AUDREYNOW“That’s how Liam brought me back. He had to… and we did. But as soon as we arrived back home, there was nothing more left of his house, and his parents were gone. People didn’t know the cause, but I know.” I nodded. The tears couldn’t stop rushing to my cheeks. “I knew because it’s my fault.”“Why do you think it’s your fault, Audrey?” Gabriel’s expression was enigmatic. I couldn’t tell if it was rage, sadness, or pain. Probably it was because he didn’t expect me to be part of something so horrendous.“My father. My father happened.” I swallowed my throat dry. “He was really an evil man. I didn’t know if it was him, nor could I prove that he was to blame, but who else could do that, right? It’s not enough that he had Austin Miller murdered. He probably had killed other people. I stopped looking at my father as the hero I thought he was. Every bit of pain and misery I went through was because of him because he hated me. I don’t know why he hates me.”Gabriel shot up an eyebr
GABRIELAudrey had fallen asleep in my bed shortly after she lay next to me. Her arm was over my chest, her leg curled around mine, and her face grazed at my side. She was sleeping soundlessly, and her beautiful face serene. But for me, it was another sleepless night. But there’s one thing that finally had closure.Audrey was a victim, as I was. A victim of her father’s own scheme.However, she certainly didn’t know her father at all. Edward Hopkins wasn’t utterly broke. He was a very disturbed man. Not only did he neglect his own family, but Edward had also been dealing with illegal gambling, prostitution, and drugs for years. He sold all the Hopkins fortune, including Georgina Rossi, Audrey’s mother’s mansion, to sustain his underground businesses, including his partnership with the deceased Benjamin Scott. I was looking at his son’s background, and if Charles Scott was ever involved, I’d make sure he won’t get near Audrey again.What’s left were the reason behind Samuel’s horrid d
AUDREYSurprisingly, my Audi was available when we stepped out of Gabriel’s penthouse, and as planned, he drove his car by himself but insisted that I should have Jones drive for me.Like the normal days, I settled behind my computer and filled in some of the duties I neglected yesterday because my boss snatched me out of the office. I emailed Gabriel everything necessary, diverted important calls, and arranged his meeting schedules. Also, got his coffee, had his extra suit ready because he usually wore two different outfits a day, and answered endless calls from suppliers. I also remember we had a meeting with the creative department after lunch.“Mr. Stark’s office. How can I help you?” The call was from the lobby.“Miss Hopkins, Carla Garner is here again. She’s a manager from Exclusive Magazine, and she wants to see Mr. Stark.”“I’m sorry, Jennifer. I don’t see Carla Garner or the Exclusive Magazine in Mr. Stark’s schedule.”“I’m afraid she’s insisting. She won’t leave until she s
GABRIELThe woman in front of me was a complete eyesore. Carla wasn’t just a liar, but a fucking cheater. She sent herself to hell from the moment she betrayed me, but it seems even the devils were sick of her too.After my groundbreaking success with Stark Apparel, I tried to trust someone again, but she betrayed me when she let another cock fill her pussy. I was fucking tired of looking at her face.“I came here last week when you told me you agreed to talk to me, but you aren’t in the office. You stood me up, Gabriel.”“I didn’t stand you up because I didn’t want to talk to you anyway. What else do you want from me, Carla?”“I wanted no one else.” She shook her head.“And when you let Aaron fuck you in his office, you never thought of that?”Her expression looked tormented, just like how she had faked it all those years. “How can I make you believe Aaron set me up?”“Oh?” I raised my eyebrow. “My ex-business partner set you up when I saw him fucking you on his desk?”She clenched h
AUDREYI froze. I wasn’t expecting that. Gabriel had a fiancée? Had he ever planned on telling me?“It’s not really my place to say this, but you should just talk to Gabriel more about this matter. But you and him?” He chuckled. “Start talking.”“Well.” I cleared my throat. I was still dazed at the bomb Coulson Stark tossed to me. Why didn’t Gabriel tell me? “I’m sorry about this morning, Mr. Stark, and I’m sorry because I know he’s the boss. I don’t want it to look like—”“It’s fine, Audrey,” he cut me off. “I just want to hear it from you.”“I guess.” I looked down at my lap.“Don’t be bothered with Carla. She’s just a past case Gabriel was trying to get rid of,” he assured.“I was just surprised, that’s all.”“You have every right to be surprised, but hey, why won’t you just come with us for dinner tonight? Our parents want to see him, and it’s their anniversary today. Didn’t he tell you?”Oh, I guess that’s why he’s coming home. “Maybe I shouldn’t, Mr. Stark—”“Just Coulson.”“Cou
AUDREYGabriel stared back at me in surprise. I traced my fingers on the bumps of his chest, down the lines of his chiseled abs, to his navel, without breaking eye contact, then I lowered myself and began kissing his bare torso. Little by little, and slowly savored the taste of his skin with my lips. It still wasn’t enough. I ran my tongue over his stomach and continued the tease with a mouthful of deep kisses and licks. Even the taste of his skin was delicious.“Audrey…” his voice tensed.Promptly, I sat up again and caught the buckle of his belt, and he grasped my wrist too.He scowled. “What are you doing?”I bit my lower lip. “I want to.”He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”I nodded. “With your permission?”“Audrey.” His expression darkened. “You don’t need my permission. I’m just surprised.”The anticipation made me smile. I’d always wondered what it’d look like. I unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned his trousers slowly, but it seemed he was intolerant. He helped me undo it.“A
AUDREYGabriel was outside the entire afternoon, and after the meeting with the designers, my desk was full of paperwork. It was pretty exhausting, in a good sense. It meant I was officially the CEO’s assistant, the employees trusted me, and I was in charge whenever he was not in the office.Jacey stopped by my desk five minutes before I shut my computer down. I was only waiting for Gabriel now to return to fetch me for dinner. I hadn’t told him about Coulson’s invitation yet.“I’m really sorry, Audrey, but your signature is just as important as Mr. Stark’s, and I might need you to sign this really fast.” She placed the documents in front of me. It was the HR’s file for the upcoming sports fest on Saturday, as they were primarily in charge of arranging it, and they needed my approval.Honestly, my eyeballs felt like they were falling off their socket from staring at too many numbers, designs, and documents the entire day. “Is this urgent?”“Collins needs it tomorrow at nine.”I nodde
AUDREYThe Stark’s mansion in the Hamptons was a three-story private residence on an oceanfront. The house was obviously new, as the landscape was appealingly modern. The surfaces were white with graphite walls, had a garden and a pool, and anyone could see into the house from a distance, and the party didn’t seem to be simple as I was told as I could see many people inside. We headed towards the main door, and the guests instantly greeted Coulson while I jammed myself at his side, completely out of place and intimidated. My eyes were wandering around, looking for Gabriel instead, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.“Where’s Gabriel?” I asked in a whisper.“He was supposed to be here first,” Coulson whispered back. “I guess he’s just around or in his old room upstairs. If you like, I can find him for you.”“No, no. Don’t leave me alone.” I caught his arm and brought him close to me. “I’m not accustomed to being around too many people I didn’t know. I’ll call him.”I picked up my phone