DAMIEN'S POVEverything that had happened felt like a whirlwind, and I was still trying to catch my breath. I wasn’t lying when I said that I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Kiera. I’d be more than devastated. Kiera had taken up almost every cell in my body, and all I wanted was for her to be safe and sound.As I drove home, a hint of rage still lingered in my chest like a pot threatening to boil over.I was mad at Gabriel for the role he played in this but I couldn’t lash out on him. Gabriel, even though he went too far this time. Leaving Kiera on that godforsaken lonely road was a wrong move and if he were one of our men, he’d probably be knocking at the gates of hell right now. His ego had almost cost Kiera her life, and that would be something I could never forgive.I pulled into the driveway, barely registering the surroundings. I stormed into the house, needing a shower to wash away the grime of the horrific events and to grab some things for Kiera. I didn’t even bother checkin
MIGUEL’S POV“We can't let him bask in the glory of thinking his little threat has us quaking in our boots,” I declared, my gaze flickering like a candle in the wind between Diego and Joe.“But Boss, Don Pablo isn’t exactly a dimwit. He’s itching for a showdown,” Diego countered, his brow furrowing.“And you think I’m oblivious to that? I’ve seen the havoc he wreaks. But unless we draw the first blood, he we'll just be a headless chicken running in circles,” I shot back.“But we did invade his turf to snatch back our shipment,” Joe chimed in, trying to find a foothold in this precarious conversation.“True enough, but as long as he’s got no solid evidence linking us to his allegations, he’s all bark and no bite. The unwritten rules of the underworld are his only leash, and he knows that crossing us could very well mean signing his own death warrant,” I explained, my voice dripping with confidence.“So what’s our next move, then?” Joe asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.“We keep o
DAMIEN’S POV“Are you really considering going to spend the weekend with Gabriel at Abuela’s place?” I demanded, my voice barely concealing the simmering fury bubbling beneath the surface.“What would you have me do?” Kiera threw back, clearly frustrated.“Well, you could have come up with anything. You could have conjured up any excuse under the sun to make her change her mind!” I barked, struggling to keep my emotions in check.“Oh like “I’m sorry Abuela but your grandson is an asshole and to clear the air, I’m not even his real fiancé,” Is that what I should have said?” She lashed out, crossing her arms.“Come on, Kiera. That’s not what I meant,” I countered.“Then what did you expect me to do? Because no one hates this situation more than me, and it’s driving me insane!” She squealed.I took a deep breath, knowing she didn’t deserve my wrath. She had just come home from the hospital yesterday, yet here I was, throwing verbal grenades as if I could control the chaos of our lives wh
KIERA’S POVI opened my mouth and snapped it shut, the words tangled in my throat. I had the response at the tip of my tongue, yet his question was totally unexpected.I knew he was into me, but not to this point. “For the rest of our lives?” That’s really a long time commitment, and I needed to make sure he knew what he was getting himself into. If this was just a fleeting infatuation, I wouldn’t want him to commit to me and regret it in the future.“F*ck! I knew you wouldn’t want that. I know you can’t be mine. What was I even thinking?” He grunted, turning away from me.“No, no! That’s…. that’s not it?”“Then what is it?” He probed, spinning back to face me, his voice calm as a zephyr.The charm of his alluring green eyes trapped my soul, and as I stared at him, I knew one thing; I wanted him. He was the definition of perfection, he was everything any woman could dream of. I wanted him to be the first and the last man to ever touch me. I refused to deny myself a chance at a potenti
GABRIEL'S POVTwo days. Just two damned days of sleepless nights, and it felt like I was trapped in a never-ending purgatory. Kiera hadn’t uttered a single word to me, and her silence gnawed at my insides like a rat in a wall. How do I claw my way out of this mess? I feared I’d lost her for good, and the thought was like drowning in a sea.I was shocked when she agreed she agreed to Abuela’s request, but I knew it was merely a byproduct of the contract and her respect for Abuela.I slammed my fist against the bed, feeling the pain radiate through my knuckles, “I’m f*cking losing it!” I growled, frustration slapping me hard.When she skipped dinner yesterday, I couldn’t stand it. I went to her room to check on her, I heard her footsteps heading toward the door but as soon as I called her name, I heard her footsteps retreating like I was some kind of plague. To her, I had become a monster, and it stung so deep.The worst part? Damien. That bastard was always lurking around her like a vu
KIERA’S POVWho in their right frame of mind shows up at someone’s house without any prior notice? Fabian must be all in his head!I had deliberately ignored his calls over the past few days because I didn’t want to talk to him. I wasn’t about to lead him on or give him any false hope that I shared in his father’s desire for him to court me. How on earth did he even find this address?I sighed heavily, lifting myself off the bed, feeling a knot of anxiety twist in my stomach.“Are you really going to meet him?” Damien asked, resting on his elbow, his mood nearly unreadable, like a storm cloud hovering just out of sight.“Yeah, I guess I have to,” I said, making my way to the closet. I grabbed a blouse and a flared skirt, pulling them on.Before I could fully turn around, I saw Damien already wearing his pants, his movements quick and purposeful.“What are you doing?” I questioned, my brows scrunching together in surprise.“You really think I’m just going to sit here while you go off t
