(Karis's pov) This has been one hell of a crazy week, from Xander finding out Valeria is his then forcing me to move in with him because of Emma, buying the company, Dad's unexpected swift death and now this. ' What did Dad's lawyer mean by Emma isn't a party of the will? ' my thoughts screamed for crying. This was too much. I groaned, exhausted, as I covered my face in my hands, bowing my head. I was both mentally and physically drained at once. Xander held my shoulder and then slowly squatted before me, making me look back at him. "Don't think about it, everything will be fine," Xander said as if he could read my mind. "I am a bit nervous; it feels like my revenge was ruined," I murmured, bowing my head. Xander smiled; he pinched my face and then raised it to gaze back at him. My hazel eyes met those grey eyes that weirdly gave me a sense of comfort, one I could never feel around Skyler, and I knew the reason why. It was because, unfortunately, this annoying
(Karis's pov) My face was pale and I was completely flabbergasted. It was difficult to imagine. Miranda was a witch, but murder was not a joke. She loved Christian. I could remember how she acted in the hospital, she was completely devastated by everything. "I am sorry, but that's what we suspect," Xander said, embracing me with his familiar warmth as his rich scent that I was addicted to overshadowed me. I didn't want to shed tears to be completely thrown off. "You are trembling, little Red. This is why I didn't want to talk to you right away." He sighed, rubbing my back as I leaned on his chest. "But why would she want him dead? He was going to give them everything." I asked Xander, although I knew clearly he didn't hold the answers I was searching for. "I have no idea but something caught my attention. I was looking into the Reynolds family before you froze the accounts and found out most of Christians's account funds were being diverted in small amounts so as
(Xander's pov) Little Red Face lost her red glow. I could stand her anger when she glared, her embarrassing moments, her smiles, even her cusses, but this was something that broke me. She was pale and broken, and her voice trembled. My jaw clenched. This was the worst way for her to find out her stepmother killed her mother. I wanted to pull her into a hug, telling her it was okay to cry and that she could cry on me. I wanted to tell her sweet words to reassure her she wasn't alone. I was here and would be able to be by her side, but her voice ripped my heart. I have never seen her this broken. I could not stand it. She wanted me gone, I didn't want to. I could never leave her like this. "Karis." I softly called, but she jumped off the bed and then burst out. "Xander no, I said no. Just leave me the hell alone." She screamed at me, the tears continued pouring out. Her tears were precious, and I'd rather not see them, but she wanted me gone. I understand the fee
(Karis's POV) It felt like my world froze, and everything became bright immediately after I saw a single word, ' positive' on the pregnancy test results with tears welling up in my eyes. "This is not a dream." My voice broke as I spoke. "Congrats, ma'am, you are three weeks pregnant." The doctor congratulated me. I was unable to hold it anymore and immediately burst into tears. They were tears of joy; after five long years of being called barren, I was finally able to conceive. I was so excited by the news my ears turned deaf to anything other thing the doctor said. I just waited for him to dismiss me before rushing out of the hospital. Suddenly everything thing seemed brighter. I was so happy that my emotions were all over the place, laughing and crying at the same time. On my way home, I kept thinking about how to share the good news with my husband, with multiple ideas popping up in my head. Tomorrow is Xander birthday, so I decided to get an early birthday present for him a
(Karis's pov) My head was spinning and it took a while for me to realize what was happening. A second ago, I was in the middle of the road about to be crushed by a car, and the next second, I appeared in the dressing room on my wedding day. I would have thought it was a dream or a joke but I could feel Bertha hold on my wrist. Was I being reborn to have a second chance in life? I stopped moving as I came to the realization. Bertha turned back at me, surprised why I stopped; her eyes went wide, stunned because my eyes were blurry with unshed tears. I felt like crying, remembering everything that happened in my past, which might repeat itself in the future. "Karis, Are you crying? Please don't cry today should be your happiest. I can't believe you are finally married to Xander, your long-time crush." Bertha said in a calm voice caressing my hand. "I can't help it." I sniffed, hugging Bertha; it had been ages since I saw her because Bertha died in the past. She wa
(Karis's pov) My heart skipped a beat, feeling Xander's hands around my waist in a protective way. Even the way his voice sounded in my ears made me shiver. I was stunned that Xander stepped in between me and Skyler because he had never done something like this in our past life. He was never protective of me, and I knew secretly it was because he resented me because of our arranged marriage. Xander was forced to marry me because of a promise his mother made to my dead mother. It was funny to realize I came between him and his true love Emma. ' What was he trying to do here? ' After all, he should not give a fuck about me or who I speak to. He should run ahead to his crying lover and not me. If this was the former me, butterflies would have been in my stomach, yearning for the touch of the man I loved and chased for years, but his touch didn't feel the same anymore. "What if I can't do that Mr De Marco? You have a beautiful wife here, and it is tempting and hard to
