The atmosphere quickly grew cold.I turned my head to look out the window, avoiding Marco’s stern face. It was strange—Patrick always said Marco was emotionless. Yet, I had seen so many different sides of him. An odd feeling slowly bubbled up inside me again.My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen. It was a message from Joseph. He must have seen my latest picture on Instagram."Harper! You’re in the UK? When can I come see you at school?"I had almost forgotten that Joseph came to study in the UK last year. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, as I hadn’t come here for him. Besides, now I am married.But I did feel responsible for dragging him into my mess. If it weren’t for me, Sophia wouldn’t have gotten to his mother and caused him to miss the tournament. Even if we couldn't be lovers, we could still be good friends."Maybe in a bit. I need to go home for the next few days.""Alright, let me know!"I smiled at the sticker he sent of a cat spinning around, acting cute. It
"What are you doing?" The backseat of this sports car was quite cramped, and when Marco pulled me in, my elbow got painfully wedged in the door's gap.He was clearly angry but forced a smile that was more terrifying than comforting."Harper, I think I’ve been too lenient with you. David, inform them that the meeting is postponed to tomorrow. Drive us back to the villa now."David threw me a subtle wink, but it did little to help; any hope I had was gone. Just earlier, Joseph had been left standing outside, and I wondered if he was alright. I reached into my pocket, wanting to send him a message explaining things.Before I could, Marco grabbed my wrist. "I'm right here, and you're already itching to message someone else?"Whether it was his grip or his chilling gaze, I couldn’t say—I withdrew my hand silently, turning my head away to avoid looking at him.Would avoiding eye contact work?As soon as the car stopped, Marco opened the door without saying a word to David and lifted me out.
Marco's POVShe probably doesn’t realize how much her tear-streaked face, when she sat up earlier, hurt me.I know there’s nothing going on between her and Joseph, but just knowing that Joseph likes her is enough to drive me insane.David texted me in the afternoon, telling me not to push Harper away. But what could I do? I’m the eldest son of the Moretti family, poised to become the king of the underworld, yet I can't seem to win the one woman I want.As she focused on drying my hair, she had no idea I could see her reflection in the side mirror. Most of the time, I’ve received looks of expectation, fear, hatred, and disgust, but never one like this—gentle and attentive.She'll never know how her cool fingertips, carrying warm air as they brushed against my scalp, sent shivers down my spine.I could feel my breathing getting heavier.Marco, you can’t scare her again.So I got up and placed a blanket in the middle of the bed. “You should go wash up.”“Are you seriously going to sleep
Harper's POVWhen I started struggling, I realized how much of a disadvantage it was to have my hands tied. Something felt wrong, but I had no time to dwell on it. Seeing my bound state seemed to bring a satisfied expression to his face.His fingers entered me again, the calluses on them rubbing against my most sensitive parts, sometimes deliberately pressing down. The pleasure slowly climbed higher, and I began to tremble uncontrollably, making unfamiliar noises.“Bastard... Marco... please, let me go... no...”He ignored me, continuing to work his fingers. His head was buried between my breasts, licking and sucking. My stomach tightened, and my core contracted rapidly as a wave of sensation took over me. I shivered, my hips arching high.“Ah—”After the c.limax, I felt like I was floating on clouds, weightless and disoriented. He finally withdrew his fingers, not making any further moves.But the emptiness in my core made it worse. His withdrawal left me aching, empty instead of com
Marco's POV“I’ll eat at school.” She avoided looking at me—not the shy kind of avoidance, but cold and distant. I paused, taken aback.She pulled her hand away from mine, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Now that you’re back, you won’t think I’m meeting some other man, will you?”I knew she was angry, but I didn’t fully understand why. I just knew that, for now, the best course of action was to give her space. My throat felt dry, and an unexplainable sense of unease made it impossible for me to let her leave so easily.“You’re not feeling well. Just stay home and rest.”“Are you planning on f.ucking me again?” She exposed the bruises on her wrists.“You’re truly hopeless, Marco.” She turned, shouldering her bag, and walked away. The servants didn’t dare stop her.I sat down on the chair in the bedroom, sending a message to Elena: “Keep an eye on her. Contact me if there’s any issue.”But I couldn’t suppress my anger and ended up smashing every piece of porcelain on the table.Harper'
Harper’s POVJoseph brought us breakfast, and after eating outside, we entered the museum, which displayed precious artifacts from different countries.At first, I was really excited, but as the guide talked, I learned that these artifacts didn't originally belong to this country, and my enthusiasm waned."What's wrong? You seem upset." Jasmine nudged me when we moved to the next section."Nothing, just feeling a bit emotional." I sipped my kiwi smoothie.Our next stop was the aquarium. Honestly, it wasn't that exciting, but since I never saw these kinds of things as a child, and Joseph and Jasmine liked to take me to such places, I went along.Halfway through, a man in a brown suit approached us. "Harper."I looked closely before recognizing him as the professor Marco had introduced me to on the first day of school. He was always in a rush, so aside from seeing him in class, we hadn’t interacted much."What are you doing here? Visiting with friends?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, ver
Marco’s POVIs what I'm doing right?I don't know. All I know is that if I don't hold on tight, I will lose her."Boss, Harper still hasn't eaten today." I've given her some time to adjust. I arranged for her to take a leave of absence from school, avoiding any chance for Joseph to interfere.The boy’s family has an influential background, and I have no desire to kill innocents. Even though just seeing his face irritates me, my instincts tell me that killing him wouldn’t be the right solution.It would only push Harper further away."Reheat the food and leave it on the table. I'll go and talk to her." Taking off my jacket, I walked upstairs and knocked on her door.No response. I opened my phone to check the other surveillance camera feed.She was still sitting on the bed.To prevent her from contacting the outside world, I had taken her phone and all electronic devices from the room. Maybe she was just bored, or maybe she was still sulking.I pulled out the spare key from my pocket a
Harper’s POVThis time was different from the last—his s.ex was rougher. His rod, hot and as hard as iron, filled me completely, stretching me to the point of discomfort. His right hand gripped my throat while his lower body kept thrusting. The mix of suffocation and pleasure left me unable to distinguish pain from pleasure.“Mmph… mmph…”My brain was overloaded, sending signals to stop. My v.agina, which was being constantly pounded, had gone numb, and a tight, aching sensation briefly brought my mind back from the abyss of l.ust.“Mmph!”I tried to call out for help, but with my mouth gagged, no sound could come out. His right hand, thumb, and index finger pinched my c.lit, and suddenly my mind went blank, and the ceiling above me blurred into an unrecognizable mess.Marco’s POVShe passed out. I pulled myself out of her and took a moment to admire the beauty of her body.The black ball gag was still in her mouth. Drool and tears marked her innocent, beautiful face, which didn’t loo