(Karis's pov) Since it was Xander's money I was planning to use there was no need for me to hold back because he could afford it. "5 million." Emma had the nerve to raise the price. I saw Miranda's jaw at Emma's audacity. "8 million." I raised the bid. Why was everyone against me today? All I wanted was a piece of jewellery made by my late mother. "10 million." Skyler bid with a sly smile. Emma gritted her teeth, maybe her budget was almost close. "12 million." Emma bid and even I was surprised now. "15 million." I did not want to give up now. My eyes glanced at Xander's, whose attention was on his phone, unbothered by anything happening. "30 Million." Skyler declared. How did a jewelry with starting price of 80 thousand get to 30 million? At this point, I even gave up. "How annoying," I whined with a sad pout. My words seemed to have caught Xander's attention because he glanced at me. "30 million is there any other bid aside from the gentleman man in a
(Karis's pov) I was left puzzled by Xander's warning. "What are you thinking of? he is just jealous of Skyler." I said out loud. I was on my seat enjoying a glass of wine. My mood was a bit down and it made me lose interest in socializing. My eyes darted at the hall impressed at how wonderful the decorations were and how everyone was dashing. This was what a gathering of the elite looked like. It didn't seem like a bad idea to sit back and just enjoy the night. "Good evening Mrs De Marco. I hope I am not intruding." A middle-aged lady in her early forties approached me with a soft smile. I dropped my wine glass on the table and signified she should take a seat. It was funny how people preferred standing at parties like this. "Not at all." The lady got my clue and took a seat. "My name is Sapphire Holmes." She introduced herself. "Like Sherlock Holmes." I made a light joke which she laughed at. "Yes, I got that joke a lot while I was still in school during my
(Karis's pov) A faint smile that had a bitter feel got on my face seeing Skyler offering the first dance to me instead of Xander. No wonder in my past life there were rumours of how perfect Xander looked with Emma than me. Like why would you not think so when she was dancing with him and smiling very graciously? My mouth tasted very bitter with jealousy. "Of course, why don't we dance then? I guess there is no reason for me to refuse." I accepted Skyler's hand which he tenderly held and brought to his lips for a kiss. I don't know if Skyler had a fetish for kissing my hand 'cause it was his favourite way of greeting me. My lips pursed into a tight smile and I joined him on the dance floor."You can't get your eyes off him," Skyler whispered close to my ears which made me feel ticklish. I held his hand while my other hand was on his shoulder as we waltzed on the dance floor. The moment Skyler's hand touched my back, it sent shivers down my back, feeling his callous hand
(Karis's pov) We were so close that it felt inappropriate for a married woman, but who cares? After all, my husband was dancing with another lady leaning on his shoulders. "You just want to get on Xander's nerves for fun." I am amused at how Skyler had a boyish grin on his face excited by whatever mischief he had in mind. "At least that's something we have in common." Skyler mused and my eyes popped out. I did want to get back at Xander for fun and have been pushing him up the brink since our wedding night. Skyler had clues about how my marriage which was surprising. We were in the middle of the hall directly under the chandelier. The truth was that Skyler and I also looked like a couple. "Don't be so shocked, Karis. You are super easy to read. Just follow my lead." Skyler gazed down at me, our position was still uncomfortable with the way his intoxicating breath fanned over me. "But I can't find Xander anywhere," I stated my concerns because aside from Emma, who was gl
(Xander's POV) I was bummed when I lost the bid of the pendant Karis wanted to Skyler. Even though Karis didn't mention it, the history behind the pendant at first glance was obvious. This was one of the works of her late mother; she must have wanted it so dearly, but Karis was being careful of the price. I deliberately raised the price very high for two reasons: to make Skyler give up or to make him spend a fortune. Either case was a win for me, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth when he had it in the end. Karis was disappointed, but she didn't say it; since she didn't like me being around her, I had to leave to give her some space while I socialized with some of the guests. The entire time, I kept glancing at Karis from time to time to check up on her. "I am sorry about what happened earlier." My attention on Karis was diverted to an annoying vixen who didn't know when to stop. "Emma you should apologize to my wife and not me." He said, turning back to look at Emma.
