“Where’s your first-aid kit?” Jayden asked as soon as they got to her house.“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll do it myself,” Zendaya replied, and Jayden turned to glare at her.“Must you be so stubborn?” He asked, just as Zendaya’s helper, who had opened the door, came back with a first aid kit. Walking up to her, he collected the first aid kit. “Sit, let me clean your wounds,” he said to her, and Zendaya shook her head. Seeing that she wasn’t going to listen to him, he reached out and grabbed her hand.“What are you…” the rest of Zendaya’s words got swallowed in her throat as Jayden pulled her down to sit. She didn’t however argue further with him, as she let him do what he wanted.It wasn’t the first time Jayden was assisting her with cleaning her wounds, but it was the first time she was feeling this way because of it. The fact that she couldn’t explain the feeling just made it even more confusing.“Ah,” she hissed when Jayden started cleaning her wounds. “It burns,” she complained as she t
About twenty minutes later, the two men arrived at the place where the male star had been kept. The asshole was currently in a dark room where his hands and feet had been tied up. They were currently watching him through the security camera in the room, as they weren’t to show their faces.“Didn’t your men rough him up a bit?” Jayden’s eyes narrowed as he didn’t notice any bruises nor bleeding.“No, I left that task to you as I know you’d be itching to do so,” Arthur responded, and he was right. He was itching to go and beat the man to death, but another devious, crueller idea came to his mind.“Have your men sexually assault him a bit and get it on video so he knows how it feels,” Jayden instructed Arthur, whose mouth curled up into a devious smile.“And I’m supposed to be the Mafia King. Do you want to switch places?” He offered, and Jayden glared at him before returning his attention to the tied-up man. He had left those two thugs for Lucas to handle, but he wasn’t going to leave
‘Aren't you too young to be using such foul language,’ he asked her, and she sent another middle finger emoji in response.Typical Zendaya, he shook his head. She always did what he told her not to do. ‘So what's your schedule like today? Are you going out or are you going to remain trapped in your parents’ house?’ he asked her and waited for her response.‘Well, all thanks to a certain someone, my dad has ordered me to cancel all my appointments for today and stay home,’ she informed him. That was a good decision on Lucas’ part, Jayden thought to himself. She was injured, and she needed to take a break from her busy schedule so she could rest and give her body time to heal.‘Also now, the guards will follow me everywhere and be with me at all times. Thanks for that,’ she told him as she sent the middle finger once more. His mind immediately took him back to the time when he had her pinned underneath him as she screamed his name. Soon, he would punish her for continuously swearin
‘You're a terrible liar,’ Zendaya said to him.‘That’s because I wasn't trying,’ Jayden asserted. If he wanted to lie, she wouldn't know, as he would do so effortlessly. He looked down at his phone and when he didn't see her typing, he wondered if he had said the wrong thing.However, in the next second, a call entered this phone, and he saw that it was Zendaya calling him. “So, what's your proposal?” She questioned.“There is a company crisis happening in one of the companies our families founded together,” he started.“Okay, and?” “Your father will have to either be there personally or send a representative. There’s no better way to get away from your family and prove that you're ready to get introduced to the family business,” he laid out. “But of course, the main goal will be to get away,” he concluded and there were silence from the other side of the line“I don't know if my dad will actually send me there, he's too protective of me,” Zendaya sighed. The first and important
After speaking with Jayden, Zendaya immediately headed out of her home to go see her father so she could help him win the bet.After all, he did save her yesterday and she was indebted to him.“Mom, where's dad?” She asked when she saw Kiandra. “He's in his study,” her mother told her, and she immediately headed down there.“Make sure you beat the two assholes to the point of death, but leave them alive,” she heard her father say to someone over the phone.When he saw her, he beckoned for her to sit, which she did as she waited for him to finish his phone call.From his conversation with the person she could tell that he had captured the two men who had assaulted her the previous day, and she applauded her father's team as they were fast, very fast.She wondered if they would still be tough with their bats once her father went to see them.“What is it, Zendaya?” Lucas asked his daughter.“Well, I want to request something from you,” she started, and she scratched the back of her head
‘I did it,’ was what Jayden read when he picked up his phone to see who had texted him.A smile appeared on his face and he heard someone gasp, and when he looked up he saw his employees staring at him with a puzzled look on their faces. He couldn't blame them for staring, as it was unusual to see him smile, and it was even more unusual for him to pick up his phone in the middle of a meeting.“I don't remember asking you to stop, go on,” he said to the employee who was giving a presentation, after which he proceeded to respond to Zendaya.‘That's good, you just won me a bet,’ Jayden responded. I owe you something, he told her, and he saw her typing in the next second.His heart was full of excitement, seeing how Zendaya was giving him fast responses, and he hoped that she wouldn't fall asleep randomly again.‘I'll hold on to that and you better fulfill my request when the time comes,’ Zendaya told him, and he bit his lips to stop himself from smiling once more. ‘Are you busy?’ She