(Xander's POV) Karis was left speechless, her mouth parted and closed as if searching for the words to reply to me. I could not point my fingers at exactly what it was, but after when she stormed out of the hall because of Emma's provocation, it seemed like she was a different person. Her eyes, which were always filled with admiration, were dull. I was still finding it hard to believe she had run away from me. What the hell was going through her mind? She used to be a naive open book I could easily read, but now I had no idea what she was thinking. The lady underneath me was different from the little girl I grew up with, who kept pestering me everywhere. The shock in her eyes disappeared and was replaced with a mischievous look. "Who said I belong to you, Xander?" She snickered at me. I didn't like the tone in which she spoke, how dare she suddenly behave like she didn't love me after we were married due to her obsession. "Repeat what you just said Karis and I
(Karis's pov) I loved to see the shocked expression on Xander's face; he probably could not believe that I lost interest in him. "You are in love with someone else." Xander chuckled, unable to believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. His shock was understandable because which bride in her right mind would tell her husband on their wedding night that she doesn't love him but it had nothing to do with me "Yes, I made a mistake in the past and I..." He didn't let me finish my statement as my lips were sealed by Xander's lips again. It seemed like he wanted to dominate me with his sexual appeal, and I wouldn't lie 'cause he was dangerous. Every time his lips captured mine, and his sinful tongue started exploring my mouth. It makes me feel like giving in to him. Xander was going to be the death of me. Despite how I kept on telling myself I should avoid him a part of me that always craved his love and affection wanted to give in. Why was he doing this to
(Xander's pov) Little Red Face lost her red glow. I could stand her anger when she glared, her embarrassing moments, her smiles, even her cusses, but this was something that broke me. She was pale and broken, and her voice trembled. My jaw clenched. This was the worst way for her to find out her stepmother killed her mother. I wanted to pull her into a hug, telling her it was okay to cry and that she could cry on me. I wanted to tell her sweet words to reassure her she wasn't alone. I was here and would be able to be by her side, but her voice ripped my heart. I have never seen her this broken. I could not stand it. She wanted me gone, I didn't want to. I could never leave her like this. "Karis." I softly called, but she jumped off the bed and then burst out. "Xander no, I said no. Just leave me the hell alone." She screamed at me, the tears continued pouring out. Her tears were precious, and I'd rather not see them, but she wanted me gone. I understand the fee
(Karis's pov) My face was pale and I was completely flabbergasted. It was difficult to imagine. Miranda was a witch, but murder was not a joke. She loved Christian. I could remember how she acted in the hospital, she was completely devastated by everything. "I am sorry, but that's what we suspect," Xander said, embracing me with his familiar warmth as his rich scent that I was addicted to overshadowed me. I didn't want to shed tears to be completely thrown off. "You are trembling, little Red. This is why I didn't want to talk to you right away." He sighed, rubbing my back as I leaned on his chest. "But why would she want him dead? He was going to give them everything." I asked Xander, although I knew clearly he didn't hold the answers I was searching for. "I have no idea but something caught my attention. I was looking into the Reynolds family before you froze the accounts and found out most of Christians's account funds were being diverted in small amounts so as
(Karis's pov) This has been one hell of a crazy week, from Xander finding out Valeria is his then forcing me to move in with him because of Emma, buying the company, Dad's unexpected swift death and now this. ' What did Dad's lawyer mean by Emma isn't a party of the will? ' my thoughts screamed for crying. This was too much. I groaned, exhausted, as I covered my face in my hands, bowing my head. I was both mentally and physically drained at once. Xander held my shoulder and then slowly squatted before me, making me look back at him. "Don't think about it, everything will be fine," Xander said as if he could read my mind. "I am a bit nervous; it feels like my revenge was ruined," I murmured, bowing my head. Xander smiled; he pinched my face and then raised it to gaze back at him. My hazel eyes met those grey eyes that weirdly gave me a sense of comfort, one I could never feel around Skyler, and I knew the reason why. It was because, unfortunately, this annoying
