Sapphire's POV "Oh, is that so?" I asked Mr Donovan, rolling my eyes, my facial expression evident enough to indicate how bored I was already of this neverending, nerve-wrecking conversation. "Yes," he said simply, his hand still tightly encircled around my wrist that felt way too small in his strong hold. "Well, in that case, I'm not interested. I have no interest or whatsoever in being your wife. Do you hear me?" I told him straight to his face. "Even if I tell you we both stand to benefit from this partnership?" In that instant, one of my brows arched and oddly my muscles relaxed a bit. "What do you mean by that?" "I'll explain everything, tigress. Just get in the car."I looked at him without blinking for a while and then darted my lingering eyes to his car. We were standing in front of his car and my eyes reeled over it. The Veneno had a large grille at the front which was flanked by two narrow LED headlights. "Fine," came ripping out of my lips and immediately, Mr Donova
Sapphire's POVI hustled down the hallway of the city hospital, my heart pounding and my brain sending ice-cold tremors coursing through my veins. I felt my intestines clenching and the pit of my guts being weighed down by a painful gall. I almost couldn't believe it when I got the news. Ruby had slumped and slipped unconscious last night!I raced through the familiar building, the hospital was a large, modern facility with sterile white walls and floors that gleamed under the bright fluorescent lights. The air was as always heavy with the scent of disinfectant and the sound of beeping machines and rushing footsteps echoing down the long, sterile hallways.It bustled with activity and as I kept rushing through the place, I felt my mind being thrown back to 5 years ago. I had always detested hospitals not just because the smell made me gag and want to throw up in my mouth but also because I had only ever had bad memories here. The last time I was in this very hospital, it was a month a
Sapphire's POVMr Donovan had offered to drop me off when I got the phone call about Ruby being admitted at this hospital but for some reason, I turned him down and insisted on coming here alone. And I thought I did but I could see now that I was wrong. He had followed me all the way here and had even gone as far as covering all the medical expenses.How the heck did he find out about Ruby? Did he speak with Doctor Anderson? Of course, it must be, I thought. Mr Donovan must have gone to the doctor while I was sitting with Ruby, drowning in my thoughts to settle her medical bills. But why did he do that?Mr Donovan's eyes caught mine and the look on his face revealed he'd realized that I had found out about what he did. He took his eyes off me and returned them to the girl who was with him. She looked way younger than I was and was dressed like she had absolutely no business being in a hospital or any place alike. She was a busty strawberry blonde girl covered in tattoos from her neck
Sapphire's POVRuby's eyes flickered as she sat up on the plush king-sized bed, her little fragile fingers clutching the pink satin sheets. Her back was propped up against one of the fluffy pillows I had put in that spot and her blonde hair had been styled into a neat bun by Gwen. The doctor had said she could be moved into the VIP room before the operation and hence, I agreed in a heartbeat.I was certain being in such a luxurious, first-class hospital room would make her ecstatic and I was right. She loved every inch of the place. She couldn't believe her eyes when we moved her here and I couldn't either. The room was decorated in soft pastel colours, with a large window overlooking a beautiful garden. The walls had beautiful and colourful paintings fit for a girl her age and posters of some cartoon characters were plastered on them, adding a cheerful touch to the place.Ruby had woken up in the morning a few hours just before Gwen and Jamila had arrived. I told them how Mr Donovan
Eric's POVI met Chanel a week ago at the gym and she had been eyeing me the whole time. I didn't bother resisting the signals she shot at me, there was no need to. I walked up to her and took her number and the rest was history. We linked up a few days later at one of my family's restaurants which she picked and we ended up fucking in the toilet. While we got down and dirty, I didn't realize how long it had been since I was in between the thighs of a woman.Chanel obviously couldn't get enough of me after that day and she pestered me for another date. I agreed, took her shopping and afterwards, she insisted on getting laid again. I agreed in a heartbeat and booked us a hotel room. The moment we got there, she threw herself into my arms and pushed her body against me as we began sucking faces instantly.She had her arms tightly wrapped around me, her plump lips locked on mine and her boobs pressed against my chest like a warm, silken blanket. She raked her hands through my hair, clutc
Sapphire's POVTaking in a deep breath, my feet led me through the familiar building. I strode through the office, greeting my former co-workers mostly with a soft smile and a nod. April's eyes widened the instant they landed on me and she stood up from her desk to pull me into a tight hug."Sapphire! It's so good to see you!" She boomed, still holding me tightly in her arms.I stood half frozen and then tapped her back, signalling her to let me go. She released me and the smile on her face was as wide as ever. I forced myself to shoot her a smile as well but it couldn't match the one she had on. I didn't know why I felt this way for sure but something about April gave me the creeps. And I found her smiles fake most of the time."It's good to see you too," I responded, clenching my fist around my purse."I missed you so much, Sapphire. You have no idea," April tittered, her eyes scanning the place to make sure the boss wasn't close by, I supposed.I countered her comment with an incre
Eric's POVI watched Sapphire's eyes move back to the papers, her hands clutching them harder. She read through the contract again, particularly, that same paragraph and had her brows furrowed in confusion, her mouth parted slightly. It was entertaining to see her squirm a little, unsure of what she was getting herself into. I'd be a freaking liar if I said I didn't enjoy making her uncomfortable and pushing her to see just how much she could push back.I leaned back in my seat, stretching my hand on the desk, and smirked at her. "Well, Tigress, it seems like you're pondering on the most interesting clause of our little agreement. Don't worry, darling, I'll make sure you find our bedroom duties quite... fulfilling."Sapphire's cheeks flushed slightly and she shot me a glare that could have melted steel. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Mr Donovan. I didn't sign up for some romantic escapade.""And why is it that you seem to have a problem with performing your duties as my wife in the bed
Sapphire's POV"Oh my God! Shut up!" Jamila screamed on top of her lungs, getting up from the couch that we were both seated on. "Are you for real?""She can't be for real," Gwen answered and turned to face me. "You're joking, you have to be. There's no way that you can possibly..."I shook my head and said calmly, "It's true. I'm getting married to Mr Donovan."I straightened myself on the couch and placed my hands on my laps. Breaking the news to my friends was probably one of the hardest things the contract required me to do. I was not allowed to tell anyone the truth behind our marriage. It didn't give me the permission to tell a single soul that Mr Donovan and I were only going to be married for a year and that it was purely business.This was a difficult task for me because it was one thing to lie to their faces and it was another to actually make them believe that lie. And knowing them, they would never believe me especially Jamila since everything was just so sudden. And even
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