Sapphire's POVThere he was, standing so close beside me with his strong arm wrapped around me. The intense look he gave me and the burning touch of his fingertips on my cheek was capable of rendering any girl spellbound. And even I was no exception. I couldn't help but stare at him in awe as he did what he did.But I had to focus and not let my guard down. Only foolish girls would let themselves be swayed by his charm. And I had to remind myself that just hours ago, I was showering him with abuses because I thought he was an asshole and he was.But right now this asshole was here to save my ass from a much bigger asshole who just couldn't take no for an answer. And I was more than happy to play along."I'm sorry, I was actually on my way to meet you but was suddenly held up by this crazy guy," I said to Mr Donovan as I gently rested my hand on his broad chest, my eyes never leaving Austin.Austin had a pure look of shock, confusion, anger and hurt spread all over his face. I'd never
Sapphire's POV "How many times has he cheated on you?" Mr Donovan commenced his interrogation. "How did you know he cheated on me?" "Lucky guess." "I only caught him red-handed once, why?" "You really want to throw your relationship away because he cheated on you just once?" "He's probably been doing it for a long time. And besides, isn't that enough reason?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Jay Z cheated on Beyonce, Offset cheated on Cardi, Kevin cheated on Eniko, Jada cheated on Will..." "What's your point?" I cut him off sharply. "They got past it and are still together." "You're unbelievable! You want to preach to me about relationships? What would someone like you know about relationships?" I scoffed and looked away. "Someone like me? I'd like to think I'm more experienced than you in that field. I'm a pro and you're..." He glanced at me and finished his sentenc
Sapphire's POV Mr Donovan had called me to his office the next morning, much to my surprise. He'd said he'd be coming late to work but he was already there even before I arrived. I wasn't done with the assignment he gave me. Hell! I hadn't even begun yet and given his irritable personality, I knew for a fact that he'd be anything but happy when he found out. So I mentally prepared myself for his usual annoying talks. He always had something vexatious to say to me. However, I wasn't prepared for what happened as I stepped into his office. I was definitely not expecting to be pulled into a tight embrace. Mr Donovan hugged me so passionately that I was completely stunned, I stood like a post. What the hell was happening? – my thought exactly. When he finally released me, he gazed at me for what seemed like a minute and then without warning, his lips fiercely captured mine. I was just too dazed to react and my brain couldn't register anything at t
Eric's POV My morning would have been perfect had my sorry excuse of a mother, Patricia not ruined it for me. That woman was an incarnation of chaos and everything ignoble. That very morning, as I woke up, stretching my limbs, I felt a tingling sensation of someone's fingers run down my bare chest. My eyes instantly opened and I jolted up from my bed wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. I gazed at the girl lying seductively on my bed. She was pretty, curvy and slim – just how I liked my women. But at that moment, none of that mattered. What I was concerned about was how she not only got into my house but in my bedroom as well. "Who are you? How'd you get in here?" "I'm Lauren," she smiled, "Your mother sent me here." "My mother did what?" Of course, I should've known. My mother would stop at nothing in order to ensure that I got married. I was even wondering how quiet she'd gotten over the issue. Normally, she'd
Sapphire's POV"So you're really not going back to D'Writers?" Jamila asked me yet again.I laid motionless in her bed, wrapped in a thick, padded quilt even though the weather was fairly hot. I had been feeling feverish since the previous night but I had Jamila to take care of me. She even let me spend the night over at her place."Nope, I'd much rather stay jobless," I replied and snuggled up with a fluffy pillow beside me.After I had slapped that idiot, Mr Donovan, I'd packed my stuff and bolted out of the place. I needn't be told that my action was equivalent to kissing my job goodbye. I didn't have to wait for him to kick me out. Heaven knew I'd rather go bald than let him have the satisfaction of firing me. And just for the record, I absolutely loved my hair.I honestly thought he would immediately do something drastic to get back at me. Actually, I was expecting him to run after me and perhaps return the slap. But would he really do that? With that man, I expected the worse. H
Sapphire’s POVMr Donovan had an unreadable expression but I could have sworn I saw his lips part into a small smirk when he said in a husky voice, “Hello, tigress.”I took my time to stare at him, giving him a once-over. As always, he was dressed in one of his finest business suits except this time he wasn’t wearing a tie. The upper buttons of his shirt underneath the jacket were left unfastened and hence he gave everyone a glimpse of his perfectly sculpted chest. And it was more than enough to leave the ladies drooling so early in the morning.Except me, of course.His dark hair was wet and fresh from the shower. That, I was sure of, seeing how soppy strands of hair fell to his forehead and a few drops of water graced his face. He was standing only two inches away from me and his scent invaded my nostrils, completely erasing the stench of Gwen’s poop that had been lingering there. Mr Donovan smelt like lavender and gardenia combined or maybe I just thought he did. But the point was
