(Karis's pov) My head was spinning and it took a while for me to realize what was happening. A second ago, I was in the middle of the road about to be crushed by a car, and the next second, I appeared in the dressing room on my wedding day. I would have thought it was a dream or a joke but I could feel Bertha hold on my wrist. Was I being reborn to have a second chance in life? I stopped moving as I came to the realization. Bertha turned back at me, surprised why I stopped; her eyes went wide, stunned because my eyes were blurry with unshed tears. I felt like crying, remembering everything that happened in my past, which might repeat itself in the future. "Karis, Are you crying? Please don't cry today should be your happiest. I can't believe you are finally married to Xander, your long-time crush." Bertha said in a calm voice caressing my hand. "I can't help it." I sniffed, hugging Bertha; it had been ages since I saw her because Bertha died in the past. She wa
(Karis's pov) My heart skipped a beat, feeling Xander's hands around my waist in a protective way. Even the way his voice sounded in my ears made me shiver. I was stunned that Xander stepped in between me and Skyler because he had never done something like this in our past life. He was never protective of me, and I knew secretly it was because he resented me because of our arranged marriage. Xander was forced to marry me because of a promise his mother made to my dead mother. It was funny to realize I came between him and his true love Emma. ' What was he trying to do here? ' After all, he should not give a fuck about me or who I speak to. He should run ahead to his crying lover and not me. If this was the former me, butterflies would have been in my stomach, yearning for the touch of the man I loved and chased for years, but his touch didn't feel the same anymore. "What if I can't do that Mr De Marco? You have a beautiful wife here, and it is tempting and hard to
(Xander's POV) Karis was left speechless, her mouth parted and closed as if searching for the words to reply to me. I could not point my fingers at exactly what it was, but after when she stormed out of the hall because of Emma's provocation, it seemed like she was a different person. Her eyes, which were always filled with admiration, were dull. I was still finding it hard to believe she had run away from me. What the hell was going through her mind? She used to be a naive open book I could easily read, but now I had no idea what she was thinking. The lady underneath me was different from the little girl I grew up with, who kept pestering me everywhere. The shock in her eyes disappeared and was replaced with a mischievous look. "Who said I belong to you, Xander?" She snickered at me. I didn't like the tone in which she spoke, how dare she suddenly behave like she didn't love me after we were married due to her obsession. "Repeat what you just said Karis and I
(Karis's pov) I loved to see the shocked expression on Xander's face; he probably could not believe that I lost interest in him. "You are in love with someone else." Xander chuckled, unable to believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. His shock was understandable because which bride in her right mind would tell her husband on their wedding night that she doesn't love him but it had nothing to do with me "Yes, I made a mistake in the past and I..." He didn't let me finish my statement as my lips were sealed by Xander's lips again. It seemed like he wanted to dominate me with his sexual appeal, and I wouldn't lie 'cause he was dangerous. Every time his lips captured mine, and his sinful tongue started exploring my mouth. It makes me feel like giving in to him. Xander was going to be the death of me. Despite how I kept on telling myself I should avoid him a part of me that always craved his love and affection wanted to give in. Why was he doing this to
(Karis's pov) "Come in." I managed to say. My voice was a bit raspy from crying all night. Luckily, the maid could hear me. The door creaked open, and a brunette a few years younger than me opened the door. The maid was shocked when she laid her eyes on me with them popping out. "You slept with your wedding dress on!" She gasped with her hands rushing to cover her mouth. She quickly realized her tone was a bit rude and immediately apologized. "I am sorry for the way I spoke. Good morning, Madam De Marco. I am Deborah, and I will be serving you this morning however you want ." Deborah introduced herself slightly bowing. "Did Xander send you to check on me?" I asked Deborah whose eyes subconsciously averted. I scoffed at her reaction. He must have sent her to check if I did anything crazy after last night. "Mr De Marco instructed us to take very good care of Mrs De Marco." She answered, avoiding my question. This was how Xander's staff were even in the past. Now I
(Karis's pov) I tried my best to behave like I was not affected by his words, but my burning ears gave me out. "That sounds like a tempting offer but I think it is presented to the wrong woman." A soft smile graced my lips. I was bringing up Emma again but not directly because no matter how trained and confidential the servants were, it would be unpleasant to have rumours going around about my husband having a lover that was none other than my very own sister. "We will see about that," Xander replied in a flat tone, still not affected by my words. He was different this morning from how he was last night. This was the Xander I knew who cared less about me and exactly what I wanted. "Don't get your hopes high after all, remember what I said as my reason last night." Xander's expression finally cracked a bit. I was talking about the lie I said about being in love with another, it seems that was his bottom line. Xander was a very possessive person from what I remember
