dead for years and the only headway I had was Maggie. I was going to kill this man with my bare hands.The referee nodded, stepping back, and the bell rang. It was a deafening clash of noise-cheers from the crowd, the thud of boots on canvas, the grunts of exertion.I lunged first, aiming for his ribs, but he was fast. He sidestepped me, his arm shooting out to hook my neck. I choked, stumbling back, my eyes finding hers in the stands. She was there. Carlista was there. But Ciara... she was nowhere to be seen.My focus fractured for a split second, just en

CIARAI woke up with the smell of expensive cologne and damp sheets clinging to my skin. I stretched, wincing as my body protested the violence of the night before. The room air conditioning made it cold and fussy at the same time. I looked at Mathew, sleeping like the dead beside me. He looked peaceful, which made me feel like a hypocrite for feeling so angry.I carefully slid out from under his arm. His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, his eyes fluttering open. "You're leaving?" His voice was raspy, thick with sleep."Yeah. I need to get to uni. I have a seminar."He squeezed my wrist gently before letting go. "Stay. The weather's still crazy.""It is," I agreed, but I was already moving toward the bathroom for a quick bath before moving to the closet. I needed to put distance between us and this place. Between us. I grabbed my clothes, throwing them on quickly. I didn't want him to see how much I was trembling inside."Did you sleep okay?" he asked, sitting up, his sheet falling

CIARAI walked through the glass doors of Sterling & Co., my mother's fashion house, and the scent of expensive perfume and fresh-cut flowers wrapped around me like a familiar blanket. It smelled like her, like the Saturday mornings she'd bring me here as a child, letting me touch the silk samples while she sketched designs at her massive oak desk. My heels clicked on the marble floor, a sound that echoed with every step, reminding me that I was no longer a little girl playing dress-up. I was the owner. Or at least, I was supposed to be."Miss Sterling," a woman with a severe bun and an even more severe expression greeted me at reception. "The board is waiting."I nodded, my throat tight. "Thank you, Helena."I followed her down a long hallway lined with framed photographs of my mother's most iconic creations. She'd been a visionary, a force of nature. And now, her legacy was in my hands. A nineteen-year-old law student with a secret baby and a secret lover who was engaged to another