Zendaya was the first to get there and when she did, she ordered a cup of coffee for herself.It was a private restaurant, and she had chosen this place so she wouldn't have to worry about her photo getting taken by the paparazzi or by a fan.It would cause quite an uproar if she was seen with the same man she had told the world was cheating on her and she wasn't ready for that.About five minutes later, Matthew walked into the room and he looked rough.Gone was the man she fell in love with, and in his place was a man who looked like he hadn't gotten sleep for days. Good, he deserved it, she thought to herself.“How are you doing, Zendaya?” Matthew asked her, and she rolled her eyes as she wasn't interested in exchanging pleasantries with him. All she wanted was for him to tell her what he wanted so she could get the hell out of there.“Matthew, you lost the right to ask me that when you cheated on me. So how about we cut to the chase as I have other things to do than waste my tim
“Sir, should I bring your dinner up to your room?” The head helper asked him as he returned home. It was beyond late, and he didn’t have the strength to eat.All he wanted to do was to get sleep, especially for the next day as he was departing for another state.“No, you’re dismissed for the night,” he told her and the helper nodded.“Sir, there’s an envelope on your desk in your study. Your brother sent it for you,” she informed him, referring to Arthur.“Alright,” he simply replied as he headed straight to his study to see what his cousin had left for him.The envelope was on his table, just like the helper had said, and without wasting time he ripped it open so he could see what was in it. A frown immediately appeared on his face, and his eyes darkened when he saw that they were pictures of Zendaya and Matthew.When he checked the time stamp, he saw that it was from today. Just an hour after he had told her that he would be busy.He had thought that Matthew was a closed chapter in
Two Months LaterThe Gerano mansion was buzzing with energy as the family and other well-wishers gathered to celebrate Jayden's birthday. The air was filled with laughter, music, and the clinking of glasses as the sun began to set. Jayden stood near the center of the room, talking to friends when he caught sight of Lucas approaching him.“Excuse me,” he said to the men he was talking to and he walked towards Lucas.“Enjoying the party?” Jayden asked with a smirk.Lucas shot him a look, which showed that he had been forced to be there probably by his wife and daughter. “I still don't like you. Don’t push it,” he warned.Jayden pouted as he pretended to be sad. “Don’t say that father-in-law,” he said and he had to stifle his laughter at the horrified expression Lucas always gave whenever he called him that. After he was discharged from the hospital, he and Lucas sat down to have a chat about Zendaya and his relationship.Lucas' words were simple, “Hurt her and you die.”He wondered w
Jayden's losing consciousness lingered in Zendaya's mind as Lucas led her out of the dark, suffocating room. Her heart pounded as she hoped Jayden was okay. “Get an ambulance here immediately!” Justin barked at an officer as they exited the building.Zendaya stumbled slightly, her legs weak from exhaustion and fear. Lucas caught her, steadying her with a reassuring hand on her shoulder.“You’re safe now,” Lucas said gently.“But Jayden…” Zendaya whispered, her eyes never leaving Justin’s retreating figure as he carried Jayden toward an ambulance that had just arrived.“He’ll be fine,” Lucas assured her. “You need to rest as well.”Paramedics rushed to Justin, quickly taking Jayden onto a stretcher.Blood seeped through his bandages, and Zendaya’s stomach churned at the sight. She tried to follow, but Lucas held her back.“You need to get checked too,” Lucas insisted, gesturing to another paramedic who was approaching her.“No,” Zendaya protested, shaking her head. “I need to go wit
The deafening sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, and Zendaya braced herself for the end. But to her surprise, she felt no pain. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest.Anil stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock. And her mouth fell open when she saw that he had been shot in the shoulder. Regardless, he proceeded to shoot her once again and another shoot to his legs brought him down on his knees."Step away from her!" a familiar voice roared with anger as he stepped into the room.It was Jayden. He looked disheveled, and her heart bled when she saw his physical condition. “Jayden?” Zendaya called her voice a mix of relief and disbelief.Anil snarled, raising his gun to fire, but Jayden didn’t hesitate. Another shot rang out, and this time, it was to his palm.Anil groaned in the weapon slipping from his grasp and Jayden kicked it away as he then pounced on Anil.“Jayden, he'll die,” Zendaya stated when Anil had turned into a bleeding mess.Her words
