CHAPTER 136Asher sat with Noah resting quietly in his arms, the child’s tiny face pressed against his chest. His little hands clutched at Asher’s shirt without even knowing why. Asher glanced down at him and for the first time really looked. Although both parents Dna had contributed to the boy, his eyes… they were just like his father’s,Lucifer Cain.The ruthless, famous man whose reputation made even hardened men lower their heads. So this was the person Katherine had been running from all this time. The deadly Mafia.He wanted to know how she ended up with him. He had called her wife, asked for his son, showed possession and Katherine was vulnerbale. So vulnerbale and broken. Even after he left, she was still sitting in silence and trembling.Asher swallowed hard as he tried to put his messy thoughts together. The first time he heard of Lucifer, he had wanted to look for a way to harm Ethan. To set him up and fuck him up. But he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand them. They wer
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 7Kat’s chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as Luci's sinister grin seemed to falter her a little bit. The room felt suffocating and his commanding presence was already draining what little strength it was that she had left. She waited for him to answer her. And the idea of freedom dangled before her eyes like a golden carrot it was just too tempting to resist, yet the terms of this "contract" twisted her insides. Still, the alternative which obviously was a life confined to his wrath for even was even more terrifying.Luci placed the pen back on the table and stepped closer as he closed the distance between them and his dark and mischievous eyes bore into hers. His voice was sharp when he spoke, almost as sharp as a razor. "Well?" he asked in a tone that was laced with impatience. "Do you agree, or do I need to show you what defiance earns you?" He asked her. Kat flinched at the implication. Her wrists throbbed at the memory of the cuffs and her butt cheeks pinched her
CHAPTER 136Asher sat with Noah resting quietly in his arms, the child’s tiny face pressed against his chest. His little hands clutched at Asher’s shirt without even knowing why. Asher glanced down at him and for the first time really looked. Although both parents Dna had contributed to the boy, his eyes… they were just like his father’s,Lucifer Cain.The ruthless, famous man whose reputation made even hardened men lower their heads. So this was the person Katherine had been running from all this time. The deadly Mafia.He wanted to know how she ended up with him. He had called her wife, asked for his son, showed possession and Katherine was vulnerbale. So vulnerbale and broken. Even after he left, she was still sitting in silence and trembling.Asher swallowed hard as he tried to put his messy thoughts together. The first time he heard of Lucifer, he had wanted to look for a way to harm Ethan. To set him up and fuck him up. But he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand them. They wer
CHAPTER 135The house was quiet, except for the soft sound of the old ceiling fan and the gentle scratch of a cloth as Katherine wiped down the table. The scent of cleaning solution hung in the air. She hummed as she cleaned, trying to relish the moment and clear her head, before the doorbell rang.Her hand froze mid-wipe, cloth pressed against the wood. The sound came again, persistently, like it needed attention.It was just her and Asher home. And no one came here.No one should.Her chest tightened. She didn't want to do this. Not again.Day after day, boxes arrived. Packages filled with things she never asked for — diapers, clothes, money and various self care she could never afford. She wanted to throw them out, burn them, scream at the sky, but she didn’t.Instead, she let them pile up in Asher’s room, turning his space into a cramped storeroom of her trash. The Landans’ patience had run thin and she couldn't blame them. Kind people had their limits.The bell rang again, caus
CHAPTER 134“Where is she?” he demanded coldly as he burst into the house in rage. Katherine glued herself to the wall of her room as Ethan approached her like a mad dog. He had a scowl on his face. “What the fuck came for you today?”“I…I don't know ow what you're talking about,” she stuttered in fear. “Show me or you'll hate it if I have to force it from you, myself.”“What did I say about treating women, Erhan?” Asher said in anger as he strutted into the room. “show her what it is to force a woman and I'll show you what it is to train a man.”Ethan lunged for his son but he dodged. “Are you blind? Can't you see what she's doing? No one has ever tried to find us for years. But ever since she came things have been happening.”“And shouldn't that be a good thing? Or did you do something wrong? Something that you're scared of someone else discovering,” Asher taunted and smirked at them. Ethan stepped back panting heavily while Katherine leaned farther away with fear as he neared he
CHAPTER 133There was a gentle knock on the mahogany door. The deep voice from within called to enter, before the guards pushed the door apart.“You need to get those thugs you call securitymen arrested,” the dark man said in annoyance. “If they ever lay a hand on me again, I will ensure their body is laid in the ground.“Any news?” The second man said in boredom.“A never disappointing one,” the dark man said and dumped the carton of files on the table before taking his seat.“What did you find?” The second man asked before placing his cigar on the tray. “Hold on friend. I've got to step out of this or I swear my toes would get eaten by this monsters,” the man said as he quickly unfasten the laces of his boots. “These commanders got to tell me how they do it.”“Enough!” the other man said and slammed his hand on the table. “What did you fucking find?”“I found the house and exactly according to my tracking, it's situated at the end of nowhere. Belongs to some family. Who builds thei
CHAPTER 132When it's a coincidence, it doesn't repeat itself, does it?Amanda sat at the rocking chair, cooing at noah who was in her arms. The baby giggled and threw his little arms in the air playfully. The girls were at her feet playing dolls and fir the first time, she felt at peace.There was a relief. Maybe because her creep of a husband wasn't around. Noah let out a little but loud fact and the stench was abominable.“Mom!” Adelaide shrieked. “His poop is leaking out.”“Oh dear,” Amanda exclaimed in panic. “This dress costs two hundred dollars!”Katherine came rushing in at that moment from the laundry room. She picked up noah in fright. “Oh Amanda I'm so sorry…Maddy love, please fetch mom the wet tissues.”“You owe me,” Amanda said as she snatched the pack of wet wipes from her daughter.Katherine smiled painfully before hurrying away.“Let me deal with this diarrhea before it explodes everywhere….arghhh noah you stink of shit…I mean it's shit….but you stink for goodness sake!
