(Karis's pov) I instantly melted under his kiss, enjoying the way he dominated me even though, at the back of my mind, I knew that my feelings should be the opposite. It was just hard to resist Xander who was a walking hormone magnet. Everything about him was enough to make any straight girl lose their marbles, not to mention my case was made worse because of the bitter feeling of love that was hidden in my heart. He bit my lower lip, and my mouth opened right, gasping for air. Xander took the opportunity to insert his tongue inside my mouth and domineering found my rebellious tongue to entangle with it. A moan escaped my mouth as my back arched. I wanted him to release my hands so that I could grab his hair while he was assaulting my mouth but it was too much to ask for. When my body was already asking for more, he broke the kiss, and a strand of Silva left our mouth. His eyes were still fierce after the kiss that left me breathless under him. "Don't talk about
(Karis's pov) The first week we spent in the villa was hectic. The entire time I was walking on eggshells, Xander never missed an opportunity to tease me whenever he was around. Luckily, he was out most of the day because of his multiple business meetings. At least during that period, I had some peace of mind. I spent my time mostly indoors and seldom went out for a short stroll because I started working on my designs during the day, which was not progressing much because a certain someone was always plaguing my mind. "Bertha take a deep breath, this is not the end of the world." I was talking calmly to Bertha over a video call. "I don't know what to do. I can't believe it's cancerous." Bertha cried. The test results of the growth in Bertha's intestine finally came out and it was confirmed to be cancerous. This validates my suspicion about what killed Bertha. In my past life, she probably didn't find out until the end stage of the disease, which is in 2 years
(Karis's pov) It seemed like the entire world, except for Skyler, wasn't on my side. My best friend, who I thought would be my girl in times like this, was advising me to give in to Xander the same way my rebellious body didn't know how to behave. "I can't do any of that. I told Xander I would never give in to him." Bertha facepalmed herself. Even though I secretly thought of giving in to Xander for once these would be me defiling my words and betraying myself after all they did to me. "Karis, if I was somewhere in London right now, I would have matched down to that Villa and give you a good beating." Bertha snapped at me. She took a deep breath to contain her rage then continued. "You took a good look at Xander and said that. You will eat back your words when you throw yourself at him." Bertha shook her head, disapproving of my thoughts. "I don't love him anymore. No way will happen." I deadpanned. My bestie released a long sigh, staring at me like a disappointed parent
(Karis's pov) My hazel eyes locked with Xander's grey eyes, and I froze as the realization slowly seeped in, sitting on his waist region. "We just have to head to the bedroom to start or we can still use the sitting room. I am sure no one will dare bother us." Xander continued teasing me. My face went red. "You little pervert," I screamed, rushing to get off him, but my luck this evening was very bad. I tripped again, and this time, my ankle twisted. "Ouch." I cried as my eyes blurred with tears because of the piercing pain in my feet. Xander had already sat up by my side and was laughing. I glared at him as hard as I could because this was all his fault, but my eyes shooting out were adorable and only made me seem cute to him. "You are adorable when you are angry. It makes it tempting to get on your nerves so that you can fiercely glaring at me." Xander chuckled. "You are a sadist and a pervert." I barked at him but Xander only laughed at me. He even
(Karis's pov) I didn't like the bitter feeling in my heart when I saw the message. ' Karis, ignore it; he isn't worth it.' I chanted in my head, but it was easier said than done. It was hard to breathe; I knew that Xander was having an affair, but seeing evidence of it still hit me hard. The door creaked open, and my eyes were drawn to Xander's figure coming into the door. Xander had a slight frown on my face because he sensed the change in my mood. "Did something happen?" He asked me, and as if on cue, the caller, Emma Reynolds, called him. "Nothing, your lover is bothering my peace with her incessant calls." I sneered. Xander sighed as he picked up his phone from the bed. He tilted his phone screen to my sight and blocked her number then put his phone on airplane mode. I rolled my eyes knowing he would unblock her number later. "Does this help improve your mood?" Xander asked tossing his phone on the bed. "It's not like it matters. You might still have to contact her, an
