(Karis's pov)My throat went dry hearing Xander's words that set something in me a blaze. Weirdly, why was I excited by the thought of him punishing me? 'Get your thoughts together!' I snapped at myself to straighten up my crazy thoughts because why the hell was I feeling excited at the thought of getting punished?It seemed like I was discovering a part of me that I had no idea about because of this strange Xander in front of me. Was he behaving this way because I changed and was pushing him to the edge? He probably could not handle the fact that things were not going according to his wishes."Don't tell me you want to hit me." I sneered at him then to my greatest shock Xander smiled at me. It was a dark smile that sent chills down my spine. He bent down to the bed to crawl towards me, stopping just an inch away from me. I could feel his warm, fresh, minty breath on my face; he had just brushed his teeth."I had something else in mind, but now I think about it, hitting you doesn't so
(Karis's pov). The next morning I woke up from sleep and found the room empty. The other side was cold proving Xander never came back to bed last night. I glanced at the clock to check the time and found out it was already 9 am. I had overslept; it was Sunday morning. If my memory served me right, Xander had an event to attend in the late hours of today. I slipped out of bed and dragged my feet to the bathroom, yawning and stretching. My eyes were still sleepy despite sleeping for so long. I pushed the door open with my eyes half closed. I was very familiar with the room layout out so I knew how to get to the sink. My body suddenly hit something that made me stumble a few steps. I yelped, falling on the floor, but the fall I expected never happened because I was suddenly grabbed by the waist and pulled against the same thing that hit me. The familiar scent I have known forever hit my nose, and my eyes went wide to realize that my body was pressed against a bare
(Karis's pov) My mood that was already bitter, immediately dived down, seeing Emma smiling graciously near Xander. It brought back bad memories I never want to relive, but then again, I should not care if Xander is with her because, as far as I am concerned, this marriage is as good as over. "Good morning Emma. I was not expecting you to join us for breakfast." I chimed at Emma making my way to the table with a soft smile. I had to show them that none of what they are doing affects them in the least way. "I decided to visit you. I have been missing your presence at home." Emma replied, but her attention was glued to Xander, who was enjoying a cup of coffee. She misses Xander and definitely not me unless she got bored since there was no one for her to bully and call a country bumpkin. "You should have informed me ahead of time." I took a seat opposite Xander which was the farthest from him. It was a circular table so this had to do. Emma was seated at Xander's side
(Karis's pov) My heels clicked against the tiled floor; after leaving the garden, I stormed off to the grand stairs. No matter what I said or how I pretended not to have been affected by anything, it still enrages me to see how pretentious Emma was. The door slammed shut immediately after I entered my room; it was difficult to control my irrationality and now the poor door had become an outlet for my anger. My dress was completely ruined by Emma, and Xander didn't even comment and just let his lover wipe the corners of his lips. What was that all about? Were they trying to show off their love in front of me? That's just disgusting. A knock on the door distracted me and I moved towards the door to see who it was. Peeking out through the slightly ajar space I saw Deborah patiently waiting for me. "Good morning ma'am. I want to know if you prefer breakfast to be brought to your room or eaten in the dining area. I thought you might change your mind." Deborah blu
(Karis's Pov) "Karis, Karis!!" Bertha called out multiple times because I suddenly went silent. My daze broke finally when she snapped at me. "Sorry about that. I was distracted by something." I immediately mentioned my voice sounding a bit distant. "Is everything fine back home? You don't sound like you are alright Karis." Bertha sounded very concerned. It made my heart feel fuzzy remembering that my best friend always had my back. "It's fine. Emma decided to visit me, more like visit my husband, and they were discussing the family business." I gave Bertha a half-hearted explanation, clicking my tongue. Why was I even bothered about those two? I had already made up my mind to leave this marriage, so whatever Xander was up to with my sister didn't matter. Bertha went silent for a while understanding how my relationship with Emma was and especially how she acted during my wedding reception. A sigh left her lips before she replied. "Don't bother yourself with you
(Karis's pov) I started cussing Bertha over and over in my head for my predicament that the witch didn't tell me Bambi and the Devil was not just a spicy romance book but also a dark romance. How was I going to get out of this situation now? Xander had the wrong idea. Then it struck me how the hell did Xander know about the content of the book. "How do you know about the book content?" I squinted my eyes at him, giving him a quizzical look. The corners of Xander's lips curved up into a sly smile. His head then crooked to my neck burying his face there. He was sniffing my hair and it made me feel a bit fuzzy. "That's a secret but I can tell you if you are ready to know at a price." He said in a very low tone, making his baritone voice have a bass base. God, the way he spoke made me excited, but then the image from earlier popped into my head, and all the excitement disappeared. "I will pass on that Mr De Marco. I am not interested in anything related to you, maybe Emma
