Jayden's povAs she left, my lips curled into a smirk. Her confidence was absurd, almost laughable, but honestly, there was something intriguing about it. "She really doesn't know what she's getting herself into." I smiled. Even though I understood her reason to be desperate to leave this place, I had decided to make her regret this decision once she was out of here to teach her a lesson because of her confidence.Despite being impressed by it, if she had that same confidence and determination, she might have moved on and left the life behind instead of waiting to beg for my help when she was running away. Who knows? She might not have ended up here at all if she had that same confidence."She thinks I'm doing this just because of her," I chuckled.She probably realised I enjoyed our time together and thought she could use that to her advantage. Sure, I did—there was definitely something about her that drew me to her. But did she think she had control over me? I chuckled under my br
Mirabella's pov The day had arrived—the day the club’s products as we were called would be paraded like cattle and sold to the highest bidder. I stood among them, heart pounding as I tried to hold onto the sliver of hope that Jay would come through for me, just as he promised. My entire fate hinged on it. I didn’t even know if I was being put up for auction because of him or if something else was at play. Lucy had told me only girls who had been here for at least six months were sold, but here I was, barely three months in, and about to be auctioned off. The uncertainty gnawed at me, but it was all I had left—a desperate hope that he would be my savior.The hall was dimly lit, but I could see them clearly—the buyers. They were scattered across the seats below, their eyes fixed hungrily on us like predators. I felt their lecherous stares crawl over my skin. "They are not even ashamed of this,” I hissed under my breath, eyes narrowing in disgust by how brazen they were. There wasn’t
Jayden's pov Zayn had called to let me know that Ariana had left the hospital, insisting she could not spend another night there and causing quite a scene.Worried, I jumped in the car and luckily found her at a nearby bus terminal not far from the hospital.At first, she refused to get in the car, but after a few minutes of convincing, she finally agreed."Why don’t you care about your health? Don’t you realise the doctor didn’t want to discharge you for a reason?" I broke the silence as I drove her home.I knew there was no point in trying to convince her to go back to the hospital—her mind was already made up."And here you go, pretending to care again," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I don’t care what you think about whether I care, Ariana. I just—" "Do you realise nothing you say or do will make me go back?" She raised her eyebrows at me.When I asked why she was in such a hurry to leave, she said it was because she had not been able to reach Fred, whom she was on her way to
Mirabella's povAs soon as we pulled up to Jay's mansion, I couldn't help but take in just how rich he really was. Everything about the place screamed wealth, and it made sense how someone like him could make the kind of orders that got me out of the Aphrodite Club. Zayn, who said he was Jayden’s personal assistant, had driven me to this massive, stunning house."Hello," a woman in an apron who looked like the maid, greeted us as we stepped inside. "You must be the lady of the house," she said with a smile.I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. "Lady of the house?" I chuckled, but I nodded anyway."You're welcome. Shall we head to your room now?" She asked me, still beaming in smiles after we had introduced ourselves to each other.Excitement had been running through me the moment I stepped outside the club. It hadn’t faded, and I felt even more at ease after Eunice’s warm welcome. Her hospitality felt like a sign that I was finally accepted, free from that nightmare.After she men
Mirabella's povI knew where this was heading. I had been prepared for it. So, slowly, I stood and walked toward him. As I moved my hand to his shoulder to make the first move, he suddenly gripped my wrist, sending a jolt of pain up my arm as he yanked me closer. The force of his pull sent me stumbling forward as my knees hit the edge of the table. I winced, both from the physical pain and the cold detachment in his eyes. "Get on your knees," he commanded, his voice low and menacing. He then grabbed me by the hair, yanking me down to the floor with brutal force. I cried out, but he only tightened his grip, pulling my head back, so I had no choice but to look up at him. "You will learn your place," he growled, his breath hot against my ear. He released my hair, only to immediately grab my chin, forcing my mouth open. I struggled, but his strength was overwhelming. He leaned in closer, his eyes boring into mine as he spoke, each word dripping with venom. "You want to thank
Mirabella's pov"Did it truly happen? Is this what I've signed up for?" The questions clawed at my mind as I lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. My body ached in places I never thought possible, a sharp reminder of the pain I'd gone through last night.I buried my head in my knees, hugging them tightly, trying to muffle the devastation that roared inside me. The images of last night played on repeat, haunting me. I had cried until sleep finally took me, and now, the tears threatened to start again."How had this happened?" I wondered. It was Jay—the same Jay who has made my body sing at the club, whose touch had been a perfect blend of heat and need. But last night… last night felt like a mockery of that memory. He was not the same. It was as if a demon took over him.But despite everything, a small flicker of hope crept in. Maybe something was wrong with him. "Maybe a business crisis had triggered that brutal side of him. After all, he had been acting distant and stern ev
