Diana's white sedan came to an abrupt halt in front of Anastasia.
She has spent the entire night looking for Anastasia. She was worried and scared; she went through the footage of the club and saw Anastasia approach a man who took her away in his car, but since the distance was far, she couldn't make out the face of the man. She had to call Harold and tell him about what happened. Harold tried to keep her calm on the phone and told her he would take the next available flight and come, but Diana wasn't calm; she could sense the worry in Harold's voice. Would he be angry at her for taking Anastasia to the club? The thought made her heart skip a beat. She was only relieved when Anastasia called and asked her to come get her, but seeing Anastasia's haggard appearance now, all her worries surfaced again. âAnna! What happened to you?â Diana said getting out of the car and rushing towards her friend, who looked like she had been tortured. There were tiny bruises on her neck, shoulders, thighs, and even her exposed breasts; her short hair was messy too. âI'm fine; I'm just tired and need to rest,â Anastasia said, but added, âI will tell you everything later,â when she saw Diana was holding back from questioning her. Diana nodded and opened the door for Anastasia and said, âOkay, rest now; I will wake you once we get home.â Anastasia nodded and closed her eyes. ~~~ In the penthouse, Adrian groaned, pulling the pillow in his arms to him. âYou smell nice and soft, Simona,â he said, but his eyes shot open at the realization he was holding a pillow; Simona had left. âFuck, Simona?!â he exclaimed, sitting up, as memories of the previous night filled his mind. âFuck, he doesn't remember the last time he enjoyed sex like he did yesterday. But damn, it shouldn't have happened, and he was too excited and cummed inside her countless times. What if she tries something silly again? Knowing the number of times she tried to seduce him into sleeping with her when they were married,â he thought, pulling the blanket off to get off the bed, but his eyes fell on the blood stains on the bed. âWhat the hell? Is this one of Simona's tricks?â he said, looking at the dry blood stains. âThere is no way she was a virgin, right? Yes, she was very tight, and the way she bit him hard on the shoulder when he penetrated her? Damn it. She was still a virgin at 25,â he said with astonishment, his fingers stroking the spot that had a big patch of bloodstain. âSo he was her first,â he smirked happily at the revelation, but his smile ceased. âWhat am I even thinking? Even though it was her first, it was a mistake. I need to find her before she plans something stupid.â Adrian got out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower after calling his assistant and asking him to bring him a change of clothes. He had stopped coming to his penthouse for years now, since Helena left to study abroad. He never brought anyone there except Helena, but yesterday he brought Simona there. ~ A-LINE CORPORATIONS ~ A black Rolls Royce came to a screeching halt in front of the majestic building of A-line corporations. One of the security men opened the door for the CEO, who exited the car surrounded by his usual cold aura and walked into the building in long strides. Michael, Adrian's assistant, who was doubling as his chauffeur today, got out of the car and tossed the car key to the security man after getting his boss's items in the back seat and fast-walked to him, and they both got on the private elevator. âWelcome sir,â Linda, Adrian's secretary, greeted him when the elevator arrived on the CEO floor, and he walked out. Adrian nodded and headed for his office, followed by Michael and Linda. The moment Adrian sat on his chair, the memory of him kneeling down in front of a naked Simona and kissing her pussy flashed in his mind. âFuck,â he cursed, loosening his tie as he was feeling hot all of a sudden, and damn, he was hard. Michael and Linda shared a quick glance at their boss' attitude. Their boss was someone who put his appearance first, so seeing him loosening his tie was new to them. âSir, is there something I should get you? Or maybe increase the volume of the air conditioner?â Michael asked on seeing beads of sweat forming on his boss' forehead, both he and Linda looking at Adrian's face anticipating his answer. Adrian looked at the two faces in front of him, their heads almost hitting as they looked at him. âHow did he end up with these two idiots?' But he can't deny they were good at their work.â âI'm okay. Linda, I want you to get me the address of my wife,â Adrian said. He had remembered back at the hotel he didn't know where she lived. âYou mean your ex-wife, sir?