The grin plastered on his face was as charming and diabolical as it always had been.But that wasn’t the reason my jaw had literally dropped to the floor.Fuck! What was he doing here? Didn’t he leave a while ago? I saw him with my own eyes.Wait. No. I only saw his car. I—dammit!He tricked me again.“What are you doing here?” I snapped, fingers curled into fists.Instead of being annoyed, he simply arched an eyebrow curiously. “To finish what we started.”“Do you have no shame?” I bristled. God, he made me mad. So mad. I wanted to throttle him. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? Why was he so stubborn? “Why do you keep showing up after every time I cast off all your ridiculous proposals? Are you empty on the head? Have you lost your fucking mind? What the hell is your problem?”Silence fell over for a damn long minute. None of us even moved. The grin on Maddox’s face had disappeared—being replaced by a nasty curl at the corner of his mouth—but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thin
[ZARA]I didn’t have to look at those papers to know what was written on them. It was the same marriage contract. The one that I stupidly forgot to burn. I should have. Why didn’t I? Maybe I should now. Was it too late?As if he would let you! My conscious snorted. And even if he does, what makes you think he doesn’t have copies?Point. But that didn’t mean I would do as he asked. He didn’t own me. No one did.“I won’t!” I grounded my jaw and glowered up at him. If he thought he could make me sign those papers by playing this ploy of intimidation, he was wrong. “I’d never sign them. Take them away!” Clutching the file, I flung it back at him. He caught them just in time before they could have scattered to the floor.If he was angry earlier, now he was livid.Wiping my cheeks, I tossed my legs to the side of the bed and stood up.His intense gaze stabbed through me.My knees threatened to buckle. But I held myself together. I had to. I couldn’t let him win. Not again. Not ever.“Don’t
- PART II -*A Month Later*[MADDOX]“How’s she doing?” I asked, focused on the files on the table while mindlessly twirling the pen between my fingers.“The same!” Jade responded sternly with a poker face.Perhaps she was annoyed at me, too. Not that her being annoyed made any difference to me. But Zara hadn’t spoken a word to me ever since she signed the contract. Even though we live under the same roof, I hardly saw her. She wouldn't leave her room as long as I stayed. It wasn't like I didn't try, but no matter what I said, no matter how nicely I asked, the door of her room would remain closed on me.Obviously, she was angry. And if I were being honest, she had every right as well. I did cross a line. Forced her to sign that contract despite being aware that she was neither prepared nor willing. Perhaps that was the reason I decided to let her be for the time being. As long as I knew about her whereabouts, I was happy to give her as much space and time as she needed to come to term
[MADDOX]I never felt so awkward before. It was my first. And now that I got some time to think about it—really think about it—it’s impossible to say how I feel.Approximately ten minutes ago, Zara walked out of her room and I had been deliberating ever since if planning this family gathering was a good call or just another trap I was willingly walking into.No. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t holding her responsible for making me doubt my decisions. Deep down, I knew I called this upon myself.I should have known she could pull off a white just as fine as she did with all the black, blues, and reds.God dammit. I knew she was gorgeous. I had known this fact since day one when she walked into my office. But tonight…in that satiny white gown that hugged her curves in the way I was reminded of all the times I got the chance to explore them with my own hands…she looked extravagantly beautiful. Truly so. A pure angel. Her long white hair curled and lifted in a simple up-do. Thin ringlets fra
“I knew that brain in your head wasn’t just there for the namesake,” she mocked, earning a scoff from me.“You really think the worst of me, don’t you?”“There’s nothing good about you, Maddox Richmond. Thousands of innocent lives must have been sacrificed to raise an evil like you.”She probably was right.I shrugged. “Either way, sure, I don’t have any problem with that.” Which was nothing but the truth. If she behaved well, there would be no reason to make things harder for her.When this time she looked at me, she seemed surprised. Perhaps she didn’t expect me to give up my trump card so easily. Little did she know that her best friend wasn’t the only one on the list of people I might easily destroy.“But I would expect the best performance and nothing less. To everyone in there, it should look like we are madly in love. We’d be expected to practice all kinds of things a couple does. Holding hands, hugging and kissing. Perhaps getting caught in the middle of a make-out…” I only ad
[MADDOX]There was no need for me to bother myself. I knew the man who stood behind me better than I knew myself.“Dad!” I said with a tone so bitter, I hoped he would get the hint and get the fuck off.Instead, the man chuckled deeply, and I felt my insides cringe and stabbed with thousands of swords altogether.“I knew you were a pushover but didn’t take you for a coward,” he all but jeered.I forced myself to turn around as I searched for his disgusting eyes and held back the need to scoff. “I’m all grown up, dad. I don’t have the naïve impulse to prove my worth to anyone anymore.”“Then why don’t you grow some spine and tell her all about it,” pointing the drink in his hand at where Zara and mom seemed to mingle with some of my aunts he said. “Tell her who Emily was to you…” shifting his gaze back to me, he leaned just a little to whisper into my ear. “…and what the hell happened to her that unfortunate day.”I knew what he was doing, trying to provoke me so I would lose my shit a
