(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) My jaw dropped. I had never expected Xander to be such a narcissist. It was beyond my expectations. "I can't stand your level of narcissism anymore. " I shook my head, this was too much to handle. If not for his similar touch, I would have been more than convinced that my husband had a secret twin, who I had no idea of and had swapped places with. This was different from my rigid indifferent husband I adored like a good man. "But you can't deny the fact that I am good-looking," Xander said, grinning at me. I later found out from Xander that Benjamin's name was Benjamin Meadows; he was of both British nobility and old money. They both met at the university. Oxford University to be precise. After the Meadows siblings left I managed to finish my breakfast. I was not in the mood to talk but Xander was in a suspiciously good mood. After breakfast, I insisted on heading back to the villa, not in the mood for sightseeing anymore. Xander left lat
(Karis's pov)My head jerked behind me to see Xander behind me. His eyes were cold; it was hard to know if he was mad because I picked up his call or the fact Emma was calling him. Then it hit me he had already unblocked her number but what did I expect? Of course, he did; he can't be away from his lover for too long. He placed the call on loudspeaker, then handed over the bottle of water to me. "Karis, why are you with Xander's phone?" Emma asked over the phone. Her cheesy voice sounded surprised, "How many times do I have to warn you not to call me outside work hours unless it is important?" Xander cold voice cuts her. "Xander?" Emma gasped, surprised, "Why did you let Karis pick up your call?" She questioned him. My eyes narrowed at Xander, his lover was probably surprised I picked up his phone call. "What do you expect when you are calling a married man by this time of the day?!" Xander shot at her and she went silent. "I wanted.." she tried to defend herself,
(Karis's pov) His gaze could see right through my clothes despite the fact I wore an oversized T-shirt. " I don't want to learn how to kiss from you," I argued back, shooting a glare at him. "Are you sure about that little red? Your face is so red, I am sure your slutty mind has envisioned this a million times." Xander jeered at me, it was hard to look at his hungry eyes because it was also turning me on as I slowly craved for him. Little Red, of all the nicknames he has given me, this was the most annoying one ever. I averted my eyes, trying to look sideways, and then my eyes went wide like saucers. My face and ears were so red there was no way I could hide it from Xander. His eyes followed my line of sight, and a dirty smirk got on his face, seeing the reason why I was so embarrassed. The TV was still on, and there was a fierce make-out scene playing. Why did it have to get to this part of the movie now of all times? Xander nibbled on my neck, he had dev
(Karis's pov) I didn't want to go to the party Benjamin had mentioned earlier, but after some consideration, my curiosity won because I was curious about what kind of parties Xander was into. The sky was already dark by the time we wanted to set out; Xander was dressed in all-black attire, from his black sneakers to his black leather jacket combined with his raven black hair. I wore dark blue jeans with a red crop top I covered with a large bomber, jacket. I didn't want to match with Xander in any way. He left me in the bedroom to bring out our ride from the garage. The loud roaring sounds of the engine made me wonder what car he was taking out. After I was done with my outfit, and the final look was satisfactory, I took a picture and posted it on my IG story. Grabbing my purse, I made my way to the front entrance, and my jaw instantly dropped. Xander was sitting on a 2022 Honda Fireblade power bike, wearing a black helmet. I didn't know it was a biker party we
(Karis's pov) Benita gritted her teeth at Xander's degrading statement. I am sure she wanted to show off to Xander but she never expected he would not even glance at her. "Xander," she called out and his eyes darkened as he glanced in her direction. "Did you see my race?" She asked him immediately she got his attention. "It was nothing special after all these years your racing skills are passable." Xander deadpanned. He grabbed my hand, ignoring Benita, who was hurt by his harsh words. "Do you want to get closer to the water?" He asked me. My eyes glanced towards Benita and I felt sorry for her. All she wanted was to catch the attention of her crush; it reminded me of the time I used to chase after Xander. "Since you are a better racer, why don't you hit the tracks yourself." Benita challenged Xander, but he ignored him, dragging me towards the water until a familiar baritone voice stopped him. The sand sunk under my feet giving me a secret urge to run bare foot
(Karis's pov) The bikes speed off, racing down the road until they disappear from my sight. So far it was a strong tie. After Xander was gone, I was a bit lonely since I didn't know anyone there except Benita, who ignored my existence. My eyes darted around the crowd, seeing how everyone was having a good time until it fell on a bar arranged at the side of the beach. I made my way there to get a drink. I sat on the bar stool, and the bartender greeted me. "Hi darling what do you want me to get for you?" The bartender flashed me a smile. He was a looker, although not up to Xander's level, he was still a refreshing see with his ash-blonde hair and greenish-grey eyes. He was wearing a floral vintage shirt he left the buttons undone from what I could see from in front of the counter. "I don't know, surprise me," I replied, flashing him a smile. "Alright there I know something you will love." He chimed back at me. He went straight into mixing the drinks. My eyes went
(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