With every second that passed, the hand Paul offered became more repulsive to Belinda. She took it because she had no choice, smiling as her stepbrother led her to the dancefloor. The orchestra had begun playing another song, and they joined the other couples in the steps of the dance. Belinda tried to make it through the session by blocking out everything but the music, but Paul made that impossible. "So," The sound of his voice ticked a nerve in her temple. "this is where you went after you left." Despite not being in any mood for a conversation, Belinda kept a straight face as she replied him. "What did you expect?" She asked. "You used violence on me after I refused to throw my life away. I was hardly safe back home." "And you feel safe here?" The question held no emotion, so that the reason behind it couldn't be guessed. Belinda wondered what Paul was driving at, but she quickly decided it couldn't hurt to rub the truth in his face. "I'm under the Lycan's protection,
"Okay. Remind me what we're doing here again." Using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Lexie looked up at the skyscraper still in construction. Belinda smiled, also enjoying the view of the uncompleted structure. "What else? To sightsee."Lexie looked at her like she'd gone crazy. Sure, the building would be breathtaking once finished, but it was certainly nothing worth visiting now. Turning back to her front, Lexie studied the extremely tall height of the skyscraper. It was being built in a unique style, its floors set in a way that made them appear wavy. The construction seemed halfway done. Soon, the city of Chicago would be blessed with such magnificent beauty. "My brother was the one who commissioned it. He's spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this baby." Although Belinda noticed Lexie sharply turning to her again, she ignored it, all her concentration fixed on the budding skyscraper. In her original past, this building had ushered in a new era for Knight
Running as she struggled to keep her shawl on her shoulders, a blond woman rushed through the hallways of the hospital. She was a pretty woman, but her hair was in a mess, and her rumpled clothes made her look haggard. As she ran, she trembled, the anxiety she was feeling evident all through her body. Pausing at the doorway of a ward, she addressed the two women standing there. "Excuse me, I'm looking for James Fleming. Is he in there?" Her voice came out in gasps, as though she was out of breath, which she likely was. Instantly, Belinda guessed who she was. Considering how worried she appeared, she was most likely one of the family members who had fought for justice after the construction worker's death. Now, she could direct her energy into being grateful he was alive. Curving her lips, Belinda gave her a reassuring smile. "He is." The woman was very disoriented, her pupils which kept darting back and forth plenty proof of that. However, she did manage to bow gratefully at B
It was dark, as it was well into the night, but Lila had no trouble seeing. In nothing but her sexy sheer nightie and a flimsy excuse for a robe, she poured a glass of water for herself. Leaning onto the kitchen counter, she sipped it and absentmindedly listened to the voice raging a few rooms away. That voice had woken her up. Pulled out of her sleep, she'd felt the other side of the bed to confirm her fiancé wasn't there. Instead, he was in his study, conversing with someone on the phone. Whatever they were discussing must have been serious—he was yelling pretty loudly. The kitchen lights came on, and Lila squinted as her eyes got used to the brightness. Georgina stood at the doorway, her hand still on the light switch. "You're awake." It was a question more than it was a statement. Draining the last drops of water, Lila dropped the glass on the counter. "Your son made it impossible to sleep." Glancing out at the hallway, Georgina looked in the direction of the study. "He tends t
Belinda glanced at her phone, after which she glanced back at the sign reading May&Tom's Coffees. The name matched the one specified in the text, so she pushed the door open, entering the shop. It did not take long for her to spot those she'd come for. They waved widely at her from a corner of the café, easily drawing her attention as soon as she walked in. Returning their smiles, Belinda joined them at their table. "We're so sorry we didn't call sooner." Jane was the first to speak, apologizing as Belinda took the empty seat in the circle. "It felt wrong to simply call you on a phone, so we decided to treat you." The woman who had raced through the hallways of the hospital to find her husband, looking haggard and shaken, was completely gone, leaving this Jane that seemed to radiate sunshine. Dressed in a cute floral gown and with her hair properly combed, she appeared even more pretty. Belinda flashed her a kind grin, and assured her that it was okay they'd taken their time to
Belinda sighed as her lover nipped her lower lip, her tongue coming to lick his upper one. Their kiss was soft, the kind that progressed slowly, searing their partner with satisfaction after hardcore sex. Draven's fingers caressed Belinda's waist as he deepened the kiss, reigniting the flames still left in her body. His hand eventually slid to her bum, and she giggled as he squeezed a cheek. "You can't seriously be up for another round." She smirked as she raised an eyebrow, because she truly couldn't believe it, not after the sex they'd just had. "And what if I am?" Teasing her, Draven took her earlobe between his teeth. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Belinda curved her arms around his neck, and pressed her breasts to him. Indeed, she was exhausted, but the instant her nipples came in contact with the Lycan's bare chest, they stood at attention. She could never get enough of him. He was a drug she was delighted to be addicted to. As punishment for being so
