(Xander's Pov) My head was aching so badly it felt like splitting apart. What the hell happened? I never get hangovers when I drank my ass off in the past. The sound of light footsteps caught my attention but my head was killing me too much to open my eyes and see who. If I had bothered seeing who it was, that would have saved me a lot of trouble. I felt someone clinging to me, so I naturally thought it was my little red, but something about this stop felt off. This place didn't smell like home or my little red. I also could not remember how I got home. My brows furrowed as I slowly opened my eyes despite the horrible headache that was killing me. ' Where am I?' Those were the first questions on my mind because I didn't recall where I was or how the hell I got here. A bad feeling took over my gut as my heartbeat dropped to my stomach, and my eyes slowly travelled to my waist, where someone was clinging to me. Strawberry blonde hair, you got to be fucking
(Xander's pov) The car pulled over at the Sheraton hotel instead of driving straight home for the estate. When I asked Karis why we were taking a detour she said it was because of how late it was that it would not be safe to drive so far away. It was understandable, but she should have just called Sam or even John to come pick us up. Most importantly, why did she leave the estate without her bodyguards? "We are here, I have already booked a room." She chimed excitedly. Her excitement sent chills through my spine. Regardless of how strange everything was and my warning bells ringing over and over in my head, I still followed her bed. I would never say no to my little red. The lift to our intended floor was quiet, Karis held my arm tightly and kept on smiling brightly as she glanced at me from time to time until the doors slid open. The hallway was eerily quiet because of how late it was. The only footsteps echoing were our footsteps. Karis arrived at a door, 1467; something ab
(Xander's pov) The room was in an awkward mood; Karis could not believe my words even though I was in belief. I was a very sexually active person and this was the first time I could not get it up. And Karis could effortlessly turn me on but today was just strange. No matter how badly I wanted to fulfill Karis's every wish and make her feel good in ways she could never imagine; if my body was not cooperating, I just couldn't. Something was weird from seeing the imposter to Karis. My head was hazy, and I was dead drunk, but that was weird because I didn't drink up to what would normally make me drunk. How did I leave the VIP section and get on the dance floor? There were so many questions running through my head.? My thoughts were drawn back to Karis. My words hurt deeply her. She bit her lower lip between her teeth with her doe hazel eyes bidding with tears. "What do you mean by not in the mood? Don't you want me anymore?" She cried, I felt bad for hurting her but
(Karis's pov) I spent the whole day wandering around town, loathing the thoughts of returning to that house. My butcher house with Xander being ready to send me to the guillotine whenever he pleased. I wondered how the hell I was going to fulfil the plan I had in mind. With how smart Xander was, he was hard to fool because he could see through anyone except his dear lover Emma. I wondered how their night went. Did he make her scream his name over and over again like he did to me? Does he call her by an annoying nickname? ' Stop thinking about irrelevant things.' I shrugged the thoughts off. It was close to night; the sky was dark, with heavy clouds blocking the warm rays of the sun setting on the horizon. It seemed like there would be a heavy downpour in town despite it being Summer. I took in a deep breath, inhaling the cool evening breeze mixed with moisture. Immediately, I alighted from the Uber. My hand was gripping my bag tightly as my entire nerves were
(Karis's pov) The next day, Xander was out of the room before dawn; John said he had an important business meeting to attend. From my knowledge, it was an important stakeholders meeting. Antonio De Marco was going to hold a vote about giving Xander complete control over the business as his successor. Although Anthonio has recovered, his health is not at its peak anymore, so there is no need to stress himself with business when he has a genius like Xander. This morning, I decided to have breakfast in the garden, hoping it would help with the emptiness I felt deep inside, but despite my love for flowers today, I didn't feel anything when gazing at them. Because of the rain last night, the flowers were wet and the soil muddy, making the scent of the pollen mixed with the damp soil. "Mrs De Marco," I heard someone call out my name, I glanced over to the source of the voice. My eyes went wide with a faint smile hanging on my lips. "Hey Ethan," I softly replied, see
(Karis's pov) If you want something done you have to plan meticulously. Today was the day Xander was going to be addressing the public in a press conference announcing his new official role as the chairman and president of the De Marco group. As his wife, I was meant to accompany him there, but I would rather not go anywhere with Xander, especially where he would be with his lover. By the time it was morning, he was nowhere to be found in the villa. I guessed he was super busy, which made things better for me. When John asked if I would be attending the event, I made an excuse that my body wasn't feeling so well, and I rather skip it out, which he understood. From the moment I saw Xander in bed with Emma, I knew this was going to happen, and nothing was holding me back. It has been exactly two days now and it was time to leave my hell. That was why I acted nice around him so that his guard would be down. I knew he would not miss me while I was gone. Th
