Grace“ Let me see. ” Tristin lifts his hand towards me, disregarding my words altogether.I sigh sarcastically. “ there is no need. I know just how much you care about these things. ”“ Grace. ” His voice hardens. I press my lips in a thin line and get to my wobbly legs. I need to get this through my head—if Ethan is a calculative man, Tristin is not too different. They are men of power, bred and raised into this cruel world to get whatever they want at any cost. Their care is only reserved for the people they find useful.“ I told you before, I will pay the price for your help. And I know that’s what you want. So as long as we are on the same side, you can drop the nice act and remain your true self—the man you were just now. The man who didn’t think twice before saying… ” I trail off, unable to keep going.My gaze lowers to his neutral eyes. For a second there, I was comparing him to others in my life, and believing that he is a little better than them.In that moment, I forgot w
GraceAfter surviving Mr. Costello’s taunts and jabs for the rest of the day, I feel like fainting. The side of my head has gone numb by the time I step out of the tall tower. To add to my misery, it’s raining. Workers rush to their cars in the parking or hail cabs to get home while I stand in front of the tower, looking around.My phone buzzes in my hand, making me sigh and glance at the message. As expected, it’s Lily.She could never stop herself from texting me to meet after watching the video that was circulating everywhere.I open her texts and read them.—We are sisters, Grace. How can you stoop so low as you try to harm my reputation? I roll my eyes at the tone she used. She still thinks she can manipulate me.The next text reads: I am ready to forgive you if you come over and meet at Club Euphoria at 8. I have made reservations in the VIP room. Just tell them my name and they will lead you up.I go over the two texts numerous times. Hate brews in my heart, while anger threa
GraceThe man walking me up the stairs opens the VIP reserved room. I don’t step inside until my eyes fall on Lily who is already lounging on the couch, glaring at the people dancing on the dance floor below.Instantly, a wave of anger and disdain runs down my body, taking over every inch of me.Every time that I see her, I hear her voice from that day. ‘ You stole what was mine. I never share, Gracie. You should have known. ’It’s like a constant jab at my heart before I recall what followed. The memories of bleeding out on the road and losing one thing that mattered the most to me, at the hands of the people I loved and trusted…Those memories will never leave me alone.“ Grace. ” Lily hisses, like a snake, and my trance breaks.I direct my neutral gaze at her. She smiles, her lips curling into a threatening gesture.“ Come take a seat. ” I take small steps towards the red couch opposite her and sit there, my eyes remaining on her coldly.“ Gracie. ” She sighs, leaning back.I take
Grace“ Catch her. ” The four men in the distance yell, sprinting towards me.My phone drops on the floor. I bend down to pick it up, only to see them closing in on me. So, I rise and make a run for it again.The doors of the VIP rooms on this floor are closed. The staff members who see those men chasing me only step aside to give them way instead of saving me or asking the men why they are after me.My breaths come out in pants as I take support of the wall and continue to stumble forth.What if…Tristin doesn’t come?Fear fuels my instinct to run faster but the drug’s effects are making it harder by the moment for me to see, to walk without stumbling over my feet.The heat has become a dangerous molten lava under my skin, making me shudder and writhe with every labored breath in.“ Do you think you can run away? ” The voice of the man from behind sounds so close to me.I glance over my shoulder, my blurry sight finding their wicked faces lit with leering grins. My feet tangle and I f
Grace“ I will help you. ” I hear his voice, so close to my lips.“ Tristin. ” I whimper, my lips pressing to his neck again.I am so aroused and needy that I feel like I will lose my mind if I don’t do something about it.My mind is in a haze, completely disconnected with reality.My fingers weave in his hair, scratching his scalp while my lips trail a path down his skin, roaming every inch of him that I can find.“ Grace. ” He calls me out. “ You will regret this. I am not Ethan. I am Tristin. ”His voice hits a cord deep inside me, making a full body shudder roll over me.“ I-I know. ” But I can’t stop.His warm breaths hit my ear, pushing me over the edge of control. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself to stop.This is wrong. So wrong Grace.The ache turns into a pain so strong that it makes me struggle in his arms. I can sense him moving quickly while he talks to Luca.“ Take these men. And let them know what happens when they touch a woman without her consent. ” His v
Tristin“ Ms. Whitlock was given a potent Aphrodisiac. It is harmful to her body and brain. It’s good that I was called on time, Mr. Roberto. ” The doctor reveals, removing his thick glasses and turning to face me.Instantly, my eyes are drawn to the girl sleeping on the bed, now naked under the sheets. “ How is she now? ” I question.“ She will be fine after resting tonight. ” He sighs, collecting his things.He had given her an injection, possibly some antidote and Grace had fallen asleep right away. “ But if she wakes up in the night, please give me a call again, Mr. Roberto. ” He says.“ Stay in the next room. You are not going anywhere tonight. ” I announce, directing my neutral gaze at him.The doctor stiffens, his eyes darting towards Luca who is behind me. “ O—Of course, Mr. Roberto, I will stay as long as you need me. ”“ Good. Don’t fall asleep. ” I tell him before moving past him and going to stand beside Grace. “ Let’s go, Doctor. I will show you where you are staying. ”
