Chapter: Whatever We Make ♡Joan♡ Note: If you like reading with music, try Meryl Streep’s "The Winner Takes It All." It’s even better with headphones. Enjoy! 😊🤭 We left for Spain—not to visit Luna, but for a change of scenery. After a month of therapy, we were in a much better place. Healing wasn’t instant, but we were making progress. I stepped into the living room, taking in my surroundings while Aaron pulled our bags in behind me. It looked both familiar and strange at the same time, like a place I knew but hadn't seen in years. A small smile tugged at my lips. To think this was where it all began—months ago, maybe even a year. I walked over to the window where we’d first made love, my fingers brushing the glass. My scratches were still there. That surprised me. I half-expected Aaron to have changed the window, given his obsession with order. The fact that he hadn’t? Well, that made my heart do a little flip. "Got any memories there?" His deep voice came from behind me. I glanced at him over my
Last Updated: 2025-03-31
Chapter: Author's noteHiii🤭 Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, there's just a chapter left in the bonus chapters. So I'd really like to know what y'all would want to see in there 🙂. P.S: Seeing Joan and Aaron get married and have their baby would happen in the second book. Do drop your thoughts and I'd work on giving everyone the happy ending they want😊
Last Updated: 2025-03-28
Chapter: Therapy ♤Aaron♤The doctor discharged us a couple of days later and suggested we go to therapy—to help us cope with losing the baby.He had no idea how much Joan needed it. She’d seen someone die right in front of her, been caught in a shooting spree, lost our child, and seen me covered in blood. Even though she wasn’t saying much, I knew it had left scars on her.I promised myself I’d go with her to every session.That’s why I was opening the car door for her, helping her in before getting into the driver’s seat and pulling out of our compound. It was our first meeting with the therapist. She stayed quiet, staring out of the window like she wasn’t really seeing anything. It had been happening a lot.A tight feeling grew in my chest, and my grip on the steering wheel hardened."Hey. You good?" I asked.She turned to me, her eyes dull, missing the usual spark.She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, looking away.My jaw tensed.The rest of the ride passed in
Last Updated: 2025-03-23
Chapter: Two Babies?♡Joan♡ I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I opened my eyes, someone was sitting next to me. Shoulders hunched, head bowed, my hand in his—and he was bloody. Damn bloody, all over. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and parched. “Aaron,” I whispered, and his eyes snapped up to meet mine almost immediately. They were bloodshot. I didn’t need anyone to tell me why. My own eyes itched and burned as I pressed my lips together to hide the tremble. “We lost the baby, didn’t we?” I asked quietly, as a tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I stared up at the ceiling. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. If I’d maybe listened to you and—” “It’s not your fault,” he cut in. His voice sounded cold, detached—very unlike Aaron. In the four years I’ve known him, he’s never sounded this... broken. I don’t know. I glanced at him. His jaw was clenched tight. My eyes traveled down his body where he sat. His shirt was soaked in blood. How badly had they hurt him? Why wasn’t he being
Last Updated: 2025-03-23
Chapter: It's Gone ♡Joan♡ He got me to the car, opened the door, and helped me in. His shirt was stained, and since it was a lighter grey color, the blood was obvious. Ironic, that we were both bleeding, both capable to take lives. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his palm resting against my cheek as he locked eyes with me. “You’ll be fine. The baby will be fine too,” he said softly, and a tear slipped from my eye. Another followed, until I was crying again. I didn’t want to lose our baby. What kind of mother does that make me, if I can’t even protect my child? “What if—” “Shush,” Aaron interrupted, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I’m going back in there to finish this, okay? If I’m not out in five minutes, press this button.” He pointed to a button just beneath the steering wheel. “The car will automatically drive you wherever you need to go once you input your location in the GPS,” he added, but I shook my head. He looked away, quickly typed an address into the GPS, then tu
Last Updated: 2025-03-22
Chapter: Almost Out♤Aaron♤ A gunshot cracked through the air. Missed. I spun around, heart pounding—where the hell did that come from? My eyes snapped back to Joan. She closed her eyes, and I lost it. I pressed the trigger, hitting the leg of the bastard holding her. His groan echoed as he collapsed to one knee. His crew flinched, but my men stepped forward, guns raised and ready. One wrong move, and they’d all be dead. Hell, they’re dead already for even laying a hand on her. And if anything happened to her or our baby… God help them. I shoved my gun into the back of my jeans and crossed the distance in seconds, catching her in my arms before the man could drop her like garbage. She felt a little heavy, too still. My chest tightened. I hated this feeling. The last time I felt this helpless was when she slipped into that coma. And now? If she slipped away from me… if I lost her or the baby… I wouldn’t survive it. Killing these bastards wouldn’t be enough. I’d want them to drown in their own bl
Last Updated: 2025-03-20

A Substitute Bride For Mr. Voss
“A million dollars,” he said, his voice flat, like he was negotiating over a car, not a person.
Astrid shook her head, opening her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.
“Let’s make it two then,” he offered. She stared at him, stunned, wondering if he’d lost his mind.
“Mr. Voss…”
“Final offer. Five million,” he said, his gaze steady, unyielding.
Astrid took a deep breath, her heart pounding. “Fine. I’ll be your wife.”
***
When Astrid Blythe, a rising event planner, runs into her ex, Adrian Voss, at his engagement party, she’s shocked to discover that his fiancée is missing. What starts as a strange encounter quickly spirals into something even more surreal when Adrian offers Astrid a proposal of his own: marry him in a cold, calculated, no-strings-attached arrangement.
Despite her better judgment, Astrid agrees to the deal. But as the line between business and desire blurs, she finds herself drawn back into Adrian’s dangerous orbit—and realizes, to her horror, that she’s falling again for the man she once loved…the man who had a hand in the death of their child.