CHAPTER 131The smell of sizzling bacon mixed with the earthy aroma of coffee filled the breakfast table as Katherine took a bite of her scrambled eggs.Ethan Landan wasn't helping either. He stirred the coffee pot beside her a little too loudly with the spoon clicking on every corner. It was so loud it drowned out the pounding in her head. She stole a glance at Asher who was sitting across from her. Nothing seemed out of place for him except the rage behind his eyes. He wasn’t meeting her gaze, rather his focus was firmly on the eggs on his plate. He knew. She knew. Amanda and Ethan were silent as well but their eyes flickered between Katherine and Asher from time to time as if they were trying to read minds or pick out anything odd.Katherine’s hand trembled slightly as she reached for her coffee mug. The sound of the cup clinking against the saucer was too loud. She quickly lowered the mug, staring down at her plate and trying to ignore the sick feeling churning in her stomach.“
CHAPTER 130“I'm sorry you had to go through all that,” Katherine whispered softly. “Opening up was really brave.”“Don't sound like you didn't make me do it,” he said jokingly.“Thank you,” she said, pressing his hand to her chest. “For trusting me.”“You know, you would make a huge sum of money if you consider therapy. Stop freaking kidding me.”Katherine pouted, trying to ease the situation. “Right? Don't you think you owe me?”“Maybe I would have,” he said, smiling wryly. “But you pushed me into talking by making me help you. More like reverse psychology.”Katherine's chest tightened. She already had all she needed. But it wasn't enough. She wanted more. “So, what do we do?”“This is the part where you act like you know nothing if you want to live long.”“Have you ever considered revenge?” Katherine asked out of the blues.“Lots of times,” he pointed out. “But God, I'm not like them.”“They have guns, don't they?”Asher scoffed. “Guns? No they don't use that here. They use surgic
CHAPTER 129Katherine took a step back, her voice soft. “I’m not playing games, Asher. I just… couldn’t sleep. That’s why I’m here. But it’s fine. I’ll leave. I’m sorry.”Before she could turn, Asher grabbed her arm, firm but not rough. “Stay. I… want you to stay. And I want you to be comfortable.”She hesitated, searching his face. “Does… comfortable mean you’re okay with being vulnerable too?”He scoffed, dropping back onto the bed. “I’ve got snacks. Could get something for you if you’re hungry.”“I’m fine,” Katherine whispered, then quietly lowered herself beside him. Asher glanced at her. “So… what is it?”Katherine rubbed her palms together, her heart pounding. She could already feel sweat on her neck. This could either save her… or end her right here.What if he was one of them? What if he smiled, stood up, and went straight to Amanda?But she couldn’t hold it in anymore.Her voice dropped to a shaky whisper, barely there. “ Before I start, I need your help and I need you to p
CHAPTER 128R circled Giovanni’s table with a frown. “We've got nothing. There's no thrill. None of what we did could bring him down. What do you want the underworld to say? That he's tougher than you?”Giovanni shrugged and leaned back against his chair, with his tobacco in the corner of his lips. “He's stubborn headed. That's the problem with Lucifer.”R scoffed, with her arms crossed on her chest. “And stubborn headed people always win.”“He settled his debts.”“So what?” R chimed In coldly. “Anyone can do that. Listen. We need something more fascinating. Very thrilling.”“And what do you think?”She grinned as she leaned in closely. “I've got something. I wasn't going to say because it didn't matter to us but oufff…a girl can't stay so long without being busy.”Giovanni turned to look at her with amusement and confusion swirling in his eyes. “What do you mean?”R leaned forward and dropped her voice to a whisper. Her lips moved silently against his ears and by the time she had pul