Zendaya’s head throbbed as she slowly opened her eyes. She saw she was in a dark room and a frown appeared on her face. Her body ached as she tried to move, only to find herself bound to a chair. Her wrists were tied tightly behind her back, the coarse rope digging into her skin as she moved. Panic immediately set in as she struggled, her breaths quick and shallow.The faint creak of a door opening sent chills down her spine as she turned in the direction of where the sound had come from. “Who’s there?” she demanded, her voice hoarse. “What do you want?”The figure didn’t respond immediately, stepping closer until the overhead light flickered on. The sudden brightness made her wince, but when her eyes adjusted, her blood ran cold as she saw who was in front of her.“Anil?” she whispered in disbelief.He stood before her, a cruel smile on his face that sent shivers down her spine. He looked different his usually composed demeanor replaced with something sinister and there was a
The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway greeter Jasmine and Justin rushed toward the ER, their steps hurried and frantic. The receptionist’s voice on the phone had been calm but grave when she’d informed them of Jayden’s accident. Jasmine’s heart hadn’t stopped pounding since as her mind conjured every worst-case scenario about Jayden and how he was doing. Justin walked beside her, his face pale and tight with worry.“What do they mean someone hit him and then disappeared?” Jasmine muttered, her voice trembling. “Who does that? Who leaves someone on the road like that?”Justin placed a hand on her back, and he rubbed it gently. Though his expression was grim. “We’ll find out. Let’s focus on Jayden first.”The moment they reached the nurse’s station, a staff member gestured them toward a private room. “He’s stable,” the nurse reassured them quickly, seeing the panic etched on their faces, and it made them calm down a bit. “The doctors did a thorough examination, and his in
Jayden drove aimlessly through the city, the steady hum of the car engine doing little to drown out the storm raging in his mind. As he remembered his father’s revelation, he felt suffocated. His hands clenched the steering wheel with such intensity that his knuckles turned white, and the faint creak of the leather beneath his grip was the only sound competing with his labored breathing.Jasmine isn’t my mother.The thought repeated itself over and over, echoing in his mind. He couldn’t believe it. She was the woman who had raised him, loved him, been there for him through every high and low. She wasn’t his real mother.Every memory of her felt tainted now, overshadowed by the truth. The fact that they had hid it from him for all of his life and probably wouldn’t have told him had the article not come out was a slap to his face.The betrayal hit him in waves, each one stronger than the last. Why hadn’t they told him? Why had they waited until the news forced their hand? He thoug
Jayden drove home in a haze, his hands gripping the steering wheel, and he imagined his being someone's neck. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. The article, the headline that Jasmine wasn’t his real mother, echoed in his mind. His mind struggled to make sense of it, but something deep inside him was beginning to put two and two together, and something began to shift. ‘You’re being unreasonable,’ he muttered to him as he shut those thoughts out of his head. The drive home felt longer than it should have been, and when he finally arrived at the mansion, the weight of it all pressed heavily on his chest. As he entered the house, a strange sense of heaviness hit him. It was more than just the eerie quiet that settled over everything; there was something palpable in the air. “Your parents are in their room, sir.” The helper who opened the door informed him. Jayden nodded, his heart pounding harder as he made his way up
Zendaya stirred awake, the first rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains. The room was warm, and the faint smell of Jayden lingered in the air, a mix of his cologne and something undeniably him. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times before turning her head to see Jayden sleeping beside her, his face relaxed and peaceful.Her lips curled into a soft smile as she took in the sight of him. He was lying on his stomach, the sheets were around his waist, leaving his broad back and a glimpse of his toned arms on display to her.His dark hair was messy, sticking up in different directions from her fingers running through it last night.Last night. Her cheeks warmed at the memory.Last night, he’d truly proven he was a beast, just as he’d promised. The passion, the fire, the way he’d driven her to the edge over and over, it left her breathless just thinking about it and the heat rushed to her legs even though he was sore. A smile appeared on her face as she brushed her fingers o
The room was dimly lit, the only source of illumination being the faint glow from a laptop screen on a cluttered desk. .Papers and files were scattered, some bearing Jayden’s name in bold letters. The two men stood on opposite sides of the room, their faces partially hidden.The taller man paced, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as his mind raced. He finally stopped, turning to face his boss, who was seated behind the desk.“We’ve got something big,” the taller man said, his voice laced with excitement and malice. “Something that’ll change everything, boss.”The boss didn’t respond immediately. He leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes narrowing as he studied the man before him. “What is it?” he asked, his tone calm but deadly.The taller man hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and placing a file on the desk. “It’s about Jayden,” he said, tapping the file with a finger. “Something that has been hidden.”The boss arched a brow, his interest piqued. He opened the