TIFFANY WESTThe mornings bled into the nights, and days went by even faster. A few days ago, I emailed JK media, letting them know I was taking my long overdue leave from work, though my boss, Norman, didn't mind, not with everything that was happening with the company. It was going under and there were talks about it being sold. I could have sworn after selling me off, Mum would have found a way to keep the company, but instead, Mother Dearest was selling it.I loved my job as a reporter. But one of the reasons I had ventured into that path was because of Dad. He loved the company. He loved what he did. But Seline and her husband had destroyed it. I have been avoiding Seline's and Francis' calls since my chat with my lawyer about the foundation. It has been my share of inheritance from Dad, and as such, Mum couldn't do as she deemed fit with it.Every morning since I'd lived here, I discovered a few things about Lorenzo. He was a workaholic who spent his good hours in the office wh
Lorenzo's blue gaze burned, with a pool of darkness licking off the edges of his eyes. He only watched me with a dry, half-lidded stare as I joined him under the shower. The cold water gliding down my skin did little to cool down the burning sensation within me.His eyes narrowed as I took a few more steps closer until the tip of my breasts brushed against his chest.He groaned, his hands instinctively gripping my waist. “What the fuck are you doing?”My heart pattered to an awkward beat. “What does it seem like I'm doing?” The words came out breathless.“Tiffany—”“Don't pretend you don't want this. There's no point denying ourselves something we're both dying to have. At least something good should come out of this marriage, shouldn't it? And if you ask me, good sex would surely suffice,” I pressed my body against his, gasping at the wild sensation that burst through me.“You're playing with fire, Tiffany,” His voice was black velvet, set out to freeze.I secretly loved it when he c
TIFFANY WESTHaving sex again with your supposed mortal enemy was exhausting. Weight pulled on my muscles as I chatted with Elena. I couldn't possibly hide anything from her. I spilled the beans and worse, told her how much I loved it. How much fucking Lorenzo Russo again made me feel more alive than ever.Luckily, I didn't have one of those breakdowns that usually came after my sexual sessions. It had happened the first time I was with him when I'd looked him in the eyes, opening the gates of those nightmares that haunted me. There had definitely been something in his eyes that triggered me the last time. I'd learned my mistake. I'd barely glanced his way. As often as I had sex, I'd never slept with the same man more than twice but it was strange I wanted Lorenzo again. I wasn't sure what was happening to me.Usually, the idea of any kind of commitment embodied a fist wrapped around my lungs and squeezed, but surprisingly, the idea of being married to Lorenzo didn't leave any feelin
“This is a private area—” One of them started but stopped as his eyes moved to something behind me. “Stefano,” He said with a hint of confusion.“She belongs to the boss, Greg. She's his wife, Tiffany West,” Stefano offered in a cold tone.Both men stared at me then stepped back respectfully. “We didn't know she was coming tonight. The boss didn't say anything,” Greg said.Stefano grimaced but didn't say anything as he led Leona and me inside, past the cloakroom tinged in bluish light and a bar area. Behind it the doors open to a dark dance floor. Blue and white light flashed, and hip-hop beats blasted toward us. Leona tugged at my hand wanting to go in that direction.“We should go to Lorenzo first,” Stefano said.“He's here?” I asked, surprised.Stefano nodded. “The club has several back rooms and a basement where we handle some business,”“Why don't you go tell him I'm here while Leona and I hit the dancefloor,”Stefano gave me a look. “No chance in hell,”“That's your problem then
TIFFANY WESTAwareness connected me to the door across the hall like a line of static electricity. He was just over there, probably talking Russian on the phone, or maybe torturing someone, or worse, fucking someone.Somehow the last thought made my hand pause on the doorknob. I'd just realize that the mere thought of Lorenzo fucking another woman that wasn't me made me nauseous.I couldn't understand what was wrong with me. Why the fuck did I care even if Lorenzo was fucking another woman. Whatever was just happening between us was just good sex before it ended as quickly as it began.Instead of knocking, I twisted the door knob and stepped inside, locking the door from inside. Lorenzo was standing close to the glass windows, his gaze was stuck on his phone with his back to me.I walked closer to where he stood. Still, he didn't look up.But he knew I was here.“Stalking me, Cuore mio?” He chuckled. It was a deep sound, like the first rays of warmth after a long winter. I liked it.I
I laved him with my tongue, making breathy noises of approval like it was the only passion I had in life. And it was starting to feel like it. Heat bloomed in my stomach, moving lower, in a wave that made me squeeze my thighs together to ease the ache. His hand tightened on his phone, the tension in him building to a crescendo I was dying to see fall."SÌ," he said to whoever he was speaking to, sounding annoyed. "Uccidili tutti"I ran my tongue across his crown and then finally slid him deep into my mouth, bringing my half-lidded and lust-filled gaze up to his."Fuck." He threw his phone to the side and then grasped my face between two rough hands, caressing my cheek with a thumblike I was something special, something precious.It momentarily stilled me. A raw wave of warmth flickered in my chest. It wasn't until later I realized that was the moment the first wisps of devotion settled in and my downfall began."Cazzo, sei troppo Bella," He rasped as he held my face and slowly slid i
