(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
27 (Karis's pov) The drive to the venue was awkward. I was not ready to strike up any conversation with Xander and preferred gazing through the window. I was thinking about what happened tonight in my past life. In that timeline, Xander didn't bother to ask me to go out with him. He said it was because I was not into social gatherings which was not far from the truth but if he had asked me then I would have jumped at the offer. Then I thought he was considerate of my feelings and how socially awkward I was. After my mother died years ago, my grandparents took me away to stay in their countryside estate where I lived until after college. By the time I was back, there was another daughter and wife in my father's house. Dad didn't pay much attention to me and was focused on the company. It was hard for me to integrate into the social circle and Emma has made sure to label me as a countryside bumpkin too. This made it difficult for me to enjoy social gatherings and made
(Karis's pov) The hall was beautifully decorated with everything in it screaming wealth and taste. Everyone here had to be important individuals worth hundreds of millions at least. That was the power of the ' De Marco ' name. Xander's mother held this event every year, as a fundraiser for charity. A lot of people here didn't care about the charity but one thing and that was to show off their wealth and attract the best investors. This was where you would find the creme de la creme of society. That's why Emma was completely stunned by the comment. The dress we were wearing only had one available piece in the market. It was designed by a retired international designer who made it as a gift to his daughter but the design was so marvelous that a princess from a foreign country demanded to have the same design. The designer was hesitant since it was meant to be special for his daughter but after being persuaded over and over by the princess he agreed and made another dre
(Xander's POV) I could not describe how pissed off I was at the sight of Skyler openly flirting with my wife. He always knew how to get on my nerves. My gaze was boring into him. If looks could kill, Skyler would drop dead now. Karis was sensitive enough to read the room. My heart had a sense of comfort when she willingly held my hand because my gaze went to Skyler who claimed to have a way to prove Karis was right. "Then where is this designer you speak of Mr Crest?" Miranda challenged Skyler not knowing she was digging her own grave. The Skyler I knew wouldn't make a headless proclamation, but why was he interested in helping Karis? Since this morning, my mind has been clouded with thoughts about Karis and how she changed. It was hard to point my fingers at what it was, but there was something about her that intrigued me. It was still very annoying when I heard her say over and over again that she didn't care about me and had a lover. Whenever those accursed word
(Karis's pov) Xander was busy cooking while I stared blankly at him, lost for words. "Are you cooking for me?" I rubbed my eyes and then asked, because this had to be a dream, why the hell was he cooking for me? "Who else will I cook for aside from my wife? Well, unless we have a mini version of us, which is not a bad idea." Xander replied not taking his eyes off what he was doing. He switched off the cooker to drain the pasta. Then he started making the sauce. I had no idea he could cook, this was the first time. "This won't make me hate you any less." I retorted at him. If he thought cheap tricks like this could win me over he better think again. Xander glanced at me with a very dazzling smile that sparkled in his eyes and showed his dimples. "At least you didn't reject the idea of having children." He chimed, leaving me speechless. I hopped off the counter to head back to my room. No matter what, I was still mad at him, so this little kind act was only infuria
(Karis's pov) I stayed in my room the entire evening avoiding anything that would make me see Emma. It was better to avoid useless fights. I spent my time looking into some of my Father's businesses and particularly mum's investment. It didn't come as a surprise that most of my mother's shops were managed by Emma and Miranda. How was I able to look past this fact in my past life? There was a knocking sound on the door. "Good evening ma'am. May I come in?" It was Deborah. I allowed her to enter the room. Soon the brunette dressed in a maid outfit entered the room. Her hands were clammy, she was nervous for an unknown reason. "Are you alright?" I asked her purely out of concern. She quickly straightened up and then cleared her throat. "Sorry if my behaviour was off. I am here to invite you for dinner. Mr De Marco is expecting you since you have been indoors all day." So he missed his little wife he loves bullying. I scoffed. "Is Emma still around?" I asked strai
(Karis's pov) I thought the madness ended that unfortunate night but I had no idea what was waiting for me online. The next morning the entire X was flooded with images of Skyler and me together. There was this particular one that seemed like we were kissing. Who had taken these pictures I wondered? It kept me on my toes the entire day. Xander was pissed, that was one thing for sure. I didn't even catch a glimpse of him when I got out of bed this morning which was great. It would only remind me of my shamelessness. As he had promised, I was indeed prohibited from leaving the estate without protection, he said, but it seemed more like he was caging me. My hands clenched to the side when I saw Xander's car drive into the estate. I was peeking through the window of my bedroom. Xander got out of the car, and his eyes were drawn to my direction as if he sensed my gaze. I was unsure if he saw me or if he was just glancing at the prison cell where he kept his wife. Xander averte