[ZARA]The fucker tricked me not once, but multiple times. For Christ’s sake, how could I have been so stupid?I tell you for sure though I wasn’t about to make any more fools of myself. He might have gotten his way with me every single time in the past, just because I let my heart fuck me up despite all the warnings my brain had been waving in my face. My unruly emotions destroyed me so frankly that I got myself into this hell of a situation without ever asking for it.How did I ever think that I could fall for a man like Maddox Richmond? He should have been the last person on this damn earth for me to envision my future with. In less than a ye, he completely wrecked me. He took away so much. From my childhood home to my mom’s shop, to my dignity, to my choices, to my freedom, to my future. Everything. He took away everything. As if except for his needs, desires, dreams and wants, nothing else mattered. No one else held any importance. He was such a selfish bastard who couldn’t get h
“Absolutely,” Maddox chimed, his fingers digging into my waist. “Thanks for taking care of my woman,” he must have seen us bumping together. “I’ll handle it from here. Thanks again. Enjoy the party.”“Don’t be absurd, Maddox. Is this how you introduce your family to your wife?” Zach said with plenty of attitude and scorn. His gaze trained on me more than the man he was talking to.I gulped. The tension between these two was enough to choke anyone into limbo. What the hell was up with them? What was I missing?“She has already met the people who matter. The ones left out simply might not deserve to be introduced.”“Still so petty,” Zach clicked his tongue, and for the first time, there was a fraction of a smirk curling along his lips. “Nevermind. I seem to have become acquainted with your beautiful Zara, already. You don’t have to waste your breath.”“Is that so?” Maddox sneered, although with how painfully his cruel fingers were digging a hole in my waist, he wanted to do more than ju
[ZARA]I play with the button on his shirt and grin. “What if I told you, it wasn’t exactly our first meeting?”He looks puzzled. “What do you mean? Have we met before? When?”“Five months before we met in your office.”“Are you serious?” Sitting straighter, he adjusts me on his lap while I move my arms around his round shoulder. “When? And why don’t I remember anything?”“In the restaurant where I used to work. You know, the one you had me fired from?” I arch an eyebrow, still pissed at what he did.He’s quick to apologize, his warm fingers exploring the expanse of my back. “I think we already established the fact that I was a dick then. Can we move on? Please?”“Alright.” I roll my eyes and laugh when he tickles my sides. “You were there with a few of your employees, and as luck would have it, we were also running low on staff. So, I came up to take your order.”“You did what?” He looks so shocked, it makes me grin wider. “What the hell was I doing?”I shrug. “I don’t know? You were
“With contacts like him, dad found me within an hour. I was in the hospital. Badly beaten and bruised. Yet, the first thing dad did when he saw me in the hospital bed was to throw everyone out of the room and slap me hard. He told me I was lucky to be outside because if we were at home, he would have broken my legs if that’s what it took to stop me from being a brat.”“But…” a small smile curled at the corner of his lips. “Little did he know we weren’t alone in that room. When he tried to hit me again, a notebook smacked the side of his face.”“What?” Did I hear him right? “Who did that?”Maddox looked at me before turning his gaze back to the warm fire. “A little girl. Not over nine. She was so tiny and yet so fierce in front of my dad. She even shouted at him to leave me alone. Dad was furious. Oh, you should have seen his face. He literally turned red. Before dad could react, another man stepped into the room. He was the father of that little girl and later I came to know they were
*ONE MONTH LATER*[ZARA]There’s a knock on the door and the first thing I do is look up at the time.It’s five past midnight. That can only mean two things.One: The person outside is in a grave emergency.Two: Someone is here to rob us, but has the decency to announce his presence so we could prepare for the worst.But when I step out of my room and look through the peephole, breath hitches in my throat for an entirely different reason.Maddox stands outside with a sweeping backdrop of snow.I don’t think twice before unlocking the door and pulling it open. A flurry of chilly nights whips me in the face, shooting a blunt shiver down my spine.“What are you doing here?” There had to be a good reason for him to show up at this godawful hour of the night. “Is Louis, okay?”It’s only been a month since we all learned of Nadine’s brutal death. News that took everyone by surprise and the whole media by storm. Even after a month had passed, we could find people on the streets, in shops and