GraceI am back on that road, my nails clawing at the hard surface as I watch Ethan carrying Lily away. In my blurred, and bloodied view, I see her smirk at me smugly. They don’t stop for me and don’t care if I die. Or maybe, they want me gone so they can enjoy their life together. They had already taken my inheritance, my talent, my future…and now they want my life too.But why must they hurt my Baby too? I don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy. I don’t even know what my Baby looks like yet. How can you take it away from me? As I bleed out, and slowly lose consciousness, I feel the warm hands on my shoulder—a savior’s touch.I gasp, sitting up on the bed. My eyes blink wide open as I look around the room. Cold air brushes against my naked skin, making me hyperaware of my state.Horrified, I look down at my bare chest, as the blanket slips away. Color drains from my face, the last night’s memories flashing before my eyes. I pull the blanket up right away, hiding every inch of my
Ethan“ The papers were delivered again, Boss. ” Josh informs as he places the papers on the desk in front of me.I take my eyes off the important contract I am supposed to sign to glance at the divorce agreement she sent. She has demanded I return her grandmother’s inheritance that she gifted me and refused to get any alimony from my assets. It is fucking clear. She wants me to return everything she thinks I took from her. I have no fucking problem with that. But if she wants everything of hers back, she should return my three wasted years.All this fucking time, she pretended to be in love and took advantage of my heart, my power, and my status. She should return all of that before asking anything from me.Anger threatens to burst out of my veins, but I can’t deny the lurking panic behind my eyes. It feels like she is desperate to cut ties with me, and I can not let that happen.Even if we remain sworn enemies, we must stay together. Even if we hate each other, we must not stop fee
Tristin“ Stop whining. ” I lean back and look towards the nervous man staring at the scene. “ I like actions. Show me your sincerity. ”Mona Alfonso is a smart woman. Before my gaze flicks back to her face, a loud noise echoes through the room. She lifts her hand and slaps her face. But it’s not hard enough.If she doesn’t want me to destroy everything she has built by being everything she called Grace…She should show some more sincerity in her apology. I close my eyes and rest my head on the couch, listening as the noise continues. Once, twice, thrice. I lose count as my mind diverts back to Grace’s face.I should have considered that this time was not right for a fight. Ethan’s return has made her nervous, and she is reacting more strongly to everything around her.But I think his return is having the same effect on me. When she told me she came across him in the corridor, I almost lost my mind and searched her eyes to see what she felt.She is not the only one who fears things.
Tristin“ Mr. Roberto, we did what you asked of us. We made sure Mrs. Roberto was given a fair chance. We only gave her the project after seeing her idea presentation. Mrs. Roberto is good at her work, and we were happy to have such talent on our team… ” The man in front of me keeps ranting. I watch him with no interest in my eyes. “ why didn’t you assure her then? You should have let her know that she got that project because she was good at her work and not because I asked you to give her a fair chance at the competition. ”“ It’s not my fault, Mr. Roberto. ” He says, and wipes the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. “ you are our biggest investor. We kept it a secret and followed all protocols to not hurt Mrs. Roberto’s pride. But that Mona Alfonso…She threw a tantrum. I heard she has someone big backing her up, and that’s why she was so smug when she insulted Mrs. Roberto and… ”He pauses when he notices me staring at him intently. I watch as the CEO of the CBA, Julian Me
GraceDuring dinner, Seb tells me that he has made a new friend in the private daycare, and he likes him a lot. He continues to talk and moves his hands animatedly.While talking to him and listening to his stories, I almost forget that there is a problem at all.But when everyone retires to their room and Seb falls asleep beside me, everything just comes back to haunt me.I glance at the clock on the side table to notice it’s already twelve in the night, and Tristin hasn’t returned. If he is ever late, he calls to let me know because…We have made a pact at the beginning of our marriage.No matter what problems arise, we will never sleep in separate beds. When he suggested it, I thought it was foolish.He had to go on so many business trips and had to attend so many late-night gatherings…But when he returned every night and held his side of the promise…I thought the pact was not foolish. I was. I didn’t believe he could make it happen. But he had. He was adamant about taking me on