KIERA’S POVThe weekend crept up on me faster than a cat on a mouse, catching me completely off guard. Ever since my meeting with Fabian, Damien had been like a ghost—present but somehow so far away. He’d taken the rest of the week off but returned to work after our talk, and for the past two days, he’d made a habit of avoiding me. Leaving before the sun even peeked over the horizon and sliding in late at night, his texts were as short as a kid’s attention span in a boring class.As I was packing my bag, the door swung open, and my heart clamped the moment I spotted Damien.My hard was thumping and fluttering at the sight of him. I had missed him so much, and his presence suddenly brought a smile on my face.“I see you’re getting ready to leave,” he said, approaching me.I paused, scanning his face, “Why have you been avoiding me?” I asked, contrasting his statement.“I haven’t,” he shot back, the defensiveness in his tone sharper than a chef’s knife.“Oh please. It’s so obvious that
GABRIEL’S POV“Are you kidding me? You want us to tell her we met at a club? What would she think about me?” Kiera asked, her eyes wide, a mixture of disbelief etched across her face. “Or maybe we could say we bumped into each other at a coffee shop and you spilled coffee on me,” I suggested.“Abuela must know that you never get your own coffees! Besides, why must it be me who spills coffee on you? What happened to you spilling coffee on me?” Her tone was a dramatic cocktail of sincerity and jest.“Fine, let’s toss that idea. How about we tell her I was in some sort of trouble and you saved me?” she countered, trying to keep the tone light.“Abuela would want details, and we wouldn’t want to give her the slightest hint about how we really met,” I shot back, noticing her brow knitting together as she pondered.I sighed heavily, resting my head against the car seat. My thoughts were a chaotic storm.“Wait, what if we say we met on a dating site? It seems realistic and doesn’t raise any
KIERA'S POVThe dining room was a masterpiece of elegance—crystal chandeliers dripping light like molten gold, a table so long it seemed to stretch into eternity, and a breakfast spread that could rival any royal banquet. Platters of freshly baked croissants, ripe fruits arranged like art, and silver carafes brimming with coffee and tea were just the beginning. Yet, the grandeur felt suffocating this morning, as if the walls themselves were closing in on me, ready to swallow me whole.I hesitated near the doorway, my gaze instinctively darting toward Catherine, who was sitting beside Abuela.My heart screamed for me to sit beside her, to escape the magnetic pull of Gabriel sitting opposite Abuela.Just as I took a tentative step forward, Abuela’s voice sliced through the air like a knife, “Kiera, sit next to Gabriel,” she said with a tone that brooked no argument.My stomach twisted. Of course, she’d insist. With a measured breath and a strained smile, I made my way to the chair besid
ABUELA’S POVThe phone pressed against my ear felt heavier than it should, as if the weight of the truth I was chasing had seeped into the very device. My voice was a low, sharp whisper, slicing through the silence of the morning like a blade.“What did you find out?” I asked, the words deliberate, measured.The voice on the other end hesitated, a crackle of static, a pause too long to be innocent. Then, finally, the answer came, as infuriatingly vague as the one before it.“Nothing concrete... there’s no tangible link to her background. It’s like she’s a ghost.”A ghost? The phrase lingered, sour in my mind. Ghosts bury their secrets in shallow graves, hoping no one would dig deep enough. But I had a shovel, and patience, and a gut that had never failed me.“Keep digging,” I snapped, my voice edged with the impatience of a woman who had seen far too much.“Yes, ma’am,” came the hurried reply. The line clicked dead.I placed the phone down carefully, though the urge to slam it was a t
ELISE’S POVMy heart raced as I glanced at the clock—8 a.m. Still no sign of Miguel. Part of me felt a sense of relief; maybe this was a good thing. At least, it would give my kitty a much-needed break from his destruction. But then the thought of Freya crept in, and my mood soured instantly.I grabbed my phone, desperate for a distraction, and scrolled through my messages. One stood out—a text from my mom, asking if I had managed to “sack” Freya. Embarrassment washed over me like ice water. I tossed my phone aside, the screen lighting up with a mocking glow.What could I tell her? That I had been bested by a woman who sauntered into my home like she owned the place? The thought made me cringe.The abrupt knock on my door wasn’t a polite one. It was sharp and persistent, the kind that grated on your nerves before you even answered it. I groaned, throwing my phone onto the nightstand, and stomped over. I swung the door open, and there she was Freya, standing there with her perfectly sc
