جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

~KatyaAfter eight long years of living in that glorified prison, I was finally out. I breathed a deep sigh of relief the second my heels hit the tarmac, taking in the cool air as I stepped off the private plane.My relief vanished when I saw who was waiting for me. I turned to face the guy sent to pick me up instead of my arrogant stepfather. "Where's Niklaus? Isn't he supposed to be here to pick me up himself?""First of all, he had an important meeting to attend to," he replied, taking a step toward me. "Secondly, I'm only telling you this so you don't get on his blacklist, but you'd better call him Sir or Daddy. Nobody dares call him Niklaus."I rolled my eyes, letting out a loud groan. "And what if I do call him that? Is he gonna beat me up or what?" I sneered, flipping my long hair over my shoulder with a sharp smile."Anyway, I'm not gonna let an asshole like you spoil my mood today."Before he could respond, I hurled my heavy luggage straight at his chest, catching him compl

~KatyaI wasn't scared of Niklaus, but him not realizing I had just fucked some random guy in his building would definitely save me a massive headache.After sneaking away in his oversized button-down shirt and a pair of trousers I grabbed from the bed edge, I managed to slip into the penthouse suite on the 8th floor unnoticed.I settled into the lavish master room they had assigned to me. I looked around, running a hand over the immaculate silk sheets. Woah, they really went all out preparing this place.Suddenly, the heavy double doors were slammed open with a deafening bang."Katherine!!!" a voice growled from the doorway, dark and lethal.I turned around to see two men standing in the entryway. My eyes widened slightly, it was Julian, the driver from the airport, and right beside him was the broad-shouldered, dangerous man I had just left breathless in the 5th-floor bed.He was fully dressed now, looking broad, powerful, and utterly murderous, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle tw

~KatyaWith tears in my eyes, I packed my bag and stepped into the sleek black Lamborghini that was supposed to drive me away.I stared out the window as the gates of the mansion disappeared behind us, but I wasn't enjoying the view. In fact, I wasn't seeing any of it, the hot tears blurring my eyes ruined everything.The guard beside me, Marcus, was saying something in his steady, disciplined voice, but I ignored every single word coming out of his mouth.When we finally pulled up to St. Claire University and dropped my luggage onto the pavement, Marcus pulled out Niklaus's black card and tried to hand it to me.I grabbed it and threw it straight onto the ground. Without missing a beat, he bent down, picked it up, and tucked it securely into a small side pocket of my bag.Then he held out a key, handing it over to me. "Your dad said you could have it," Marcus said smoothly.The words barely left his mouth before my hand flew across his face. A sharp crack echoed through the air as my

~KatyaBefore I could even process his words, Brenda shoved herself right past me, practically throwing her bag onto the empty cushion next to Ray and sliding into the seat before anyone else could move."In your dreams, Ray," Brenda snapped, tossing her hair over her shoulder and glaring at him with a sharp, defensive scowl. "Nobody wants to sit next to your oversized ego. You're hogging the whole booth anyway."Ray just chuckled, leaning back against the leather frame without moving an inch to give her space. He didn't look phased by her reaction at all, it was clearly a dance they’d been doing for years. But I caught the tiny, split second flicker in Brenda’s eyes before she turned away to grab a menu.She didn't just find him annoying.The aggressive shoving, the constant insults, the way she rushed to occupy the space closest to him while pretending she couldn't stand his breath, it was a shield. I hope it's not what I'm thinking."Whatever, Brenda," Ray said smoothly, his eyes

~KatyaTwo weeks had passed, and I was doing everything in my power to build a life that didn’t revolve around Niklaus Montgomery.It was surprising how quickly a routine could form when you were desperate for normalcy.I hadn't missed a single lecture. Every morning, I woke up early, pulled my dark hair back into a loose clip, grabbed my books, and spent my days blending into the sea of students at St. Claire. I sat near the back of lecture halls, took detailed notes, and spent hours in the library until my eyes burned from reading.It felt clean. It felt quiet. It felt like a life that was finally mine.Ray hadn't made it easy, though. He was everywhere, at the campus coffee shop, leaning against the archways near the quad, or lounging near the sports complex with his basketball gear slung over his shoulder. Whenever I saw him coming, I avoided him. If a hallway allowed me to slip into a side stairwell, I took it.And on the few occasions where avoiding him was completely impossib