AIDAN POV“What do you mean you can't find her?” I boomed from across the wine cabinet where I stood, pouring out the wine in a glass cup. “Boss, I...” Daymon began but I cut him off immediately. “It's a heavy downpour out there,” I raged, my hold on the glassware hardening ever so slightly. “We searched everywhere for her. I have my men currently searching possible places she must have gone,” Daymon said.“That is not enough!” I yelled. “You were supposed to be guarding, why did you let her come look for me? I put you in charge of her because I trust you.”“I will have the rest of the men extend the search and I'll also check the CCTV footage on all roads that lead away from the building,” Daymon assured me but I was in no mood for that. “I don't care what you do Daymon,” I began, slamming the glass cup as well as the wine bottle down on the counter. “Just make sure Artemis is in this house in the next twenty four hours.”Daymon didn't say anything else, rather he turned on his h
ARTEMIS POV“That was Aidan,” I murmured, staring at Kane who had now disconnected the call. “You called him?” I asked again, tethering at the edge of the couch where Kane sat. ‘Why the hell, are you so affected by him so much?’ I questioned myself angrily but it did nothing to ease the throb I felt when I heard his voice. “It was a business call,” was all Kane said, while watching me intently. “H-he didn't look for me?” I managed to choke out. The truth suddenly pressed down on me and I realized it's been two days since I had been staying with Kane.“He definitely didn't find you,” Kane said with a small chuckle as he reached out to hold me. ‘Ouch, that had to hurt,’ I thought, wincing slightly as I adjusted closer to Kane who reached out to wrap his hands around me.“D-do you think he cares about me?” I suddenly asked, unable to help it. Kane didn't say anything, rather he peppered kisses down my neck but I wasn't into whatever he was doing. Thoughts of Aidan had consumed my m
ARTEMIS POV“Hey darling, how are you doing?” Kane asked, kissing me from across the counter.“I'm great so far,” I said, grabbing a pack of juice from the fridge immediately, circling the table to embrace him in a hug. “I missed you so much,” he said, groaning in my hair, his grip around me tightening. I giggled at his words. “It has been barely 20 minutes since you left to go take a run,” I said, pushing his chest back slightly as he had begun to pepper kisses down my neck. “It's still too long,” he said, his breath already ticking me already. “Oh stop it, you're tickling me,” I said, playfully fighting to get out of his grip. “One more kiss,” he protested, his grip on my waist still tight, just not too tight to be uncomfortable. “One more kiss to take me through…”I didn't let him finish before I pressed a kiss to his lips. One too quick that it could be called a peck on the lips. “Done, now let me go,” I said, digging my fingers in between the arms and my waist to pull his a
ARTEMIS POVI called out, making my way to the door.As I opened it, I was surprised to see Kane standing there, looking handsome in his tailored suit, a hint of a smile on his face."Hey, beautiful. What have you been up to?" he said, walking in and then tugging me by the waist from behind, not even letting me close the door.“The door...” I began, trying to reach it.“I'll get it,” he replied, using his feet to push the door a bit too forcefully and it went shut. "You are actually home early," was all I could say before I was cut short and my lips were smothered and bitten by Kane. All my protest were swallowed up in the kiss, leaving space for just me mumbling… “Goodness wait a sec. I'm running out of breath.”Finally, he let me go and I gasped for air, chasing it to the point of half doubling and holding my chest. “Seriously!?” I half exclaimed and half questioned. “You came back way too early, what happened?”Kane raised an eyebrow, a sly grin climbing his face and coating his
ARTEMIS POV“I-I don't get,” I managed to choke out, half expecting he wouldn't repeat what I thought he meant by that statement. And he didn't. Thank goodness. “Come on,” He caught one of my hands and pulled me towards the door. “Go change and let's go grab something to eat. I'm really hungry.”Not bothering to make an argument or insist on knowing what he meant, I robotically allowed myself to get pushed until I was indoors and in front of the staircase.“If you keep standing there, I'll have no other choice than to take you to my room, undress you personally and then wash you clean…”I didn't wait for him to finish before I ran off, shouting behind a response behind me. “Give me 10 minutes to get ready. I'll be quick.”“I'll wait for 10 minutes,” came his reply. The image of him grinning appeared in my head and it took me a great deal to wipe it off. I shouldn't be doing all these. I was still supposed to be Aidan's wife… scratch that. I was supposed to be his contracted soon to
ARTEMIS POVAidan was a tiny bit scary in the beginning but he never gave me this discomforting stalking feeling… ever.My heart raced as he took another step closer."This isn't right," I whispered, backing away even though there was barely any space to go to.Kane's gaze left my face, drifting to the towel pressed against my body and he let out a small sound. "You're beautiful, Artemis," he whispered, just loud enough that I could hear it even in the quietness of the room. I felt exposed, vulnerable and it was a feeling I detested. It had been so long since I had felt like this. Since my mom and dad…I blinked repeatedly to stop the tears that I knew would come and also erase the thought from my head. ‘Right now wasn't the ideal time.’"Kane, stop," I warned, fury plaguing my expression.But he took another step notwithstanding, his eyes locked on mine as if challenging me to dare him. "Stop what?" he asked, flashing me a bemused expression, his eyebrows were raised in feigned i
