Josh opens his mouth, but the words refuse to come out. A sharp breath fills his lungs before he clamps them shut, forcing himself to swallow the storm of emotions threatening to spill over. His fingers twitch against his thigh, a barely perceptible movement, but one that betrays the internal war raging inside him.I watch him silently. I can feel the tension radiating off him. I shift my gaze from him.We left the hotel and soon we arrived at the airport, the ride was peaceful but I was feeling tired.We came down from the car and entered the airport.Soon we settled in Josh private Jet.Josh shifts beside me. I see it in my peripheral—the slight movement of his hands, the way he grips the armrest as if grounding himself. I should look at him, should acknowledge his presence, but I can’t bring myself to. Because the moment I meet his eyes, the moment I allow myself to see whatever emotion lingers there, I know I’ll break.A soft sigh escapes my lips, almost too quiet to hear. Almost
Josh’s grip tightens around his phone, his knuckles turning white as his eyes scan the screen. His breath is steady, but the fury burning in his gaze is unmistakable. He puts his phone inside his pocket.I reach for my phone, my fingers shaking as I unlock it. My stomach plummets when I see the notifications flooding in. The screen is a blur of headlines, each one more cruel than the last. My heart skips a beat as I open the first post. My breath catches in my throat.The anonymous post, which has already gone viral, is a fake congratulatory message that twists the truth with venom. It’s not just aimed at Josh, but at me as well. Mocking, belittling, and exposing things I’ve always feared would come to light."Congratulations, Josh, on your engagement to Ivanna. Though, I must say, it’s surprising. Not because she’s not lovely, but because we all know the truth. How can someone who doesn’t even know how to read be worthy of the Williams name? But then again, Josh has always had a thin
He didn’t answer right away. His fingers drummed against his knee, his gaze fixed out the window as if searching for something beyond the glass. Finally, he turned to me, his eyes dark and unreadable."What if it is?" His tone was sharp, daring. "Will you still go ahead with the marriage contract… or will you leave?"My breath hitched. He wasn’t asking for my understanding. He was testing me, wanting to see if I would look at him differently now.The scandal was everywhere—the revelation that he wasn't a legitimate son of the Williams family. Everything he had built, everything he had fought for, was now under fire. But beneath his composed exterior, I saw a storm raging inside him.I felt pity for him, but I needed help more than he did. What did it matter to me whether I was dealing with the legitimate son or not?"Not really," I said, my voice steady. "Let’s forget about it."Josh’s grip on his phone tightened. His piercing gaze stayed on me, watching, as if trying to figure out wh
As soon as Josh ends the call with Kenneth, I desperately try to explain myself. “Josh, I thought we talked about this. I wasn’t with Kenneth; I actually—”But before I can finish, he cuts me off coldly. “No need to explain, Ivanna.”His voice is like ice, sending a sharp chill down my spine.Undeterred, I lean closer, my hands instinctively clasping his arm. “Josh, it was just a school hangout.”A dry, humorless chuckle escapes his lips as he finally turns to look at me. The amusement in his eyes isn’t warm—it’s cruel.“Before you left, I received a text from Kenneth stating my fiancée would be in his bed any moment now.”My heart feels heavy and sinks. I stop breathing for a second. I feel like someone is pushing a big weight onto my chest.My face turns red—not from guilt, but from frustration. “And you believed him?”Josh stares at me in silence, his jaw tight, his shoulders squared, as if bracing for impact.The silence between us is uncomfortable. It feels like a big storm is ab
“You won’t regret it,” I whisper—but the second the words leave my lips, Josh is on me.His mouth crashes against mine again, his lips were hot, hungry, desperate. His kiss steals the air from my lungs, and I give in, melting under him. His hands are everywhere—rough, demanding, sliding under my dress.I gasp when his fingers graze my skin, the heat of his touch sending wild shivers down my spine. He grabs my thighs, lifts me like I weigh nothing, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I can feel him. Hard. Needing. Just like me.He walks to his room direction with his lips still on mine, he kicks the door open. It slams behind us.“Josh…” I moan, not even sure if I’m begging or warning him to slow down.But he didn't stop. He growls low in his throat, throwing me onto the bed like I’m his long waited food, like he’s been starving for me. I land on the soft sheets with a gasp, heart pounding.I’ve never seen his room before… and now I’m laid in the middle of it.The sheets are soft bene
The words alone sent a thrill straight to the deepest part of me. My cheeks flushed—not just with shyness, but with a desperate kind of arousal I couldn’t hide. My body betrayed me, arching up toward him like it was begging for more.Josh hovered above me, his eyes dark and burning with desire. He wasn’t rushing. No—he wanted to savor me. His gaze traced every inch of my skin, and I felt completely exposed... worshipped. It made me squirm, but I didn’t want him to stop. I needed him to see me. To crave me.“You’re so damn beautiful when you tremble for me,” he murmured, voice husky against my ear. The tip of his tongue flicked my earlobe, and I shivered, breath catching. “I want to see that again. Again and again.”My fingers curled into the sheets as his hand drifted slowly down my side, brushing my heated skin with torturous precision. He studied my reactions, every gasp and every stuttered breath like a reward. And God, I wanted to give him more.His lips found the curve of my neck
