Since the engagement, Marco and Angelo have disappeared again. But I don’t really care anymore. Mom's busy planning the wedding, and I spend my days reading at home.Reading has become my new hobby—it helps me calm down. I even sent a new skateboard to the guy who saved me that one night, through our housekeeper. We haven't contacted each other since.Days passed by, just like that.Tonight, the maid made my favorite barbecue. Even though I was trying to diet, the smell was just too tempting, and I ended up eating more than I planned.My stomach felt a little bloated, so I changed into some loose clothes and decided to take a walk around the garden. I wanted to check out the fresh green plants, and honestly, it made me feel really good.I’d never really taken a close look at the flowers planted in the garden. Now that I had some free time, I started examining their textures and colors carefully. By the time the bloated feeling had finally gone away, the moon was already high in the sk
I hadn’t closed the window, and the gentle breeze was a good way to get rid of the bloody smell in the room. I turned the bedside lamp down to the lowest setting, moved the clothes rack to the window, and lit two scented candles from the bathroom.The clothes hanging on the rack could prevent my shadow from being seen on the curtain—something Elena had taught me.I checked on him. Though he had cuts on his arms and back, the worst injury was the one on his abdomen. Blood kept seeping out, soaking his shirt in that area.I climbed on a chair to grab the first-aid kit from my dad's study, then found some scissors in my room. The next step was to cut his clothes open.He was half-unconscious by now, the blood and his pale face giving him a strangely fragile beauty. A mix of strength and vulnerability showed on his face.I cut along the edge of the bloodstains, opening up his shirt. His defined abs and V-line came into view.The hem of his white shirt was a mess after I cut it open, but i
He nodded. “I can’t see the wound on my abdomen. Harper, you’re the only one who can help me.”“What if I screw it up?”My mind was totally blank. My hands holding the forceps were ice-cold, trembling. I just couldn’t do it.I shook my head painfully. “I can’t... I’m really scared...”He grabbed my hand, hard enough that it hurt. The gentleness and vulnerability from just now seemed like an illusion—he’d turned back into the domineering tyrant.He shoved the knife into my hand, forcing me to look at him. “Harper, if you don’t take out the bullet, I’ll die tonight. I’m giving my life into your hands. If you don’t want to do it, kill me now—otherwise, I’ll bring trouble to you.”I forgot how to breathe, forgot the fear, just staring at him, stunned. This guy...“You’re forcing me!”“Yes, I am! You don’t have a choice—either save me or kill me!”That snapped my rational mind back in place. Somehow, I was completely calm now, despite feeling like even the slightest misstep could make me f
“You’re awake?” I asked as I saw Marco putting the bloodstained blanket in the bathroom.“Are the people outside gone?” I was still worried about them.“They’ve already left,” he replied, though he still looked pretty pale. I made some room for him. “Do you want to rest some more?”He refused, but after just two steps, he had to lean on the wall. I got off the bed, grabbed him, and pushed him back down onto it.“You went out to deal with them, didn’t you?” I noticed his wound looked like it had torn a bit, and I couldn’t help but feel a little angry. Did he not understand how dangerous that was?Marco’s POVEven when she’s angry, she’s cute.When I kissed her, I thought she’d push me away, but she was so scared she was trembling—yet she didn’t move away. I was scared of overwhelming her, so I kept it light, but surprisingly, she fell asleep.Thinking of how she held back her tears while using the forceps, I felt sorry for her. She’d never been exposed to such a bloody scene, and I dra
I couldn’t really refuse this wedding—after all, I was already caught up in this kind of life and had accepted the benefits it brought me.Finally, the wedding day arrived. Before dawn, I was woken up from sleep and brought to a spacious dressing room. I hadn’t seen my groom yet—he’d be waiting for me at the altar.I was wearing a blush silk robe. After freshening up, I put on a face mask to make sure my skin was in perfect condition. A photographer was there the entire time, recording everything I did on my wedding day. Mom said it would be a beautiful memory to look back on.Then, it was time for the long makeup session. The makeup artist started with my eyes, using champagne and gold shades to accentuate them, outlining my eye shape with black eyeliner, making them pop. She lengthened and curled my lashes, finishing with a touch of silver glitter under my eyes for some extra sparkle.A peachy-pink blush added a shy glow to my cheeks. My hair was styled up with glittering accessorie
I bit my lip so hard it started bleeding, trying to hold on to a bit of sanity."Angelo, do you really have to do this?" I asked.Angelo's hair, which was neatly slicked back earlier, now had a few strands falling out. His usual gentle eyes were now filled with a madness I didn’t recognize.“From now on, there will be no Moretti family, only the Conti family! The mafia can only have one king!” He said, leaning closer to me. His scent overwhelmed me, and it made me feel sick. All I could think of was hoping that my parents would be able to escape safely.I didn’t want my wedding to be the most painful day of my life.But he seemed to have misunderstood my silence. "Don’t worry, as long as you cooperate, you’ll still be my wife. I'll make sure you're treated just like my mother. You'll always be the queen of the mafia king."I had no interest in his twisted monologue; I was desperately scanning the chaos, searching for my family. But all I could see were panicked guests running in all d
