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Fight or Surrender
Last Updated:
2024-11-27 20:23:46
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All Because I Kissed a Stranger Jeopardy
HUNTERLeaving New York again was against everything I had planned those weeks ago. Chasing after a snake-tattooed guy had taken away the time I needed to prepare Catherine for what was about to happen. I knew she could talk back if she had to, but that wouldn't be enough to face those who had been schooled on how to become first-class assholes all their lives.I might have played it all wrong. Certainly, I needed her unconditional trust and devotion, but those treats would be useless if she got herself killed. A part of me hoped that the wedding would somehow go smoothly, but nothing in my life ever had. It was wiser to prepare for the worst.As most of my men had been working to secure the estate, Rowan and I had gone to find the fucker responsible for killing the kid. Rowan had received another hint, and we went to Pittsburgh to check if it could lead us anywhere. It hadn't led us anywhere, though. It was another dead end. We couldn't afford not to check that lead, but this call ha
Last Updated : 2024-11-28All Because I Kissed a Stranger Out of Control
CATHERINE“Bait…” I breathed out as my mind tried to process everything Hunter had just said. My head began to spin, and a high-pitched tone rang in my ears. I drew a deep breath and then another one. Someone tried to kill me. Someone planted a bomb to kill me! How was I supposed to leave this room knowing all this?! I wasn't sure if I could even stand on my damn two feet!“Focus, Catherine.” Hunter snapped his fingers, and I almost jumped in my seat. “You need to calm down. Now.”“Easy for… you to say,” I choked out.He grabbed my chin, forcing me to face him. “You can curse me later, but right now, you will listen and do as I say.”A shudder ran down my spine. He had never used such a cold, emotionless tone on me. Was this the true face of a man I was supposed to marry? Had I fallen for a fucking lie? Something within me snapped, and suddenly I couldn't determine whether I was scared, hurt, or pissed. Perhaps it was the combination of all three.“Normally, I would have prepared you
Last Updated : 2024-11-29All Because I Kissed a Stranger Till Death Do Us Part
I was still trying to figure out what had happened in that room fifteen minutes ago. The special task Hunter had given me should have pushed me to the verge of panic. But panic was nowhere to be found. Instead, I felt strangely focused and calm. A blush formed each time I thought about the reason behind it…I couldn't have been more grateful that Fifi and Ace decided not to comment on my state when they returned to my room. Of course, Ace barely stifled a laugh as he helped me smooth all the delicate layers of my gown. Fifi fixed my makeup quickly, but we no longer had time to tie up my hair.“Shouldn't your personal maid be here, helping us?” Fifi raised her brows as she looked at me with a wry smile.“Gianna took a few days off,” I explained. Truthfully, I found it a little strange since it was Marcello who had told me about it. He'd said that Gianna was sick, but she'd looked fine the day before. I couldn't help but think it was yet another one of Marcello's ways to mess with me. Fo
Last Updated : 2024-11-29All Because I Kissed a Stranger Mrs. Thorne
My face hurt from keeping my faint, polite smile plastered as the mercilessly long line of guests congratulated Hunter and me on our marriage. My back muscles burned from holding my posture as straight as possible. Not to mention that this little crown on my head was getting heavier by the second, and even lifting my chin had become a struggle.“You're doing great,” Hunter murmured between shaking hands and listening to insincere praises. “It'll be over soon.”“I sure hope so,” I grunted and saw him stifling a laugh.Thankfully, I was able to memorize the ridiculously long list of guests, the information about their families, and their connections. I even separated them into groups based on what I had learned. The first group was the less important families, mostly too weak to stand a threat. In the second group, I placed all the families that either openly supported Hunter or could have been called potential allies. The third group was where I put those with rather hostile attitudes
Last Updated : 2024-11-30All Because I Kissed a Stranger Countdown
HUNTERI watched my firecracker in awe. She kept her expression blank and her chin high, calmly observing her father and his wife walk away with their heads low. Catherine might not have realized that yet, but more than a few people watched her interaction with the Duncans. They evaluated her strength, deciding whether or not she was someone easy to mess with. She passed the test flawlessly. She had proven she could use the authority she had been given. I knew that act cost her, but I would not let others see any cracks in her mask.I stepped closer just in time to pull her into my arms as she stumbled. “Careful, firecracker,” I murmured against her ear. “I know you're tired. It'll be over soon.”She turned to me, her chest heaving and falling at a fast pace. “I… I humiliated them,” she breathed out.I could see that righteous side of her crawl out to the surface, but I wouldn't let her feel any remorse. “You did what you had to,” I told her. “And you were fucking hot while doing it.”
