"Do you plan to inherit your father's business? I heard he has a very successful construction company," Indiana asked, cutting her knife through a steak that got Nadia's mouth watering.
Russell had stabbed her in the back by announcing that she was vegetarian. She forced herself to savor the sad salad on her plate as if it were the most delicious thing ever, all the while longing for some juicy steak.Nadia loved meat. She loved it so much that she would resort to eating humans if every animal in the world just happened to disappear one day."I plan to sell the company and donate the money to charity," Nadia said, munching on cow food.Everyone stopped dead to look at her, like she had said the craziest thing ever. Even Russell choked. She looked at them, instantly laughing it off and turning it into a joke that they all went along with. "My father taught me never to reveal business plans. Anyone not for us is against us."Literally. Her actual father litera"Would you help Granny get the door, sweetheart?" Kaia, her grandmother, who reminded her so much of her late mother, requested as Nadia walked out of the kitchen."Sure, grandma," Nadia said, smiling at the wonderful woman who she'd been living with for a few months now.She loosened the apron around her waist and the messy hair bun she had uptied her long flowing hair in as she rushed towards the door, wondering who it could be as her grandmother's house barely ever got any visitors.This was less than six years ago, when Nadia's life had fallen into hell, but the warmth of her grandma's love had kept her going. Before she discovered she was pregnant. Before her father died. Before she learned that the worst was yet to be over.Nadia looked through the peephole but could see nothing except a recognizable hairpin surrounded by chestnut brown hair. Wait a fucking minute.Guessing who it was, Nadia swung the door open to realize that she was right. She hated
Nadia could only guess why Chloe was fighting outside the gate of a mansion she just so happened to be in.Was she related to someone here? She hoped not.Russell paid no attention to the rabid woman. It was more like he didn't want to see her or her to notice him, which bothered Nadia.Indiana stood, dropping her napkin. "Staying any longer would keep me at a loss." Her eyes shifted to Russell. "You know how sick that makes me. Now, if you would please excuse me, I've got better places to be. I appreciated the stake."Indiana picked up her handbag, giving Nadia a clear 'this isn't over look' before walking away from the setting."Pardon her, father. She's just a bit worked up from adjusting to the new situation."Situation? Yes, that would properly describe Nadia's surfacing.She turned to look at the gate and saw that the condition had calmed down. Looking away when Russell grabbed her hand on the table, he got on his feet, alongside Nadia, and s
They were in a moving car, with a chauffeur in the driver's seat. Definitely not alone, but Russell wasn't giving a shit about it.It didn't matter if someone else was around; Nadia could never be safe with him.She couldn't control her desperate, flithy noises as he found the right spot behind her ear, her earring dropping to the ground as Russell let his insanity rip through.His intense nibbling and kissing made Nadia realize that she had been so touch-deprived. She wanted to hold back her moaning, but couldn't.He transferred his lips to her as Nadia's heart exploded in pleasure, their kiss instantly deepening. Russell was fast on her. A speed bumb was enough to break her out of the illusion, and he wasn't taking any chances.Above everything else, Russell loved how Nadia always acted like she could fight him back when he advanced on her, until he had her pinned down with his lips.Nadia grabbed his jacket, pulling him closer as heat coursed through
Nadia remained in the car, horrified, as Russell pulled his jacket over her, leaving to head out for the mansion without so much as a look back at her.Nadia didn't move for a while, trying to process the dangerous piece of information she'd just learned.Chloe was Russell's ex-girlfriend? Unbelievable. She could already imagine how everything took place as she connected the dots.Russell was still going to pay for running away as soon as he saw her shocked face. No better way to do that than to meet the man he hates most tomorrow.She'd be having lunch with Lucas, whether he liked it or not. Nadia's ultimate clue was that day, five years ago, when Chloe barged into her grandmother's house.She must've figured out who the man she ended up with was. Back then, Russell was the son of one of the biggest industries in the US and the most likely heir to the business. She must've rushed to her house immediately when she learned that. Was that why that bitch though
Russell's actions from last night stuck with Nadia until the next day. He was a sneaky bastard, but he had made so many surprising moves on her that Nadia had gotten used to it. The man's been astounding her since the very first time they met.Russell left for the company as soon as she had woken up because she heard the car leave, so that meant that no one, not even her whiny twins, could stop her from meeting her best friend, Lucas.She'd dressed simply and casually, as she didn't want to give the impression that she was enjoying her time with the rich CEO. But it was also hard to not give Lucas something to nitpick over if she went looking like a haggard princess.The driver, not the one she talked to last night, insisted he take her. Nadia didn't want to rub Lucas in the wrong way by pulling up in a fancy chauffer-driven car, but she'd agreed on the condition that the car stay out of Lucas's line of sight.She'd wondered where the chauffer she talked to yeste
