Chapter: Chapter 4 Zara (Lauren) By the time the sun rose, I was already dressed and waiting outside his door. Black boots. Tactical jacket. Hair tied in a sleek braid. And, of course, the mask. It had become more than a disguise. It was armor now. A barrier between Zara and the man I was forced to protect. The door creaked open at 8:43 sharp. Liam stepped out in a charcoal suit with his sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, cufflinks clinking as he fastened his watch. His tie hung loose around his neck like a carelessly tied promise. He paused when he saw me leaning against the hallway wall. “You’re here ,” he said, voice gruff . I said nothing. His gaze flicked to my mask. “Still not talking, huh?” I tilted my head. Not a nod. Not a shake. Just enough to remind him: I wasn’t here to entertain him. He huffed a breath and walked past. I followed, two steps behind. Silent. Calculated. His mornings were methodical. Gym first,an underground facility with reinforced glass and equipment that cou
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter three Zara (Lauren) I didn’t move until the door closed behind Julian. Not when Liam’s voice cracked. Not when he demanded I take off the mask. Not even when his hand hovered near my face like he might rip it away. I stood my ground, silent and still, while the man who destroyed me tried to piece together the memory of a girl he thought was gone. And he almost saw her. Almost. But the contract saved me. Clause Twelve, Subsection C. I made damn sure it was in writing. Because Liam Hunter had taken everything from Zara. And though I might be standing in front of him now, he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at the shell she became, the weapon she turned into. The moment he turned his back to me, something in my chest eased. Just a little. But it didn’t feel like victory. It felt like surviving again. Something I had become too good at. You can tell him I don’t need a bodyguard, he’d said. Typical. Still drowning in pride. Still convinced he could do this alone.
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter two Liam The world thought I had it all. Multi-million-dollar companies. A sprawling empire across three continents. A fleet of cars, an estate tucked away in the hills. And behind it all, a carefully constructed underworld, one that moved products with silent efficiency, feared me without knowing me, and left no room for softness. But none of it mattered. Because every night, when the world fell quiet, I still stared at the old phone I’d refused to replace. Cracked screen. Dusty memory card. Battery barely holding a charge. But it held her voice. Her smile. Our story. And I couldn’t let go. Tonight was no different. I sat in my office, the one hidden beneath the surface of my flagship building, where men like me did things we could never confess. The lights were dim, the city glowing like distant fire through the tall windows. And in my hand, that ancient phone rested, open to the last photo I had taken of her. Zara. In her motorbike jacket, smirking at me from across t
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Chapter: Chapter One Chapter One Lauren They say time heals all wounds. Whoever said that never bled from the heart. They say time changes everything. They’re wrong. Time doesn’t change you,it just teaches you how to hide the damage better. How to breathe through the pain, smile when you’re breaking, and shoot without hesitation. My name is Lauren Vale. At least, that’s what the ID badge says. Agent. Instructor. One of the top field evaluators at Dominion, the most elite bodyguard training agency on the East Coast. People here think I’m sharp, calculated, unshakable. They don’t know I used to be Zara. They don’t know that four years ago, I was just a girl who believed in first love, Saturday drives, and the safety of arms that weren’t built to hold me. Now, I teach rookies how to disarm a threat in under five seconds. How to take a hit and stay standing. How to read a lie from twenty feet away. I don’t talk much, but when I do, they listen. There’s power in silence. People lean into it, try
Last Updated: 2025-05-24
Fragile Ties Of Love
Loud music is playing, some students are dancing and other are chatting. The few one who are alone are dispersed observing the others. My eyes scan the room for Liam. Fortunately, I see him standing at the entrance with Lucas, Mateo, Levi and Mason. My legs drag me to their direction and he smiles as he sees me. His friends pushed him to me and he looks like he hesitates for a while before walking up to me.
Without a word, he grabs my hand and pulled me away from the noise.
Now we’re standing in the boys changing room. Before I speak, he gently cups my face. His forehead is touching mine as his eyes flash in the evening light. My heart races and I look away shyly but he lifts my chin up with his finger.
I admire his beauty,drowning in the rush of love and awaiting a toe-curling kiss. I hear his words;
“Don’t be silly. You’ll never be my type.” Followed by a chuckle. My blood runs cold as my brain draws a blank
***************
Liam Hunter, the name that could make your knees turn jelly. He had it all the looks, money and everyone’s dream girl, Beatrice. He was the school’s basketball team captain. Every girl was dying to spend even a second with him, well except her. His charms didn’t work on her and she seemed oblivious to his existence.
