(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
(Xander's POV) I didn't want to race with Skyler or even be here in the same place; it all reminded me of a past I wanted to forget. Karis was as clueless as ever; she didn't even realize she was being used when she went along with Skyler. It increased my urge to take her far away and hide her from all these people who wanted to use her naivety. It had been a while since I raced, so it took sometime before I had a kick of it. By then, Skyler was already in the lead, second to Benjamin. Using all the skills I gathered over the years, I was able to make a last-minute break with a grand entrance. After getting to the finish line the first thing my eyes did was to search for Karis in this crowd. . My eyes were drawn to her chestnut hair, and a smile graced my lips, which I was sure she didn't see because of the helmet that was still on my head. Karis sluggishly made her way to the front, and then it came to my observation that her cheeks were flushed. It seeme
(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
(Karis's pov) The entire ride back home I had this feeling something was off. My mind was plagued by a lot of thought at the moment, making it hard to figure out what the problem was. I packed my car in front of the house and gave the keys to Sam to pack it properly. Immediately, I alighted from the car; a piercing gaze was locked on me, which gave me goosebumps. My eyes glanced up in a particular direction and it caught the sight of a tall figure blended in the darkness dressed in all black. I recognized it to be Xander immediately; he was standing on the balcony that led to our room smoking. The lit cigarette was between his lips while his hand held a glass containing alcohol.' was he waiting for me?' I swallowed hard because fear twisted my stomach for a strange reason it seemed Xander was mad at me. This was the second time, I had seen Xander smoke, he was not a chain smoker and I had a gut feeling he only smokes when he is pissed off. His eyes briefly lo
(Xander's pov) This week has been hectic, all thanks to an annoying fly who I have been trying my best not to snap his neck. Skyler has been trying to poach my partners and future deals. I didn't take him seriously at first because most of those deals didn't affect me much, and I didn't feel the need to fight after a couple of irrelevant people that don't understand the meaning of loyalty. Whenever he poaches one, there is always a replacement ready, but his games have started to get more annoying. I was also occupied with figuring out how the hell my father got poisoned amidst all this chaos. It was hard to pin the blame on anyone because the De Marco name has its fair share of enemies. The board room was in chaos. Most of the shareholders and top managers were quite disturbed about the threat of the Crest conglomerate, but I wasn't bothered. No matter how they fuzz about it, I controlled over 80 per cent of the shares, holding the absolute deciding power, so in the end, e