Nadia ditched the car for a cab on her ride back home. She was suffocated enough as it is and couldn't stand the thought of sitting in one of his cars for even a second.She just needed some time to think.Nadia had stayed at the cafe with Lucas for an extra hour, even though she'd wanted to leave as soon as Lucas disclosed that news to her. She felt so guilty for betraying Lucas like that. Nadia didn't even want to breathe the same air as him, thoughtless of being so close to him.Nadia had no idea that their feud was that bad. She wished she knew, as it would've influenced so many of her decisions.Lucas told her that the event took place ten years ago, and though Russell had just been a teenager then, it didn't mean he could be completely excluded from it, and she was afraid that he could've had a hand in it.She hadn't known Russell long enough to make decisions about what and what couldn't have happened then. It was ten freaking years ago.Could he really have
Russell battled with his father for two years before he was allowed to go to school like normal kids. Being homeschooled in the Lane household was a traumatic experience for him, and everyone else unlucky enough to experience it.The fact that he could be homeschooled forever, if his father wanted it so, made him want to jump off a bride more times than he could remember.The thought of no escape from his father's world was the worst fucking thing that could ever happen to him. There was no fighting it if the law was under him. The fucking law always fucking was.Russell was more than glad to be unchained from one of the many traumas his father had inflicted on him at the age of seventeen. Even if his new school was a boarding academy located in the middle of the wilderness, that could as well be a cult for brainwashing innocent children.Only one percent of children from the most elite families attended his academy, and though he only had two years left to finis
Nadia had never sat down so patiently for a story, and now that she had heard his side of it, she felt guilty—gultier than she ever thought she could be.Russell's life hadn't been the bed of roses she imagined it would be, which was one of the major reasons why she hated him so much.His life had been a constant war. It was a miracle that he had survived that hellhole of a family up until now, even if he did make it out a little twisted.It was a bit dawning for Nadia to discover that her life wasn't the worst one on the planet and that even a privileged asshole like Russell had his own share of hell.She felt bad for them both. Thinking of how Lucas must've struggled, falling from riches to rags, reminded her of her own life, and damn, she didn't realize that there could be so many others with lives as dreadful as hers, if not worse.Nadia was ashamed of cussing out the world on days that things didn't go well, which was literally every day since meeting Russell, bu
It all happened so quickly.Just a moment ago, Nadia was on the other side of the desk, getting her lips passionately consumed by Russell, who didn't hold back and explored every part of her, and in the next, she was swiftly flipped onto the table, its contents spilling to the floor as if making way for their intense contact.Russell followed suit, climbing on after her as he reclaimed her lips in a fervent rebound, a surge of heat circulating through them like a raging storm.She was sprawled beneath him, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to save herself as he'd held her down in an absolute chokehold, rendering her completely defenseless to his advancements.The usually silent voice at the back of her mind, the one that typically told her to stop and escape, was now screaming in her head, setting off alarms and urgently warning her of the impending danger, Russell, like it could sense the evil intentions of the man above her.Even so, Nadia couldn't restrain herself, thoughtl
Hi, lovely readers. It's S.X. Darcy, your dear author!I know you've been patiently waiting for chapters and tolerating me, and I love each of you for it, but daily updates can only begin at the start of the new month, February.I know ten days from now might seem like evil but I assure you that you won't regret the wait. I'll do my very best to deliver only the best chapters every day. We might even be lucky to get double updates sometimes!If Odette can be revived from the dead and reborn, then anything's fucking possible. (Oops, my characters are influencing me)As my apology, I'm dropping a little chapter right after this little note. It's a little so proceed with caution. Don't say I didn't warn you. The journey has only begun.If you love my billionaire romance book, check out my RH werewolf romance, Rejection and Rebirth: Fated to the Alphas of Doom, in the meantime. You won't be disappointed.Love you.