Sapphire’s POV“Let go of me! Let me go!” I screamed and began to push Mr Donovan off me, my hands coming in between me and him. They were resting on his chest and my fingers brushed the opening of his shirt, creasing his skin, as I tugged myself out of his strong hold. But my efforts were useless.“Let go of me!” I screamed again.Mr Donovan sucked in a harsh breath and exhaled, his face closely positioned to mine. His breath was so hot, I felt it cascading on my face and touching the tip of my nose. It was perfect for the cold that had been nagging me since the previous day and oddly, I enjoyed the warmth of it a little bit. Keyword – a little bit.But that didn’t change the fact that he was here to get revenge, that he was here to in fact kill me or worse? What could be worse than being killed? – I thought to myself and didn’t fail to give myself a mental smack. I was really losing it this morning and only one person was responsible for that.I wiggled in Mr Donovan’s arms like a w
Sapphire’s POV “Will you marry me?” “Will you marry me?” “Will you marry me?”Mr Donovan’s words resounded in my ears. I froze on the spot While these words kept echoing from one ear to the other. I must’ve heard him wrong – I thought. There was no way Mr Donovan could have said that. I most definitely had heard him wrong.“What did you say?” I asked him for clarity. It came out as a mere whisper hinted with a little stutter. I wasn’t sure if he heard me so I decided to ask the question again.“I want you to marry me,” Mr Donovan replied in a stern voice, shutting me up before I could even open my mouth to ask him what I had intended to ask him.My mouth dropped open wide and my eyes, even wider. He said it! He really said it! Then, I hadn’t heard him wrong the first time. What in the world was going on?I was still staring at Mr Donovan agape, completely dumbfounded and glued to the ground on which I was standing. Hearing him say those words again were even worse, more stupefying an
Sapphire’s POV“I’ll never be yours,” I spoke defiantly, hiding every hint of fear in my voice. “Never.”“Oh but you already are,” Ethan responded, sniffling on my hair and twisting the gun against my head like it was about to bore a hole inside. “Whether you like it or not, you belong to me now. Eric can’t do anything about it. Isn’t that right, Eric?”Eric snarled, moving forward, “Ethan—”“Careful, bro. I thought I made it clear that if you try anything stupid, your tigress will pay for it. You wouldn’t want me to paint the walls with her blood now, would you?”Eric stood still but the fury in his eyes was unmatched by anything I’d ever seen before. He knew he was trapped, forced to play by Ethan's rules to keep me safe. Ethan was relishing in his power, revelling in the control he had over both of us. The son of a bitch held all the cards right now to his sick game.“Hang in there, tigress,” Eric told me in a softer voice, “I promise we’ll both walk out of here together. I’m takin
Sapphire’s POV “Going somewhere?” I looked up at Eric who was getting ready to head out. “Yeah,” he answered, peering into the mirror and fixing his shirt. He was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of black pants. His hair was wet from the shower he had not quite long ago. He grabbed his leather jacket from the back of the chair and shrugged into it, zipping it halfway. The material creaked softly as he moved and his rich cologne filled the room. “Where are you off to?” I asked, sitting up on the bed and watching him. “Just going to meet with some contacts,” Eric replied, flashing me a quick smile. “I’ve got some important stuff to take care of.” “By this time? It’s almost 10.” “I won’t be long, I promise.” “Be careful,” I mumbled. Eric turned to me and shot me a warm smile. “Always am, tigress,” he cooed, crossing the room to plant a kiss on my forehead. I watched him as he grabbed his keys and wallet from the dresser, tucking them into his pocket before heading towards the
Sapphire’s POVI struggled so hard underneath the monster, trying to get him off me but all my efforts were futile. He was a whole lot stronger than me, pressing his body harder on mine, his lips grazing neck. I screamed and squirmed, flashes of that night he violated me whelming my brain.Ethan didn’t relent. He groaned in my ear, kissing my neck hungrily and rubbing his erection against my core. His breath washed my body whole with filth and disgust and I wanted to throw up at that point. The bitter, foggy memories of that night were replaying in my head as Ethan tried to have his way with me again.“Let me go!” I cried, struggling still, hoping and praying that someone out there would hear and come to my rescue.Where are those stupid bodyguards when you need them? Where’s Eric when you need him?I had to do something to get myself out of this. I had to break free and run away. I couldn’t let him do it all over again. I would never look at myself the same way ever again if I didn’t
