City skirt, Dawson Villa.Suffering a thunderstorm, the sky pure dark. Except for the glimpses of lightning. The city’s dim glow hides behind the foggy rain, seemingly warmer than usual, especially to someone who is wobbling in front of the cold iron gate of a villa.Like Catherine right now.She has been waiting for hours. Hugging herself tight to stop shivering, Catherine paces around to keep her numb limbs warm. She didn’t know the storm would be this bad, but then again, she would be here even if she did.She has no other to turn to.A sharp honk startles her. She turns, raising her hand to her eyes as the blinding car lights pierce through the water curtain right onto her face. The iron gate opens with a loud shriek and the car starts, as if it only stopped for the gate, not for her.Ten feet. Five feet. One foot. The car moves, and the woman doesn’t.The car stops for the stubborn woman.The driver’s window rolls down, and the man sticks his head out, only a little.“Throwing yo
“Yes, Mr. Moore,” The driver pushes his thin glasses up with two fingers, answering with a flat, swift tone, “That’s Catherine Quinn, her father is Quinn Corp’s former director. The one that died in the car crash this month.”“So that’s the famous Queen C?” Damian Moore curves his lips slightly. His posture relaxed, all but those sharp eyes. They are nailing on the girl, like a predator spotting the perfect prey.“Hero in the hour of need is good timing for making an acquaintance,” The driver observes his boss’s look carefully.“Acquaintance?” With a smirk, Damian mumbles, narrowing his eyes dangerously, “How about take into possession?”“Sir?!” The driver raises his eyebrows in shock. Even when facing an odd order like pulling over in the middle of nowhere, the driver maintained his straight face.Damian meets the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror. An evil smirk crawls onto his face.“The old man says he wants a daughter-in-law, then he threw Ava out of his house because she is il
The ointment is on top of the first aid kit. With skilled moves, Damian dissolves it between his hands before he cups her ankle.Catherine can’t help but shiver. The expected pain doesn’t come though. It’s the hot palms of the man and his gentle touches that tickle her heart.“Does it hurt?” The man frowns, looking up to search for her eyes, “It would get worse if the clot doesn’t dissolve. Bear it with me, kitten.”His bass luring and his touch gentle. Catherine darts her eyes away. How she wishes blushing was a function the body could control.Damian Moore, the most distinguished bachelor in the city, the playboy who always has women around but never tainted with a shred of sour rumor.This is why.He is more deadly than other predator. You can escape harm, but not when you lose your heart.Catherine just pray he rescued her tonight out of pure kindness, and not--“Go take a warm shower,” Damian puts away the kit, holding out a hand in front of her, “you don’t want to wrap up the cu
Ever since the “Ava incident”, Damian’s marriage has been a taboo topic in the family.“As parents, we see women around you in different lights,” Daisy says with a cautious tone, “he is just looking out for you.”“He didn’t need to call her a bastard,” Damian says with a smiley tone, but his eyes get colder.“That’s not what he said,” Daisy sighs, “He was saying that she was brought back to the Knight family when she was older, and that makes a difference. I’m not judging her life at the orphanage, but if she acts like one, then I will call as I see, too.”Damian’s lips curve into a cold, evil smirk in the dark room: “So even if an orphan, so long as she grew up in a rich family, then she’s okay to marry?”“Damian...” Daisy sighs.“Hey, mom, can you hear that?” Damian smirks again, his tone light as if the darkness in his eyes a moment ago was never there.“Hear what?”“The sound of the shower stopped,” Damian says mischievously, “if you want, I can take this one home?”“...Damian!” D
Be his.Catherine hears the sound of her heart blooming.Knowing this man is bad news is one thing, hearing his luring voice forming such a sentence is still nice. Pleasure is pleasure.Twisting his question, Catherine leans into his arms, mimicking his whisper: “Tonight I am all yours, and yours only.”One million just might be the highest price for a night, even in this golden town. Satisfying the customer is her responsibility.“Smart is good,” The man taps her chin up, his half smile not hiding the coldness in his eyes, “but you don’t want to be too smart.”Her rejection upset him.He might extended the offer half-mindedly, but men like him don’t like hearing a no.Instantly a dangerous feeling grips Catherine. Not sure how she got herself on the back of this tiger.She knew she shouldn’t have come back with him.“Our last deal is not done yet, Mr. Moore,” Catherine smiles, brightly though with distance, “why subscribe before the trial expires?”So long as she can get through toni
“I can sweeten the deal,” Catherine strokes her hair to the back of her ear, locking the fear of dealing with a devil deep into her heart, “you take care of my mom’s bill, and I will be at your call, for as long as you want.”“Sweeten the deal...” The man tastes her words slowly on his tongue,“So, to you, being a call girl is better than taking the title of Mrs. Moore?”Coldness shades his voice at the insulting.“Better, for YOU,” Catherine’s eyes sparkle with mischieving, “you get all the fun and none of the responsibility. Isn’t that sweeter?”“Sex is ALL the fun in a marriage?” Damian pulls the girl’s face close to his in a rather rough move.He is too good a predator to miss the well-hidden fear in her watery eyes. But then, restiveness covers the fear altogether--“Why? Is Mr. Moore’s love also on the table?”The man narrows his eyes dangerously. The grin on his face widens, but a shade of evilness infests.“Not too many dares to be this bold in front of me. So I guess conversat
The girl’s sulking mock gets a laugh out of the man.“Name one better,” Damian challenges, teasing the irritated kitten.The Moore family owns lands more than anyone can fathom. An old money’s power doesn’t lie in just the wealth. But in their resources. Half of the politics, business, and even laws are friends with the Moores. Yet Damian started his own business on his own, before taking the throne of the whole media business.Who suits the queen of the city more, than its king?Leaving a safe distance from the man, Catherine puts on a harmless smile, her scarlet lips separate to a pretty curve: “Anyone.”Damian narrows his eyes dangerously at the wild cat waving her claws.Boys have followed her around since she could remember. All wealthy, all handsome. And most important of all: they all want her.More than Damian at least.Taking a deep breath, she finds her confident posture again, looking at the man in the eyes first time this night: “I don’t want to marry you...please.”“Give
The secretary took good care of Catherine, dropped her at the hospital, and even offered to accompany Catherine, but Catherine refused. She doesn’t want to spoil Damian’s hospitality--Anything she takes from him is a debt she might not be able to afford.Then she regretted after only five minutes--Seeing two guards in black suits at her mom’s ward, Catherine’s stomach drops as she dashes forward.“Miss Catherine! Thank God you are here...” Victoria exclaims when she sees Catherine, worried into tears.There is one man in the room, and his presence nervous Victoria so much that she doesn’t even know where to put her hands.Victoria has been Catherine’s nanny since forever. Though Catherine couldn’t afford to hire her now, Victoria insisted on staying to help for free. She is the only one who has been helping Catherine ever since Catherine lost everything in the car accident of her parents.“It’s okay, Victoria,” Catherine takes her hands and gives her a reassuring grip, “Uncle Jacob