Mirabella's povThe old watch ticked relentlessly, a reminder of my mother's absence—I had inherited it from her before she passed—and the countdown to my father's inevitable return. I had spent the day in a whirlwind of exhausting chores, my body aching with each movement. Now, in the fleeting moments of peace, I sought refuge in sleep, praying the timer would wake me before he stumbled home, reeking of alcohol and rage.Suddenly, his booming voice sliced through the silence. "You don't expect me to sell her to you for seventy thousand dollars that I owe you. I can't do that. She is worth far more than that," he said, his time firm but laced with a hint of desperation.I jolted awake, panic flooding my system. My body, still aching from yesterday's beating, protested every movement. The bruises felt like they were etched into my bones, hence making me wince."Shit," I thought, frozen in place. "Has he already seen me? Is he just waiting to unleash his fury once his visitor leaves?
Mirabella's povThe bright sunlight pierced through the thin curtains, searing into my skull. I groaned, feeling a sharp pang in my head that made me wince. Slowly, I forced myself to sit up, blinking against the brightness as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was bare—cold, impersonal, with walls that pressed in on me. Confusion clouded my mind as I glanced down at myself, and my heart skipped a beat. I was wearing a white lace gown. This wasn’t what I wore yesterday. Yesterday, I had been—“Where am I?” I muttered under my breath, my fingers brushing over the patterns on the gown. "Why am I in this?”I tried to push through the haze in my head, the throbbing making it hard to think. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to remember. Piece by piece, the memories began to stitch together. Then it hit me.“He really sold me?” The words left my lips in a whisper as disbelief washed over me. My legs gave way, and I crumpled to the floor, the shock numbing everything
Mirabella's povSeven days... A whole week has passed since I spent what seemed to be the whole night at the makeshift hospital ward without knowing what happened. I was led into my haunting room by the two men who had dragged me out of there to the makeshift hospital in silence, ignoring my questions about what had happened. I was too weak to push for answers; I was still groggy from sleep. All I knew was that I had been operated on—the stitches on my stomach were proof of that. I could only hope whatever they did wouldn’t have lasting effects on my health.The HR manager hadn’t visited me since, until today. "I believe you are ready to put what you have learnt into practice," she said, her tone cold. "Get ready for tonight. What you do and how well you impress will determine whether you get out of this beautiful hell." She scoffed, wished me luck, and left me alone with my thoughts, wondering what the night would bring.As dusk fell, three women entered the room. They helped me i
Jayden's povAs I rode the elevator up to the club, my mind drifted to the past, to the days when I was nothing more than a dirty, hungry kid begging for scraps on the streets. I remember watching those people of high status stroll by, dressed in their fine clothes, noses in the air, like they were untouchable. Back then, I thought they were saints—clean and pure. But I know better now. You can never build empires like theirs without getting your hands dirty. You either play the game or you get played. I learnt that lesson the hard way, first as a pickpocket and then as I clawed my way up, step by step. Now, I had become one of them—a so-called success story, proof that a beggar could become a king. But the truth is, it’s all a façade. Respect, money, power—none of it meant a damn thing. Sure, I’ve got comfort, and nobody dared to laugh at me now, but where’s the excitement? Where’s the thrill I thought would come with all this? The wealth, the respect—they’re just empty rewards, hol
Mirabella's povHere I was, trapped in the suffocating darkness of the club’s backroom. The steady thump of bass pounded through the walls, mixing with the thud of fists and boots landing on my body. I screamed for help with my cracked voice, but it was pointless. The men were merciless. Their punches and kicks hit every inch of me. I couldn’t tell where, but I was bleeding—there was no mistaking it. Blood pooled beneath me, spreading across the cold floor like it was draining the last of my strength. All I could do was curl in on myself, hoping for the blows to stop, but they didn’t.For a split second, I wished for death to take me—anything to stop the pain. But then I thought of my mom. She died trying to save me, and I couldn’t let that be for nothing. I couldn’t give up, not when I had to save my grandfather from my father. It was a fight I had to win. I gritted my teeth, determined to survive this no matter how broken I felt.The door creaked open, and I barely had the streng
Jayden's povThe club was packed tonight, as expected on a weekend. I weaved through the crowd, dodging couples making out, people downing shots, and others swaying to the beat of the music. For a place whose location is supposedly a well-guarded secret, the rush, especially on weekends, always made me question if that was still true.I headed to my usual VIP spot—the table near the stair railing. From there, I had the perfect view of the crowd, making it easy to pick out which woman I would spend the night with. It had become my ritual at this point.Sitting there, waiting for me, was Caesar, the heir to Alfred, one of the Big 5 who controlled the city's underground. We had set up a meeting for a business proposal before I indulged myself for the night. Although we had collaborated on several deals, ones his father didn’t know about, Caesar and I were strictly business. No friendship. I don’t do friends.The moment I sat down across from him, he glanced at his golden Rolex watch."
