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2025-01-02 21:39:42
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All Because I Kissed a Stranger Between Truth and Lies
CATHERINESomething soft and warm coated my body. Then strong hands cupped my head, lifting it. My eyes didn't open right away. Perhaps I was too tired to open them. I didn't know how long I had cried before curling up on the sofa and falling asleep.Someone stroked my hair, the touch gentle and slow. Maybe I should have opened my eyes by now, but nothing about that touch seemed alarming, and I… I might have needed some comfort. The stroking continued. I inhaled a familiar scent, and a faint smile tugged at my lips. Then my eyes opened. I blinked a few times before the blur of the scantily illuminated room turned into recognizable shapes.Now I knew my head was resting on Hunter's lap while he stroked my hair. I shifted to lie on my back and looked up, meeting his gaze. “Hi,” I whispered.“Doctor Sinclair told me everything,” he said, a heavy rasp in his voice. “I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner.”I rose to sit and combed my hair with my fingers. “I'm not giving up, and neither is m
Last Updated : 2025-01-03All Because I Kissed a Stranger A Risky Game
HUNTERI watched Catherine's throat work on a swallow, her face turning pale. “I want to assure you that you'll be safe there. I won't let anything happen to you.”She drew a deep breath and smiled wryly. “I just… This man… Grasso gives me the creeps. I know he cannot hurt me because I'm your wife, but I still remember the way he looked at me… like he couldn't wait to break me apart.”My jaw clenched. I wished I could tell her this man would die soon, but I knew I would have to let this son of a bitch live longer than he deserved. Lying to her was the last thing I wanted, but I knew she wouldn't understand why I'd made this deal, why I signed it with blood, and why I'd agreed to mark her as the price.I forced my lips to stretch, forming a weak smile as I cupped her cheeks. “I will keep you safe,” I promised. “Grasso's days are numbered. If everything goes smoothly tonight, he might not live longer than a week.”Her eyes widened. “And what's happening tonight?”“Among the documents we
Last Updated : 2025-01-04All Because I Kissed a Stranger Wrong Move
“This isn't a rescue mission,” Rowan reminded me. “I don't even know how we would transport all those people somewhere safe without being noticed. And where would we take them? To Lanaro?”I breathed in slowly, hoping to clear my mind, but my thoughts were too hectic. Too many things could go wrong, and yet…“We should retreat,” Rowan convinced. “There's nothing we can do here. As fucked up as it is, those cunts inside are the only ones who can help those people now.”Cries and moans echoed through the warehouse. They were suffering, begging, some ready to end their lives just to stop the pain. My insides twisted. There were more than thirty people, and most of them could die. I doubted those fuckers would have cared.We could take the guards out. If I ordered my teams closer, we could kill them one by one, but it couldn't be done without any collateral damage. In this case, doubtless, there would be many casualties. More would die if we didn't cut out those drugs from their bodies in
Last Updated : 2025-01-05All Because I Kissed a Stranger Fear
CATHERINEA knock on the door caused my body to jolt. I was up on my feet in a heartbeat and ran to open the door a second later. Sergio, the new maggiordomo, stood in the corridor, his face pale. “There was an occurrence I believed you should be informed about immediately,” he said, nervously correcting his tie.Icy shivers licked the nape of my neck. “Hunter,” I breathed out.He nodded tensely. “Unexpectedly, the place where Mr. Thorne went turned out to be a kind of a trap.”Air escaped my lungs in a rush. I stumbled back, my body shivering. “Is Hunter… Is he…”Sergio's dark brown eyes studied me for a moment, then his expression softened. He cautiously stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. “I was informed that Mr. Thorne is alive, although I do not know any details.”I pressed a hand to my chest, fearing that my heart might try to burst out. “Do you know what happened?” I managed.Sergio scratched his short, dark gray beard as if needing a moment to decide what t
Last Updated : 2025-01-05All Because I Kissed a Stranger The New Stage of the Game
HUNTERFabio surveyed the stitches on the side of my stomach and a purple and blue area stretching across my ribs. Then he looked at me, grimacing. “I could give you something for the pain, you know?”I shook my head. “I can't take anything that will dull my senses.”His lips formed a thin line. “As your doctor, I advise you not to go. I know you're not going to listen to me, but I still need to say it.”I breathed out a laugh. “Your concern for my comfort is touching. I'm almost surprised you care at all.”He shot me a look. “I wouldn't call it a concern. I merely don't like my patients dying.”I rolled my eyes. “I'm not going to die. You've just patched me up. I'm fine.”“You have a hole in your fucking stomach, which is barely beginning to heal. You have a fractured rib and a rather large cut on your leg, which you failed to mention to your wife about. I'd say you're anything but FINE.” He frowned and folded his arms over his chest.I studied him, grinning. “You DO care about me.”