â Linda asked, and if looks could kill? Linda herself knew where she would be right then, judging by her boss' dark expression directed at her. She nodded her head and said. âYour ex-wife it is.â and turn to leave the office. However, Adrian sat there, his heart and mind fighting. Linda's words, "ex-wife,â the term didn't sit well with him, but it was the truth. He sighed and said. âTerminate Sophia's contract and make sure she doesn't even get to work as a maid, and all the assets the company provided for her are to be seized.â âYes, sir,â Michael said and made his way to leave, and Linda entered the office with an espresso in one hand and piles of folders in the other. âYour espresso, sir,â she said, placing the mug of espresso in front of him. She arranged the piles of folders at the side and took out a brown folder, which she handed him. âThis is the madam's resume; it contains all her details. About your schedule today, you have three appointments..." Linda had not finished speaking when Adrian waved his hand dismissively, gesturing for her to leave the office. She nodded and walked out. Adrian looked at Simona's picture in the folder on opening it and remembered the first time he saw her; she walked into his office in a white skirt suit that ended at her knee; she had long hair back then and black heels. As professional as she was dressed that day, he had found her tempting for some reason. But he saw her diary by chance that she had come to the company to seduce him. So he hated her, and like the saying goes, keep your friend close but enemies closer. He kept her by his side for three years. He made things difficult for her; he always found problems with everything she did. He wanted to break her, but she never did. She was determined; she didn't even notice he had purposely been making things hard for her. There was a time he assigned one of the company IT to hack into her computer and delete the draft of a presentation that was due in an hour and the team had worked on for three weeks. He was surprised when Simona told him she had memorized it and could jolt down everything in forty minutes, and she did it in 35 minutes. He purposely leaked a line of fashion designs and blamed her since she was the only one who had access to it. But she was able to prove it was an imitation and not the original copy. So when his grandfather was stressing him about marriage and Helena wouldn't be back in the next two years, he decided to use her since she was the best candidate. But being called Mrs. Adams must have gotten to her head, so after failing to trap him into having sex with her, she told him she loved him; she must not remember since she was running a high fever that day and he had to take care of her. He wanted to use that as the opportunity to finally break her and also get rid of her. And it worked, or so he thinks? However, he enjoyed the few minutes she begged for a second chance, but he didn't spare her a glance. But that woman surprised him by proving she lied about her feelings for him and was only after his money like all other women. He was also surprised when he returned home in the morning and found out she had already left. He had heard it had started raining after he left, and she walked to the bus station in the cold rain. âCouldn't she at least wait till the rain stopped?â But he didn't care, so why was he thinking about her? What he has to do now is find her and make sure she takes the needed medication. Simona is cunning and can use the fact that he slept with her to her advantage. He stood up and made his way out of his office.Today, Simona Smith, a 25-year-old secretary at Annâs Fashion Empire who lived on the third door on the left on the tenth floor of her rented apartment, was home and didn't report to work due to a severe cold and sore throat. She was seated on her couch, clad in a duvet, hugging her knees while watching TV. Reaching for the hot ginger tea she has been sipping, she realized it had gone cold. She stood up to get another cup when her doorbell rang.âWho could it be?â She muttered to herself, putting the mug she was holding on the kitchen counter, and went to get the door. Simona opened the door and came face-to-face with the most handsome man she had ever seen. âHi, please, I'm looking for Miss Simona Smith,â Michael said, in his professional tone as he took in the appearance of the beautiful woman with a red nose standing in front of him blushing. He realized she must be having a cold with her red nose. But her blushingâwas it for him? Simona, who was blushing fiercely, tucked her hai
