Abihirt Lincoln woke up to find a young girl wrapped in thick blankets in his bed. He blinked a few times, trying hard to remember the remnants of last night's bet. The bastard Roki had brazenly added stimulant powder to the last cocktail glass—which had to be gulped down—to celebrate the upcoming wedding day.
"Asshole!" Abihirt cursed while rubbing his rough face. This morning was the blessing. He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. 30 minutes to go, but as the groom-Abihirt had yet to make any preparations. For a moment, the gray eyes scanned the innocent face, which slowly began to frown to avoid the light streaming through the white curtains. Abihirt picked up the cloth scattered around the edge of the bed. Putting his white shirt back on, he raised one eyebrow high when he noticed that the bright blue iris had completely opened and were staring in complete surprise. "Who are you?" Moreau's breath caught. No one would have expected that in front of her a full-grown man—happy, damn handsome with faintly tousled hair—was towering over her. Instinctively, Moreau's fingers tightened, simply squeezing the thick blanket. Overnight .... The image reminded Moreau of one thing. She looked down. Her heart pounded hard as she found her body without a single thread. The suction marks left deep reddish patches that stood out clearly on her chest. It felt like Moreau needed more time to contemplate her fate. She did not know what to say. She was caught between regret and fear. Slowly Moreau's face lifted. The intense eye contact and the way the man looked at her sternly left all sorts of uncomfortable feelings. Suddenly something was thrown in front of her. Moreau tried to understand the situation. A hotel access card. What was a strange man handing over such an object for? "I should go." That was all. So cold that even the width of the footsteps immediately clomped out of the room. Moreau snorted. Finally decided to improve her poor appearance. For a moment she stared intently at the roll of red cloth on her abdomen, which the man had stripped off last night. With tentative movements, Moreau's fingertips unraveled the cloth until it was pulled tight around her body. Today there would be a party. "Oh, my God. Why did I forget?" The last part was to grab the red underwear lying at the foot of the bed. Moreau walked rather hurriedly, completely ignoring the stranger's access card. It was only a one-night stand. The rest they did not want to know each other. The first time she stepped outside, something odd immediately rushed into Moreau's mind. Woe, she had been dealing with a rich man. Not everyone could afford this luxurious hotel in the city center. Moreau subconsciously adjusted her long hair. The wedding party would begin any minute now. Moreau had to dig through her cell phone occasionally to recall the address of the reception hotel. She and her mother did not get along very well. Moreau was sure she had no choice but to include her in the wedding. Someone who needed formality. It made sense why Moreau had the responsibility of being there. She didn't have much more time. *** "Where have you been, Abi? I've been waiting for you." The whole time, Barbara worried about her husband-to-be, who had suddenly disappeared for the night. Abihirt Lincoln only sent a short message; the rest of the time the man was completely immersed as if this wedding day was never going to happen. The calm expression had also left a rumbling feeling. Barbara could hardly believe that just a moment ago she thought this wedding was about to be canceled. "You said your daughter would be at our wedding. Where is she? I haven't met her yet." Instead, Abihirt asked the question calmly, engrossed in fixing the buttons of the suit that clung firmly to his clay body. Barbara smiled faintly, then took a step closer to fix the shirt collar that was interfering with her vision. "Are you in a hurry?" Instead of answering. Something in Abihirt caught Barbara's attention. This man was seven years younger than her, but Barbara never minded. Abihirt had a strong sense of masculinity. She would probably never get that from any man, including one who had been in a serious relationship. "You haven't answered my question." Abihirt was still as coldly staring into Barbara's face. It took specialized knowledge, and Barbara was happy to respond. Moreau didn't really matter. It was better if the girl was not present. Just because of the wasisan, Barbara had no choice; either keep Moreau or live with the wealth that should have been hers. Already living a life of luxury, of course Barbara rejected how she had ever tried so hard to find happiness. "I don't know. Maybe Moreau will arrive soon. That girl is sometimes hard to tell." Chuckling, Barbara then