KIERA’S POVThe water was warm as it surrounded me, but it barely registered. My thoughts roared louder than the two mega speakers together, consuming me in a whirlpool of emotions I couldn’t escape. My fingers brushed against my lips as if they still held the ghost of his kiss.Gabriel.The way he kissed me... it was searing, intense, and damn it—undeniably perfect. I hated that I loved it. I hated that it left me craving more, that it lingered in my chest like an ember refusing to die. Would I be crazy to say I had missed it so much? It was everything I had longed for and yet, every time I thought about it, guilt stabbed through me, sharp and unrelenting.Damien. His face flashed in my mind, his grin, the way he looks at me like I was his entire world. What would he think? How would he feel if he finds out what had happened between Gabriel and me?I let out a shaky breath, brushing my face. Two brothers were in love with me, and I was hopelessly drawn to both. I was torn between two
GABRIEL’S POVThe morning light streamed through the curtains, casting a golden glow over the bed. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the soft golden glow. The first thing I saw was her—Kiera, lying beside me, her face serene in sleep. In that moment, I was struck by her beauty. She was stunning in a way that made my chest tighten. Her hair tumbled in soft waves around her face, and her lips, slightly parted, looked so inviting. Watching the rise and fall of her chest was hypnotic, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away.For so long, I had held back my feelings for her, but the incident with Linda had pushed me over the edge. I had confessed my feelings without thinking, and ever since, Kiera had been acting a bit awkward around me.I knew she wouldn’t be thrilled about sharing a room, but I craved the closeness, the intimacy of just being in the same space. When Abuela suggested it, I felt like I had hit the jackpot. I pretended to argue against the idea, but deep down, I knew there was
DAMIEN’S POVI tossed and turned, the sheets twisting around me like a noose. Kiera’s face haunted me—her laughter, her touch, the way her eyes sparkled, her smile. But that wasn’t what kept me awake all night. No, it was the thought of her with Gabriel.I couldn’t shake the image of them together. The way he looks at her makes it seem like she is the last drop of whiskey in a dry bar. What if something happened between them last night? Did she look at him the way she looks at me? Did she touch him? The mere thought made my stomach burn.I flung the covers off and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Do I trust Kiera? The two of them in the same room felt like dangling cheese in front of a mouse—an invitation to disaster, too tempting, too dangerous. Even if Kiera held her ground, I knew that smooth-talking bastard Gabriel could charm the skin off an apple.Just as I was about to drown in my thoughts, a knock echoed through the room.I barely had time to collect my thoughts when Be
KIERA’S POVAfter dinner, the room felt like a chamber in hell, simmering with unspoken words. Gabriel and I barely spoke to each other, and I could tell she sensed the tension in the air, but she said nothing, her silence almost deafening.Gabriel eventually retreated to his room, leaving me across from Abuela, who was diligently knitting a scarf, her needles clicking like a clock.“Mrs. Vanessa?” I finally ventured, my voice almost swallowed by the silence.“Oh, come on, dear. We’re past the formalities, aren’t we? You’ll soon be my daughter-in-law, so you might as well start calling me Abuela,” she replied, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips.I forced a smile back, the warmth barely reaching my eyes, “Okay, Abuela. Thank you for the amazing meal. It’s been a long day, so I think I’ll call it a night.”Her gaze lifted, eyes sparkling with mischief that sent a shiver down my spine, “Rest well, my dear.”As I nodded, my heart raced with a flutter of anxiety.Upon our ar
ELISE’S POVI blinked rapidly, trying to process Hannah's words, “What did you just say?” I leaned in closer, my brows knitting together like two angry caterpillars.“Umm… Miss… Miss Freya is here,” Hannah stuttered, her confidence crumbling under my glare.“Are you stupid?” I bit out, my voice climbing an octave as I raised my hand, nearly striking her across the face. She flinched, stepping back as if I were a live wire and I halted mid-motion, catching myself just in time.I took a deep breath, my lips tightening into a thin line as I let my hand drop, “Where is she?” I demanded.“She’s, um… she…” Hannah cleared her throat, her finger awkwardly pointing toward the stairs as she scratched her neck, a nervous gesture that made my irritation flare.“Speak up already, you moron!” I snapped, my impatience palpable.Her eyes widened in fear, and she blurted, “She’s in the living room!”I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, my nails digging into my skin as I fought to keep my composure
ELISE’S POVI lay sprawled across the bed, feeling like a marionette whose strings had been cut, my body still throbbing from the wild, brutal passion of the previous night.The clock on the nightstand read 10 a.m., but the weight of my exhaustion kept me anchored to the sheets. Miguel had transformed me into his sex toy, exploring his dirtiest darkest fantasies. I knew I desperately wanted to be fucked, and touched by him, but I never signed up for this.Last night, he had bound all my limbs to the bedposts. The ball gag he used stifled my cries, rendering my protests useless. He fucked me till I almost passed out.When he was done, I tried to voice my discomfort, but he simply asked, “Are you tired of being in this marriage?” I didn’t need an encyclopedia to decipher what he meant. I realized then that I had only two choices: accept this new reality or contemplate the unthinkable—leaving him. But escape wasn’t an option I could entertain; I had too much to lose. So, I buried my feel