Mirabella's povTo clear my head, realising I could not let myself get drowned in the weight of everything happening—if it were even true—I decided to go on a shopping spree to pick up some things I needed, especially clothes, and distract myself in the process. For some reason, it worked. My mood lifted as I got lost in the moment, maybe because I never really treated myself like this before. I was in the book section, skimming through novels, when I suddenly heard someone call my name.I turned around, and my eyes widened in shock."Lucy!" I shouted, rushing to her. I threw my arms around her, accidentally dropping the book I was holding. We stayed locked in the hug for a few moments, neither of us moving."People are staring at us, Bella," she said, laughing softly.She started to pull away, but I was not ready to let go yet. The hug felt like exactly what I needed—like it was holding my whole world together—even if just for a little while."Let them stare," I whispered, tighte
Mirabella's povThe cab rolled to a stop in front of what used to be my home. I told the driver to hang on for a minute and stepped out, heading toward the door. I wanted a quick visit with my grandfather, hoping my father would not be around.I was not ready to tell Lucy how shitty my family was for now. When the door finally opened after my knock, I was stunned. Standing there was someone I did not recognise—someone about my age, looking at me like I was the one who did not belong."Who...who are you?" My brows were arched in confusion.She chuckled. "I should be the one asking you that. Are you sure you haven't missed your way?""Missed my way? You must be kidding." I muttered."Esther, who is that?" I heard a voice call out from deeper inside the house.The shock hit me even harder. Not just one, but two unfamiliar females were now in the same house I used to share with my father and grandfather."What's going on?" My confusion made me look around to check if indeed I was in the
Mirabella's pov“Why are you trying to drink yourself to death?” I asked Jayden, surprise and shock still etched on my face. He didn't say anything but only stared at the ceiling as though it held the answers to every question he was too tired to ask. The Jayden I knew was sharp, always in control. But version of him looked... shattered and exposed, a shift that had been obvious since he struck the boy. "Why are you doing this to yourself?" I asked gently, moving a little closer. He muttered something under his breath, too low to catch at first, but the words eventually registered.“What if the boy dies, uh?” His eyes darted to mine, wild and glassy, searching me for something I didn’t understand. "I can't just stop wondering about the possibility no matter how hard I try not to."It was hard to ignore the state he was in."You are drunk, Jayden," I said, closing the distance between us after realising there was no point in having this conversation with him again. "Come on, l
Mirabella's pov "Did we... Is he dead?" My eyes shot wide with shock, locking with Jayden's equally panicked gaze. Without a word, he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car. I hurried after him, heart pounding as we approached the front. "Shit!" he muttered, his voice strained with panic. He crouched down immediately, pulling the boy toward him. Blood was seeping out fast, staining the floor. "Is he...?" "He's alive," he said suddenly, his face lighting up with relief as he felt for a pulse. "He's alive, Bella!" he repeated, a shaky laugh escaping him. Around us, a crowd had started to gather. Some were filming on their phones, others just standing there, watching like it was a movie. "Are you all seriously just standing there?" Jayden's voice boomed. "Put your damn phones down and help!" His shout echoed through the street, cutting through the murmurs. But no one did. "We should call an ambulance," I said quickly, turning back to the car to grab my p
Jayden's povIf there was one thing that still got under my skin, even after things had started to shift between Mirabella and me, it was how she still was not completely at ease around me. "What do you want to listen to?" I asked as I prepared to drive out of the mansion, my fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. She turned her head to me, eyes narrowed like I had asked a tricky question. I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Come on, don't overthink it. What genre do you like, dummy?" A small laugh escaped her lips as realisation dawned on her, and for a second, I felt the warmth of it. "Anything works, I guess," she shrugged. Her answer rubbed me the wrong way, and I could not hide the flicker of disappointment on my face. I still could not wrap my head around why she was still walking on eggshells around me. "Come on," I said with a short laugh, masking how I really felt. "How can you say that? You can’t be serious. Just name something. Any artiste or genre. Just name it
