(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) Although we were both drenched with water I was the only one shivering and was cold. My hands shamelessly clung to the same person who I said disgusted me, pressing my body against him trying to feel his warmth. Xander gazes down at me with his mouth shut. He didn't comment on my behaviour and let me cling to him. He stretched out his hand to grab his jacket, which he had pulled off before diving into the water and draped it around me. "Achoo." I sneezed and my nose turned red. I reached out to rub my nose, but then again, another sneeze left my nose. Xander released a tired sigh as he got on his feet, carrying me in a bridal style. "You have already gotten a cold." He stated the obvious; I buried my face in his chest, annoyed by the caring and concerned look he had on his face. He was not going to fool me with that look. Luckily Xander didn't say a word to make me feel more embarrassed. We left the gala Venue through the back exit to avoid any pap
(Karis's pov) "Achoo." I sneezed again immediately after I entered the bathroom, and the hot steam got into my nose. I sniffed because of the itching discomfort in my nose. "Bless you." My ears caught Xander's voice, which seemed like he wanted to laugh. What was so funny about sneezing? Xander carried me in his arms like I was a fragile being that could easily snap or break in his hand. He walked towards the large tub and gently placed me inside. The tub was already filled with warm water, and the lathe with soap. "You are adorable when you act obedient." He commented. Xander pulled off the towel on his waist; my eyes quickly averted as they caught sight of his little brother, who was not little, hanging down there. He was stark naked, the same as me, except for the fact I still had my panties on. Xander walked to the towel rack to hang the towel he had on, and I used the opportunity to pull off my panties. Xander came back towards the tub and my per
(Karis's pov) "There is no need for that. It doesn't matter if we have a honeymoon or not." I blurted out because the last thing I desired was going on a trip with Xander with this much tension between us. Xander's hands paused for a second, and I could feel him get colder behind my back. He went silent before he finally spoke. "I think it would be best for us. Mum was the one who suggested the idea." He mentioned. I was left tongue-tied, wondering if Xander was against this idea but just wanted to travel to put up an appearance. After all, today at the gala, a lot of people were curious why we had yet to travel out for our honeymoon. "I will think about it, and also, I can finish washing up myself," I said. Even though what was in my mind was thinking of the best excuse not to go, presently I was too exhausted to argue with Xander. Xander didn't argue with me and handed over the sponge to me. Immediately after I got it, I moved over to the other side of the tu
(Karis's pov) My eyes were on Xander's face side profile. Even when he was busy, he was still tempted. ' stop thinking about silly things, Karis.' I palmed both my cheeks before taking a deep breath. I slipped into the covers. "Are you going to be sleeping here?" I asked him and immediately wondered why I was asking such a silly question. Xander glanced at me with one of his brows. "Where else do you expect me to sleep?" He said as a matter of fact. I scoffed at him, he was indeed intent on making my night hellish. "In that case, we should split the bed." I started picking up pillows to demarcate the bed. I lined them in the middle dividing the bed into half. Xander chuckled at me, brushing his hair off his forehead and amused me. I bit my cheeks and ignored him. "Better stay on your side of the bed," I warned him, settling down on the bed to sleep. Xander laughed and the bed dipped because of his weight. The pillows placed behind me were unceremoniously remove
(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
(Karis's pov) Going out with Skyler and Bertha was the best decision I made. Unlike what I had expected, Skyler didn't question me much about the reason I moved to the De Marco estate, nor did he mention it, which I appreciate because I don't want to imagine how Bertha would react if she found out. I had gotten a private room at a karaoke place where there was also BBQ and drinks. It was a fun combo. Loud music was playing in the background while Bertha was singing, and I would not lie. She wasn't exactly the best singer, but it was fun watching her. Skyler and I just laughed at her while enjoying our BBQ and some alcohol, and I think I might have drank a little too much, but I was still sober. "That was fun," Bertha chimed after finishing a song then quickly gulped down some of her beer. "So what did you think of my performance? The great Bertha Rivers." She excitedly said feeling a bit tipsy as she sluggishly sat by my side. "It was perfect," I lied, being a supp
(Karis's pov) Never go for a battle unprepared, that was something everyone knew and I definitely didn't come unprepared. I had more than enough evidence to blackmail Christian. When Lavender informed me this morning about the meeting, I knew he had finally decided to sell the company, so I diligently prepared. It was comical how his beloved daughter was missing, and all he thought about at the moment was how to make a profit. His jaw clenched and he seemed to have grown a few more grey hair. I signalled Lavender, and they brought out some interesting pictures that made his blood pressure spike. Father started coughing seriously and accidentally knocked off a glass cup to the floor. "I don't have all day, so please tell me if you are taking the offer or not. I know you don't want to liquidate." I pushed his buttons further not really bothered by the fact he was coughing his heart out. Dad is meant to be in perfect health so I was sure this was a play to get my pit