"What?" The once peaceful atmosphere turned tense as shock coursed through Derek. He frowned, his brain delaying to process what he'd just been told. Staring wide-eyed at Belinda, he waited for her to say something. Anything. God, this was frustrating, Belinda thought, grinding her teeth against each other. How was she supposed to convince a Beta to turn his back on his pack? First of all, she was taking a mighty risk exposing herself to him, but she'd been pushed to by the encounter outside the café. Suffering defeat at Lila's hand had made her realize she needed someone on the inside on her side. She needed to know who was doing what in the Knight family, and when it was happening. Her only link to the Chicago Pack, Lexie, had been severed though, for very obvious reasons. The only other person Belinda had a friendly enough relationship with was Derek, despite their recent fallout. It was either him or no one else. "To be accurate," Belinda chose her words carefully. "I'
Dressed in a silk black shirt, a couple of its buttons opened and its sleeves rolled up to his elbow, Draven walked through the hallways of the hospital. A shadow shaded his expression, but aside from that, no other emotion was visible on his face. One hand propped in a pocket of his black trousers, he entered the private ward on the VIP floor. Derek jerked as the door swung open, and the face he saw at the doorway made him pale several shades. "My lord." His voice came out as a breathy, petrified, croak. Rather than reply, Draven took a look around the ward he'd just entered. It was clean and spacious, with every comfort a VIP patient could want. Good. There would have been hell if any expenses had been spared to make his partner comfortable. As Draven turned to the lower-ranked man, he squirmed, his fear visibly paralyzing him. Derek sat on a stool beside the bed where Belinda lay unconscious, her body bandaged in several places and a drip inserted into the vein at her wrist.
Gazing at the racks in front of him, Derek buried his nose in the crook of his arm, to protect himself from the stench of silver. Just as he'd suspected, the number of boxes had reduced by approximately half, but that still left many. Being surrounded by the one element that could permanently harm him rattled his nerves, but he'd come here on important business. As the charity gala had been a dead end, he now needed to find new clues. Regrettably, that meant coming back here. With a disgruntled sigh, Derek lowered his hand from his face and reached into his pockets. He brought out a pair of leather gloves, which he wore over each hand. Protected and equipped, he began searching through the boxes. If there was one thing that was certain, it was that the weapons weren't made in the Knight family villa. That meant the Knights were only middlemen. If he could find who the producers were, then maybe he could find the final consumers. That was easier said than done, though. In the boxes w
Lila Salvador sat in her fiancé's study, her naked right foot insolently propped on his desk, and her fingers painting her pretty toenails red. Her silky black hair had been left to flow down her back, and a corner of her gown had slid down one shoulder. She was on the phone, and held the device to her ear with her shoulder. If Paul had been there, he would have killed her for getting so comfortable in his space, but that was the thing... He wasn't there. "I still can't believe it, Erika!" Lila whined into the phone. "They came to the house as late as evening. I'm sure they could have waited till morning, I mean he wasn't going anywhere. Yet, they disrupted my dinner. Couldn't find the appetite to eat again." "The arrest is trending everywhere. Making quite a buzz too." The female voice at the opposite end of the line said. "How are you faring?" "How else? Terribly." Lila was quick to reply. She slabbed a dash of red on her big toe, then leaned back to examine it. Once
The news of the arrest of Paul Knight took Chicago by storm. Apparently, their youngest, richest, and most handsome billionaire wasn't a saint. Some didn't mind his crimes. So he hid his money away from the government, who didn't? Then there were those who criticized him mercilessly for it. They were mostly those who were spiteful towards the rich, who felt it was unfair a select few lived in such luxury and extravagance, while they couldn't afford rent. He already had so much, they said, would it kill him to pay his dues to the government? It all should have ended with this simple argument, but then one random reporter from an unknown news outlet published an article reminding people of the Knight Tower scandal. The piece was derogatory, highlighting the rich's habit of trampling on the more unfortunate populace. However, the fire that had lighted the torch was the part where he'd speculated that something terrible had happened to the righteous Fleming couple, especially as they'd m