His hands were fire on my skin—rough, claiming, unrelenting. One moment I was breathing, the next, I was gasping, pressed beneath him like he was trying to fuse our bodies into one."You're mine now..." Josh growled against my neck, his voice a low thunder that vibrated deep in my core. His breath was hot, his lips trailing down to my collarbone, where he bit and kissed in the same breath—possessive, primal.I moaned, helpless to the way his body commanded mine. Every thrust was a declaration, a claim that made my legs shake, my fingers claw into his back. He was a storm, crashing into me with raw need. And God, I loved the way he broke me apart.My body arched, meeting every powerful movement, every deep stroke that pushed me higher. He kissed me like he was starving, his lips devouring mine until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began. His tongue tangled with mine, as if he needed to taste every sound I made.“Say it,” he murmured into my mouth, hips slamming forward. “Say you
The phone was still pressed to my ear when Josh’s father said coldly, “I think I’ve given you enough time to think.”His words hung heavy in the air, slicing through the silence of the kitchen like a blade. I clutched the phone tighter, my fingers trembling as if the device itself had turned into ice. My heart thudded against my ribs, each beat loud enough to drown out the soft hum of the refrigerator.I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat nearly choking me.“I—” My voice cracked, and I hated it. I hated how weak I sounded. “I love him.” It came out more like a whisper, fragile and scared.There was a pause. A heartbeat. Then that same cold voice, sharper this time: “That’s irrelevant. You knew what this was. You’ve had enough fun. Now it ends.”I could feel the sting in his words. Like venom.Why was this man always on my neck? Was it a crime to go to college? To fall in love and be played by his so-called son Kenneth? To exist in a world where I had to work twice as hard for half
Josh's father gave him a hard stare as he said, "Josh, watch your tongue. I have always cared about you."Josh scoffed, loud and bitter, like a laugh stuck in his throat."Cared about me? How?" His voice cracked, but he didn’t care. "You claim to care and my mother's death still remains a mystery. You claim to care—how many times did you even spend with me while I was growing up? You claim to care, yet you went ahead and re-marry that devil of a woman."The room felt like it had dropped ten degrees. Silence hung for a split second before it shattered with a bang."Josh, watch your tongue!" his father roared, slamming his palm hard on the table. The glass of water beside him rattled, almost ready to spill. My heart jumped at the sound, but Josh didn’t flinch. Not even a blink.I looked at Josh, my face pale, hands curled tightly by my side. I didn't say a word, but my eyes followed every twitch in Josh’s jaw, my lips parted like I wanted to stop him—but I didn’t dare.Josh stood there,
As soon as those words left his mouth, before I could even process them, he threw a file across the desk. It landed in front of Josh with a loud, accusing slap. The flap flipped open, and I caught a glimpse of the bolded words printed across the top—Deeds of Transfer.My chest tightened.Deeds of transfer?I shifted slightly, trying to peek at the contents, but Josh’s hand closed over the pages before I could get a proper look. His posture remained rigid, but the slight twitch of his jaw told me he was just as stunned as I was.His father—Mr. William—looked at me then. Really looked at me. Not like I was a person, but something else entirely. Like a stain he couldn’t scrub clean.His lips curled in distaste. He shook his head slowly."You," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear. "Still here."Josh scoffed and held the file up."So what’s this about, huh? You want me to transfer my property to Kenneth now? Is that it?"Mr. William didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. In
Josh answered the call without a word. I watched his face, waiting for some kind of reaction. He didn’t give me one. Just silence. Then, out of nowhere, he grabbed my hand tight and pulled me out of the room like we were running from something.Before we made it out the door, he turned to the stunned staff and barked, “Nobody touches those dress. And do not attend to anyone on this room without my consent .”The entire room fell dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. The energy changed in an instant—thick and cold. Everyone froze, eyes wide and confused.Sophia smirked like she knew something the rest of us didn’t. Kenneth crossed his arms and looked too smug for my liking, like he was waiting for this moment. I didn’t like the way they were acting. It made my skin crawl.As we walked out, I felt Sophia’s stare burn through my back. It wasn’t just a look—it was loaded, like she’d said a thousand things in her head and wanted me to hear them all. My heart pounded. I didn’t dare turn a