Three hours earlier, Adrian exited his car and strolled into the company with a furious look on his face, exuding a menacing aura that made the employees in the reception instinctively shrink back in fear. On stepping inside the elevator, Adrian shoved his trembling, clenched fists into his pockets, struggling to keep his anger and mostly his frustration under control. Each breath he took was a battle. He had thought he would see Simona, or whatever her name is; he wanted to see her, but instead, he found only the chilling void of her absence, as if she had never existed at all. With a surge of emotion, he pulled his hand out and punched the unyielding metallic wall of the elevator, a guttural and exasperated groan escaping his lips. "How dare you, Simona!" he shouted, delivering another blow, his knuckles hurting and staining red against the metallic surface. âSir, please, calmââ Michael began, standing nervously behind his boss, but his voice faltered under the weight of Adrian
Warning: The chapter contains scenes of violence, murder, and blood and may not be suitable for all readers. If you are easily triggered by any of these subjects, it is recommended that you skip them and refrain from reading ahead for your mental health. (Read at your own risk.)~~~A few hours earlier, in the enormous bedroom of a mansion located in a different country, Helena sat on the bed with a worried look on her face, holding a phone to her ear, but once again, there was no answer to her call. At that moment, her phone began to ring, and she answered.âWhat did you find?ââI found out that he spent the night in his penthouse with his wife, I mean his ex-wife,â the person on the line reported. Helena's hand clenched into a fist as she tried to suppress the rage burning inside her and asked impatiently.âWhat else did you find?ââThe woman left early, and judging from her appearance, they had sex.ââaaahhh!â Helena screamed and hung up the call, tossing the phone away angrily.Mr
It was a few minutes past midnight when the door of the enormous living room opened. Simona, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room dressed in a flimsy black nightgown, stood up on hearing her husband's familiar voice speaking, seemingly on the phone, and judging by the gentleness of his voice, it was obvious who he was speaking to. Acting like the fact that her husband, even though it was a contract marriage, was conversing with his first love at that hour didn't hurt, she tried to push those thoughts aside. Taking a deep breath, she approached him, her heart beating nervously as she reached for his bag, a small attempt to improve the growing distance between them. âYouâre late again. Busy at work?â Simona asked, her voice calm yet laced with an underlying tension. She knew that without her interruption, Adrian wouldnât abandon the conversation that had completely absorbed his attention. Adrian glanced at Simona for the first time since he got home. His gaze traced the
~ Two weeks later ~ The club was in full swing, with neon lights flashing on and off, loud music playing, and bodies moving to the beat on the dancefloor. But 25-year-old Simona was feeling the complete opposite of everything. However, she has managed to put on a strong facade to hide her inner turmoil. But judging by the way her best friend sitting across from her was looking at her with a worried expression, she realized she was doing a bad job at hiding her pain. âCheers to finally getting divorced!â She suddenly exclaimed, lifting one of the glass shots in front of her up; she gulped it down, feeling high from the number of tequila shots she had already taken. That was the sixth or seventh shot she was taking, but it still hurts. She wants to forget, but everything reminds her of him, making it impossible for her to stop thinking about him. He had laid down his rules; she was to be his substitute and contract wife for two years; he would provide her with everything; he would
The moment Adrian got to his penthouse bedroom, he pins Simona against the wall and began kissing her hungrily. He bit on her lips, slipped his tongue into her warm, sweet mouth, and sucked every corner of her mouth. As the kiss prolonged, he realized Simona wasn't responding. âIt was almost like she didn't know how to kiss.' He thought but shook his head. âSimona is 25 years old; there's no way she was inexperienced; maybe it's because she was drunk; that's why she wasn't responding,â he thought and pulled away when he saw she was out of breath. âTurn and let me help you out of your clothes,â Adrian purposely said; he wanted to see if Simona was faking being drunk. She proved him wrong when, instead of turning around, she wrapped her hands around his neck. âAdrian, I love you,â she said, and it must be the heat of the moment, but Adrian replied, âI love you too,â without realizing. He turned her around and pulled up her dress and unclasped her bra. He turned her around again and