"Maddox Hawkmore. Who is he?" Georgina felt the color drain from her cheeks, her complexion dropping several shades. Every muscle in her body went taut, straining as her pupils dilated and her parted lips trembled. Belinda's eyebrows shot up at the intense response her mother had to the mention of a mere name. She looked terrified, and that brought to question why. A second later though, Georgina Knight had re-coordinated herself, but it was too late. Belinda had clearly caught her reaction. "You do know him," Belinda stated what she already knew was true. "Who is he?"Georgina had clearly heard Belinda, but she had questions of her own. Her lips thinning, she stared attentively at her daughter. "How do you know that name?" Belinda crossed her arms over her chest. "I asked first. Shouldn't you answer before interrogating me?"Leaning from her seat, Georgina clamped a fist around Belinda's wrist. "Answer me!" Her loud voice was earnest. "How do you know that name?" The tigh
Her phone rang, and Belinda dropped her fork and knife to check who was calling. She was at the restaurant at the Lycan's building, enjoying a meal alone because she needed the peace and quiet. Unfortunately, it was being disturbed. Her eyes on the screen, she lifted an eyebrow at the caller ID. "Hello, Derek." Belinda put the device to her ear. After their less-than-amicable parting at the gala, she'd half expected to not get a call from her ex-mate for a while. Turned out she'd underestimated his maturity. But then again, they had important business together, business more important than any petty quarrel they had. "Belinda." Derek's collected voice came from the other end of the line. "What are you doing right now?" He seemed to ask casually. "Nothing." She briefly glanced down at her almost empty plate. "Just having lunch." "With who?" The reason behind his query wasn't missed, and it made Belinda stiffen, her fingers clutching her phone tighter. Derek must hav
Paul was in his office when his secretary came rushing in, his eyes wide and his voice shaky. "Sir, we have a situation." Raising his head from the documents he'd been proofreading, the alpha of the Chicago Pack raised an annoyed eyebrow at the skinny young man. "I have people I pay to handle these ‘situations’." He stated the obvious. "This one is a bit out of hand, sir." The man insisted. The terror in the boy's demeanor and the way his entire body shook was what got Paul's attention. He dropped everything he was doing and exited from behind his desk. As he followed behind his secretary, he wished he hadn't hired someone so young, so inexperienced, and so easily flustered, for such a crucial office as his secretary. However, the boy was the son of an important member of his pack, and employing him had been a favor to his father. The things an alpha did for the sake of his pack. On arriving at the ground floor of the Knights & Co. company building, Paul quickly saw what
Sparks flew the instant the two lips touched. Draven devoured her hungrily, his tongue pushing her lips apart to dive into her mouth. Fire lit her nerve endings as they kissed, their mutual passion burning everything else away. Belinda straddled him on the chair, each of her legs gripping his thighs. Her arms went up his shoulders, crossing at the back of his neck as she pressed her breast to him. Instinctively, her hips rocked against his erection, creating the friction she desired. Her bare nipple grazed against his chest as she moved, drawing a strangled moan from her. Draven had never been so hard before. It was as though every blood cell in his body had pooled at his groin. His erection strained against his trousers, thick and literally painful. His mind roared with desire for his mistress, the beautiful woman who had fallen upon him by chance. Every fiber of his being wanted to be inside her, to bury himself deep within her. A strong possessiveness gripped him then. He wanted t
What had she done? Belinda's arm remained suspended in the air, as though it was too afraid to come down. The skin of her palm stung, undeniable proof that she had indeed hit the Lycan. She reeled from the thought. She, a low-ranking omega, had hit a man feared by alphas. Belinda could see that he hadn't moved since she'd slapped him, like he too couldn't believe what she'd just done. If only he knew—she was far more shocked than he was. At that moment, a part of her was screaming for her to apologize, to plead that she'd acted rashly and hadn't known what she was doing. The greater part—the part of her that was still possessed by nerve-numbing anger—refused to do that. "I really don't get you." Belinda glared up at Draven with every bit of venom she felt. "You seem to hate me. No," She corrected herself. "you definitely hate me. Yet, you keep me close. Why? You can have any woman on earth, so why choose me? Do you really feel that I deserve to be treated the way you treat me? W
Draven heard the footsteps approach long before he heard the knock. He didn't turn as the door swung open, instead focusing on unbuttoning the front of his white cotton shirt. He didn't need to, because even under the thick floral perfume, he could smell the scent of the woman at the doorway. Belinda Knight stood with her arms folded, her hips leaning on the doorpost. She looked ethereal in her seductive royal blue nightwear, her silky hair left to fall about her shoulders, its black shade gleaming in the moonlight. Draven heard her breath hitch as he turned to her, saw her pupils dilate despite the darkness. She gazed hungrily at the patch of bare chest she could see through his parted shirt, her eyes then quickly running down his muscular form. He too, looked her over. The flimsy excuse of a gown she was wearing loosely draped over her curves, leaving little to the imagination. It exposed most of her thighs and dipped at the neckline so her breasts were barely covered. As the dress