Last Updated : 2024-12-01All Because I Kissed a Stranger Hostility
CATHERINE“God, those Blandini bitches just sit there and glare at us.” Bella Rossi clicked her tongue and folded her arms across her chest.She was one of many Mafia Princesses at the wedding, but so far, she was the only one who seemed genuinely friendly. Her family had been engaged in a few business projects with Hunter's father back in the day, and Hunter had been doing some business with Bella's father as well. Certainly, I would have never put my guard down around someone I had just met, but my instincts were telling me that this cute-looking girl with curly brown hair and large brown eyes was relatively safe. Besides, Fifi had known Bella before, and she liked her. Perhaps I was starting to like her too…“Those idiots are just jealous,” Fifi huffed, and Bella nodded in agreement.“Sure they are.” Then she not-so-discreetly pointed at the tall one with shoulder-length chestnut hair. “Especially the oldest, the one in the middle. Her name is Daniela, and she used to brag that she
Last Updated : 2024-12-01All Because I Kissed a Stranger Fighting Fear
My breath caught in my throat. What was Dante doing here? And where were the guards? If there was anyone Hunter's men would have immediately marked as a threat, it would have been him!“Cousin?” Daniela breathed, her eyes widening. “You want to help HER?! You can't be serious!”I hated to admit it, but she took those words out of my mouth. There was no way Dante wanted to help me. He had no reason to. If anything, I could bet he wanted to use this situation to screw me over. Not to mention that his mother was Blandini. His cousins should have been the ones he sided with, right?Dante gave Daniela a cold smile, and she stumbled back. I had no idea what kind of game he was playing, but I sure as hell wanted no part in it. Then he grabbed Daniela's hand, rubbing the spot where the thorns protruded from her skin. She cried and jerked her hand away. “Are you crazy?! That hurt!”The smile he gave her made my stomach churn. “I didn't think you're such a crybaby,” he purred.“S-she's injured,
Last Updated : 2024-12-02All Because I Kissed a Stranger Under Attack
HUNTERIt took Dante and his men twenty minutes to turn my wedding into a fucking war zone. We could have easily avoided it if it weren't for some fucked-up sentiment for the old times and the old rules. As the future Don Cartelli, I was supposed to respect those rules as if they were the utmost sacred law… or rather the only law that applied to us. But those rules didn't grant us peace. They brought bloodshed.No one in their right mind would invite enemies to their homes, but somehow it was expected of me to welcome all those at the top of the food chain. As if I needed their presence to sanction my marriage. As if I needed their approval to know my actual strength. As if I needed them to witness and acknowledge that I met all the conditions my grandfather had written in his will.We all knew what it was. This was a test… and a chance for our enemies to defeat me on my own ground. Certainly, we could have prevented the attack… to some extent. He had monitored the area, but we couldn
Last Updated : 2024-12-02
Latest chapter
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Talk to Her
HUNTERTen days had passed since Mrs. Lewis had woken up. Catherine had spent nearly every minute of the day by her side. I couldn't blame her. Their time together had been cruelly limited. I had seen Catherine's smiling face—the mask she had created for her mom. And then I'd seen her crying in some quiet corner of the hospital. I knew this situation had been taking a toll on her, and I could do almost nothing to help her…The renegades had gone silent. After everything that had gone down in my LA club, they had yet to make a move. While my wife sat at the hospital, I spent long hours analyzing and rewriting all our strategies, hoping to prepare my people for every possible attack. We might have known more than before about the renegades and their true power, but our knowledge was still insufficient, and slowly our common sense was giving way to the overwhelming frustration and anger.“Fuck this!” Remo growled, shoving a pile of paper folders off the table.“Would you calm the fuck do
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Accepting the Inevitable
The probability of Mom's operation succeeding was ten percent or less. Doctor Sinclair gave Mom a few hours to decide, but I already knew what her answer would be.Bitter laughter bubbled in my throat. How pathetic my bold declarations had been. I'd promised myself I would fight for her. I had been confident she would fight, too. But no victor would leave this battlefield. The choice she had was between likely dying within hours during the operation or simply waiting for the death to claim her…Unsurprisingly, my mom demanded Hunter stay out of her room. I couldn't blame her. If she were to accept him, it would require time… something we didn't have.As more time passed since she had woken up, her strength seemed to return. Superficially, she looked almost healthy. A gentle blush covered her cheeks, and her eyes shone as I remembered. She even moved and talked with more ease. But seeing every element of this façade only brought more pain…“I don't want to die on that table,” she final
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Waiting for the News
CATHERINEMom's words still rang in my head as I sat in the corridor, waiting for doctors to finish another series of her tests. I'd told her I would leave Hunter only if he hurt me. She had called me foolish and nearly kicked me out of her room.I knew she meant well, even if her methods were harsh. She was trying to protect me. She thought she needed to protect me from Hunter. I'd wanted to tell her I would always be safe with him, but as I'd started to speak, all my confidence had disappeared.I knew Hunter kept secrets from me. I'd known him long enough now to see the slight changes in his expression. It appeared each time he wasn't honest. I'd seen this change in Chicago after I'd asked about the meaning of the red-haired stranger's words.I was nearly certain he had lied to me then. Of course, I tried to tell myself that perhaps the stranger's words meant something insignificant, and he had said them to mess with my head, but a second later, my mind returned to his suggestion th