(Karis's pov) My hands on the large box were clammy with cold sweats around it. Xander's office was large and beautiful but I cared less about the intricacy of the interior decorations and focused on my mission. My eyes darted around the large space until I spotted a small sitting area like a lounge and walked towards it. I placed the box on the coffee table. A sharp inhale entered my lips as I uncovered the box to make sure the cake was still in place. A weak smile graced my lips, seeing that the letters were still there. The words read, "Happy divorce Dear Ex husband." There was a wine in it for Xander to celebrate with. I checked my bag to pull out the document he signed yesterday. They were the transfer documents for the vineyard, which I mixed the divorce documents with. Xander had no idea he willingly signed our divorce. Even if it was not yet two months, by the time the document would be processed completely, the time frame would be complete. Th
(Karis's pov) The clouds suddenly darkened, and a storm started, just like what happened in my past life; this flight had mistakenly gotten on a different route and ran into a storm that struck it from the skies. It made major headlines and I was crying the entire day in my room because Xander had travelled to Germany that day. I was scared that his jet had gotten involved in the same storm, but luckily, he didn't leave that day again. From outside the window, I could see thick clouds with lightning flashing in them. An ominous feeling was already hanging over my shoulders. The pilot's voice in the intercom tried to assure the passengers that everything was fine, but it was hard to fool people when we could see with our eyes that we were in trouble. "Please try to stay in your seat. Everything will be alright." The air hostess tried to get everyone to relax and stay in their seats. The plane shook again, and my hands clutched the bag as terror struck me. A scream rang from
CHAPTER FOUR - THE ROMANOV BROTHERSADELINA'S POV I was completely blown out of my mind when I heard him. Mikhail Romanov was a mystery to me. A seasoned businessman who suddenly popped out of nowhere and stormed the entire business world. There was very little about him online but there were rumours of how ruthless he was when taking out his competition and how much underground connection he has. When I said I was ready to do anything in my mind, the most degrading thing that crossed my mind was to be his servant at his mercy, but it never crossed my mind he would tell me to strip in a public event. I bit my lower lip in between my teeth, not only because of how nervous I felt in his presence but also thanks to the Bullet wound in my arm. "You must be joking, that can't be a request." I blurted. Thinking he would laugh out, saying it was a joke, but he didn't budge one bit. He stood tall with his hand in his pocket and his eyes keenly observing me. His lips p
CHAPTER THREE - TYRANT OF THE BUSINESS WORLD MIKHAIL'S POV I hated crowded places, especially ones filled with humans, but this was what I could not escape if I wanted to make sure I stood at the Pinnacle of the business world. Twirling the wine glass in between my fingers, my eyes glanced around the hall, looking for anything that could pique my interest. "What do you think about the corporation? Mr Romanov." An annoying voice chattered in my ears. I glanced at the middle-aged man who had been trying his best to strike a deal with me, but it was not a profitable venture. "I will think about it." I politely declined, even though we both knew I was not going to give him a second thought. How boring? A sigh left my lips for the hundredth time today. I was bored out of my mind. Maybe I should have attended the wedding even though my beloved brother didn't invite me. It would be fun to see the unfortunate human he tricked into marrying him. The unfortunate soul I would have t
CHAPTER TWO - THE BLOODY BRIDE ADELINA'S POV The best day of my life slowly turned into a scene from a nightmare I could not wake up from. Sitting in a white pool lace of my long princess wedding dress, my face was pale, and I froze. "Papa," I said again but it came out like a whimper this time around. The flower bouquet in my hand was on the floor. I grabbed my face with both hands, shaking my head over and over again, thinking it was a nightmare, but it was real. All that was on my mind was to reach my father's side, but Viktor had other plans. He firmly held my arm. "Where are you going, Mrs Romanov ?" He asked me. I did not care about that title. All I wanted was to run to my father's side. Why did Viktor shoot Dad? We were his allies. No matter how I think of it, my head could not think of a reason why. "This is a wedding present from me to you." He grinned at me. Everyone was in shock because of the sudden gunfire. Soon, it sank into my father's men's heads that thei