ARTEMIS POV“You don't know me?” she asked, her voice dropping seductively.Scrunching up my face impatiently, I snapped at her in response. “Was I meant to know you, maybe by reason of psychic abilities or something?”"Ha! You're feisty, I like that," the lady on the other end of the call said with a chuckle. "Let's just say... I know someone who knows you very well."Walking away from the door to the bed, I picked up the red gown I was going to wear and pressed it to my chest before sitting on the bed. I tried to place her voice, but it was unfamiliar."Who is this?" I demanded, frustration creeping into my tone."Someone who's been watching you," she replied, her voice taking an interesting edge.My skin crawled at this point. ‘Just who the F are you?’"From Aidan?" I spat, my anger rising.But instead, the lady burst out in laughter, at the same time sending shivers down my spine."Oh, Artemis, you're so quick to assume. But I'll give you a hint: Aidan and I... we have something
ARTEMIS POV“What the F...” I trailed off when it seemed like she was coming towards us.“What's the problem?” Kane asked, staring at me for a while then tracing my line of sight to the lady in particular. “Who is she?” He fired again in rapid succession, furrowing his brows a bit. "Who is she?" Kae asked once more when I didn't reply to him the first time, staring at the redhead.‘What do you want me to say, young man?’ I screamed in my head, throwing towards himRather than my initial tendency to be sarcastic, I shook my head slowly, my eyes fixed on her while I replied to Kane. "No idea."We both watched as the redhead sauntered up to us, a sly smile spreading across her face."Well, well, well," she said, her voice dripping with a distinct level of sass and amusement. "Look who's together now."Kane's expression remained neutral while I fought to school mine to mirror his expression but it was incredibly hard. ‘Despite my will to forget him and move on, seeing as he never love
Artemis' POVThe days in the old cabin had elongated into weeks, each one mindlessly running into the next, making it feel like we were losing track of time. The dense forest that surrounded us became both a sanctuary and a prison, offering protection from Kane's relentless pursuit while isolating us from the world we once knew, after all the life hack and the steady look out for Kane and his men, how can one remember what the real world actually looks like. In this enforced solitude, Daymon and I developed a routine, a delicate dance of survival and companionship.Each morning, the first light of dawn or will I say the first sun rays hits the cabin, which will obviously hit us so had forcing sleep out of our eyes, we had to wake up, nothing much to do just the survival routine but the direct sun rays won't let us get back to sleep. We would rise early. Daymon took it upon himself to teach me the essentials of survival. We'd venture into the forest, where he demonstrated how to identi
Artemis' POVThe forest had a way of amplifying solitude. Each rustling leaf, every distant sign of wildlife, served as a reminder of our isolation, of how disconnected from the world we are. Daymon and I had been hiding in the cabin for what felt like an eternity, and it didn't seem to end. The days blending into nights in a continuous never seem to end cycle which was already draining me both mentally and physically even Daymond noticed . The constant threat of Kane's men loomed over us, turning even the simplest tasks into exercises done with absolute care and vigilance.One particularly cold evening, the wind bleed outside, rattling the windows and blowing through the cracks in the wooden walls. I sat by the fireplace, its warmth doing little to chase away the chill that had settled deep within me. The weight of our predicament pressed heavily on my shoulders, and an overwhelming sense of loneliness washed over me, total and general weakness flushed me, both weakness from the dail
Artemis' POVThe days in the cabin blurred together, each one marked by a cycle of survival. These cycles never seemed to end, the time there was just static. Daymon and I fell into an unspoken rhythm, gathering firewood, rationing our limited supplies, and maintaining the routine of sleepless nights, for any signs of Kane's men. The forest felt so isolated. This isolation felt like both a blessing and a curse; it shielded us from immediate danger but also confined us to each other's company, which was not helping the unspoken tension between us.One evening, the sun was hitting on a different level , casting long shadows through the trees, I found myself sitting by the fireplace, the flickering flames offering the feeling of warmth and uncertain cozyness. Daymon was outside, ensuring our tracks remained concealed. The weight of our situation pressed heavily on my shoulders, and my thoughts drifted to Aiden. Guilt filled me like an empty vessel for doubting him, for allowing Kane to