(Karis's pov) "I thought you said it was a breakfast meeting," I asked because this was not the outfit I was expecting him to wear for a business appointment. "Yep, but it's not a business appointment. We will be meeting up with a friend of mine." Xander answered while he was spraying on his perfume. I didn't expect we would be meeting up with friends so it was a bit surprising. I had to change my outfit to something more casual due to the nature of our activity. We left the villa together after I was able to convince Xander my leg was fine. He was becoming too much of a worrywart. Xander didn't take the driver, he drove the car himself to our location. We arrived at a Spanish restaurant around 11 am, and it seemed like we were the first customers of the day. The entire ride, Xander was on the phone with his friend to confirm the location, and from the snippets of the conversation that got to my ears, his friend suddenly changed the plans for the hangout. Whe
(Karis's pov) Benjamin rolled his eyes at his sister's attempt to be closer to Xander. It was hard to concentrate on whatever they were doing on the table when Xander's hand was drawing circles on my thigh and made his way higher to my panties. My throat went dry and I nervously gulped down some water. The annoying fact was that Xander's expression was neutral despite what he was doing to me. I picked up my phone to text him on WhatsApp. Karis: Stop for Christ's sake (angry emoji) Xander's phone popped up a notification; he picked up the phone after seeing the message from me. Xander: Stop what? I am not doing anything. He decided to act oblivious, I bit my cheeks. He was proving to be more difficult to handle, his hand was about to reach my panties when the waitress finally arrived just in time to save me. The sweet aroma of the tortilla waffled into my nose. Nothing beats a good egg omelette. Xander had to stop because he needed both hands to use the cutleries. Benjam
(Karis's pov) I bit my lips, deliberating if I should accept the offer or not. It seemed very fun, but I didn't want to hang out much with Xander. The reason I am here is because Xander said it was important. I dropped the cutleries in my hands and took a sip of the smoothie; after tasting it, I couldn't bring myself to drink the orange juice anymore. "I am not sure I can make it. My legs are injured, and my doctor said I should reduce how frequently I walk until it heals." I came up with an excuse. "That won't be a problem. The party is this Friday. By then, your legs should already be better." Benjamin replied still pushing on the idea for me to attend the party. "Friday, I guess there is still time to decide. Xander will inform you if I change my mind." Benjamin nodded at my reply; after Benita left, he was a bit uncomfortable because she was taking forever. "Can you excuse me for a moment? I want to check up on Benita." Benjamin excited himself, unable t
(Karis's pov) The Atmosphere was festive, with Christmas close by and there seemed to be a lot of blissful chatter in the room except my table. It was a face-down between me and my ex-husband, Xander De Marco, who was super delusional. Honestly, I had no idea why I was still here listening to Xander. He was driving me crazy. He was right, Xander loved making my life a living hell but not again will I let him have the last laugh. I wished he would just drop down dead and I could not control my emotions anymore. My eyes were glaring so hard at him they could almost pop out. "You are a narcissist and full of yourself. I am done with this conversation." I scoffed about leaving the table. It was better I leave here because I was certain Mr Santos was not coming back. "Letting your emotions control you isn't smart in the business world, dear wife. I thought Skyler thought you better, but then again, I am the best in the game, little Red." He placed his glass back on
(Karis's pov) My first instinct was to get the hell out of there; that would have been what Karis would have done in this scenario, but Karis is dead. Madam Esmeralda was not scared of an annoying ex-husband. "I thought as much." Xander chimed, still maintaining his annoying smile. I had a strong urge to smack it off his face. At times I wonder what goes on in that head of his. His smile made me sick to my stomach and, for a strange reason, reminded me of a lot of annoying memories I would rather forget. "I didn't know you know, each other. I hope you are not offended by Mr De Marco joining us. Since you requested further negotiations, I thought it fit he should be here since he is already my partner." Mr Santos explained. My smile stiffened, Xander had already finalized the deal. "We barely know each other Mr Santos," I said with a dry smile as I took my seat. Lavender excused us to go to an already booked nearby table. "Are you sure about that? To the best o
(Karis's pov) Today was a long day. I had several calls coming in, and a lot was generally happening, not to forget the fact I was all over the media. Honestly, everything was draining, and it was more than I had bargained for. "Maybe you should just take a break, and if you need my help, don't hesitate." I heard Skyler say over the phone. I just finished a quick Zoom meeting and was about to leave home for my lunch appointment with Mr Santos. Skyler called in to check up on me which was very thoughtful of him to do."I will take a break. There is no need to worry much, and if I need your help, I will contact you." I replied, knowing fully well I would only resort to asking for his help as a last card. I didn't want to depend on others to achieve my goals, and Skyler had already done more than enough for me, so asking him for more help didn't go well with me. "You promise to ask for my help." He mentioned that his Baritone voice sounded soothing to my ears.