Sapphire’s POVEthan took a step forward, the usual calm and friendly look on his face completely gone. His eyes went dark and he pressed his lips into a grim thin line, his brows furrowing slightly.“It was you!” I screamed, angry tears spilling in a split second as I clutched my panties tighter and stepped backwards, heading for the door. “You…you..raped me!”He was quiet, deadly quiet and something like anger flashed in his eyes. He looked different, like a completely different person. The stare he gave me was frosty and sharp; the kind a psychotic criminal gave after being exposed.I didn’t wait for him to say another word and didn’t demand any explanation from him even though the whole thing was puzzling and mind-boggling. In a flash, I turned towards the door and raced for it. But Ethan beat me to it. He blocked my path and locked the door before shoving the keys in the back pocket of his sweatpants.“Leaving so soon?” He asked, a devilish smirk now imprinted on his face.“Open
Sapphire’s POVEric had still not come home yet. I was still up, waiting for him and it was already very late. My eyes darted at the huge clock in the living room, my hands gripping my phone tightly. It was a little over 9pm and I’d been calling him for that past one hour but couldn’t get through to him. Perhaps his phone was down. I wished he’d come home soon.He’d given me specific instructions to stay put and not go to the hospital to look for him. I was intent on listening to him this time. I didn’t want him getting all worked up again about how stubborn I was so I waited patiently, glancing at my phone occasionally and listening for the sound of his car driving in.I had been waiting all evening to hear the latest update regarding Patricia. I hadn’t got any information about her condition and what state she was in but from the looks of things, she might not make it. She’d lost a lot of blood when I’d gotten there the previous night and she had more than two stab wounds.I didn’t
Eric’s POVThese past few months had been fucked! I had never seen anything like it. It had been from one fucking problem to the other, day in, day out, with no breathers, no breaks and no end in sight. What the hell was going on? The universe must love playing horrible games with us.First, Sapphire and I split up for months after she found out about the accident which I believed all my life I was responsible for when in reality, my sick mother was behind it all. And up until now, we still had no idea who’d called Sapphire to feed her with all of that bullshit of me conniving with my mother to kill her siblings.Secondly, my wife got raped after we were back together and like that wasn’t terrible enough, she got knocked up in the process. The bastard who did it was still on the run. She made up her mind to keep the baby, another blow to my face. It almost broke us apart and then she lost the baby, thanks to Patricia. I felt like shit at first when we thought Sapphire had a miscarriag
Sapphire’s POVI glanced down at my body. I was covered in Patricia’s blood and the footsteps were getting closer. I swallowed, cold sweat dripping out of my pores. If anyone saw me here like this, they’d think I stabbed her. I had to get out of here and fast. I got up and headed quickly for the door but I stopped dead on my tracks when someone walked in.Oh no! I was too late.“Sapphire? What the…?”“Eric?” I was relieved for a moment. It was just Eric. Surely, he wouldn’t think that I had anything to do with this. Or would he?I went over to him, my hands trembling, my voice shaking and my breathing heavy. “Eric…I…I… P…P…Patricia.”Eric gave me a hard once-over, his eyes trailing over the blood on my clothes and then darting towards Patricia’s seemingly lifeless body lying on the cold marble floor. He had an unreadable expression but his gaze was fierce and hard that I feared the worst.I didn’t know what I was expecting exactly. Perhaps I thought he’d begin with the interrogation,
Sapphire’s POV“Mrs Donovan,I’m terribly sorry that you had to find out this way. I should at least have the guts to face you and say this but I don’t. And I’m even sorrier for what I did to you and for the pain I caused you. I never intended to do it. I was forced into it. As you know, the love a mother has for her child can be overwhelming and compelling; hence I did what I had to do.I’m not saying any of this to excuse my actions, for you to take pity on me or even consider forgiving me. I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I’ll carry the burden of what I did to you for the rest of my life. A week ago, I had told you and the others that my little boy was very ill and so I took a leave. But that was a lie.My son was kidnapped and they told me the only way to get him back was if I did the unthinkable-kill your baby. I didn’t want to do it but I had no choice. They threatened to kill my son. The day before I left, I laced your tea with an undetectable poison the kidnappers gave me
Sapphire’s POV“I’m sorry but she lost the baby.”The doctor’s words replayed in my ear every single minute since the day I lost my child. The day he had broken the news to us, I was distraught and words couldn’t even express how shattered and hopeless I felt. I felt like dying along with my baby. All of a sudden, my life stopped making sense.How did I get here? How did I get to this point? When did my life become such a never-ending pain-filled nightmare? It was always one problem or the other. Why couldn’t I just be happy and have peace for once? Why was I always a mess? Why was my life a mess?I thought back to how terrified and unsure I was to become a mother at first, given the traumatic circumstances. And then, how I grew to love the idea of having a child, of creating a life and nurturing it as the days passed. I had so many dreams for my baby. I was already coming up with names.But now, all those hopes and dreams lay shattered at my feet, broken beyond repair. They were brut