Everything changes for Liam when he is dared to date Zara for a month and then dump her.
It all starts as game, a mind game for Liam. But what happens when the heart gets involved?
What will Zara do after learning the truth? Will she get over her love for Liam and go back to herself?
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Chapter: BONUS CHAPTER : SNEAK PEEK Liam’s POV – Years Later The world thought I had it all. Multi-million-dollar companies. A sprawling empire across three continents. A fleet of cars, an estate tucked away in the hills. And behind it all, a carefully constructed underworld — one that moved products with silent efficiency, feared me without knowing me, and left no room for softness. But none of it mattered. Because every night, when the world fell quiet, I still stared at the old phone I’d refused to replace. Cracked screen. Dusty memory card. Battery barely holding a charge. But it held her voice. Her smile. Our story. And I couldn’t let go. Tonight was no different. I sat in my office — the one hidden beneath the surface of my flagship building, where men like me did things we could never confess. The lights were dim, the city glowing like distant fire through the tall windows. And in my hand, that ancient phone rested, open to the last photo I had taken of her. Zara. In her motorbike jacket, smirking at me f
Last Updated: 2025-05-09
Chapter: EPILOGUE LIAM: The auditorium buzzed with excitement — tassels swinging, caps slipping, parents clapping at names called out with pride. This was supposed to be the moment we had all waited for. Freedom. Celebration. Closure. But for me, it was a reminder of everything I’d lost. Rows of students dressed in navy blue lined the stage, our names listed neatly on the back of the programs. My name was there too: Liam Hunter, bold and undeserving. It felt heavy on the page, like it shouldn’t be printed next to theirs. Especially not next to hers. Zara’s name was missing. But her presence wasn’t. An empty chair sat in the front row, decorated with a single white lily and a photo of her smiling in that way that made the sun jealous. The school said it was to honor her memory. That she’d left a mark too deep to be forgotten. They were right. She had. On all of us. But most of all, on me. I sat in the back row with the rest of the graduates, my fingers clenched around my cap as the ceremon
Last Updated: 2025-05-09
Chapter: Chapter Sixty Three (FINALE) Liam’s POV The sound of the casket wheels against the gravel felt like thunder in my chest. Everything was too quiet. No birds. No breeze. Just the dull murmur of footsteps behind me and the sound of fabric brushing against itself as people followed slowly. Each person held something: a rose, a prayer, a heavy silence. I held nothing. I didn’t deserve to. The cemetery was tucked away behind the church, surrounded by trees that stood like mourners themselves, tall and still. The grave was already dug, six feet deep and waiting. Too final. Too cruel. I stood at the edge, a few feet behind Nick and Kaylee. Neither of them looked at me. I didn’t expect them to. Zara’s mother stood at the front, face pale and tear-stained. Her father held her trembling hand, but he looked like a shell—like he hadn’t slept in days. No parent should have to bury their child. And I… I should’ve been buried in her place. The casket was carried gently—like it could still feel pain. Like she could
Last Updated: 2025-05-09
Chapter: Chapter Sixty-twoI never imagined the last time I’d see Zara would be in a coffin. The rain hadn’t started, but the clouds were heavy. Like the sky itself was mourning. The church was full, but it still felt hollow. People came dressed in black, some with umbrellas, others with red-rimmed eyes. I sat at the far back, where the shadows reached and no one would dare acknowledge me. It felt like everyone could hear my guilt. See it crawling under my skin. I didn’t deserve to be here—but I couldn’t stay away either. The room echoed with the quiet sound of sniffling. The kind of broken silence only funerals knew how to create. Every second in that room felt like a scream inside my head. Every soft hymn, every whispered condolence—none of it touched me. All I could hear was her laugh. All I could see was the way her face fell when I told her she’d never be my type. I’d memorized that moment frame by frame, and now I’d never get the chance to apologize for it. I was the reason she was gone. When
Last Updated: 2025-05-09
