Stone said thank you and hung up the phone. As he put his phone back into his pocket, he walked towards the balcony."Sorry for taking so long," Stone said when he finally stood beside his wife. "My brother called."May turned and blinked, staring at Stone's face."I didn't know you had a brother.""He's my cousin, actually.""Oh?""His name is Shadow, but we all call him Zade.""Stone and Shadow?" May asked, raising her eyebrows. "Quite uncommon names.""Just wait until you hear Shadow's little brother's name. We call him Sev, but his real name is Savage. Savage Black."May laughed until her wide eyes narrowed, making it more difficult for Stone to look away."Stone, Shadow, and Savage," May repeated. "Truly a mafia family. Are you close to each other?""Yes. Zade and Sev are like my own brothers. Maybe I can invite them here sometime. I could introduce them to you.""Oh... you don't need to do that, Stone," May replied, shaking her head. "You can stop pretending this marriage is som
The crackling of wood and the sound of waves surrounded them as May finally turned to Stone and whispered, "Thank you, Stone.""You're welcome, Snow White."It was hard to see in the yellow light of the fire, but Stone swore he saw May's cheeks blush at the nickname he gave her.Even after what Sean had done, even after Hotel Starlight, there was still something incredibly sweet and innocent about her. Something that made Stone realize he was willing to walk through hot coals barefoot just to protect that innocence from being tarnished by others.Laughter from the people around them diverted Stone's attention from May. He turned and saw Molly handing out some whisky bottles to the others.Jet popped one open and approached Stone to hand him the bottle in his hand.Before Stone could accept the bottle, May snatched it and took a big gulp.Stone watched May chug the bottle before holding a laugh when she started coughing."Easy there, May," Stone said, taking the bottle from her hand an
Stone was watching May’s face when he saw her face change. From a joyful and carefree expression turned into one that said,I'm going to puke at any moment now.He immediately scooped May into his arms.
"Nikolai," Stone answered in a stiff voice."Stone," Nikolai began. "Jade told me what happened. She said you broke into the Starlight Hotel and threatened her because you wanted to take one of the women there with you. What the fuck, man. What were you thinking?""What was I thinking?" Stone growled back. "I should be asking you, Nikolai, what were you thinking, keeping a woman who belong to me in that place?""What are you talking about?""Sean Kettler made a deal with me about his wife," Stone replied. "May is mine. What did you think I'm going to do when I found out that the woman promised to me and whom I intended to marry was apparently in your hands and being raped every night?""Raped every night?" Nikolai repeated. "That house is a brothel, Stone. She's just a whore. Surely there are other women more worthy for you to marry than that cheap whore. She's not even a virgin anymore.""Watch your fucking mouth when you are talking about my wife, Nikolai," Stone growled harshly."A
"Are you also looking for breakfast?" the woman continued her question cheerfully. "Stone said I could cook something here. Do you want me to make you an omelet or boiled potatoes?"May forced herself not to cry in front of the beautiful woman who had just slept with her husband. Although she knew her marriage to Stone was just a fake one, she still felt hurt and betrayed. Why? She couldn’t understand."No. You don’t have to do that. I am just going to get some coffee." May shook her head before quickly pouring coffee into her glass and walking out of the kitchen.Not seeing anyone inside the house, She decided to head back upstairs and hide on the balcony.Staring at the ocean in front of her, she drank her coffee, realizing that she had forgotten to add milk or sugar to her cup. The bitterness of the drink made May feel like vomiting again.She placed the glass on the table before lifting both feet onto the chair and hugging her knees.How stupid she felt. They weren't married for l
Seeing something ignite in May's eyes, Stone smiled before adding, "Just hearing you say that is enough for now. Don't worry, I'm a patient man."Unable to form a coherent sentence to respond to Stone's words, she simply nodded.May admitted that the man stirred something within her. A desire. A passion. But she also realized she wasn't ready yet to surrender herself to him, to feel powerless again like she did at the Starlight hotel.That's why when Stone leaned in again, May could feel that panic rising once more."W-what are you doing?" May asked hoarsely."Kissing my wife."Stone's hot breath swept across May's lips, leaving her unsure of what to do. She could feel her breath catching. Her heart pounding fiercely, as if it wanted to escape her chest."S-Stone," May whispered breathlessly."Relax, Baby."Stone cupped May's face in his palm and kissed her.May held her breath. The man's lips felt soft against hers, as if careful not to hurt the scars on her lips. But before he pulle