(Karis's pov) The smirk on Xander's lips was so provocative that I felt like smacking it off his face but I couldn't make any rash movements when I was this exposed to him. It was embarrassing how I almost gave in to him. "The day you are waiting for will never come. I would never give in to you. " I scoffed at Xander as my hands quickly started to cover myself up. Xander leaned towards me with the bridges of our nose touching. Both of his hands were caging me in between holding the table. Our eyes locked together and my throat went parched. I swallowed hard because of my dry throat, staring back at Xander, who was smiling teasingly at me. "We would see about that, my dear wife. I wonder what face you will have while begging dearly." Xander edged on with a smug expression. It made me wonder what made him so confident. "Dream on ." I scoffed at him. Xander's expression didn't crack. Instead, he straightened up his clothes and gave me his hands. My brows furro
(Karis's pov) I could not talk back because my mouth was filled with food, and spitting it out would be like I was disrespecting the chef's efforts put into preparing this meal. My mouth was making soft chewing sounds as I munched on the large bite Xander put in my mouth. Xander went ahead to continue eating, and for whatever reason in his head, he didn't let go of my waist. After chewing and swallowing, my mouth was finally free; I asked Xander very politely if he could let me down so that I could eat because my stomach started gurgling after getting a small bite of food. "Ah." Xander signified I should open my mouth. He brought another bite of food for me to eat. At this point, my veins started to pop out, but I still tried my best to keep my anger at bay. I shut my mouth close and shook my head wanting to defy him. What did he take me for a toddler he could feed? "You don't have to feed me, I can feed myself with my hands," I argued. It was getting hard by the seco
(Xander's pov) Sky, that's what Ivan called him; it was amusing. There was a time when we were considered friends, Zed, Ivan, Kyle and Sky, but in the same way, I left my past as Zed, the same way Sky is dead to me. "When you call him that it reminds me of how much I hate that jerk?" I clicked my tongue and then moved to my desk, Ignoring them, but they were used to my attitude, especially this bunch that found pleasure in pissing me off. "You both know how to hold a grudge, so what's the plan, or are you so pathetic you have no way of explaining things to Karis? You were basically a living dead these past years with the only thing you did was aggressively doing business." Ivan sneered, taking a drag of his cigarette. He was awfully free for someone who ran a Mafia and had a wedding coming up. "You are very nosy, you focus on your life since you will soon be a married man. I am sure Bertha won't condone your habits, especially considering the fact she escaped death
(Xander's pov) When it comes to Karis, I always lose my reasoning. That's how I would describe it. It was foolish of me thinking that just by talking to her we would be able to resolve our differences and be a happy couple we were never in the past. That could never be the case; how was I going to explain that what happened between me and Emma was a mistake and I was drunk when Vance was in the picture? He was the proof that I was a cheating husband. One way or the other, Karis would come back, it isn't overconfident, but I know what I was capable of doing. She would have to fulfil her contract, and it just turns out that I was the only one with the stones unless she decides to choose for the black market, like how the scheming Skyler works. For obvious reasons, my dislike for Skyler grew by the day. I had to hold back myself from not breaking the arm he had on Karis's waist. She claimed that he was her fiance, but there was no ring on her finger. My little red
(Karis's pov) Xander must be delusion if he thinks I would ever go back to him. I rather die. Despite everything my mind was still thinking about what he said about Skyler. I knew Xander and Skyler had a history together, which I was curious about, but neither party was willing to share it. What was the main reason that made them enemies? From my guess, they were friends in the past because they seemed to have the same friend group. Something big must have happened and I had no fucking idea. ' Why am I even doubting Skyler?' the question popped into my head. Skyler had never done anything against me. He had been very supportive so far. "Was the negotiations a success?" Lavender asked me as we made our way out of the venue. I could still feel Xander's gaze on me. All he could ever do was look at my back because I was already beyond his reach. There was no going back from this point. "I rather not talk about it." I sighed feeling exhausted from talking to X