Nadia had never sat down so patiently for a story, and now that she had heard his side of it, she felt guilty—gultier than she ever thought she could be.Russell's life hadn't been the bed of roses she imagined it would be, which was one of the major reasons why she hated him so much.His life had been a constant war. It was a miracle that he had survived that hellhole of a family up until now, even if he did make it out a little twisted.It was a bit dawning for Nadia to discover that her life wasn't the worst one on the planet and that even a privileged asshole like Russell had his own share of hell.She felt bad for them both. Thinking of how Lucas must've struggled, falling from riches to rags, reminded her of her own life, and damn, she didn't realize that there could be so many others with lives as dreadful as hers, if not worse.Nadia was ashamed of cussing out the world on days that things didn't go well, which was literally every day since meeting Russell, bu
Russell battled with his father for two years before he was allowed to go to school like normal kids. Being homeschooled in the Lane household was a traumatic experience for him, and everyone else unlucky enough to experience it.The fact that he could be homeschooled forever, if his father wanted it so, made him want to jump off a bride more times than he could remember.The thought of no escape from his father's world was the worst fucking thing that could ever happen to him. There was no fighting it if the law was under him. The fucking law always fucking was.Russell was more than glad to be unchained from one of the many traumas his father had inflicted on him at the age of seventeen. Even if his new school was a boarding academy located in the middle of the wilderness, that could as well be a cult for brainwashing innocent children.Only one percent of children from the most elite families attended his academy, and though he only had two years left to finis
Nadia ditched the car for a cab on her ride back home. She was suffocated enough as it is and couldn't stand the thought of sitting in one of his cars for even a second.She just needed some time to think.Nadia had stayed at the cafe with Lucas for an extra hour, even though she'd wanted to leave as soon as Lucas disclosed that news to her. She felt so guilty for betraying Lucas like that. Nadia didn't even want to breathe the same air as him, thoughtless of being so close to him.Nadia had no idea that their feud was that bad. She wished she knew, as it would've influenced so many of her decisions.Lucas told her that the event took place ten years ago, and though Russell had just been a teenager then, it didn't mean he could be completely excluded from it, and she was afraid that he could've had a hand in it.She hadn't known Russell long enough to make decisions about what and what couldn't have happened then. It was ten freaking years ago.Could he really have
Russell's actions from last night stuck with Nadia until the next day. He was a sneaky bastard, but he had made so many surprising moves on her that Nadia had gotten used to it. The man's been astounding her since the very first time they met.Russell left for the company as soon as she had woken up because she heard the car leave, so that meant that no one, not even her whiny twins, could stop her from meeting her best friend, Lucas.She'd dressed simply and casually, as she didn't want to give the impression that she was enjoying her time with the rich CEO. But it was also hard to not give Lucas something to nitpick over if she went looking like a haggard princess.The driver, not the one she talked to last night, insisted he take her. Nadia didn't want to rub Lucas in the wrong way by pulling up in a fancy chauffer-driven car, but she'd agreed on the condition that the car stay out of Lucas's line of sight.She'd wondered where the chauffer she talked to yeste
Nadia remained in the car, horrified, as Russell pulled his jacket over her, leaving to head out for the mansion without so much as a look back at her.Nadia didn't move for a while, trying to process the dangerous piece of information she'd just learned.Chloe was Russell's ex-girlfriend? Unbelievable. She could already imagine how everything took place as she connected the dots.Russell was still going to pay for running away as soon as he saw her shocked face. No better way to do that than to meet the man he hates most tomorrow.She'd be having lunch with Lucas, whether he liked it or not. Nadia's ultimate clue was that day, five years ago, when Chloe barged into her grandmother's house.She must've figured out who the man she ended up with was. Back then, Russell was the son of one of the biggest industries in the US and the most likely heir to the business. She must've rushed to her house immediately when she learned that. Was that why that bitch though
They were in a moving car, with a chauffeur in the driver's seat. Definitely not alone, but Russell wasn't giving a shit about it.It didn't matter if someone else was around; Nadia could never be safe with him.She couldn't control her desperate, flithy noises as he found the right spot behind her ear, her earring dropping to the ground as Russell let his insanity rip through.His intense nibbling and kissing made Nadia realize that she had been so touch-deprived. She wanted to hold back her moaning, but couldn't.He transferred his lips to her as Nadia's heart exploded in pleasure, their kiss instantly deepening. Russell was fast on her. A speed bumb was enough to break her out of the illusion, and he wasn't taking any chances.Above everything else, Russell loved how Nadia always acted like she could fight him back when he advanced on her, until he had her pinned down with his lips.Nadia grabbed his jacket, pulling him closer as heat coursed through
Nadia could only guess why Chloe was fighting outside the gate of a mansion she just so happened to be in.Was she related to someone here? She hoped not.Russell paid no attention to the rabid woman. It was more like he didn't want to see her or her to notice him, which bothered Nadia.Indiana stood, dropping her napkin. "Staying any longer would keep me at a loss." Her eyes shifted to Russell. "You know how sick that makes me. Now, if you would please excuse me, I've got better places to be. I appreciated the stake."Indiana picked up her handbag, giving Nadia a clear 'this isn't over look' before walking away from the setting."Pardon her, father. She's just a bit worked up from adjusting to the new situation."Situation? Yes, that would properly describe Nadia's surfacing.She turned to look at the gate and saw that the condition had calmed down. Looking away when Russell grabbed her hand on the table, he got on his feet, alongside Nadia, and s