(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
(Karis's pov) Later that day the package Bertha promised to send finally arrived. It was a beautiful dinner gown. I was not fond of the colour blue but this gown was something else. Bertha even sent it with matching sapphire jewellery. I pulled out my phone to text Bertha an appreciative message. Now I could go to the gala. At first, it was not my intention to go but after Bertha mentioned that some promising business partners would be attending I changed my mind about not going. My feet made soft sounds against the Polish marble floor as I made my way from the bathroom to the bedroom. The image of Xander buttoning up his jacket was the sight that invited me. He was wearing a dark blue tailor-made designer suit that was well-fitted. "Tch."I clicked my tongue in distaste as I realized that we had accidentally matched up our outfits. "Is that what you are wearing?" I asked him thinking of how I could make him change his choice because the dress Bertha chose could not b
(Emma's pov) It was annoying I had to stay under the same roof as Karis but avoid her the best I could. This was the safest place I could stay now away from Xander's hound dogs. I was a bit devastated when I was informed Mum had attempted to escape the country without me but ended up being caught by Xander. That aside, today was the day. Skyler agreed as soon as he got his hands on Xander's shares, I would get a settlement and be able to leave this country. Honestly, I could not wait. It was a new year, and instead of having a grand party or celebrating like I normally do, I was penniless, watching TV, bored as fuck. Nothing was out of place until I started hearing numerous footsteps coming from the hallways. Curious, I stood up from my bed and walked up to the door. My brows pulled together when I saw the security rushing out. "What is going on?" I nervously asked one that walked past me but the guy didn't seem to hear me. The walls were vibrating, and the
(Karis's pov) "Checkmate." Skyler was initially confused but soon it dawned on him that it was truly over for him. I truly had no idea that Xander and I were never divorced; it explained why he was relatively calm because he knew Skyler never had the company he was playing Along with Skyler's music. The weather was a bit cold being on a lake during the winter despite it being in the afternoon. The afternoon sun hung high in the sky, and I could barely feel the heat on the glass gazebo due to the weather. Skyler was devastated like he had lost all strength. He had nothing to say because he was sure this was his end. Xander was never going to let him go this time. "Karis, are you truly going to choose him over me?" He asked barely a whisper, his face distorted. "Stop calling her name, Skyler. It is over. You went too far. The reason I let you be in the past was because I also felt guilty but not this time around." Xander said while Skyler looked back at him in disbe
(Xander's pov) New Year's Eve a few hours after Miranda was captured and the failed raid.***** It felt like everything was crumbling down after Bertha told me that Karis was gone. Skyler had taken her out of the mall after he started a distraction in the mall by turning on the sprinklers and fire alarm. From the camera feed, we saw him take Karis from the table as she followed him willingly, but the camera didn't capture when they left, thanks to the chaos and all. He had successfully disappeared. I didn't know where to start from and was honestly considering handing over the company. I did have some hidden cards, but he has my entire family, putting me in a tight spot. I should have stopped her this morning when she left. My head was filled with thoughts of getting the children back. I didn't think of the possibility of her leaving. The door to my study was pushed open, Ethan was waiting in the living room for me while I came to the study to get some docu
(Karis's pov) I could not sleep the entire night; it was the 31st of December, and even the children were confused as to why I sent them to bed so early. Ever since I got here, Val had been coping a bit more; at least she was eating now. "Mummy, why are we not celebrating the new year eve?" Val asked curiously truly naive as a child. Vance was also lying on the bed, I sat in the middle while they were lying by my side. This was the only way I felt comfortable here, close to them. It gave me a bit sense of comfort in this cage. "Because I am tired this year and just want to sleep till tomorrow." I lied to Val who was by my right. "I thought we would celebrate our daddy," her voice trailed the entire time Vance was quietly listening. "I know but he isn't your daddy anymore. Let's just go to bed tomorrow will be a long day." Saying those words broke me when I saw the hurt on Val's face. She bent her head hugging my waist. She didn't cry, but I knew I wanted to. My p
