CHAPTER 125“Okay I think I'm a bit jealous of your newfound relationship,” Katherine muttered as she sauntered in with the warm milk bottle.Asher was seated by the bean bag, cooing at the baby in his arms. Noah giggled, showing off his newly attained milk teeth. “I always knew I was going to be one of his favourite person's,” Asher bragged.Katherine sulked. “That's not fair. I carried him in my stomach for nine months and this is how he pays me back.”Asher took the milk bottle from Katherine’s hands and placed the nipple into the boy's mouth. Katherine watched in joy and silent pride.“You see,” he started, gazing down at the boy lovingly. “Boys can't help but be really close to the male gender. Someone they see as their dad.”“Now, that's a very untrue theory,” Katherine pointed out. “They tend to be close to their mothers. The girls always chose their dads.”“Or, that is how you convince yourself?” He teased.Katherine sulked. “It's a very popular discourse.”“And it's not exac
CHAPTER 126Lucifer had waited for days. He knew someday the couples were going to use his card again. And they did. Every damn day after that.Almost every day after that day. They kept making purchases, payments and withdrawals like they had all the money in the world. His money.Lucifer clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the phone as he checked the latest transactions. These two were comfortable. Too comfortable.And that pissed him off.Two things nagged at him; one, where the hell was Katherine? Two, how did those nobodies get their hands on her card? Did they kidnap Katherine? That seems impossible. They don't seem like people that would pull a job like that. He had considered bringing the police into this but that was a waste of time. This wasn’t their problem.It was his.And he wouldn't want to scare them, they were his only lead to Katherine and he had to follow it up with kid's gloves. He dialed a contacts number. “Hello. Now is time, Find everything on them
ONEKatherine's head was spinning and her eyes were half closed as she went around the kitchen, trying to get dinner ready as quickly as possible so that she could go to bed. As she stirred the broth, her shoulders ached badly from all the cleaning and scrubbing and mowing she had been doing throughout the day for the rich family she worked for, and the noise coming from the living room did nothing to help her aching head.Her step-father, Ivan and her step brother, Wilson were arguing yet again over Wilson's recent fight that left him brutally wounded and almost arrested, and she forced herself not to listen to Ivan chiding his son for gambling away money that he had even stolen.She didn't feel strong enough to intervene and be the peacemaker this time but when she heard the crashing sound of wood and the banging of the front door, she knew she had no other choice.With a sigh, she turned off the stove and cleaned her hand on a napkin but when she turned towards the door, she gaspe
TWO Lucifer, adorned in an immaculate white shirt which was opened at the collar, sat at the edge of his desk with his legs crossed at his ankles, eyes dark and droopy, his presence alone oozing power.He twirled a large Havana cigar between his index finger and thumb as he watched Katherine's sleeping body. His eyes ran through her perfect body as she lay on the couch and he unconsciously imagined her tied to a bedpost.With a slight tilt of his head, he silently ordered the guard standing by the couch to wake her up which he did by splashing some water on her face.Katherine muttered something in her sleep and blinked many times as she slowly sat up.A corner of Lucifer's lip curled up in a smirk, displaying his dimpled left cheek, as he watched her childish reaction to the disturbance.Katherine rubbed her eyes and yawned as she tried to recall everything that had happened and why her room seemed so different, but when her eyes landed on the blurry figure of a tall man staring int
THREE"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Lucifer roared, already storming out of his room.The elevator seemed to take too long to get him up to his office and he fought hard to keep still."We just saw the…"He hung up before Antonio could finish his statement, knowing fully well that the elevator would not be able to contain him and his ferocious anger if Antonio said anything more.Red and boiling with rage, he flung the door of the room open to see three of his men staring in his direction like confused idiots. There was a flicker of fear in their eyes as he advanced closer.Lucifer looked around the room and put the pieces together within seconds; it was obvious that she had removed the curtain from the window and pulled the bedsheets off, tied them together to form a long strong rope and then tied one end of it to the immovable legs of the bed.Lucifer's anger grew as he traced the makeshift rope to the window where she had escaped down from."How the hell did this happen
FOURBeing gone for about two months now, Katherine now felt safe enough and did not have that alarmed look in her eyes anymore.She was constantly searching the faces of the men on the train she usually took back to the ghetto where she was now squatting in with a girl around her age who had offered to house her as long as she brought back food daily from the cafe where she now worked.Even though the manager of the cafe had initially refused to hire her due to her frail stature, Katherine pleaded to be given two weeks trial after which she was hired due to good reviews from the customers.She had dyed her blonde hair jet black and had even cut it to her nape length to avoid being easily recognized.But as the days went by, her strength seemed to slip.She was constantly losing her grip on objects like trays and glasses and her eyes swirled without warning every now and then, yet she forced herself to work extra hours to provide for her basic needs.She strongly believed that if Luci