The door was slightly ajar, leaving a narrow gap that gave me a view of what was happening inside—though I couldn't see everything, it was enough.A girl in a pink dress was kneeling on the floor, crying. And in front of her, sitting in the main chair of Conti's study, was none other than my stepbrother—Marco.The sobbing voice was unmistakable; it was Sophia. I could never forget her expression at my wedding.It was a pity I fainted afterward, knowing nothing more than the fact that Angelo got shot.And now she was here, pleading with Marco? What could she offer? What had Marco done to her?Curiosity got the best of me, and I continued listening.Marco looked completely indifferent, showing no sympathy toward the beautiful young woman. "Isn’t this something your Conti family brought on yourselves? You betrayed us first."Sophia’s sobs paused as she collapsed on the floor. "I'll do whatever you ask, as long as you spare them."Marco was silent. Was he hesitating?After a moment, his v
I had no reason to stay here any longer. Everything about this place made me sick.Marco seemed like he wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear it. These people never put their true feelings on the line. In their world, there was no family, no friends, no lovers—only eternal interests.What difference was there between Marco, Sophia, and Lily?They were all selfish and indifferent at their core."No, Harper, it's not like that."He reached out, trying to grab me, but this was the Conti estate, and not far from us was the church where I was supposed to get married. His outstretched hand felt like that of a devil trying to drag me into an irreversible abyss.I ignored him, kicked the door open, and tears started streaming down my face without me even realizing it. "I’m just a tool to be used and discarded. I’m not really your sister, so you think you can treat me however you want. I never want to see you again! I never want to see any of you again!"His expression turned dark
"I don't know.""You don't know? Then how did you have a baby?"In Lydia's world, having a baby is something that requires two people to engage in. A man and a woman have s.ex, then the woman is conceived, and eventually gives birth to a baby. Only in mythology are there stories of young girls getting pregnant without having s.ex, which are usually miracles.So Gwen ......"Wait!" Gwen reached out and knocked Lydia on the head. She knew that Lydia, as a designer, had a rich imagination. "Don't fantasize too much. We live in the real world, not the supernatural world, OK? As a healthy adult woman, if I want to get pregnant, there are only two ways. Making love to a man or artificial insemination.""So Pearl is a Test Tube Baby?" Lydia had learned about IVF at a college orientation. While it's a technology that brings hope to many couples, it also puts women through a lot of pain. The size of the follicles is tested, ovulation is facilitated, eggs are retrieved with long syringes, and t
Countless questions filled Lydia's head.Gwen had never had a boyfriend since her parents died. She had to fight like a warrior woman every day against her uncle who tried to steal her property. As the first female CEO, many men approached Gwen with various intentions, but Gwen kept her head clear and never fell for men's rhetoric.Why is Gwen pregnant?Who is the father of the baby?Why did she choose to give birth to the baby alone in secret?There is no doubt that Gwen's disappearance was related to her pregnancy. She disappeared when she was pregnant, isolating all news related to her pregnancy, and only returned like a victorious queen when the baby was born.Gwen saw these doubts in Lydia's expression and she smiled faintly. "I'll explain to you slowly when I get back, it's complicated. Now can you please introduce these men?""Hello, beauty. Oh, if you don't mind me calling you that. I'm Cecil, the owner of Denve's Bar." Cecil held out a hand, didn't wait for Lydia to react bef
The two of them were so involved in making love that it seemed to meld their souls together and then break them up in half.Lydia was so tired that she closed her eyes and passed out. Vince also closed his eyes and enjoyed the afterglow of his o.rgasm, but he wasn't sleepy at all and his spirits were high.Vince held Lydia in his arms and kissed her. Reason told him that one lovemaking session was enough for her, but his body refused to let her go. He went along with the position of holding her from behind and thrust in, buried deep inside, moving tenderly and slowly. She woke up, half asleep in a thin, delicate hum. "Baby ......," Vince kissed her ear heavily, "come again ......, okay?"Lydia softly "mmm", with a strong nasal sound.Vince’s heart skipped a beat, his p.enis against her moving desperately, and finally in her long, soft cries to reach the climax ......The third time.Vince coaxed her to do it again, and how could Lydia refuse him? She slowly turned her face to kiss hi