Mirabella's povLeft in the room where the man who had turned out to be my saviour had ordered the guards to put me, excitement surged through me at the thought of finally leaving this shithole and bidding goodbye to its memories, all thanks to him."I can't believe this is happening," I muttered, still out of disbelief that the same man who had turned my cry for help down would be the one saving me."But who is he really?" I could not stop wondering how he had the kind of power that made Helen and Mr. Levine stay silent when he spoke and gave orders.Immediately after the door opened and he walked inside, I rose from the bed."Thank...thank you, sir," I said, with a smile. But his expression was stern, which threw me into confusion. He stared at me for a few seconds before commanding, “Strip naked.”“Excuse me?” My eyes widened in shock, confusion washing over me.He slowly walked over to a chair and sat down, my gaze glued to him as my heart raced.Crossing his legs, he asked, “Yo
Mirabella's povI could hardly breathe as I was led back to what had become my room. I kept on muttering curses under my breath, not out of anger, but because he had awakened something in me that I had never known existed. My body throbbed with need, and I knew that no matter how much I tried to deny it, I wanted him again. I should not be having this thought. It was absurd, shameful even, but the truth gnawed at me—I craved him. That distraction earlier... if it had not happened, I would have gladly let him take me. Hell, if he walked in now, I would not hesitate. I was willing and desperate to have his cock inside me.“The asshole is so freaking hot,” I murmured, biting my lip as flashes of him ran through my mind. His hotness was undeniable. He was the kind of man that turned heads wherever he went and could give a Greek god a run for their money. Although he wore a shirt the entire time we were in the room, his muscular build was evident in his wide shoulders, making him irres
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
Author's pov The moment Caesar stepped into his mansion, Lucy emerged from the side hallway near her room, her head slightly lowered.She moved quickly but cautiously, like a servant entering a lion’s den, and cleared her throat before she spoke, catching his attention."Welcome back, sir," she greeted, clasping her hands nervously in front of her. He barely glanced at her, his eyes fixed ahead. "What do you want?"She flinched but forced herself to remain steady. "I... I spoke with Mirabella earlier," she began, her voice holding a mix of caution and urgency. "She told me... she told me that Jayden confessed his love for her." He froze the moment he heard that. Slowly, he turned to face her, his brows lifting in surprise before a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, his eyes glinting with satisfaction."Say that again," he ordered her.She swallowed. "He told Mirabella he loves her," she repeated, her eyes darting to his face, watching for his reaction. "Apparently, it is t
Mirabella's povAll night long, even when Zayn came to pick me up from the hospital the following morning, my mind would not stop racing. I could not shake off the question: why was Jayden doing this? The suspense was eating me alive, making it impossible to relax. When I got home, I decided to call Lucy. "Wait, I thought you said he broke your phone," she said the moment she answered."Yes, but surprisingly, he got a new one for me yesterday." I informed her.She gasped. "He did?"I chuckled. "I was as shocked as you are.""Well, that’s really nice of him," she said. "Nice?" I scoffed. "It just proves he’s up to something—especially with that apology and his whole ‘sorry’ act. I’m so done waiting to figure it out; it’s driving me insane!" I snapped, the frustration clear in my voice. "He apologised?" she asked, sounding as shocked as I had expected. I went on to explain everything that had happened, starting with our little weird conversation in my room last night. She let out