(Karis's pov) The Atmosphere was festive, with Christmas close by and there seemed to be a lot of blissful chatter in the room except my table. It was a face-down between me and my ex-husband, Xander De Marco, who was super delusional. Honestly, I had no idea why I was still here listening to Xander. He was driving me crazy. He was right, Xander loved making my life a living hell but not again will I let him have the last laugh. I wished he would just drop down dead and I could not control my emotions anymore. My eyes were glaring so hard at him they could almost pop out. "You are a narcissist and full of yourself. I am done with this conversation." I scoffed about leaving the table. It was better I leave here because I was certain Mr Santos was not coming back. "Letting your emotions control you isn't smart in the business world, dear wife. I thought Skyler thought you better, but then again, I am the best in the game, little Red." He placed his glass back on
(Karis's pov) My first instinct was to get the hell out of there; that would have been what Karis would have done in this scenario, but Karis is dead. Madam Esmeralda was not scared of an annoying ex-husband. "I thought as much." Xander chimed, still maintaining his annoying smile. I had a strong urge to smack it off his face. At times I wonder what goes on in that head of his. His smile made me sick to my stomach and, for a strange reason, reminded me of a lot of annoying memories I would rather forget. "I didn't know you know, each other. I hope you are not offended by Mr De Marco joining us. Since you requested further negotiations, I thought it fit he should be here since he is already my partner." Mr Santos explained. My smile stiffened, Xander had already finalized the deal. "We barely know each other Mr Santos," I said with a dry smile as I took my seat. Lavender excused us to go to an already booked nearby table. "Are you sure about that? To the best o
(Karis's pov) Today was a long day. I had several calls coming in, and a lot was generally happening, not to forget the fact I was all over the media. Honestly, everything was draining, and it was more than I had bargained for. "Maybe you should just take a break, and if you need my help, don't hesitate." I heard Skyler say over the phone. I just finished a quick Zoom meeting and was about to leave home for my lunch appointment with Mr Santos. Skyler called in to check up on me which was very thoughtful of him to do."I will take a break. There is no need to worry much, and if I need your help, I will contact you." I replied, knowing fully well I would only resort to asking for his help as a last card. I didn't want to depend on others to achieve my goals, and Skyler had already done more than enough for me, so asking him for more help didn't go well with me. "You promise to ask for my help." He mentioned that his Baritone voice sounded soothing to my ears.
(Karis's pov) The Reynolds family held 50 percent deciding power, meaning if all the other shareholders were against the idea, then the decision would be bounced off the table. "First of all, we have to make something clear here. Only shareholders can make a decision." I mentioned that plunged Emma and Dad into deeper confusion. I cleared my throat, and then my eyes darted among the shareholders. "Gentlemen, you can now leave. Thank you for your time," I mentioned. Then, to Emma's shock, almost every shareholder got on their feet and nodded at me before they left the room. "What's going on shareholders can't leave in the middle of a meeting?" Emma asked confused. There were just 4 people left in the room: Dad, Emma, me and Mr Floyd, who refused to sell his shares. "Isn't it crystal clear to you already?" I asked Emma, who was still confused, but I think Dad got the message because he released a frustrated sigh. "You bought off all their shares." Dad sighed
(Karis's pov) Miranda was seething in anger; if looks could kill, I would have been dead by now. "Karis, please let your mother sit down. She is rather old," Christian said with a very calm voice. I Arched my brow at him, then pouted my lips pretending like I was considering when my real intention was just to have fun with my family. "Since Miranda had to sit down due to her age, why didn't Emma give up her seat? After all, she is the youngest here and Miranda's daughter."I suggested which was very reasonable. But for some unknown reason, Emma didn't like the idea of giving up her seat for her mother. Her face twisted in ways I never knew it could with her eyes throwing daggers at me. Christian reached out to massage the space between his brows because this argument was not going anywhere. It's not my fault he has a problematic family and a daughter who cares less about her mother. "In my opinion, you shouldnbe the one to leave here; you have never been to a st
(Karis's pov) Looking at the amount of paperwork in front of me I could not help but cuss who I rather not say his name. That overgrown baby that decided to make my life a living hell. Xander De Marco got to be kidding me. I thought I was ready to face him and go head-on-head with him, but I had underestimated my ex-husband. "I will talk to the CEO as soon as possible," I said on a final before hanging up the phone call with one of my managers. After having a long night, I had secretly cried in my bed where Valeria and Skyler could not see me because, for a weird reason, my heart hurt after seeing the look in Xander's eyes last night. That bastard was still affecting my emotions. Why did it feel like I was hurting him when he was the one that broke me? That bastard knew how to mess with my head but a moment of weakness was not going to stop me from having my sweet revenge. I had waited 4 long years for this. I would make them regret ever messing with me in