Chapter 5Lucifer took Katherine home and carrying her in his arms, he led her down a narrow corridor to a place she didn't know. It obviously wasn't the same room she had been kept in when she was here. Katherine didn’t resist, even as her heartbeat quickened in her chest. She already knew how gravely she had offended him so she didn't say a word. She would be lucky if he locked her up, she thought. "Do you realize the gravity of what you have done?" Lucifer's raspy voice asked as it echoed through the corridor while they went. Katherine remained silent. She didn't want to say a word. Her eyes were already heavy with unshed tears at her flopped escape from him. Here she was again, back at his house and now at his mercy. When they reached a heavy wooden door, Luci opened it to reveal a room that was oddly furnished. The room was quite dark with very low lightings. It was stylishly furnished with what Katherine recognized to be chains, ropes and implements that made her stomach chu
Chapter 6Seven days just passed like a blur of pain and silence for Kat alone in the playroom. Her body ached from the punishment and the bruises on her skin. Luci sure had taken his wrath on her. She had by now grown accustomed to the cold and empty room alongside the ever present scent of leather and sweat that floated staly in the air like a cloud. Every creak of the door had her bracing up for another session of agony. The door opened and Luci walked right into the room. Seeing him again, she flinched back as she braced herself for the whipping that she knew would come. But nothing came. Instead he stepped into the room with his usual commanding presence as his piercing eyes locked in on her. She instinctively flinched as he approached as she expected from him the familiar sting of the whip. But instead, he walked up to her with slow and deliberate steps and stopped just in front of her. He squatted toward her and she reflexly shifted backward, but to her horror, he started tak
CHAPTER 126Lucifer had waited for days. He knew someday the couples were going to use his card again. And they did. Every damn day after that.Almost every day after that day. They kept making purchases, payments and withdrawals like they had all the money in the world. His money.Lucifer clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the phone as he checked the latest transactions. These two were comfortable. Too comfortable.And that pissed him off.Two things nagged at him; one, where the hell was Katherine? Two, how did those nobodies get their hands on her card? Did they kidnap Katherine? That seems impossible. They don't seem like people that would pull a job like that. He had considered bringing the police into this but that was a waste of time. This wasn’t their problem.It was his.And he wouldn't want to scare them, they were his only lead to Katherine and he had to follow it up with kid's gloves. He dialed a contacts number. “Hello. Now is time, Find everything on them
CHAPTER 125“Okay I think I'm a bit jealous of your newfound relationship,” Katherine muttered as she sauntered in with the warm milk bottle.Asher was seated by the bean bag, cooing at the baby in his arms. Noah giggled, showing off his newly attained milk teeth. “I always knew I was going to be one of his favourite person's,” Asher bragged.Katherine sulked. “That's not fair. I carried him in my stomach for nine months and this is how he pays me back.”Asher took the milk bottle from Katherine’s hands and placed the nipple into the boy's mouth. Katherine watched in joy and silent pride.“You see,” he started, gazing down at the boy lovingly. “Boys can't help but be really close to the male gender. Someone they see as their dad.”“Now, that's a very untrue theory,” Katherine pointed out. “They tend to be close to their mothers. The girls always chose their dads.”“Or, that is how you convince yourself?” He teased.Katherine sulked. “It's a very popular discourse.”“And it's not exac
CHAPTER 124(Six months later)Lucifer sat in the corner of his office with a pipe in his mouth and shade on his face. He skimmed through the document before him before picking up his pen to sign.Antonio stood across from him, his arms folded as he watched. “You really want to do this? That’s a hell of a lot of money, even for you.”Lucifer didn’t look up, rather he turned his head to the side and puffed, tapping the pen against the paper before pressing it to the page. “It’s just money,” he muttered, signing with a slow stroke. “I can always make more.”“But—”“No buts,” Lucifer murmured. “He already kept his end of his bargain. I have to keep mine.”Antonio sighed and watched as his master closed the document. “All done. I'll need you to send a Copy to him as soon as you can.”“How about the Cassius?”Lucifer shrugged, smoking hard from his pipe. “They are in foster care and getting good treatment. I guess we're done with that phase.”Antonio nodded and took the document with a bow