GraceAfter getting out of his office, I called Talia. I told her to inform CBA about our unavailability. We can’t do this project, so they should hire someone else—someone like Mona.At first, Talia sounded confused and refused to call CBA right away, but a reminder from me about her position made her do the work I needed. Just an hour later, Mona started calling my phone. I knew she was calling to sound smug or maybe mock me again, so I didn’t pick up. Without thinking about anything else, I just came home like I had told Tristin.Now, after spending a whole day just sitting in the Greenhouse and staring at the white and purple flowers I had come to love…I still don’t feel any better. Tristin’s words keep ringing in my head.But even I can’t deny that whatever he said was true to some extent. That’s what’s making my chest ache.Before Sebastian was born, I had convinced myself that life with Tristin would be happy ever after. But now that I have a son, fears have started taking o
GraceHis silence is deafening.Why is he not saying anything?“ When I didn’t want you to say that I shouldn’t doubt myself, you kept saying it! Then why are you silent now? Why… ”Lies. He must have been lying all this time. I can’t believe this. All this time, everyone must have thought of me like someone who could be happy with shallow compliments, and words. Now, it’s like someone has gripped my heart, squeezing it painfully inside my chest.Tears prick the corners of my eyes, and I blink them away furiously. “ I—I trusted you to respect my wishes. How could you break my trust like this, Tristin? ”“ You are exaggerating it! I didn’t do anything that would warrant such anger, Grace. ” He gets up, his anger radiating off him like some visible waves I can see. I blink, taken aback by his sudden outburst. I have never seen him like this before—pupils dilated, jaw gritted, and face reddening. All that anger, directed at me.“ I am exaggerating this? ” Disbelief must be written on
GraceIf you trust him, why would you ask him something you don’t believe he can do? That voice whispers in my head again. My conscience refuses to let me ask such absurd questions from him.I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment. “ I went to that meeting in CBA today, and there I met Mona. I am sure you must know her. ”I open my eyes, and Tristin is there, staring at me, silently urging me to continue. I lick my lips and slip closer to him.My heart pounds like crazy, trying to break out of my ribcages. “ She lost the bid, and she was throwing a tantrum. ”Tristin will never undermine me, I repeat to myself like a mantra.“ Can you believe it? ” I huff, my muscles loosening. There is no nervousness in Tristin’s eyes, so I must be overthinking it. “ she said I used you and your power to get that power. She said I am undeserving and only rely on my husband to get everything. Of course, I told her that she was spitting nonsense. There is no way you will do something like this without tel
GraceI look down at my body, which has stopped trembling, and release a sigh that was stuck in my throat. I never thought I would come across him and won’t make a run for it.“ I am talking to you. ” The girl says, drawing my attention to her. She is beautiful in an effortless, almost artificial way. Her long black hair is perfectly straight, flowing down her shoulders like silk. Her white blouse is tucked into a navy pencil skirt, highlighting her hourglass figure. She is all curves and sharp edges, with lips painted a vivid red and a gaze that screams disdain.I have never seen this girl around before. “ Do you have an appointment with Mr. Roberto? ” She asks, her tone clipped.I raise an eyebrow. “ Are you new? ”She blinks. “ Do you— ” “ I don’t need an appointment. I am his wife. ” I interrupt, not wanting to engage in a small chat right now.What was Ethan doing here? I need to know right now. Her perfectly groomed brows arch in surprise before her expression hardens. She
GraceTristin doesn’t pick up.I glance at my phone for the third time, the call screen mocking me with its persistent silence. He always answers. Even if he is busy, even if I am calling at the most inconvenient times. He always answers.But not today.He must be angrier than I thought.A deep sigh escapes my lips as I let my phone drop onto the seat beside me. The unease in my chest grows. I lean back against the leather seat, pressing my fingers to my temple.Why are things spiraling out of control?“ Ma’am. ” My driver’s voice breaks me out of the trance. “ We have arrived. ”The towering building of RB stands before me. Its intimidating height looms over the city, an unspoken testament to the Roberto family’s wealth.I step out of the car, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder. I feel kind of…nervous. It’s been so long since I have felt like this. To think I am nervous to see Tristin is…so weird.Without giving it much thought, I stroll inside the building and take the e
TristinI should have known he is one persistent bastard.“ Mr. Roberto, Mr. Calder is here to see you. ” The secretary’s voice sounds through the speaker.I am tempted to go out and beat the bastard half to death, but I control my temper and tell her to let him in.When his secretary reached out to schedule a meeting two days ago, I told him to tell Ethan Calder to stay hidden if he didn’t want me to disfigure his face. But that hasn’t worked.Like a leech, he has marched into my office and now wants to meet me.What is he here to do? Threaten or play some games?I lean back in my chair and watch the closed door. It opens a moment later, and he appears.The bastard bears no signs of suffering. It’s like he has just returned from a long vacation.I grit my jaw and stare as he walks ahead confidently. Without asking, he takes the seat opposite me and meets my unwavering gaze.“ Tristin Roberto. ” He nods, the corners of his lips lifting into a smirk.“ You caught me by surprise. ” I m