All Because I Kissed a Stranger The Ticking Clock
HUNTERI wondered if Catherine's mother had truly known my father or simply heard stories and all kinds of nasty rumors about him. I wouldn't have called him ruthless, but everyone had known he'd been a part of the Mafia world. I could understand Mrs. Lewis didn't want someone like Nicolas Thorne's son around her daughter. Too bad she didn't know that her daughter had already sunk into our world and she was becoming a part of it, too.Despite Mrs. Lewis's obvious lack of acceptance, I didn't want to leave the hospital. Catherine needed me around, even if her mother would never fully welcome my presence. Besides, we waited for the test results that would tell us more about Mrs. Lewis's condition…While Catherine and her mother talked, I found a conference room I could use and arranged my inner circle's emergency meeting. I had to know if the bugs we planted on Grasso were still working or if we had managed to get anything useful.We were running out of time. We needed answers, and we n
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Promise Me
CATHERINEI barely remembered the flight from Chicago to New York. I vaguely recalled Hunter holding my hand and repeating that it was going to be OK. I didn't know if I believed him or not. A frantic mass of thoughts swirled inside my mind, their weight slowly crushing my insides.“Breathe, firecracker,” I had heard him say several times, but the suffocating feeling remained.I felt guilty because I wasn't there. I hadn't been there to see her opening her eyes. I might have said it out loud since Hunter suddenly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.“Don't blame yourself. You couldn't be there all the time, and you'll see her soon,” he murmured, kissing the top of my head.I had remained in his embrace throughout most of the flight, as if I could have fallen apart if I hadn't. At one point, someone—probably Hunter—told me I should change my clothes and wipe off my makeup, so I did. I doubted I would have even thought about it otherwise.Once Hunter's private jet
All Because I Kissed a Stranger The Message
HUNTERFury hummed in my veins, awakening all the violent urges. I had made a mistake trusting that Augustin would handle all the issues concerning Nox Aurea. Surely, he had failed to notify me he hadn't been doing the job he had been fucking paid for, but I wasn't without guilt either. I should have seen the problem sooner and fired him.I had bought this place nearly six years ago. I had changed roughly everything about the old club and reopened it, turning it into a profitable business. Yet there had always been problems here and there, and some things—like the owner of the neighboring building—had been harder to fix than others.The alarms in the basement had been cut off. Why? Because Augustin—who would soon become the ex-manager—had ignored my order to replace the old system with the improved version. For that, I debated ripping him to shreds. That, unfortunately, had to wait…My eyes zeroed in on the fucker tied to a chair. He was dressed in a gray fitter's uniform with the nam
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Messing With My Head
Hunter released my hand and inched closer to Augustin. “Are you telling me there's a bomb in the club?”The manager winced. “Not quite… I mean, there might have been a bomb if the fucker armed it. One of the guards interrupted him, though.”I wasn't sure if I should feel relieved. The fact that someone entered the club with the explosives was terrifying enough.Hunter raked his fingers through his hair. “How did he enter the basement unnoticed?”“Well… you know we still have an issue with the owner of the neighboring building. Two weeks ago that fucker broke a hole in the wall on the basement level. We sealed it, but as we can see now, not well enough. Our wannabe bomber used that hole to get in,” Augustin explained, wincing.Hunter worked his jaw, processing his words. Then he asked, “Why didn't the alarms go off?”“We're still trying to figure that out,” Augustin muttered, rubbing the nape of his neck.Hunter muttered a curse. “Tell me you at least caught the bastard.”Augustin nodd
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Feverish
CATHERINEHad I crossed the line? Had I officially gone bad this time? I had let the wicked side of me take the lead and savored every second of the terror in Calvin's eyes. After Calvin and weeping Naomi had been dragged out of the club, I heard the crowd calling me the Red Queen, as if I were walking around the club, shouting, “Off with their heads!”I would have lied had I said it didn't make me nervous and uncomfortable. I began to second-guess my decision. Maybe I should have just ignored them and waited for some godlike powers to grant them the fate they deserved…No. Enough was enough. Calvin had not only been a cheating scum but also tried to harm me, sent Giulio to rape me… My hands fisted as I recalled those moments. A part of me wanted to tell Hunter I changed my mind and wanted someone to drag Calvin back and beat the crap out of him.My nervousness lasted a few more minutes and ended as I finished my second drink. The tension finally disappeared and my party mood slowly cr
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Her Payback
HUNTERI followed Catherine's line of sight. She was staring at one of the alcoves, her eyes locked on the two people sitting on the sofa. From where I stood, their faces were obscured by the shadows. Catherine, however, seemed to know exactly who they were.I stepped down from the dais and lined up with her. Only then did I understand what made her frown and clench her fists. That cunt, Calvin Rollins, was splayed on the sofa, drink in hand. A slim blonde in a slutty glitter-covered dress was sitting on his lap. I might have seen her in Thorn Club once or twice.I wrapped my arm around Catherine's waist, pulling her to my side. “Your shitty ex lost his wife somewhere, I see.”She gave me a wry smile. “Fifi told me Calvin is trying to divorce my sister.” Then she pointed at the blonde bimbo. “And that's Naomi, one of Portia's besties, or rather, an ex-bestie.”“Now I remember her.” My lips curved in disdain. “I saw her the night we met, right? She was that dumb bitch who came to me af