Last Updated : 2025-01-06All Because I Kissed a Stranger Let the Ball Begin
CATHERINEMy breath caught in my throat. I tried to control my expression, but it was hard not to feel intimidated by the man who stood in front of us—Vito Cartelli. The resemblance between him and Dante was undeniable. He certainly was Dante's older version, but where Dante hid his viciousness under a carefully crafted mask, his father proudly exposed it in every sharp line of his face.Vito kept his eyes on his nephew, his lips twitching into something between a snarl and a smirk. Then he rolled back his shoulders and shifted his gaze to me. A cold flare appeared in his eyes, and his thin lips stretched into a grin. “I don't believe we've met. I'm Vito Cartelli.”He stretched out his hand, waiting for me to do the same. The last thing I wanted was to shake hands with the man responsible for killing Hunter's parents, but everything we did here was an act, a game we tried to play the best we could. So I let my lips curve into a soft smile as I extended my hand toward his.“I'm Catheri
Last Updated : 2025-01-06All Because I Kissed a Stranger Correcting the Deal
HUNTERI knew this was just a matter of time before Fabrizio Grasso found me. I merely finished my conversation with Luca when I caught that fucker staring at me from the corner of the hall. I studied him, expecting to find signs of shock in his expression. I saw none. Perhaps he was slightly restless but not surprised to see me alive. That only made me wonder how much he knew. Did he hide his emotions that well? Or perhaps he was no more than a dog following someone else's commands and knew nothing about the bombs?Slowly, he walked over, a faint smirk dancing on his lips. “I can only assume you checked the name you got from me the last time.”The cockiness in his tone turned my blood into molten lava. That fucker either had a death wish or truly knew nothing about the trap. Of course, this could be his trick to make me wonder, to make me hesitate… But somehow I doubted he possessed such brilliant acting skills.When I remained silent, he inched closer and lowered his voice to a whis
Last Updated : 2025-01-07All Because I Kissed a Stranger Fragile Trust
CATHERINEI could see Hunter's shoulders tense as I mentioned Grasso. His jaw clenched, and an obvious discomfort filled every inch of him. It took him a moment, but he inched closer and stretched his lips into a faint smile. “It's nothing to worry about,” he said, taking my hand in his and guiding me back to the ballroom.“Hunter.” I dug my heels into the floor and jerked my hand away. “Please, don't keep me in the dark. If there's something about Grasso, I need to know about it.”He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It's really nothing important.”“Even if it's not important, please… tell me,” I pressed.He drew a deep breath and looked at me. “Grasso believes he can get me the names of those fuckers who kidnapped you… and the name of that guy with a snake tattoo.”I gasped, studying him for a moment. “But you said you asked him about those people, and he didn't tell you anything you could use.”Hunter smiled wryly. “Well, now he thinks he can get me something.”My brows k
Last Updated : 2025-01-08
Latest chapter
All Because I Kissed a Stranger Grief
CATHERINEShe died holding my hand. She smiled faintly, her eyes closed, and she drifted into a deep sleep, one she had never woken up from. Some would say it was a “good death,” as if there could have been anything good about dying…“At least she didn't suffer,” I heard from one of the doctors. It was a small consolation, but not enough to take a single fracture of my grief.The preparations for the funeral were a blur. I shoved my emotions away until every decision I made became nearly automatic. Hunter was always by my side as I handled all the bureaucratic issues while Fifi and Ace helped me organize a small reception for those who had known my mom and wanted to pay their last respects.I knew most of them. They were Mom's old work colleagues and neighbors. None of them had been truly close with Mom, but they all respected her and loved her as a human being.They appeared in front of me, staring into my eyes as if awaiting my tears, but all they witnessed was my numbness, and all
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