took the action of kissing Abihirt's rough jaw. She needed to stand on tiptoe a little, then rubbed the man's face lovingly. "The blessing is about to begin. We should not discuss anything else here." Barbara gently hugged Abihirt's arm. They had walked to the wedding altar. Guests were already waiting, while the priest with all his readiness was also in the center of the altar. Barbara's smile never disappeared when she faced her future husband. Abihirt's cold face would always be the most beautiful part. She was content to watch Abihirt's hot lips move as the priest spoke while waiting for her turn. In a short time, the sacred vows were recited. The ring that symbolized love was pinned on. Their relationship was official. How happy Barbara was after the long wait. She kissed Abihirt on the lips to loud applause. Meanwhile, just one step closer, Moreau's body suddenly froze at the fact that the man she slept with last night... was the man who married her mother this morning. How could that be? Moreau's heart responded with a loud thud. The shocking feeling made her even more anxious as gray eyes glanced at her sternly. Moreau swallowed roughly. I didn't know what she could do now. Serious urges were asking her to leave. Moreau slowly took a step back. Combing to a quiet place and wondering should she talk about this big problem to her mother? What would Barbara say? Moreau was sure the woman would only scold her harshly.A futile attempt at escape. Moreau's breath caught at the reflection in the mirror. A person with a pale-even completely disheveled-face was trying to compose herself. Moreau didn't know what else she could do after this. When Barbara noticed such a slow arrival at the wedding, her steps immediately left the people around. There was no better place to hide than the hotel bathroom. Moreau was still at a loss as to what to do after accepting the fact that last night's forbidden act had crossed the line. Literally-the incident with the strange man would not have fallen into the most complicated rut. They were not related by blood. He would just be Moreau's stepfather, though there was one important thing... she would feel awkward when they were under the same roof. Moreau was sure she could have become independent, had Barbara given her permission. It was just that she considered Moreau an asset and would not allow her to take one step out of the building left behind by her biolog
"You should get along better with my new husband, Moreau. But you must remember to behave yourself. Don't wear sexy clothes while Abi is home." So early in the morning Barbara had said a series of words, which had not even crossed Moreau's mind. She found it odd to think that since when would Barbara care about how she dressed? Never. Only after she had remarried. All the anticipation was there and the slightest hint of a cornered tone as if Moreau had been prepared, or perhaps Barbara had a hunch? Moreau would make sure that what happened that night. Would never happen again. "Did you hear me, Moreau?" Barbara's question again - the song filled the room, pushing Moreau back to the surface. She blinked, then glanced at her mother's stern face. "I dress openly only when performing on stage or at important tournaments. Even then, it's still within polite and normal levels. The rest of the time, as you've always seen, my clothes are ordinary," Moreau snarled as she pulled the
"I've warned you many times, Abi. Stop consuming alcohol. You know it has unpredictable interactions with medications. Your vitamins will be waiting if you don't show up on time." Roger always had a reason to lecture him with all kinds of sentences that unfolded at times like this. The special check-up schedule, which unfortunately could not be rearranged, despite Abihirt's serious attempts to avoid the doctor and most intimate cousin. He gave Roger a half squint after the man slid a bottle of vitamin capsules and circled the schedule for a blood transfusion. "Come back here next week. Got it, Abi-oh stop playing with my expensive collection!" Roger immediately got up-not that he was going to let Abihirt run his fingertips over his expensive robot series. He quickly slid the glass cabinet shut-carefully-then pocketed the key into his coat pocket. There were various kinds of patients, and they did not dare to just glance, but this one was an exception. "Let me remind you again,