Josh rises from his seat slowly, but there’s something in the way he moves that makes everyone pause. Conversations die mid-sentence.I feel my chest tighten as I watch him. He doesn’t look at me. He’s walking—no, gliding—with that kind of quiet command that makes it feel like only he has the right to speak. His eyes are locked on Sophia.He walks toward her—not in a hurry, just calm and steady. But there’s something in his movement. Like every step carries weight, like he’s made up his mind about something big.I feel it in my chest, in the way the room seems to hold its breath. It’s not loud. It’s not dramatic.But it’s serious. Real.And it makes my skin prickle.My breath catches in my throat.Sophia turns sharply when she notices him approaching. Her smile flickers—then fades. She tries to hold her ground, but her arms cross in front of her chest.Josh stops right in front of her.His voice is calm and level—but I can hear the edge underneath.“Or maybe… one of you is just a fool
Kenneth and Sophia were standing there at the doorway.My stomach twisted in that all-too-familiar way—the one I thought I had outgrown. But no—here came another trouble. I sighed in frustration.Josh looked at them and then turned sharply to the staff. “Does anyone come in here now without my permission?”The woman froze like a deer in headlights. Before she could reply, Kenneth strode in with that effortless arrogance he wore like cologne.“Easy, bro,” he said, grinning. “Didn’t realize you were guarding the door like a bouncer now.”Josh’s nostrils flared. “Then maybe you should start realizing a lot more.”Kenneth glanced around, hands in his pockets, acting like everything Josh said was trash.I stayed where I was—halfway between stepping out and staying hidden. My breath caught in my throat. Not out of fear. Not even sadness. Just… frustration.Sophia was silent, her eyes flitting across the room like she was taking mental notes.Josh turned back to Kenneth, eyes sharp. “What ar
The woman standing in the doorway is strikingly beautiful, with a well-sculpted face that looks like it belongs in a magazine. Every angle of her features is perfectly balanced—sharp cheekbones, full lips, and eyes that seem to flicker with something just beneath the surface.Her dark hair is pulled back in a neat yet effortlessly messy bun, and she wears a simple outfit that looks expensive in the way only truly high-end clothing can. It’s casual, yet she carries it with a quiet confidence that makes it seem like she’s the one who owns this place, not the other way around.She stood on the doorway for a while, almost like someone who doesn't need an invitation to step into the room, but she still waited for one—from Josh—before she could fully come inside.From where she stood, she took a moment to glance around, her gaze moving from person to person, before looking back at Josh. I watch his body freeze, his eyes going wide for the briefest second, and then he covers it, quickly scho
I dragged myself into bed like a ghost moving through her own skin.Josh’s phone call didn’t matter. At least, that’s what I told myself. Over and over. It was none of my business. We weren’t that kind of couple. We weren’t even a real couple. And yet…My chest tightened.I wasn’t supposed to be involved. I wasn’t supposed to feel this... close. This tangled. This curious.But I was.Too curious. Too attached.It was stupid.I curled up on one side of the bed, staring into the shadows, his words from earlier echoing in my mind—the part about his childhood. His father. The silence in his tone. That tight edge that only comes from carrying years of hurt and pretending it never mattered.He must have been so lonely, I thought.Something in me ached at the idea. Josh always looked so composed—like nothing could shake him—but there were cracks. If you paid close enough attention, you’d see them. And now I couldn’t unsee them.I turned again, burying my face into the pillow.His father's wa
I tried to form the words, to say something—anything. But my mouth felt dry, like it had been drained of all moisture. The tension was suffocating, my heart racing as my mind scrambled for something to hold onto."Yes, I’m fine," I finally managed to croak out, the words barely more than a whisper. I forced a smile that didn’t reach my eyes, praying he wouldn’t notice the storm raging inside me.But of course, he noticed.His gaze, once directed at the TV, snapped to me like a hawk zeroing in on its prey. The shift in his attention was instant, piercing. Josh stood up slowly, his movements deliberate as he strolled toward me. Each step felt like a drumbeat pounding in my chest. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My body froze, locked in place as if my feet were nailed to the floor.Before I knew it, he was standing in front of me—just inches away, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. The space between us seemed to shrink, suffocating me with his presence. I inst
The phone was still pressed to my ear when Josh’s father said coldly, “I think I’ve given you enough time to think.”His words hung heavy in the air, slicing through the silence of the kitchen like a blade. I clutched the phone tighter, my fingers trembling as if the device itself had turned into ice. My heart thudded against my ribs, each beat loud enough to drown out the soft hum of the refrigerator.I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat nearly choking me.“I—” My voice cracked, and I hated it. I hated how weak I sounded. “I love him.” It came out more like a whisper, fragile and scared.There was a pause. A heartbeat. Then that same cold voice, sharper this time: “That’s irrelevant. You knew what this was. You’ve had enough fun. Now it ends.”I could feel the sting in his words. Like venom.Why was this man always on my neck? Was it a crime to go to college? To fall in love and be played by his so-called son Kenneth? To exist in a world where I had to work twice as hard for half