TIFFANY WESTLorenzo must have felt the tension in me because his hand stopped its caress down my back. "You're not on the pill," It was more of an assumption than a question. Pushing away from him, I pulled a bra strap back onto my shoulder as an icy trickle of panic crawled up my spine. "No,""It's alright. We'll get a Plan B." His thumb brushed my cheek.I nodded. I believed him. But a different voice— Francis— echoed in my head. “Nothing but a whore. Whore. Whore. She seduced me just so I could fuck her,”My lungs squeezed, tightening and tightening with a band that wouldn't release. Before I knew it ears burned the backs of my eyes.Two rough hands grasped my face. "Breathe."His touch dimmed Francis’ voice in my mind. I shut my eyes, focusing on the breathing techniques my therapist taught me. But it wasn't working.I could taste the bitterness of bile in my throat as memories from a long time ago slithered into my mind. All I could see was Francis. I could hear my screams tha
TIFFANY WEST“A happy wife and good sex,” I blurted, smiling.He laughed. Deep and hearty and it made my pulse skip a beat. It was the first genuine laugh I heard from him, and I suddenly knew I could get used to it.The coffee began brewing, filling the kitchen with a rich and earthy smell. Once it was ready, I poured myself a cup and I positioned myself on the opposite side of the island counter as Lorenzo pulled out a frying pan from the drawers beneath, the sound of it colliding with the stove clattering off the walls. I watched him peel an onion, then began to dice, his large, run hands working in proficient strokes. Perfectly timed. Evenly spaced.“You're eyeing the knife like a treasure. Have you had a change of mind about killing me?” He dropped the knife and grabbed a bowl.“Where would I get my ever-loving orgasms if I killed you?”He smiled. The expression turned his face from that of a cold-blooded Mafia don to a playful playboy. But the view barely lasted for a second be
ELENA DUVAL Dimitri's eyes hardened as my hand gripped the hard muscles of his sides and the other went up to cover my mouth as I felt the instant urge to throw up.“Fuck!” I could hear the irritation that stained his voice, and in one swift pull, he had me against his body, pulling me to the right and through the door that held a female sign pinned to it.My wobbly legs moved hastily on my heels, and I collapsed against one of the toilets, throwing up everything in my stomach.I groaned in relief as soon as I was done, somehow I felt lighter and a little less drunk. I flushed the toilet, moving to the sink, when I froze at the sight of Dimitri, leaning against the wall inside the female restroom. I thought he had left, or maybe waited outside like any normal male would.The sight of him was a punch of fire to the stomach. Some kind of visceral, animal reaction to the mere attractiveness of the man.“Are you done staring?” His voice, this time, dripped with his usual anger.I rolled
“What do you have in mind?” I had asked but she didn't respond to my question not even when we went back to her place to dress up and soon we were walking into one of New York's biggest and most talked about clubs. Club Sapphire.“So this was your big plan all along?” I asked as we were led to the VIP lounge. As expected Tiffany was a regular here.“Yup, what other way to get your man home?” She half yelled over the loud music.“Right. What better way than to get myself drunk and dance the night away,” I said with a fake smile.“See, now you get it—”“I was being sarcastic, Tiff,” I voiced as we made our way to the bar.She laughed. “I know. But seriously trust me on this your Mr Castello will come fetch you once he finds out you are here. So just loosen up and have some fun. I mean when was the last time you came to one of these?”I sighed, relaxing. She was right. It felt like it was another lifetime I was in a place like this.“Hey lovelies, what can I get you?” The barman asked as
ELENA DUVALI had gone to one of the guest rooms downstairs to shower. By the time I was done, and headed back to the bedroom, Dimitri had left. And as usual, he didn't come home that night.No matter how hard I tried I couldn't shake the memory of Dimitri's mouth on mine. The firmness of his lips. The heat of his body. The subtle expensive scent of his cologne and the self-assured weight of his hand around my waist.Days later, I could still feel the vividness of the moment as clearly as if it'd just happened, and what was worse, everywhere I turned, the little display at the bathroom kept sneaking back into my mind no matter how hard I tried to banish it.It was infuriating. But not as infuriating as coming home every day to a silent, spotless house. Dimitri had left for Europe on a business trip the next day after the Glam event, and our unfinished conversation.It had been a week already since I had last seen him, and I only found out yesterday that he had returned to New York, bu