COMING SOON CHAPTER ONE - A BLOODY WEDDING ADELINA'S POV The happiest day of a woman's life was meant to be the day she gets married to the love of her life and I thought it was true. I had never felt this genuinely happy in my life before, despite all the resistance of us being from rival mobs. Finally, I was getting married to Viktor, the Mafia boss of a rival Russian mob today. Although my marriage was not purely based on love, the main goal was to join two of the biggest Mafia underground associations. My fiance, Viktor, owned one of the richest and most dangerous Russian mobs; my father agreed to this marriage to seek his protection as our group, despite its large size, is nothing compared to Viktor's association. The soft organ melody echoed through the large sculptured walls of the old cathedral to the outside, it was loud enough to reach the environs. Stepping down from the car I made my way towards the large doors of the ancient cathedral. The doors swung open
(Xander's pov) The soft sound of running water echoed from the bathroom; I pushed the door open entering the bathroom filled with steam with a thick scent of Lavender oils. It smelled like heaven, my little heaven. I got rid of the towel wrapped around my waist and then brushed my hand through my hair before my eyes drew to the glass walls of the shower. A silly grin graced my lips as I made my way towards the shower, where I could see Karis's figure from the glass taking a shower. I couldn't help but smile wider; I slowly walked towards the shower, the only place where I was sure the children wouldn't disturb us because Xavier sometimes cries to sleep with his mother. My life was pitiful, fighting with my children over my wife's time and attention; maybe we should have stopped with the twins. I stopped in the shower; Karis's back relaxed, sensing my presence. "I thought you weren't coming," she said, rubbing her hair with her back against me. "So you were expecting me." I c
(Xander's pov) SIX YEARS LATER The cool spring breeze blew, carrying a little scent on wet soil. It was another spring again and 15 years after Alessia left this world. I placed a bouquet of flowers on her tombstone, along with several others, which have been kept here. A lot has happened these past years, and I have been so busy I barely had time to visit Alessia aside from her death anniversary. Karis and I are hosting a small get-together to celebrate. Mum and Dad loved the idea of getting old friends and family together. "Alessia, it's been a while, and we all miss you, but you are in a better place now..." I started my one-sided dialogue with my sister. I had a feeling she was listening. Honestly, everyone was fine these past years, at least from what they told me. Skyler was getting better. At least he wasn't hallucinating again, but his condition was permanent. Either way, he was doomed; he deserved it. It was crazy, but I think I am ready to forgive
(Karis's pov) " So he planned everything before you even knew you were pregnant. He knew and understood the danger it would put you in. There was no way he could hurt the child you have been looking forward to, a baby he secretly wished for, so he planned everything..." " Have you ever wondered why he hid the affair until that day? His plan was to make you divorce him and heartlessly take the child away from his messed up life. You deserved better and still do. But I can't imagine living a life without you. That's why I am sorry for his insensitive actions." So that was the truth, it was crazy but I chose to believe him more like I didn't care anymore. I got a redo, and this time, none of those things happened. Xander never cheated even when he was hypnotized. "It is fine, Xander; I really don't care. It never happened to us, but to them, and if you could never bring yourself to have sex with Emma when she was carrying the illusion of being me, I can't possibly se
(Karis's pov) The heartbeat slowed down and dropped to my stomach. I felt emotions and I didn't understand happiness and dread. I was happy that the man I loved was back but dreaded it because it felt like the old Xander. "You remember everything," I muttered, and I felt Xander stiffen his hold. "I am sorry that Xander was a jerk, but he did not mean to break you that way," Xander muttered his words, swallowing. My jaw clenched, "Xander, let go," I stated, but he only held on tightly. "If you don't let go it will only make things worse. I promise I am not running unless it's to you." Those words seemed to have worked because his hold relaxed. I took a step back to look clearly at him; he truly looked sorry. This was the Xander I had known for four years and not the jerk who cheated with Emma, yet there was this fury that bloomed in my heart. Next, the sound of skin striking against each other echoed in the room; Xander was stunned as he gazed back at me; conf
(Karis's pov) Time seemed to have ticked by slowly every minute took forever. I was sitting in the waiting area with my hands still covered in Xander's blood. I was too anxious to even get cleaned. Xander was in surgery already, and Ivan kept on assuring me that everything would be fine. I also hoped the same thing, but I would have felt more assured if Kyle was here. Although he was an annoying prick, Kyle was, without a doubt, a genius doctor. "Mummy," I heard childish voices call out, slicing through the tension. I glanced at the direction of the voice and a soft smile crossed my lips when I saw Val and Vance running towards my direction with Camilla following behind. They ran into my open arms, and I embraced them, feeling at home. "Where is Kyle?" Ivan asked instead. "I ran into him and the twins while heading for the emergency ward. He had to leave to prepare for the surgery. It seems things are a bit complicated." Camilla said, sounding exhausted; I