Artemis & Daymon’s POVArtemis' POVThe darkness of the forest swallowed us whole as Daymon drove deeper into the unknown, the headlights barely cutting through the thick trees. My heart was still hammering in my chest, my breath uneven. Every nerve in my body remained on high alert, expecting gunshots to ring out at any moment, expecting Kane’s men to appear from the shadows and drag me back to that nightmare, shit hole!I stole a glance at Daymon. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw locked in determination. The way he maneuvered the car, every calculated turn, every sharp swerve, spoke volumes about his skill. I must admit, at this point I was beyond impressed. He had always been Aiden’s most trusted bodyguard, and now, he was my only chance at survival.“You okay?” His voice was rough, edged with concern, but he didn’t take his eyes off the road.I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t even know where we are.”Daymon pressed his foo
Artemis povAfter crying myself to sleep, I decided that I can't be living like this, from frying pan to fire , I can't be running round in circles and getting hurt. Kane is an animal, he is a wicked person. I thought I ran to safety and comfort ,not knowing I ran into my own early death. I wholeheartedly entered the lions darn.Now Jesus won't even think of saving my butt like he did with Daniel in the Bible. I am such a fool, and I can't reach Aiden, I need saving.Now all this event has occurred thanks toe, the guards are more on guard, silently and stylishly following me every where I go like I am in some sort of prison or something.If I run out , before I can even make it to the gate , I might get shot or I might be captured and this time around restricted to my room only, maybe with chain also. Kane made it clear ! If he can't have me, then no one can. It's either him or I die. I am cooked. I thought of all these so deeply and tears rolled down my cheeks, I am all alone again
Artemis and Kane’s povWhich centimeter on my hand I don't want my back to leave the study room only to stumble into Kane. Turns out he has been there all along. He saw me walking to the study room and said nothing, he saw me tPick the letter up he said nothing, he say me read them and said nothing. Who is this guy? Jesus fucking Christ I am with a lunatic.I was still trying to understand what is going on. I don't get why someone willake such disgusting decision he made. I started confronting him and blow all kinds of questions at him just to get some answers. Because I feel like a total idiot at this point.Kane why would you, why would you do such a thing to your brother? To me God . How would you fucking lie to me, I thought of you as a friend! I accepted everything about you despite ! everything Kane warned me about, I still believed you I. fought all odds just believe you. So all you wanted was to play me, just to get back Aiden . that's so stupid of you. I have never been
Artemis povEver since I noticed how Kane has been acting, how he has been replying to all my messages about Aiden in sarcasm, and how he has been avoiding and changing topics whenever I bring anything about Aiden. I just I grew more suspicious of him.The more days passed by the more suspicious I get, the more eager and curious I get the more scared of what Kane actually is. Everything was just becoming so suspicious . I went outside to get some fresh air since I can't stay for a minute without thinking of these or that.My biggest fear now is if Aiden was right about not doing anything and how cruel Kane can be at times. He warned me, he asked me not to leave. I hope I'm not playing myself, I just want everything to be right and crystal clear between I and Aiden.As I was going outside , I collected some sliced apples and a bottle of wine, and the glass to pour the liquor . I went to the relax chair outside and settled down there staring at the sky, how blank it is, no clouds.
Artemis povIt's another day in kane's house, everything seems good and off at the same time.I decided to stroll around the compound with my headphones on just to clear my head and exercise my muscles in my own way. But I can't help but notice how strange kane’s guard got. Any corner of the house are guards looking and starring at me like I was some criminal or something. I could tell that something was really off about them cause they weren't all over me like this. It felt like they were monitoring me or keeping a close eye on me or even spying on me . I got to admit, I always creeps the shit out of me but I decided to stay put and trust Kane just a little for now till something really happens.As much as they all seemed strange,I decided to just keep my head straight. I will not disturb myself is so much with thoughts. I focus on my personal growth away from Aiden. So I didn't think much about it, I just thought of myself.Until I saw the news. I noticed Aiden was one of the hea
Artemis povKane welcomed me back with warm hand as always. Willing to help and stand by me no matter what. This made me have hope but I can't help but notice how off it all felt, I tried shaking the feelings away but for some reasons it all still feels weird.We sat together outside getting some fresh air. I was clouded with so many horrible thoughts like what if Artemis has given up on us and also think the other night was a mistake, what if he loves the idea of me leaving his house, what if he was awake while I was trying to leave so desperately, what if he is out there with some slut shitting himself. A lot of questions just kept bothering and I couldn't help myself. I think Kane noticed it, my uneasyness, frequent sigh , he even called my name some couple of times and I didn't hear it . Till he called again. “Artemis”Yes, so sorry Kane , I was…He interrupted, I know you were lost. Talk to me , what's going on in that head. I am always here to help, and I can't help you if I d