Lydia almost jumped into the car that Vince had given her and shouted to the driver anxiously, "Please drive fast, I want to go back."When the driver saw Lydia's anxious look, he didn't delay anymore and drove in the direction of the hospital right away. But when she arrived at the hospital, Vince was not there."Vince went to inspect his property. Oh, that's a luxury hotel. Now that the mafia's leader has gone nowhere, those enemies have naturally retreated. As the CEO, Vince went to inspect the hotel to make sure everything was in order." Cecil answered Lydia while playing with his golden retriever on the hospital lawn, enjoying his last vacation in Europe.When he goes back home, what awaits him is a fiancée and a marriage that gives him a headache. Although Cecil hadn't thought of a way to cope with this, he decided to ditch these worries for now and enjoy the French sunshine."The driver knows the address of the hotel, so you can take a car and go straight there. Please remember
Over the next few days, Lydia moved to the lounge to sleep at night because she was worried about the wounds on Vince's body, but she found herself waking up in Vince's arms every morning.Apparently, Vince carried a sleeping Lydia to his bed every night, like a child obsessed with some kind of game. Lydia tried to protest, but Vince always said in a supplicating and sad tone, "I just want to hold you to sleep, or I'll lose sleep in the hospital. I won't do anything else, just hold you, okay?"Vince really didn't do anything excessive in bed, and Lydia felt a little impersonal if she had refused him. Besides, Vince is a sick man, and Lydia has always had an intolerance for him.Well, Vince is not really just holding Lydia.Every time Lydia woke up in the middle of the night or in the morning, Vince's hands were on her breasts.Vince's hands were so big that he could cover her breast with one hand and then rubbed it in her sleep, intentionally or unintentionally.Lydia took it as an un
Lydia did not sleep comfortably. In her dream, she felt that she was being watched by eyes all the time.Whether she was walking, eating or bathing, there was a pair of eyes watching her all the time, making her feel a hint of shame. Especially when she was taking a shower, those eyes were like big hands, their gaze caressing her body to the last detail, not sparing a single skin.Lydia couldn't keep her eyes open. In her dreams, she was naked, lying on the bed, feeling the gaze of those eyes. Slowly, a man came to the bed, hugged her from behind, and then caressed her while kissing her.This feeling ......Lydia squirmed restlessly, unable to tell if she was enjoying it or resisting it, as the man's body behind her grew hotter and hotter, and she knew what would happen next ......The clips of her lovemaking with Vince kept flashing into her mind: Vince's hot breath, the p.ennis stained with her bodily fluids, the shameful lovemaking positions, the shivering p.ussy, the ambiguous moa
The smell of alcohol from the hospital, the faint scent of jasmine in the room, mixed with Vince's hot breath and Lydia's scent, everything became misty.Vince's throat twitched, and he licked his lips, which were dry from the heat, and then kissed the lips of Lydia, whom he had been longing for.Lydia squirmed at first out of unease, and slowly, as Vince kissed her deeper and deeper, her breathing became unsteady, even whimpering like a cat.The two of them kissed passionately, and Lydia put both hands on Vince's shoulders, lying softly on the bed, close to him.Vince pushed her away slightly, leaving a palm's length, and quickly stripped her of her clothes.Vince reached out and pressed the curtain button. The curtains blocked out the light, and the room was dark, with only a few small lights emitting a dim, ambiguous glow. The "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door was lit up. No one would break in, and it was their time.Vince came out of the indulgent kiss in a ragged breath, looking
Lydia's eyes moistened as she recalled the events of the past on campus.God still favored her by allowing her to meet Vince again instead of letting her marry those hypocritical and lustful rich men.Although Vince is now a bit changed, tainted with some billionaire habits, such as arrogance and dominance, but his feelings for Lydia have not changed, nor has he become the kind of womanizer who indulges in one-night stands.More importantly, Lydia has always had feelings for him as well.Never mind, as long as they can live happily together, even if their second encounter is somewhat unhappy, so what?Lydia doesn't even care about that right now, she just prays that Vince will wake up.She took Vince's hand and put his hand on her face."Vince, you're a bad man. You said you'd be safe, and you broke your word.""Vince, you need to stop sleeping. I'll forgive you for what you did before if you wake up now.""If you wake up, I promise you. I will be your girlfriend, get married to you,
With Vince's handsome appearance and intelligence, even though he hid his family background, he was a hit on campus and was often courted by girls.He never wanted to fall in love because he thought women were a pain in the ass. And his mother was too strong a person, and he had a long way to go to pass the test to inherit the family fortune. During his college years, Vince was so full of how to become a stronger man that he didn't think about falling in love.Falling in love is a very troublesome thing, like a chewing gum which is being stuck on clothes. You remember what it tastes like, but it becomes a piece of junk that sticks to you.Vince is a cool guy. How can he be trapped by such a ridiculous thing?He didn't think that he would fall for this damn couple's activity. What pisses him off even more is that he was rejected!Vince, the heir of a famous American luxury hotel, a handsome man who was in the top 10 of the nation's golden bachelors at the age of 18, was rejected by a w