ELENA DUVALTo say in absolute honesty, I couldn't stand the silence on the drive back home. It was everything between suffocating and uncomfortable, especially with just the two of us in his Ferrari. He had simply collected the keys from Chris, insisting on driving.This was the first time we were together, alone in a car and somehow the car felt so small or was it just me?I looked out the window to the rear mirror and I noticed Allen closely behind in the silver Mercedes we had driven all day.I flicked a gaze over to Dimitri. He had his eyes trained on the road.He was pissed. But I had no idea why. If it was because I had showed up unannounced or because I had kissed him unexpectedly.Or maybe because of the little drama with the Whitmans or maybe it was my dress. With the annoyed glance, he threw my way before we got into the car. I could tell he hated the dress too but I wasn't sure why.I leaned back into the leather seats, and thankfully, we soon arrived at the Ford's mansion
ELENA DUVALI wasn't sure if what I was seeing was real or not at this point. I wasn't sure if I was imagining things, but the look in his eyes darkened as his gaze trekked down my body. Almost as if he was undressing me, leaving me completely bare before him. And the crazy part was, I liked it. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I felt the curious gazes of his companions shift on me, and then suddenly, one after the other, I felt curious gazes travel over to me.“They are all staring at us,” I muttered over to Tiffany under my dazzling smile, still keeping Dimitri's gaze. I just couldn't seem to look away, not with how he was looking at me.“Not us beautiful, they are staring at you, everyone wants to know who this sexy as fuck goddess is, Elena,” I could barely hear Tiffany's voice over the heat of Dimitri's gaze. It was distracting. I could see the curiosity in his gaze as well, eager to know what the hell was going on in my head.From my peripheral vision, a face crept into my v
“I'll tell you once we meet,” I said finally, before disconnecting.I pulled my gaze out of the window and into the evening darkness. I swear on my life Dad, Mum, I would send every one of them to hell, I would get back our company, restore our family's honor, and find my sisters. I swear this to you.“Allen, we'll make a stop at Lewis and Sons,” I said and he nodded with a “Yes, ma'am,”Soon, we pulled up at the luxurious curated mall, which was one of the Ford Empire Group's largest fashion subsidiaries. I was in the VIP section, going through some accessories to match the dress I had picked that was perfect for tonight. The Glam event was set to start by seven, and it was already a few minutes to the hour of seven. But I still had at least two hours before I made my appearance there.Tiffany joined me a few minutes later, and we started the necessary preparations for tonight. She was also attending tonight's party and had managed to secure two invites for us.It was a few minutes
ELENA DUVALI found Allen waiting for me beside the car just outside Mr Richardson Villa.He straightened up as soon as he saw me. “Ma'am, are we done?” I stopped walking, turning around to glance back at the villa, my hand on the brown envelope tightened. Everything Mr Richardson had said, rushing like a in my mind. His words and warnings.“Are you still going through this?” Mr Richardson had asked me, but what else did he expect me to do? I just found out the Whitmans were the cause of my parents' deaths and they stole my company. This wasn't just about revenge, or getting back the company. It was more than that. It was figuring out what happened to my family.Why would the Whitmans go to such great lengths to destroy us?Who were these people? Why did they want D&M Corp so bad that they had to destroy my family?And most importantly, who had my sisters? I had a feeling this wasn't just a case of missing persons. Someone took my sisters. And that someone was ensuring I would neve
ELENA DUVALI glanced at the time on my phone. It was a few minutes past the hour of three. I took in a deep breath, sipping from the glass of water on the table. I couldn't keep calm and I couldn't seem to stop my racing heart either. I tried to distract myself from the train of thoughts with the beautiful fountain almost at the center of Mr Richardson's home. It was beautiful. We had one like that in my family's villa in Texas.I was currently at Mr Richardson Villa. After I literally ambushed him in the parking lot, I suggested we go to a nearby restaurant to talk, but he insisted we go somewhere private. Somewhere safer. I rubbed my palms against one another, while I waited for him outside under the shade. And I straightened my shoulder as I saw him approach me with a brown envelope.“Elena,” He called my name as he settled in his chair and I leaned forward.“Mr Richardson,”“Please let's drop the formalities, call me as you've always,” He placed the brown paper on the table, le
I left the beach and made my way back to the mansion. On my way, I put a call through to Tiffany.“Tiff, what do you know about the merger between D&M Corporation and the Whitmans?” I asked quickly, hearing Tiffany's deep sigh over the phone.“Did you remember something?”“I just found out Krystal Group was a result of a merger between Dad's company and the Whitmans,”“Yeah, that's true. It happened right after your parents died. Your dad had signed the merger and I believe sold off his shares to the Whitmans—”“Dad would never. D&M Corporation was his life. Dad wouldn't just sign it off especially since Tyler turned out to be such a cheating bastard. The Whitmans were the ones desperate for that merger to save their crumbling company. Dad wouldn't just hand it over to them,” I was fuming with rage. Just the thought of it riled me up.“Well, you know, with the fraud, illegal dealings and bankruptcy D&M Corp was facing at the time, a merger or acquisition would have been the best optio