May fell on the floor.Unable to watch what was happening anymore, May reached for Otis and ran her hand through the thick fur of the animal while sitting in contemplation.Her lips, torn from the slap, still stung for days. She couldn't imagine what it felt like for someone to slice you open with a knife and force you to swallow your own flesh.May sat by the window for who knows how long until Stone finally arrived and found her, sighing as he scratched his stubbled jaw.May blinked at him. She noticed Stone must have cleaned himself up. He was wearing different clothes than before and his hands were no longer stained with blood."What did you see, my snow?" he asked as he stepped closer.When May didn't answer, Stone bent down and lifted May into his arms. He carried her to the balcony and sat down, cradling her.In the distance, May saw two of Stone's men walking towards the deck where a motorboat was waiting. They carried a large wooden crate, and suddenly May realized what was h
Stone hugged May in his arms until they heard the sound of the motorboat returning.The approaching roar of the engine made May lift her head and look. The motorboat roared its engine before docking. The wooden crates they had carried earlier were nowhere to be seen. Dumped at the sea most likely."Baby," Stone called out. "Are you willing to look at some pictures for me?"Stone's question drew May's attention away from what she was seeing."Pictures? What pictures?" May asked."You once said that the guests of the Hotel Starlight are important people, so I asked Angelo to gather some names of locally important people who might visit the place.""And you want me to see if I recognize any of them?""Yes. I want to make a list of people who hurt you, and together, we'll cross them out one by one."May wasn't sure if she wanted to see those faces again, but knowing that Stone would help her get revenge, she nodded."Okay," May said. "I'll do it."He smiled and stood, still carrying May i
Stone pulled himself up and slipped into his jeans as May got dressed. He then scooped May up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom.May pushed Stone out, insisting he wasn’t allowed to watch her pee. Reluctantly, Stone complied, pacing nervously outside the door.When May finally emerged, Stone immediately pulled her into his arms again.“The instructions say we have to wait three minutes,” May murmured, resting her head against Stone’s bare chest.“Three minutes,” Stone echoed. “Okay.”Those three minutes felt like three centuries to Stone. When the time came to check, his hands trembled as he picked up the pregnancy test May had left on the sink.“What does it mean?” Stone asked, holding the test out to May.“Two lines,” May replied, tears streaming down her face. “Positive.”Stone’s face broke into a wide grin as he grabbed May and kissed her.“Oh my god, baby. You’re making me a dad,” Stone exclaimed.May cupped Stone’s face, crying even harder.“I love you, papa bear,” M
May was filled with tears as Stone finally finished. The woman sobbed uncontrollably while Stone felt suffocated by the fear that May might decide to leave him.“Stone,” May whispered with a trembling voice.May cupped Stone’s face in her hands, drawing his gaze into hers. “Of course, I want to stay married to you. I love you completely, my love. Without conditions, without reasons, without cause. I was shattered when you found me, and you put me back together. You gave a part of yourself to replace what I had lost, and you’ve become more a part of me than you realize, Stone. Nothing can separate us. Not now. Not ever. I love you so deeply, papa bear, so yes... of course, I want to remain your wife.”Stone exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.“For God’s sake,” he said with a smile. “You have no idea how scared I was that you’d refuse.”“How could you doubt my feelings for you, my love?”“I just thought you might change your mind now that things have shifted. I wondered
Stone flicked his cigarette into the sea before pushing the Russian man’s corpse with his foot.The body, tied to concrete at the waist, sank instantly, disappearing beneath the waves.Two weeks had passed since Nikolai managed to infiltrate his home. With Zade and Sev's help, Stone launched his retaliation against Belosokov's territory. He sent pieces of Nikolai's body to every corner of their domain, causing most of Belosokov's men to flee in fear.Those who chose to stay met grisly ends, one by one. The body Stone had just sent to the ocean floor was the last of Belosokov's remaining men.Standing next to Zade, Stone watched as Angelo steered their motorboat back to shore.“I’ll need someone to take over Belosokov’s territory,” Stone stated.Zade stayed silent for a moment, staring at the horizon darkening with dusk.After a while, he asked, “And you want me to do it?”“You’re the best choice.”“What about L.A.?”Stone shrugged. “Sev can handle it.”“What can Sev handle?” a voice i
“Yeah, right,” May muttered, rolling her eyes. “Finally, after all this time, I get to be one of the popular kids.” Sev chuckled, while Stone asked, “You weren’t popular back in school?” “I find that hard to believe,” Jet chimed in. May smiled, realizing they were all trying to distract her from Dr. Tom, who was currently stitching up her wound. “Sorry to disappoint you, Stone,” May replied. “But you married a bookworm who never got invited to parties.” Stone let out a low laugh before cupping her face and kissing her. “Popular or not, you’re perfect to me, my snow,” he said. May smiled and glanced at Stone’s cousins. “I bet you guys were pretty popular in school.” “Of course,” Sev replied with a grin, holding a piece of ham. “Well... I can’t say for Stone or Zade since I never went to school with them—Stone was in a different school, and Zade had already graduated by the time I hit my prime—but everyone in my school definitely knew Savage Black.” “Don’t worry, Sev,” Zade ret