(Xander's pov) Karis and Skyler were the stars of the night; I could even hear murmurs go around at how charming they looked together, like a real couple. Someone even had the nerve to mention that Karis was more suited for Skyler because of his friendly demeanour, unlike me, who was rough on the edges. I scoffed at their words only if they knew the Skyler I consider my rival. His friendly smile could never fool me. It was getting unbearable to watch them, I was itching to pull them apart. Unfortunately, if that happened, it would be scandalous, and some might even say Karis was in an affair with Skyler. That was one rumour I could not afford. I grabbed a wine glass from a nearby server and clung it down in one go. If looks could kill, Skyler would have fallen dead on the ground. "Xander isn't that Skyler dancing with Karis?" Mum asked me. Her voice startled me because I didn't hear her coming as all my attention was on Karis. ' why does she never smile genuine
(Karis's pov) Under the beautiful moonlight on a wide veranda connected to the hall, the two enchanting figures were dancing to the soft melody from the hall. I leaned on Xander's chest to catch my breath after that demanding kiss that sucked the life out of me. There was tension thick between us, but from an outsider's view, you would not be able to guess anything was off from first glance because it seemed like a lovely couple privately enjoying the night, only that the reality of things was far from that. I was annoyed that Xander was dancing with Emma first while he was threatening to punish me for dancing with Skyler as a means to get back at him. Xander was just simply outrageous. Xander was pissed, but it didn't matter to me; he acted like I was the one at fault when the person who started it was him. "Punish me? I didn't do anything wrong here. If anyone should be punished, that person should be you, Xander." I latched out at him. He didn't even bother to explain t
(Karis's pov) The wind howled with a deafening silence. Xander just stood rooted, thrown off by my questions. His lips parted but no words left it. Instead, his fingers raked through his hair as he let out a guttural groan. "You don't want to know the answer, and if I tell, you would not believe me," Xander answered and I scoffed at him. I knew the answer: the only thing he wanted from the way he acted was my body. We were both sexually attracted to each other. "Karis, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't bear to see you with Skyler. You are mine and that is something we would have to learn to leave with." He added, which made me angrier. "Fuck off, Xander; I am not yours and belong to no one else." I gritted my teeth at him, tired of hearing him proclaim that thing over and over again. "You can keep on lying to yourself but I am sure you know the answer. Even though there is no love between us, our fates are already sealed and enough with the drama." Xander b
(Karis's pov) Xander didn't return home that night. I didn't bother to wait for him, but I was too worried to sleep. By the time I woke up in the morning, I got the message that he was travelling for a short business trip. He didn't bother informing me because he was probably still mad because of what I did, but he had no right to. For the next couple of days, I hardly left home except when I visited Bertha and my father-in-law in the hospital, and they were both recovering well. Skyler and I kept in touch the entire period to keep a record of our collaboration progress. Despite several days passing by, there was not a single word from Xander. I knew I should not be bothered but it made me worried. The only good thing that happened was that there was no sign of Emma anymore. "The moment I get home I am going to pop a bottle of wine." Bertha chimed excitedly. Today was the day she was finally cleared to be discharged. Although she would return for check-ups, it was cle
(Karis's pov) I froze immediately Xander hugged me while he was on his knees. "Xander kneeling won't change a thing about how much you hurt me. Why did you cancel the charges on Emma? " I asked him. It hurts to know your husband was supporting someone that hurt you. Xander never stood up for me, it was Skyler who charged Emma to court in the first place. Xander didn't answer. He was kneeling down while he hugged me. It made me wonder if he was feeling guilty. "Tell me why you chose to help another woman instead of your wife. But it's fine I never expected much from you." I tried to pry away his hand from my waist but it only tightened. " If scandals about one of our investors were to surface to the public it would affect the shares negatively." Xander finally stated his reasons that were not justifiable. He was validating business over his wife. I was not move or let myself be swayed by his words. "I am done with your excuses. There is always one excuse after a
(Karis's pov) Xander snapped once again. I had successfully pushed him to the brink but he had no right to be angry when he was with Emma yesterday. "Karis," Xander said, stretching out his hand for me. His voice was calm, but I could sense a brewing storm. I nervously swallowed, refusing to take his hand; who knows what the hell he planned on doing? Skyler held my hand and pulled me behind to cover me from Xander's piercing gaze, which didn't go well with Xander. His eyes got darker with the room suffocating. "Stop scaring her Xander. It's not like she hasn't told you about the divorce before." Skyler sneered. Benjamin was stunned and looked equally angry, but his anger was not focused towards Skyler. "I was not talking to you but My wife." Xander's voice was seething with anger, prominent in every word sounding like Venom. I peeked my head from behind Skyler to look at Xander's expression. The angrier he looked, the happier he made me. Skyler held my hand pro
(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