(Karis's pov) The Reynolds family held 50 percent deciding power, meaning if all the other shareholders were against the idea, then the decision would be bounced off the table. "First of all, we have to make something clear here. Only shareholders can make a decision." I mentioned that plunged Emma and Dad into deeper confusion. I cleared my throat, and then my eyes darted among the shareholders. "Gentlemen, you can now leave. Thank you for your time," I mentioned. Then, to Emma's shock, almost every shareholder got on their feet and nodded at me before they left the room. "What's going on shareholders can't leave in the middle of a meeting?" Emma asked confused. There were just 4 people left in the room: Dad, Emma, me and Mr Floyd, who refused to sell his shares. "Isn't it crystal clear to you already?" I asked Emma, who was still confused, but I think Dad got the message because he released a frustrated sigh. "You bought off all their shares." Dad sighed
(Karis's pov) Miranda was seething in anger; if looks could kill, I would have been dead by now. "Karis, please let your mother sit down. She is rather old," Christian said with a very calm voice. I Arched my brow at him, then pouted my lips pretending like I was considering when my real intention was just to have fun with my family. "Since Miranda had to sit down due to her age, why didn't Emma give up her seat? After all, she is the youngest here and Miranda's daughter."I suggested which was very reasonable. But for some unknown reason, Emma didn't like the idea of giving up her seat for her mother. Her face twisted in ways I never knew it could with her eyes throwing daggers at me. Christian reached out to massage the space between his brows because this argument was not going anywhere. It's not my fault he has a problematic family and a daughter who cares less about her mother. "In my opinion, you shouldnbe the one to leave here; you have never been to a st
(Karis's pov) Looking at the amount of paperwork in front of me I could not help but cuss who I rather not say his name. That overgrown baby that decided to make my life a living hell. Xander De Marco got to be kidding me. I thought I was ready to face him and go head-on-head with him, but I had underestimated my ex-husband. "I will talk to the CEO as soon as possible," I said on a final before hanging up the phone call with one of my managers. After having a long night, I had secretly cried in my bed where Valeria and Skyler could not see me because, for a weird reason, my heart hurt after seeing the look in Xander's eyes last night. That bastard was still affecting my emotions. Why did it feel like I was hurting him when he was the one that broke me? That bastard knew how to mess with my head but a moment of weakness was not going to stop me from having my sweet revenge. I had waited 4 long years for this. I would make them regret ever messing with me in
(Xander's pov) The car engine was roaring as it sped through the night. My hand held the steering wheel so tightly that it turned white while my legs were on the accelerator. I loved to race but it was a long time ago. The screeching sounds of tyres with the scent of gasoline and worn-out rubber on the racing track were etched on my memories. After racing on a private road for a couple of hours I went home. Tonight I needed to be by myself to get my thoughts together. As much as seeing her alive made me happy, the question on my mind was still how because I didn't want to accept her death. It made everyone think I was delusional, and they kept on singing it to my ears. Karis is dead, but she was standing in front of us, acting all sassy. I slammed the car door as I alighted, and then my gaze trailed around the main entrance of the estate, which already had light flakes of snow. It was a perfect night for winter to appear. Rage, disappointment, guilt, anger
(Emma's pov) The engagement was called off and I doubt Xander would continue with the plans because she chose to appear today. Everything is always about Karis. What's so good about her? She is just a country bumpkin. So what if she is a talented designer? I am also smart. After all, Dad would be giving the company to me. Xander left and he didn't care if I was watching him the entire time. What am I even thinking he never cared about me from the start. A dry laugh left my lips as I stood and watched them leave. It seemed like they were the main characters and I was the extra side character. I heard the fast-clicking sounds of heels coming my way, followed by Mum's voice. "How didn't you know she was still alive?" Mum asked me as soon as she was close enough she held my hands. It wasn't everything I could tell mum there were some secrets I kept too. She was trembling, and it seemed like she was affected by the news of Karis showing up more than I was. "Am
Third pov/Author's Pov His embrace was warm, exactly how she remembered it, with his cologne entering her nostrils. Karis remembered days she wished he held her like this but he never did. "Xander, please let go of me; your hold is too tight." She calmly said. Xander was lost in reverie, reliving his biggest fantasy of holding his dead wife in his arms, and couldn't control his strength. "I am sorry. I want to hold you a bit longer." He apologized, reluctant to let go. He was scared if he did, this would be the last time he might hold her like this. "Let go, Xander; your touch makes my skin crawl. My fiance would misunderstand if he saw us like this. " Karis lied and Xander froze. She needed him to let go before her pent-up emotions poured out. He was the biggest obstacle she had to overcome. Xander gritted his teeth after hearing Karis's words. Skyler was no longer her lover but her fiance. This had changed. She was not his little red anymore. "It hurts whe