"Thats a long bath," Sev commented with a smirk that made it clear he already knew what had happened upstairs before his cousin came down.Stone raised an eyebrow at Sev but chose to ignore the comment.Meanwhile, May felt her face heat up. Luckily, a voice calling her name broke the awkwardness."May."She turned toward the kitchen door, her eyes widening as Angelo and Jet walked in, accompanied by a blonde woman heading straight for her."Kamila!" May cried out.She immediately pulled Kamila into a one-armed hug, as Stone still held her other arm."Thank God you're safe," May said, releasing the hug.Kamila smiled broadly and glanced at Stone. "Thanks to your husband. And to you for not forgetting about me."May laughed, relieved. "Of course, I wouldn’t forget you, Kamila. You don’t know how guilty I felt for not getting you out of that place sooner. Are you okay? Madame Jade didn’t force you to entertain guests, did she?"Kamila shook her head. "No. After you left, the Starlight Ho
Stone chuckled again. "A sane man would refuse, my snow, but your husband is not a sane man. Your husband wants to immerse himself fully while your arms drip with blood. Your husband wants to mark you with release while those who have hurt you rot in their graves."Stone captured May’s lips, grazing them with his teeth, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine and between her thighs. With one arm around her waist, Stone lifted May, pulling her dress over her head before setting her back down on the cold marble countertop of the sink.He gave her lips one last lingering kiss before trailing down to her jawline.May felt his smile against her skin as she reached down, fumbling with his belt and pants. Stone unhooked her bra while continuing his kisses. When she was finally completely bare, Stone let out a heated growl and swiftly captured one of her stiffened peaks between his teeth.“Oh, God…” May moaned as his teeth bit down gently before he sucked, blending pain and pleasure in a
While continuing to murmur protective words, Stone carried May upstairs."I’ll call the doctor, baby," Stone finally said when they reached the bedroom. "You might need stitches, and I want to make sure the wound on your head isn't serious. I can’t look like this when the doctor arrives. Will you be okay if I shower first?"“No!” May shook her head instantly, tightening her arms around him."Take me with you," she whispered. "Please, don’t leave me alone.""I will never leave you alone, baby," he said, pulling her closer. "Damn, I might never put you down again.""I wouldn’t mind if you kept carrying me," May replied, resting her chin on his shoulder with a sigh. "Did you find Sean?""Yes," Stone confirmed. "And Jackie."May lifted her face from his shoulder."I killed them both," Stone continued, seeing the questions in her eyes.May didn’t respond. She simply nodded before asking, "What about Madame Jade?""Sev shot her," Stone replied. "I also managed to get all the women out of th
"I guess I can see why you’re so obsessed with her, Stone. She might not have big breasts or a sexy body, but the beauty of her face when she cries and trembles… those wide eyes… those flushed cheeks… the screams…” Nikolai growled low and deep, closing his eyes as if savoring the memory.“Oh, yes…” the man continued as he reopened his cruel eyes. “That kind of beauty is unmatched by any other woman. That’s why I loved seeing her squirm under me as I raped her.”Nikolai’s vile words made May’s stomach churn with nausea. She thought Stone would snap and kill the man right then and there, but instead, he drew a deep breath and reached for the dagger lodged in Nikolai’s stomach.“Your attempt to provoke a quick death won’t work, Nikolai,” Stone stated calmly, wrapping his fingers around the dagger’s hilt. “Your death will be slow and painful. But I’m only human, and I can’t trust myself not to lose control if you keep talking about my wife like that. I might kill you faster than I’d like,
May began to cry when she heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down."Your husband isn’t here to stop me now, slut," the man said, laughing coarsely as he leaned in closer. "And there’s no birth control shot tonight, either. Let’s see how much Stone loves you after he finds out I’ve planted my seed in you. Let’s see what happens when he comes home and finds you trembling, marked by my release."Nikolai’s words blurred May’s vision red with a surge of anger.She knew she would be destroyed forever if that happened. She couldn’t survive knowing that monster’s seed was inside her. It would shatter her into pieces, beyond repair. After everything she’d endured, she couldn’t go back to where it all began.Nikolai lifted the hem of May’s dress and grabbed her underwear. With one rough pull, he tore it off and tossed it aside."Let’s see if this pussy is as sweet as I remember, slut," Nikolai sneered, lowering himself onto her.May could feel Nikolai’s body pressing down on her, the heat