(Xander's pov) The new year was meant to be something special which people look forward to, but for the past 4 years, I always dreaded this day. It reminded me that another year had gone by, and I was alone. That was how it felt to me. "You can do this," I said those words hoping it would help me get my nerves together. I closed the door and then proceeded to the luxurious Crest Lake restaurant in front of me. The place was filled with customers since it was the new year. Skyler chose a safe location; he knew that I would likely not do something Crazy with this many people around. I was put in a difficult situation. From the entrance, I was immediately recognized by the manager, who seemed to have recognized me. "Happy New Year, Mr De Marco. Mr Crest has been expecting you." He chimed. "Happy New Year," I said out of simple curtsey, my eyes darting around the restaurant. I was the least interested in the fancy interior that screamed money. The beauty didn't matter to me. "Ple
(Xander's pov) At this point, I think Skyler's true power is to make people disappear. It made me wonder when he got this tricky. In the end, he won; imagine how frustrating it was to know he was the one behind everything, but there was no evidence linking it to him. He had planned everything, making Emma the front to take the blame, not to forget the fact Emma was still missing, but I was certain that he had a hand in that too. This game had gone on for too long and I was genuinely tired. It was a few minutes to midnight; my eyes were focused on the road as I drove back to Ivan's place. The car slowed down at the red light. My eyes glanced away from the road for a while to the passenger seat where an envelope sat. It was the transfer document; desperate times require desperate measures. I scoffed, glancing back at the road; after finally inheriting the business and building it to an all-time high, the genius business tycoon was giving it out to save his family.
(Karis's pov) The table was silent as we ate. After finding out Val had refused to eat anything for over a day now, I had to force her to eat. So we had our meal together as what appeared like a family of four. The room had a very heavy tension and I wondered if the children knew that Skyler was a bad guy. This was totally unlike Val who was always chatty and cheerful with Skyler. "I am full," Val said. I glanced at her plate to see it was now clean. "That great dear." I chimed at her, and she nodded. "Can I leave now?" Her voice was very soft. "Sure, if you are full." Skyler was the one who responded this time around. Val nodded and then left the table. I watched her little feet run away. "Can I also leave?" Another small voice asked. My attention drew from Val to Vance who was super nervous. He was also done eating. "You can go ahead," I informed him and he didn't waste a second more to flee the room. It was left just me and Skyler. "They will und
(Karis's pov) I think I lost consciousness as soon as I sent the text to Bertha to leave, I had to send the text to Bertha for Skyler to believe. I had no idea where we were heading. My head was a bit dizzy and was laid on Skyler's thighs while gazing outside. "You are awake," he muttered, drawing his gaze from outside to me. I tried to sit up, holding my head that was aching. I glanced outside and the only thing I could see was an endless stretch of trees. We must be somewhere around the outskirts. "Where are we going?" I asked Skyler, sensing his gaze on me. I was trying my best to act natural so that he would not sense anything odd. The more I looked at him, the more my heart ached, realizing what he did. He was a freaking lunatic. "Somewhere safe to avoid Xander's eyes before we leave the country during the new year." My heart skipped a beat, my eyes drawing back outside. It was still day, hours away from midnight. I know we were miles away from civilizatio
(Xander's pov) I thought today was going to be my lucky day; by chance, we were able to comprehend Miranda. She didn't even give us any issues and relayed the information she had about the twin's location. It was an old manor on the outskirts of the city deep inside the forest. If I had not caught Miranda there was no way we would have found out. The car sped as fast as it could. I crossed my fingers, hoping they would be there and this would be the end of this madness. "We are getting close." The driver informed me. Ivan's men had already gone ahead to lay a siege on the property. After what felt like forever, I finally arrived from a distance. I could hear the baring sounds of gunshots. This time, we were prepared to go against the mercenaries as I had my hands on some military combatants, a favour from an old friend. I stepped out of the car, and one of the soldiers approached to give me cover along with other armed personnel, who were all covered with bulle