Ten minutes later, Zachary, Kevin and Zara walk out of the house, too. They are still in some sort of conversation when Zara finally notices me and holds my gaze for a little longer than I expected. I’m the first one to look away and instantly feel like a fucking coward.Every cell—every bone—in my body screams at me to make this right, to bring her back home no matter what it takes. But a huge part of me is as clueless as a newborn baby. It doesn’t know what to say or what to do to convince her to come back into my life—to give me another chance. Do I even deserve a second chance? It’s because of me she had to endure so much that only became her fate because I couldn’t let go. I didn’t know how to.“Are you ready to go?” I hear Kevin ask as he made his way over to where I stand near their car. He looks around. “Where’s Nathan?”“He left.” I fill him in. “Something came up. I hope it’s alright if I tag along.”“Are you kidding me?” For the first time, he doesn’t look like he’s about t
[MADDOX]It’s odd how often I have driven by her house, but never really cared to turn my head and look. But now that I stand in front of it, I know why she fought so hard to take it back.The house is nothing out of a fairy tale. It’s decently constructed, has only one floor and is yellow. Not just any yellow but the one that makes you question why someone would do that to their house. Do they not love it? Is that supposed to be a punishment for the eyes of the beholder? How could a house be so yellow? It’s literally tormenting.But maybe it’s because I have known Zara long enough that I can tell you for sure this is just her way of showing a middle finger to the world. A message in capital letters that she doesn’t care about and can’t be bothered by the opinions of others. She’s gonna be herself no matter what and the rest of the world can simply fuck themselves.If one can look past the yellowness of the house, one would see the details that make this house a home. There’s a picket
“Thanks for coming on such short notice. Mr Gracias. Mr Richmond.” Officer Newman greeted us, gesturing us to take seats.Zachary and I took seats across from him while Nathan and Kevin decided to wait outside.“It’s no problem, officer. How can we help?” I asked.“Well, as we conversed over the phone, we found some bodies. They are, as expected, burnt and impossible to recognize. The face, that is. And because, Mr Gracias, your sister is still missing, we were hoping you will be willing to go through the accessories and clothes we found on the victims. This will help us narrow down our options and decide what the next course of action should be.”“Of course.” Zachary said, and for the first time, I caught the strain in his voice.“Great.” Officer Newman said and retrieved three transparent packets from the desk behind him. Carefully, he laid them all on the table and stood up. “I’ll give you guys a minute.”’Once the officer left us alone in the room, I turned to face Zachary. “Do yo
[MADDOX]“How long are you gonna sulk?” Nathan asked, and the whim to throw him out of the car was exhausting.“I’m NOT sulking.” Without saving him a single glance, I told him as calmly as possible. I looked outside the window instead and searched for a familiar face.Five minutes ago, we pulled up outside the police headquarters. Zachary and his brother, Kevin, were supposed to meet us here. For now, all I could see were cops and irrelevant people moving in and out of the building. No sign of the Gracias family.“And not growing any younger, either.” Nathan deadpanned, and I finally decided to fix him whatever glare.“Did you just make a joke about my age?” That should be hardly any concern to me. Especially when mom did it all the time. But since the moment I woke up this morning, I hadn’t been in the mood to take anyone’s shit. It might have had something to do with the fact Zara ended everything between us yesterday and left for good. Actually, fuck that! My mood was spoiled beca
“It’s not true.” He retorted, but when I gave him a pointed look, he shut his mouth and let me finish.“That what you think, what you say and what you do is best for everyone. That you have the right to decide for everyone because, in your head, no one is more capable than you are. You’re so controlling that you don’t even care how suffocating that could be for someone. In fact, not just me, for anyone at all. You make the rules and expect everyone to follow them without question. You are so deep in your head that you’ve become delusional. No one can reason with you because you don’t listen and neither do you trust. You know of whom you remind me?”There was a beat of silence before he spoke, the crease across his forehead tightening. “I am NOT like Richard.”“No. You aren’t. But you’re no different either. You are just as tyrannical, if not less.”He peered down at his hands and shook his head. “I…I don’t know how that happened.” A look of surprise crossed his face, water glistening
[ZARA]I woke up in a dark room.For a second, I thought I was back in that hellhole.I sat up with a jolt, so fast my head swayed and the entire room spun. A dark figure loomed near the foot of the bed and fear hijacked my mind.I whimpered, feeling something hard against my back, stuck in the middle of a shadow of the man and something that barred me from crawling backwards. Panic prickled the back of my neck, chewing at the little sanity I still had intact. But it was only when the shadow moved and took a step closer, I screamed like hell.“Zara!” Someone called. It came from the dark figure. “Calm down. It’s me.” He said and took another, cautious step in my direction. The shaft of light sneaking from the cracks between the curtains struck his face. My shoulders dropped, and panic melted when it hit me who he was.“Brandon?” It really was him. But…“Shit! I didn’t know you could screech like that.” He said and I could tell he was trying to act all cool while from the inside he was