Chapter: Chapter Sixty oneNick’s POV I’ve always hated suits. But today, I wore one for Zara. The black jacket felt too tight. The collar choked me. My fists remained clenched in my lap as the priest droned on about peace and heaven and how “God takes the good ones early.” I wanted to stand up and scream at him that none of this made sense. Zara wasn’t supposed to be in a casket. She was supposed to be riding her motorbike down some open road, wind in her face, music in her ears. Not… here. Not gone. I looked straight ahead, but I couldn’t focus. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t feel anything except the deep, hot ache in my chest that hadn’t dulled since the morning I found out she’d died. The moment they showed me her bike on the news, I knew. I knew before the confirmation call. I knew before the police visited our house. My knees gave out. My heart collapsed in on itself. Kaylee had been the only thing stopping me from breaking something that day. I sat next to her now, her hand over mine, stead
Last Updated: 2025-05-09
Chapter: Chapter Sixty Kaylee’s POV The sky was a dull gray, as if it, too, mourned the girl who once chased sunsets on her motorbike and laughed like the world hadn’t betrayed her. Zara’s funeral was held in the small chapel near the cemetery—intimate, quiet, and heavy with unshed tears. Rows of students from school filled the pews. Some came out of guilt, some out of shock, and a few, like me, came because their hearts would never be the same again. I sat beside Nick, our hands tangled tightly, grounding each other in the kind of pain words couldn’t reach. Nick hadn’t said much since the accident. Just stayed quiet. Angry. Protective. Devastated. Zara’s picture sat at the front of the chapel—one of her rare smiling photos. Hair down. Eyes gleaming. She looked happy in it. Carefree. Like she had no idea how cruel the world could be. I hated that picture. Because it felt like a lie now. The priest spoke, but I barely heard the words. Something about finding peace, about eternal rest, about how
Last Updated: 2025-05-09
One Night With Mr. Billionaire
Do you realize you just played with fire?” He asked in a deadly tone but Maya was too drunk to know what was going on.
“Yh, and I loved the heat.” She replied drunkenly, wrapping her hands around his neck.
“You’re going to regret this when you sober up,” he said, trying to peel her off him but she pouted and shook her head like a five year old whiles settling on his lap more comfortably. At least, comfortable for her not him because he was having a hard time controlling his little guy down there.
“I need you to show me all the fire you possess, handsome,” she says before giving him a chaste kiss on his lips.
****
Maya’s world came crushing when she finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. Out of sadness, she goes to a bar that same evening to drink her sorrows away.
What happens when an out of control drunk Maya ends up on the laps of a cold hearted CEO.
A dark night, series of misunderstandings, a contract, what happens after she sobers up and realizes what mess she has gotten into.
Will she succeed in thawing the cold CEO and make him a bit soft and gentle?
He tasted her and now he feels addicted. If her lips and innocent kiss could make him feel this way then what if he went further? What would happen to him if he crossed the forbidden gates. He’s been with a lot of women but no one has made him feel this way. He feel the walls he has built around him crack and his stone cold heart thaws whenever he’s with her. He wants her and would do anything to to have her and make her his.
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Chapter: Epilogue ( A year later) The clatter of trays echoed through the cold, concrete dining hall. Harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sickly glow on the crowded rows of prisoners. Amber sat alone at the end of a long table, her shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on the unappetizing food on her tray. She hadn't touched it. She rarely did.A shadow fell over her."Well, well," came a voice dripping with mockery. "If it isn't the queen herself."Amber looked up slowly. Three inmates loomed over her—bigger, rougher, eyes gleaming with the thrill of cruelty. The leader, a tall woman with cropped hair and a twisted grin, leaned closer."Thought you were someone on the outside, huh? Big boss lady?" she hissed. "Now you're just another number."Amber didn't respond. That had become her new strategy—silence. But silence, in prison, was often seen as weakness.The tray was snatched away and flipped. The food splattered across the floor."Oops," the woman sneered. "Clumsy of me."Another woman grabbed Amber by the
Last Updated: 2025-05-21