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Chapter: Still a Monster?♡Astrid♡I slid my fingers into his hair, and just like that, he kissed me back. His arm tightened around my waist, shaky and desperate, pulling me closer.And, well—it didn’t feel fake. Not even with a pair of eyes on us.His tongue brushed mine, and I pressed a hand to his chest to stop him before things went too far.Because if we didn’t, this wouldn’t end well. We might as well start acting out a porn scene.He must’ve caught the signal because his hand swept along my back before he pulled away. I gave a tight smile and looked off to the side.“I’m surprised you’re back this early,” I muttered, finally meeting his eyes again. They looked like a lighter shade of brown—my favorite kind.That color made him look easygoing, warm, and even funny. But when his eyes went cold, he turned into someone else completely. Detached. Unreachable.“Yeah?” he murmured, running his fingers through my hair. God, that felt so calming. His gaze flicked past me, and I knew—he’d seen her.He raised a br
Last Updated: 2025-04-25
Chapter: Out of The Way♤Unknown♤Turning the knob, I walked into the study where Nox was waiting for me.The thick scent of cigarette smoke hit me, and I wrinkled my nose."How many times do I have to tell you not to fucking smoke in my house?" I snapped, shutting the door behind me. He just bared his teeth, plucked the cigarette from his lips, and crushed it into the ashtray.I walked over and sat down across from him. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat, moving with an ease that didn’t match his bulk.He was a massive man—dangerous because of it—and that's exactly why I kept him close."It's been a long time, Gary. So why am I here? You don’t just call for nothing," he muttered. I pressed my lips together and leaned forward, grabbing a photo from under one of the files.I pushed it across the table. His eyes stayed on mine for a second before he looked down.His brows pulled together as he stared at the image."She's still alive," I said. He looked up, his gaze meeting mine."It’s been five ye
Last Updated: 2025-04-25
Chapter: Curious♤Adrian♤I called Axel the moment I drove out of the compound."Where is he?" I asked as soon as he picked up. There was a pause."My sources say he left the house last night and hasn’t been back. No sign of travel or anything," he said. My jaw tightened."And?""He didn’t look like he was running. Nothing suspicious," Axel added. My brain scrambled trying to piece one and two together. “There’s a good chance he either played us… or he was taken,” Axel muttered. I pressed my lips together.Derrick was smart—but not smart enough to know I had men watching him, close enough to track his every move.So maybe he was abducted. But by who? And why?"How’s the search?" I asked."We’re doing what we can. Nothing solid yet. Tracking his last movements. I’ll update you if anything turns up," he said, sounding frustrated."Even if it’s just a guess, tell me right away," I said and ended the call.I turned the wheel, changing course. I wasn’t heading to the office anymore.I drove to Maya’s.It
Last Updated: 2025-04-24
Chapter: He's Missing ♡Astrid♡Hands. Fingers. They were everywhere all over my body, grabbing me roughly.I tried to fight it, but it was stronger than me. Screaming didn't help either, and it felt like I was drowning.And then it felt like the life was being snuffed out of me. I woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat. I leaned forward and switched on the bed light.Light flooded the room, but it did nothing to help me relax. I was in my room, all alone, and God, it was a little frightening.Moments like this made me wish Freya was still here and hadn't gone on that school trip. But who was I to stop her? She needed to clear her head too, and that trip was a great distraction while I sorted things out.Sliding out of bed, I grabbed my phone and walked barefoot towards the door. I needed a glass of water—it’d calm me down.Once I was outside my room, I knew I didn't need water. I glanced at Adrian's door.Should I go there? Wouldn't it be weird? Yeah, he'd told me two days ago to come in whenever I wante
Last Updated: 2025-04-20
Chapter: Come In Anytime ♡Astrid♡I mumbled something gibberish and snuggled further into the pillow, burying my face in it and taking a long sniff.Smells like Adrian. And it smells so fucking good.Wait... why does my bed smell like Adrian?That’s when I realized—I wasn’t in my bed at all.I opened one eye and was greeted by the sight of dark walls.I opened the other to be sure of what I was seeing. Yup, the walls were dark, radiating masculine energy, and definitely not mine.I sat up, brushing my hair out of my face before looking around the room. Adrian was nowhere to be found.He didn’t return last night? Well, it didn’t matter. I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, quickly smoothing out my wrinkled clothes.It was better to leave now before he popped out of nowhere.Scurrying toward the door, I turned the knob and opened it—only to run headfirst into someone.Judging from how sweaty the person was—I knew it was Adrian.I stumbled back, heart in my mouth, and looked up.He just stood there, straigh
Last Updated: 2025-04-19
Chapter: Turn Yourself In♤Adrian♤Once Astrid and Joan finished whatever it was they were all about — the wedding — Astrid and I got home and went our separate ways.I walked into my bedroom, shut the door, and undressed quickly. Grabbing my laptop from the nightstand, I sat on the bed and opened it.I still had some digging to do on Derrick before meeting with him.I’d had one of my men fix a fake meeting with him to discuss “goods.”Obviously, after he disappeared from Astrid's life nine or ten years ago, he went into drug trafficking. Now, suddenly, he reappears — needing a new place to stay after being on the wanted list in California. He moves back to Brooklyn, and well… Maya lets him in.Unknown to her, she’s harboring a hard-core criminal. And not just that. He tried abusing his own daughter. There are records of him sexually abusing girls in California. Turns out he's not only a drug trafficker — he's a pedophile and a rapist.And that brings me to why I'm invested in this case.He touched Astrid.
Last Updated: 2025-04-17