(Karis's pov) . I froze when Xander's lips captured mine for a tender kiss different from the domineering ones we shared last night. He was deliberately toying with my feelings and it annoyed me a bit. He gently bit my lips causing me to moan into his mouth as my lips parted and his tongue slipped into my mouth like a thief ready to explore a treasure chest. Xander deepened the kiss and every urge I had to push him away was thrown out of the window. His hand that was holding my chin let go of my face and went down to my lap. It made its way under my a-cut skirt, and immediately at that moment, I regretted why I decided to wear a skirt and made a mental note to wear more trousers. While his lips were glued to my lips, his hand were tracing gently around the curves of my lap. The rascal planned on using every means to make me submit. Suddenly, the image of how he was having wild sex with Emma on our matrimonial bed, banging her like no tomorrow from behind, popped into my head, and
(Karis's pov) A few minutes later a car was already prepared for me to leave. I decided to go with one of Xander's sports cars from his collection. To be honest, I was not a great driver, but driving a sports car wildly was always something on my to-do list. Unfortunately, in my past life, it was a wish I could never fulfil because my husband was not into wild girls. I had tried my best to act as docile as possible then. Now, since I already know what he hates in a woman, I was on a mission to use that information to make those two months a living hell for him. The car's speed and power were very impressive; I was amazed at how fluid it moved and how my driving skills were way better than I imagined. Finally, I arrived at my location. After exceeding my speed limit and crossing some speed limit, a feeling was newly formed inside me like that of a deliquescent. "Karis!!" A familiar voice called out to me waving from a distance. My face immediately softened when I caught
(Xander's pov) New Year's Eve a few hours after Miranda was captured and the failed raid.***** It felt like everything was crumbling down after Bertha told me that Karis was gone. Skyler had taken her out of the mall after he started a distraction in the mall by turning on the sprinklers and fire alarm. From the camera feed, we saw him take Karis from the table as she followed him willingly, but the camera didn't capture when they left, thanks to the chaos and all. He had successfully disappeared. I didn't know where to start from and was honestly considering handing over the company. I did have some hidden cards, but he has my entire family, putting me in a tight spot. I should have stopped her this morning when she left. My head was filled with thoughts of getting the children back. I didn't think of the possibility of her leaving. The door to my study was pushed open, Ethan was waiting in the living room for me while I came to the study to get some docu
(Karis's pov) I could not sleep the entire night; it was the 31st of December, and even the children were confused as to why I sent them to bed so early. Ever since I got here, Val had been coping a bit more; at least she was eating now. "Mummy, why are we not celebrating the new year eve?" Val asked curiously truly naive as a child. Vance was also lying on the bed, I sat in the middle while they were lying by my side. This was the only way I felt comfortable here, close to them. It gave me a bit sense of comfort in this cage. "Because I am tired this year and just want to sleep till tomorrow." I lied to Val who was by my right. "I thought we would celebrate our daddy," her voice trailed the entire time Vance was quietly listening. "I know but he isn't your daddy anymore. Let's just go to bed tomorrow will be a long day." Saying those words broke me when I saw the hurt on Val's face. She bent her head hugging my waist. She didn't cry, but I knew I wanted to. My p
(Xander's pov) The new year was meant to be something special which people look forward to, but for the past 4 years, I always dreaded this day. It reminded me that another year had gone by, and I was alone. That was how it felt to me. "You can do this," I said those words hoping it would help me get my nerves together. I closed the door and then proceeded to the luxurious Crest Lake restaurant in front of me. The place was filled with customers since it was the new year. Skyler chose a safe location; he knew that I would likely not do something Crazy with this many people around. I was put in a difficult situation. From the entrance, I was immediately recognized by the manager, who seemed to have recognized me. "Happy New Year, Mr De Marco. Mr Crest has been expecting you." He chimed. "Happy New Year," I said out of simple curtsey, my eyes darting around the restaurant. I was the least interested in the fancy interior that screamed money. The beauty didn't matter to me. "Ple
(Xander's pov) At this point, I think Skyler's true power is to make people disappear. It made me wonder when he got this tricky. In the end, he won; imagine how frustrating it was to know he was the one behind everything, but there was no evidence linking it to him. He had planned everything, making Emma the front to take the blame, not to forget the fact Emma was still missing, but I was certain that he had a hand in that too. This game had gone on for too long and I was genuinely tired. It was a few minutes to midnight; my eyes were focused on the road as I drove back to Ivan's place. The car slowed down at the red light. My eyes glanced away from the road for a while to the passenger seat where an envelope sat. It was the transfer document; desperate times require desperate measures. I scoffed, glancing back at the road; after finally inheriting the business and building it to an all-time high, the genius business tycoon was giving it out to save his family.
