"Sapphy!" Austin exclaimed, now fully convinced that it really was me in front of him. "It's been a while. How are you? How have you been?"I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything. I was so startled to find him here and I didn't realize until now how mentally prepared I needed to be to see him. I felt a stinging pain in my chest and I just wanted to get out of here. No, I wanted him to disappear. I hadn't seen him since Mr Donovan beat him up that night. I wondered what he was doing at such a fancy place? The Austin I knew was so frugal that he would never dream of buying anything designer. He lived and breathed used goods. He had even influenced me.Austin took three steps closer to where I stood and subconsciously, I moved back a little. He grimaced, hurt flashing in his bright blue eyes. And then he cooed, "What's wrong, Sapphy? I don't bite, you know."And all of a sudden, my voice came back. "Oh no, you don't. You stab people in the back," I huffed, clenching my fist aroun
Sapphire's POVI felt heat tingle in my cheeks the moment Eric and I locked gazes. I hadn't expected him to show up at this point, especially not in such a dramatic fashion. But seeing the anger in his eyes, I knew things were about to get even more complicated. And Austin was about to get what's coming to him."I said, take your filthy hands off my fiancée!" Eric growled and marched to where we were standing in the aisle.He grabbed my other arm and yanked me out of Austin's grip like he was tearing open a bag of chips. He finally freed me, not giving a damn about the crinkling sounds of protest my arm made. I winced in pain from the sudden hard pull but he didn't seem to notice. The only thing he cared about right now was putting Austin in his place and I could tell by how much he's seething right now.I examined Eric. His teeth were clamped together as though they were in a bitter argument and his eyes? Forget about calm and collected; they were practically shooting daggers at Aust
Sapphire's POVWe were almost at my house and the drive, like all the ones we'd had before, became awkwardly dead silent. The low rumbling of the Lamborghini's engine was all that could be heard now. It was a soft purr, like a cat's contented sigh and it grew into a fierce roar when it moved faster. The rich scent of Eric's cologne and a hint of leather lingered in the air, making my nose twitch.Eric was extremely comfortable in his seat and he appeared serious. His smooth and taut skin was illuminated by the dashboard lights. Occasionally, I stole glances at him and I knew for a fact that he caught me through the corner of his eye. And he did return the favor by doing the same thing except his looks weren't really glances; they were long, hard stares, quizzical and examining."Why are you staring at me like that?" I spoke, ripping the silence apart. "I wonder what's going through your head. You creep me out when you get like that.""What are you on about now?" He let out an exaspera
Eric's POVI stormed into my office, my face red with anger and sat in my chair. My secretary, April, trailed behind me and stood beside my desk, visibly nervous. I could see the fear in her eyes and I relished it. She had every damn reason to be scared right now. I knew firsthand how exceedingly painful building something from the ground up felt and I didn't tolerate mistakes from anyone who worked for me, especially mistakes that would cost me money."Miss Shea," I started, "Sometimes I wonder if you're running a marathon in a minefield. Do you have any idea what you've done this time? Or are you just aiming for a record in jeopardizing my sanity?"April's eyes widened and she fidgeted with her fingers. I continued, my patience wearing thin, "The contract with H.G. Publishers, April. The one worth millions? Ring a bell? Well, guess what? You managed to misplace it, like it's some cheap paperback novel!"She looked down and replied, her voice barely audible, "I..I'm sorry, Mr Donovan
Sapphire's POV"Where the hell is Eric at? Why hasn't he come yet? What's taking him so long?" I grumbled, pacing forward and backwards in my living room.I glanced at the clock on my wall. It was past 8pm and the previous day he had said he would come pick me up by 6pm sharp. He was 2 hours late! And he was the one who usually called others out a lot on tardiness. He always had so much to say about it. Look at him now!"Take it easy, Sapphy," Jamila chirped. "Girl, why are you in here acting like a bride about to be stood up at the altar on her wedding day?"I took a deep breath and sat down on a sofa across from her. "You don't understand. Mr Donovan is almost never late.""Still on the last name terms with your fiance? Interesting." She noted, giving me a funny stare."Oh, shut up. You know I'm still getting used to it."Jamila nodded quickly and replied, wide-eyed, "Which is precisely my point! Don't you think you're rushing things? You're getting married in a week's time. It's so
Sapphire's POVA look of confusion tinged with disappointment was plastered on my face as I stared directly at the stranger standing in front of me. He was like a dark mountain, towering over my little frame. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, the fabric of his black suit straining against his biceps. His dark skin glistened under the porch light and his bald head reflected the soft moonlight. He wore dark shades that covered his eyes and hid any emotion, making it impossible for me to read him. The man's face was stern with lips pressed into a thin line."Good evening, Miss Smith,"he rasped in a deep voice. "I have been assigned to ensure your safety."I blinked, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected arrival of this man. "Um... why?"I managed to stammer, my curiosity piqued.He straightened his broad shoulders, revealing a glimpse of a concealed earpiece beneath his shaved head. "Mr Donovan requested I bring you to him,"he replied, the words delivered with a detached
Sapphire's POVEric inhaled and exhaled in a way that seemed like he was having a hard time breathing. I put my arms around him and helped him up. It wasn't a very easy task, this man was taller and heavier than I was. He stood on his feet and stumbled a little. Gently, I guided him to the nearest weight bench in the room, careful not to let either of us step on the broken mirrors.I sat him and joined him, my arms still hooked around him. "Eric, what's wrong?"His lips were tightly shut and he didn't look like he was keen on saying anything. My hand grazed his bleeding knuckles and he winced in pain. I quickly shifted my attention to his wounds and got up in a bid to tend to them. I grabbed a bottle of water from a nearby shelf and a white towel laying carelessly on the floor. I moistened the towel and took his hand in mine. I began to wipe away the blood from his hands, my touch as delicate as I could manage."I've got you, Eric," I reassured him softly, my fingers working to clean
Sapphire's POVEric is such a....ugh!Why did he have to put me on the spot like that?Why did he have to tell Belinda I'd be sleeping in his bedroom tonight?Why?At the dining table, I couldn't say anything because it would seem odd that I wasn't interested in spending the night with my fiance. We had to make everything as believable and real as possible, especially in front of people associated with him. And so for that reason, I didn't object, I didn't protest. Eric knew damn well what he was doing and I had a feeling he wouldn't have let me sleep in the guest room even if I had raised an objection.I was seated on a sofa in Eric's bedroom now while waiting for him to come out of the shower. He had been in there for what felt like an eternity and I was pretty sure he wasn't intending on coming out anytime soon. I wondered what he could be doing there. Did he really take that long to shower?I let out a loud breath, feeling totally drained and casually ran my fingers through the ta
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