Chapter: Chapter 126Six months laterThe courtroom was packed, the air heavy with tension and anticipation. Maya sat between Damian and Amanda, her fingers laced tightly in her lap, nerves held in check only by the steady weight of Damian's hand on hers. Ron sat beside them, his expression unreadable, and next to him was Oliver—his arm draped protectively around Amanda, the glint of the engagement ring on her finger catching the light every so often.All of them had been through hell. But today… today was the beginning of closure.Ace and Amber sat in the defendant's box, clad in orange jumpsuits, wrists shackled. Amber's face had hardened, stripped of the arrogance that once defined her. Ace sat still, jaw locked, gaze forward, as if pretending none of this was real.The judge entered, and everyone rose. Silence fell like a stone.After a long recounting of the crimes—kidnapping, torture, conspiracy, attempted murder—the judge looked toward the two with a stern gaze."For the gravity of your crimes, you
Last Updated: 2025-05-21
Chapter: Chapter 125A single gun shot jolted Maya awake. "Dennis…..Amayrah…." She whispered, running towards the sound of the gunshot. She ran toward the sound, boots pounding over concrete, her breath catching in her throat. As she turned the corner, her eyes widened in horror.Amanda was on the floor, blood blooming across her chest in a thick, merciless stain. Her body twitched once—then went still.And standing above her, unshaken and remorseless, was Lisa, the smoking gun still in her hand."Well," Lisa drawled, cocking her head, eyes dark with satisfaction, "the past always finds a way to bleed into the present."Maya stared at Amanda's fallen form, shock and sorrow wrestling in her throat. But then her gaze locked with Lisa's—and it turned to fire.Maya's eyes burned with fury as she stepped toward Lisa, fists clenched at her sides. "You shot her," she seethed. "You really shot your own daughter."Lisa's mouth curled into a cruel smile. "She stopped being mine the moment she chose you."Without
Last Updated: 2025-05-21
Chapter: Chapter 124Maya was dragged across the cold, concrete floor, her body sore and bruised from the relentless beatings. Her mouth was gagged, and her wrists and ankles had been bound so tightly she could barely feel her fingers. Blood trickled from her lip, and her eyes—though swollen—still burned with defiance.But even that flicker began to fade when she saw the large, empty glass tank standing in the center of the warehouse. Clear, tall, and sinister in its stillness, it gleamed beneath the hanging bulbs. Wires trailed from a panel beside it, connected to a rusty water valve and timer system.Ace tightened the ropes around her arms, and Lisa gave a cold nod. "Let's see how long love keeps you alive, Maya."Amber walked ahead and unlocked the glass door. "Inside," she cooed with venomous sweetness.They shoved Maya in roughly, her body collapsing against the cold base of the tank. The door slammed shut behind her, the sound echoing like a tomb sealing. A heavy latch locked it tight. Maya lifted h
Last Updated: 2025-05-21
Chapter: Chapter 123:Maya sat on the edge of the living room couch, her fingers still locked around her phone even after the dreadful video ended. The house buzzed with urgency—officers coming and going, Ron barking orders into his earpiece, and Damian coordinating a tactical response. But her ears were ringing with the image of her babies—tied up, helpless, with death ticking away by the second.Her phone vibrated again.Unknown Number.She answered it immediately. "Hello?!"A chillingly calm voice responded."Hello, Maya. Did you like the video?"Maya froze. "Lisa…""I told you once, didn't I? You took everything from me. Now I'm just returning the favor." Her voice was laced with quiet venom. "You have one hour.""Where are they? What do you want?!""I'll send you the location. Come alone. If I even suspect you've told Damian or the police, I swear to you, I will make you watch what happens when a bomb goes off with your children strapped to it."Maya's heart stuttered."I'm not playing games, sweethea
Last Updated: 2025-05-21
Chapter: Chapter 122 The roar of Damian's car echoed through the estate as he pulled into the driveway, leaping out before the engine fully shut off. His eyes scanned the perimeter—guards stood in formation, two black vehicles sat abandoned with their doors flung open, and four men lay subdued and zip-tied on the gravel. Some of the guards had followed them under Ron's instructions and captured them Ron rushed to meet him. "They didn't breach the house, but they got close. Maya and the kids followed the panic protocol. She's inside."Damian didn't wait for more. He stormed into the house, boots echoing against the marble floor."Maya!" he called.She appeared at the base of the stairs, visibly shaken but unharmed."You're okay," he muttered, pulling her into a tight embrace. He cupped her face, eyes darting over her to confirm it."I'm fine. I got the kids into the safe room." Her voice was shaky now, the adrenaline fading. "They were scared, but I made sure they got inside."Damian nodded and turned sha
Last Updated: 2025-05-21
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