Mirabella's povIt turned out to be Jayden as he leaned casually against the doorframe."Relax, it's just me," he said, throwing his hands up in the air with that stupidly charming grin of his."I'm not here to steal anything from you or harm you."I rolled my eyes as a faint smile tugged at my lips."Oh really? Then why exactly are you sneaking into a girl's room uninvited? Pretty sure that's called trespassing, you know." I chuckled, my brows furrowing playfully.He shrugged, trailing his gaze down my body with a slow, deliberate stare that made my cheeks flush. "Well... just making sure things are in perfect ways."My breath caught in my throat as my mind raced to decipher what he meant by that. "Things like?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, the smile still lingering on my lips despite the heat creeping up my neck.His smirk deepened, and he took a step closer, his presence filling the room with an almost tangible intensity. "Things like making sure your appearance is p
Mirabella's pov The fear and foreboding that had hung over my time with Jayden seemed to fade with each passing day. Our silent meals in the dining room, which I always expected to end in having sex with him, which didn't, began to include small conversations. They were not much, just fragments, but enough to make me realise he could be something other than the cold and ruthless man I first knew. Evening walks through the mansion followed, requested in a surprisingly humble tone instead of his usual commanding bark whenever he did want to make me do things, and even shopping trips, where he bought me anything I desired. If someone had told me this shift would happen between us, I would have laughed in disbelief. Yet, here I was, growing oddly comfortable around him. This made me recall Eunice and Lucy’s observations, trying to follow their suggestions in the hope of bridging whatever strange gap lay between him and me. Standing in front of the mirror in my room, a faint smile cur
Jayden's pov"I’m lost, Ariana," I admitted, my voice uncharacteristically low."I’ve never felt like this before. Never. For the first time in my life, I want someone—not for control, not to conquer—but because I need her. And it’s messing me up." I ran a hand through my hair, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone like me to admit this? To feel like I’m begging for scraps of attention? She’s all I think about, but I feel like I’m hitting a wall every time I try to get through to her. And it’s driving me insane." She stayed silent, her expression unreadable as I continued. "I know I don’t deserve her," I said, my voice dropping even lower. "Not after everything I’ve done. I could force her, sure—I’ve forced people into things before; we both know that. But this… It’s about her being the one thing in my life that is real." "I... I just want her to choose me. I want it to be real, Ariana. I want her to want me on her own. Not becau
Jayden's povI could not keep humiliating myself by confessing my feelings to Mirabella over and over again. Her constant doubt about my intentions and the way she avoided me were getting under my skin. It frustrated me to no end, tempting me to do things I did not want to resort to. I was not used to being denied what I wanted—no matter how far or difficult it was to reach. Sure, I was in love with her. But if I wanted to, I could force her to fall for me because the calm I had been wearing to wait for her acceptance could slip at any moment. Yet, before taking that route, I figured I should talk it out with Ariana first after confessing my love to Mirabella for the second time, since she was always pushing me to become a better version of myself.When I arrived at Ariana’s door and knocked, I was not sure if I was more amused or shocked when a guy opened it. He stood there like he owned the place, wearing nothing but a pair of black underpants that hung low on his hips. My eyes
Mirabella pov"Good morning, Mirabella," Jayden said.I froze, my gaze locking with his as my breath caught in my throat. This was exactly what I was avoiding, yet here I was, caught in his intense gaze. "Shit," I cursed inwardly, unsure whether to retreat back to my room or proceed with my original plan. My hesitation must have been obvious, but he seemed unfazed as his lips quirked into a faint smile. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, never breaking eye contact. "I see you are feeling better for you to walk from your room all the way down here. That’s… good to know." His casual tone contrasted with the tension simmering in the air. My chest tightened, berating myself for coming downstairs at all. "What was I even thinking?"Finally, I decided to end this humiliating encounter and spun on my heel, aiming to retreat to the safety of my room. I moved so quickly that I tripped over my own feet. My heart lurched as I braced for an embarrassing fall. But it never came as a hand gr
Mirabella's povA knock rattled my door, breaking the fragile bubble of sleep I had barely managed to slip into. I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. My eyes cracked open, still weighed down with sleep, as Jayden’s words from last night echoed faintly in my mind: "It’s because I love you.”It sounded even more absurd now in the daylight, like a dream that had overstayed its welcome.I still could not figure out if I should laugh or panic. Love? Him? The same man who had terrorised me like it was a hobby? I quickly rubbed the sleep from my eyes, my heart racing with panic just as the knock came again, more insistent this time. I froze, thinking it was Jayden, here to finally unleash his wrath on me."Mirabella?” Eunice’s voice echoed from behind the door."Come in,” I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I stretched my arms above my head.The door creaked open, and she stepped in.As she walked towards me, her eyes scanned me from head to toe like I was a