**** Trigger notice dark scenes ahead**** (Karis's pov) The mansion was dark because it was probably very late in the night; flashes of lights showed around whenever lightning struck the sky. It was very eerie, and I was being trapped by a devil, but yet I felt excited about a very strange reason. Yes, I had lost my nuts at that point. My plans during this second chance were to push Xander to the edge, but seeing how he reacted concerning Skyler, struck terror in me. "This is absurd. You can't force me to stay with you, Xander. Why are you so adamant about tormenting yourself with my presence when you can have Emma or even Benita?" My voice came out sharply at first but broke into a cry. My emotions were a mess as a mixture of terror and excitement ran through my veins. "As much as I love hearing your voice, dear wifey, I love it better when you don't talk. You just love pushing my buttons. Don't you?" He said, wiping my tears away with his thumb; he then reached out to kiss
*** Trigger notice, dark scenes ahead****(Karis's pov) I was shaken to the core; in front of his large frame in the middle of nowhere, I felt so vulnerable. I hated this feeling more than anything in the world, but in front of him, I felt powerless. I was not weak by any means, but I was never given the chance to grow. My second chance was for me to grow and get back at them, but his very existence was my curse that made all my efforts seem useless. Xander was just too powerful, and the worst thing was that my body was drawn to him. I should hate him, but there was a part of me that couldn't hate him. Xander's hand was still on my mouth, stopping me from talking further. He crooked his face on my hair. My hands pressed against his chest to push him away, but he was an immovable wall. The sky rumbled, followed by the bright lighting flash that made Xander look more intimidating. I was trying my best not to fall on my knee. " Why do you keep on lying to yours
****Trigger warning, you can skip this chapter. The scenes might seem dark to some readers****(Karis's pov) Xander became creative with his punishments, but I had no idea why I was being punished. The pit pattern sound of raindrops on the soil echoed throughout the woods. It was dark, and I was lost in the woods. This was an acre of land that had been passed down for generations. I was always scared of this area, so I had never ventured into the woods. Chills and shivers crept up my skin; my entire body was soaked with my clothes clinging to my body. I could not run any deeper into the woods because I had no idea what might be hiding in the eerie place. My heart was beating fast, thudding in my chest with my breath haggard. A twig snapped close to me, and my eyes shot out. He was close. I pressed my body close to the tree trunk hoping he would walk by because running would expose my location. Xander's movements were nibbled and cautious. He was like a
(Karis's pov) The entire ride back home I had this feeling something was off. My mind was plagued by a lot of thought at the moment, making it hard to figure out what the problem was. I packed my car in front of the house and gave the keys to Sam to pack it properly. Immediately, I alighted from the car; a piercing gaze was locked on me, which gave me goosebumps. My eyes glanced up in a particular direction and it caught the sight of a tall figure blended in the darkness dressed in all black. I recognized it to be Xander immediately; he was standing on the balcony that led to our room smoking. The lit cigarette was between his lips while his hand held a glass containing alcohol.' was he waiting for me?' I swallowed hard because fear twisted my stomach for a strange reason it seemed Xander was mad at me. This was the second time, I had seen Xander smoke, he was not a chain smoker and I had a gut feeling he only smokes when he is pissed off. His eyes briefly lo
(Xander's pov) This week has been hectic, all thanks to an annoying fly who I have been trying my best not to snap his neck. Skyler has been trying to poach my partners and future deals. I didn't take him seriously at first because most of those deals didn't affect me much, and I didn't feel the need to fight after a couple of irrelevant people that don't understand the meaning of loyalty. Whenever he poaches one, there is always a replacement ready, but his games have started to get more annoying. I was also occupied with figuring out how the hell my father got poisoned amidst all this chaos. It was hard to pin the blame on anyone because the De Marco name has its fair share of enemies. The board room was in chaos. Most of the shareholders and top managers were quite disturbed about the threat of the Crest conglomerate, but I wasn't bothered. No matter how they fuzz about it, I controlled over 80 per cent of the shares, holding the absolute deciding power, so in the end, e
(Karis's pov) Up till now, I had no idea why Father had called me. He took his seat at the head of the table while Miranda sat by his side dutifully like a good wife. "How have you been dear? You seem to be glowing after you got married." Christian started to butter me up. He had a creepy smile on his face that made me feel something was off. "I have been doing great; the atmosphere at the De Marco estate is better than being surrounded by you pretentious bitches." I sneered, not sugarcoating my words. Father started to cough, understanding what I was implying. "That is no way to talk about mother and sister." Miranda butts in, her face marred with fury. "Mother, I had no idea my dead mother Hazel had another child. Why don't I have any idea of this father?" I acted oblivious to what she meant. Miranda's face flushed further. It was enjoyable to see her mad. Dad looked at me with his mouth agape, stunned by my behaviour; I was never the type to talk smack about peo