(Karis's pov) Whether it was just my gut feeling I could not accept Father died a natural death. Xander was reliable he got into action immediately. He got the police involved restricting Miranda from accessing Dad's body until the autopsy was done. While I got the court to freeze Dad's account until his will was read. Luckily the De Marco name made things fast. The court quickly gave his injunction and everything was freezed leaving only the Reynolds home Miranda was resident in. Miranda got mad claiming I was doing to to prevent her from accessing what was hers but I turned a blind ear to everything. I tried getting everything together while we waited for the autopsy. First I changed a lot of staff at the Reynolds group suspected of corruption then ran internal audits on every branch and business under the Reynolds company. It has been 2 days after father died and Miranda kept on sending threats and going to court to overturn my court injunction but the De Ma
(Karis's pov) This wasn't meant to happen; he couldn't be..... No, I had to be positive. My face was drained of every colour and I almost lost my footing; Xander rushed to catch me, but Skyler caught me before he could. Xander's sharp gaze was on him as he tried to stay calm while I organized my thoughts. My relationship with Christian was complex, I never expected news of his possible death to have such an impact on him. "Can you stop scaring her? The doctor hasn't said anything, and you are already trying to scare the shit out of her." Skyler snapped at Xander. He was seriously irritated by Xander. I shrugged off Skyler's hold to stand on my own. This should not be happening; in my past life, Dad was perfectly healthy until I died. Why was he ill now? "I need a moment, can you stop bickering for once." I snapped at them, and luckily, Xander decided to listen to me this time around. After drawing in a deep breath, I left Xander and Skyler outside to see Dad in the
(Karis's pov) There was a strong stench of antiseptic in the air, this is why I hate the hospital. Dad collapsed on the stage during the press conference throwing the hall into a frenzy. We were barely able to get him out of there, and now I have no idea what was happening. The doctor was yet to reply. He wasn't the best father, but he was still my dad, and we still did have some good memories, so I could not help but worry. "Don't worry too much; Christian will be fine. He is just stressed." Skyler's words reassure me. He had followed me to the hospital and had been with me since we arrived. "I can't help but worry. Even if Christian wasn't a saint he is still my father. Do you think I killed him?" I asked, my hand started to tremble. Skyler quickly pulled me into a hug rubbing my back. "Stop saying that; he isn't dead yet, and you did nothing wrong. Christian will be fine." His words were reassuring but a feeling in my heart kept on telling me otherwise.
(Karis's pov) I felt warm and fuzzy. I didn't know why but it made me happy. My body snuggled close to the warmth hugging it tightly. One of my hands moved downward, brushing against something that was poking out of the fabric. ' wait a freaking moment.' my thoughts screamed I was hugging someone. He was large as at that. What was a man doing in my bed?! I freaked out. My eyes popped open to find myself hugging Xander. While holding the thing from earlier. I quickly let go realizing what it was. He was asleep, but I didn't give a fuck. Xander was shirtless, and I was wearing his shirt, meaning this bastard saw me naked. I sat up, then kicked him, "What the hell are you doing in my bed!?" I barked at him feeling used and exposed. Xander groaned and turned to look at me. His hair was dishevelled, but this bastard was still good-looking with those grey eyes that had a misty look in them that made him look a bit mysterious. That was not the problem but the fact
(Xander's pov) She was ignoring calls, I scoffed at the thought. After Karis left the estate in the afternoon I was working in my study until I got a text from the single guard she took out. He informed me she had a meeting earlier with her father to buy off his shares at the Reynolds company then took a detour to celebrate her success. I was happy for her that she finally achieved her goal but not so happy about the second half of the information. She invited Skyler too. Little Red was out drinking with Skyler knowing fully well her alcohol tolerance was that of a baby. I didn't want to think much about it, but the thought that she might get drunk by Skyler's side was bugging me then again, they have known each other for those 4 years. What if she had gotten drunk with Skyler before? That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Eventually, I was unable to stay put and left the estate after having dinner with the twins, only to be welcomed by the sight of Skyler almost kissi
(Karis's pov) I could hear my heart beating in my chest from my ears as Skyler inched closer. His breath was a mix of alcohol and mint. I was already tipsy so just imagine the kind of situation I was in. The cold winter breeze blew across us. My hands clenched and before I could evade him in my drunk state. "I want to kiss your lips so badly, Sunny. Would it be a sin if I listened to my inner thoughts this once?" My breath hitched, "Skyler, I can't," even if I was tipsy, I could not kiss him. "Shush, that's enough. It won't be nice to just stop thinking about anything and focus on me." His thumb was rubbing my lips as his dark obsidian eyes drew me in. "Red," I heard someone call from behind and I froze. Skyler's jaw clenched as I shoved him off to look behind. I was nervous like I was just caught cheating by my husband, only that it wasn't my husband but my ex-husband. Xander stood a few steps away from us in a long jacket under the light snow as the breeze blew r