CHAPTER 123“Enough!” Amanda said when she finally tore them apart. “Can't you see She's in pain? Have you both lost your sanity?”Asher panted as he wiped his blood stained mouth on his arm. “Yes I can see. What she needs is a hospital.”“We can't take her to the hospital,” Ethan countered. “Yes I agree,” Amanda said as fear crept into her voice. “Because of what you all did, yeah? Now you're letting your mistake rub off on someone else,” Asher mocked. “Nothing better happens to her.”“We can't expose her to the public,” Ethan said, rubbing his hands together. “They'll ask questions at the hospital and we haven't got that kind of money on us.”“You're just scared you'll get caught and get arrested by the cops.”“Shut up!” Amanda screamed. “I'll do it. I've seen a lot of videos online.”“You're not about to experiment with someone's baby are you?” “I'm going to push,” Katherine screamed. “God…”Ethan held Amanda by the shoulder. “Babe, you can't do it.”“I can,” she said, slipping
CHAPTER 122Amanda stepped out of Katherine’s room, shutting the door behind her quietly. She barely moved before the muffled cries from inside reached her ears. Katherine’s ragged, pain-laced sobs echoed through the hallway.Her stomach twisted.“We've got a problem,” she announced, her voice heavy with worry. The two men rushed to her. They could still hear Katherine’s muffled cries.“What's going on?” Asher demanded, his chest rising and falling with anger, with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes flickered to the door where the wail was coming from. “And why the hell did you leave her alone? You know she's in pain don't you?”Amanda sighed, lifting her hands in utmost exasperation. “Shut up for goodness’ sake, Asher! I said we have a problem.”“What kind of problem?” Ethan asked.“She's—” Amanda swallowed, forcing the words out. “She's having a baby.”Asher’s mouth parted slightly. “What?”“That's not possible,” Ethan muttered, breaking into cold sweat. He shook his
CHAPTER 121Something was wrong with Katherine. It wasn't just the dull cramps that had been plaguing her all day, nor the strange, twisting discomfort that made her insides feel like they were being scraped raw with a thousand scalpels. It was like a bad omen and it sent a feeling of dread down her spine. She ached everywhere— her shoulders, her backs, her legs. It was like she wanted to tell and sit and cry and lay down at the same time.She had forced herself to sit at the dining table, her fingers trembling as she lifted the fork to her mouth. The moment she chewed, nausea engulfed her and her stomach clenched in protest. The potato tasted like paste on her tongue, and for a second, she thought she might choke.She swallowed hard as she struggled to keep her breathing even. She pushed her fork into the potato on her plate, lifting it for a second bite.Across the table, Asher’s gaze flickered to her again. He had been watching her for the past ten minutes with concern in his eye
CHAPTER 120Wilson’s head snapped to the left as another vicious blow landed across his face, sending a sharp wave of pain through his skull. His lip split further as blood dribbled down his chin and stained his already ruined skin.His breath came out ragged, almost too painful to bear. His arms were bound behind him with chains that dug deep into his wrists, leaving bruises under the layers of grime and dried blood.The almost dark room reeked of sweat and rust and was unbearably hot. He shut his swollen eye and his ribs ached with each breath. A kick to his side caused his body to slump forward but the chains kept him upright.To offend them the more, he grinned through bloodied teeth, defiance burning in his eyes. “Go ahead. Hit me again,” he spat, with blood pooling at the corner of his mouth. “Doesn’t change a damn thing. I want to see my father.”The guards exchanged unimpressed glances, unimpressed, before one of them raised his fist again. But before the blow could land, the
CHAPTER 119Riley pushed open the door without knocking, her frustration overriding courtesy. The dim light from the bedside lamp barely illuminated Antonio’s room.“Typical him,” she murmured as she strode in, a grocery bag in hand.Her eyes scanned the space. There was no one there. She walked around. Maybe she should just lay and wait for him to come or perhaps she should play some games.She took her time before deciding to go to his work table. She picked up the figurines and nodded in amusement. Her fingers trailed the documents she knew she shouldn't dare mess with, and locked onto a notepad sitting on the desk with the pages slightly ajar. She ignored it but the lines on it caught her attention. Without hesitating, she picked it up, flipping through hastily scribbled notes, dates, markings and trails leading to God knows.The door creaked open behind her, causing her to jump and drop the note.“What the hell are you doing?” Antonio’s voice was sharper than intended while his
CHAPTER 118Katherine stilled, her eyes watching him as confusion hugged her like a blanket. “Huh?”“Forget it,” he murmured. Her spoon hovered over the ice cream as she glared at him. “That's an asshole behaviour and just so you know, I do not like it.”“Sorry I brought it up. I don’t want to unnerved you.”“Well you already did,” she sulked.“Are pregnant women usually like this?” He asked in curiosity. “This has nothing to do with my pregnancy,” she scolded. “Why does everyone blame it on hormones.”“I feel so hot from the anger you're radiating,” he said."I mean it makes no sense. Why does everyone seem to have a problem with my name and clothes?" she muttered, suddenly exhausted.He exhaled slowly. "Okay, first of all, upsetting you was never my intention.”“I've heard that twice,” she pointed out.“It reminds them of someone," Asher said without emotion.She frowned. "Who?"He hesitated and then gave a small smile. "Don’t stress over it."“If you didn't want to speak about it