(Karis's pov) The table was silent as we ate. After finding out Val had refused to eat anything for over a day now, I had to force her to eat. So we had our meal together as what appeared like a family of four. The room had a very heavy tension and I wondered if the children knew that Skyler was a bad guy. This was totally unlike Val who was always chatty and cheerful with Skyler. "I am full," Val said. I glanced at her plate to see it was now clean. "That great dear." I chimed at her, and she nodded. "Can I leave now?" Her voice was very soft. "Sure, if you are full." Skyler was the one who responded this time around. Val nodded and then left the table. I watched her little feet run away. "Can I also leave?" Another small voice asked. My attention drew from Val to Vance who was super nervous. He was also done eating. "You can go ahead," I informed him and he didn't waste a second more to flee the room. It was left just me and Skyler. "They will und
(Karis's pov) I think I lost consciousness as soon as I sent the text to Bertha to leave, I had to send the text to Bertha for Skyler to believe. I had no idea where we were heading. My head was a bit dizzy and was laid on Skyler's thighs while gazing outside. "You are awake," he muttered, drawing his gaze from outside to me. I tried to sit up, holding my head that was aching. I glanced outside and the only thing I could see was an endless stretch of trees. We must be somewhere around the outskirts. "Where are we going?" I asked Skyler, sensing his gaze on me. I was trying my best to act natural so that he would not sense anything odd. The more I looked at him, the more my heart ached, realizing what he did. He was a freaking lunatic. "Somewhere safe to avoid Xander's eyes before we leave the country during the new year." My heart skipped a beat, my eyes drawing back outside. It was still day, hours away from midnight. I know we were miles away from civilizatio
(Xander's pov) I thought today was going to be my lucky day; by chance, we were able to comprehend Miranda. She didn't even give us any issues and relayed the information she had about the twin's location. It was an old manor on the outskirts of the city deep inside the forest. If I had not caught Miranda there was no way we would have found out. The car sped as fast as it could. I crossed my fingers, hoping they would be there and this would be the end of this madness. "We are getting close." The driver informed me. Ivan's men had already gone ahead to lay a siege on the property. After what felt like forever, I finally arrived from a distance. I could hear the baring sounds of gunshots. This time, we were prepared to go against the mercenaries as I had my hands on some military combatants, a favour from an old friend. I stepped out of the car, and one of the soldiers approached to give me cover along with other armed personnel, who were all covered with bulle
(Miranda's pov) Emma was a fool, I could not even believe she was my daughter. How can she trust a guy who basically used her like a pawn for this long? She wanted to stay for revenge, but honestly, I don't care about revenge. I just wanted the money and I had enough for now with the amount I stolen from Christian. I did not tell Emma I was never coming back. "I will be gone for a while this mansion is suffocating," I told her. "Be careful if you get caught, Skyler won't help you," Emma said. She was lying on the bed crying about Xander, a man who was never hers. My poor baby, it was too sad I had to leave her in this trap. "I will, just cover up for me while I am gone," I said before closing the door. I was never coming back that was for sure. My eyes shone with determination; Skyler didn't restrict Emma's and my movements, knowing fully well we would be scared to make any reckless move when Xander's hunt dogs were everywhere, and it was a matter of time befo
(Karis's pov) A single bodyguard followed me and was seated in front of the car. What was I doing? I wondered. My mind kept on telling me it was a bad idea but yet I felt I had to do this regardless. My phone notification beep drew my attention; it was Bertha. I had told her about the mysterious text, and of course, she was against the idea. In the end, we agreed to go together. "Good morning, Betty." I simply said. "Morning Karis, are you on your way?" She asked sounding a bit exhausted. "Yes, I left the estate a few minutes ago." The line went static for a while before I heard her "Karis," she called out with a soft voice before continuing. " You know it is not too late, you can turn back. I honestly think you should trust Xander. We have no idea who it is that sent you that message and this might just be a means to lure you out." I knew everything she said was true. I had also considered the possibility but I had also made up my mind. "I know, but if we a