"So, can you explain to me why your family wasn't at the wedding yesterday?" Moreau would not be put off any longer by her curiosity after her accidental encounter with Froy. It was strange to know Abihirt was related by blood to her former lover, but Froy was nowhere to be seen on the wedding day. Now she was beginning to doubt what Abihirt's unrevealed thoughts were. Moreau feared that Abihirt was ultimately a dangerous man, while she and her mother had become involved in a committed relationship with him. Moreau's fingers unconsciously tightened waiting for Abihirt to say something, at least a little, even though the man seemed to be so preoccupied with reading the file she had brought at Barbara's request. How serious... Abihirt's cold face was unbelievably handsome. Moreau swallowed roughly. Trying not to be mesmerized - unwilling to stare at the man's face any longer. She preferred to move her attention around the office. It was a beautiful place. Almost every corner of th
Abihirt soared up from the second floor of a building only to observe a beautiful, slender body with perfect curves... twirling its arms and legs on a slippery layer of ice. The solemn sight would almost never make Abihirt leave her natural brown hair, tied in a ponytail, swaying in various directions with every movement created. Moreau is beautiful to look at from any angle. A natural image of the young leaf's radiance. Occasionally, there was a faint smile as Moreau's bright blue eyes smiled amusedly at the man she was dancing with. Juan Baker began to lift— perhaps—so lightly with such youth that Moreau seemed to have put all her trust into never doubting anything that was about to happen. They looked good together as figure skaters. Dancing like a couple and Abihirt would look away for a moment... at the close-ups of faces. There was no kiss. Just Moreau's hand cupping Juan Baker's face as the corner of Abihirt's eye tried to keep looking. Moreau's smile and laughter in the
"Thank you for your interest in injecting funds into our organization's team, Mr. Lincoln. Many people know you as a successful young entrepreneur, so it would be great if more people would consider sponsoring us in the future." "No need to be shy, Mr. Pablo. My late mother was also a former ice dancer. I'm happy to do it." It was only when Barbara recounted Moreau's busy day and everything on the young girl's personal file. Abihirt was suddenly interested in doing challenging activities. The many stories about his mother's elegance had always intrigued and mesmerized him. There was no denying that Moreau's beautifully curved body had slightly whetted Abihirt's worn-out appetite. Simply getting into something-apparently-wouldn't be enough to give Abihirt leverage. He looked up at Mr. Pablo and accepted the handshake of the man before him. The deal was loaded. The conversation was over. He needed to leave this place after handing over some work in full to his right-hand man. Besides
"Sorry, I'm late." After quite a rush to deal with the tense street traffic. Abihirt took the right position facing each other with Barbara. He observed the sour face that was barely trying to be hidden. It seemed that the woman had waited too long for what he was trying to think. Abihirt understood, and he hoped Barbara should understand that important meetings did take up more time, especially if some unexpected parts came up to fill in the gaps left between serious discussions. Yet, here was Barbara. Abihirt frowned briefly, acting a bit calm and mature in the face of an angry woman. Leaving Barbara waiting alone for almost half an hour might have been the part to handle. Alone. Yes, perhaps that should be underlined as well. Abihirt's gray eyes moved. It was only then that he realized that the whole time he had been walking into the restaurant he had missed something odd between them. The silence was almost devoid of a single patron. Abihirt locked Barbara's face ag
It didn't seem like the right decision to go home alone. Abihirt was barely able to control the steering wheel properly after having to deal with the serious urges that were building up inside him the whole time. His entire chest and throat felt like they were on fire. He had already contacted Roger, sending him Barbara's home address so that he could catch up, or if things didn't go as planned, Roger would arrive first. Abihirt had searched for the fastest way home, the least traveled. But that, too, seemed to be a big mistake. Instead of the darkening skyline accompanying the faint sounds in the air, wild bikers were ungraciously making their presence known. One after another popped up. They were speeding. Then one of the bikers had an absolute collision. Abihirt made a steep slam-his foot pressed against the brake until it jerked violently forward, while the man with the head protector rolled several times onto the asphalt. The dragged motorcycle brutally sparks until it comes to
Moreau continued to watch her stepfather. The unpredictable handsome man was now at least trying not to be incensed at any form of resistance from Froy. "You know that throwing something small into the lake will make it difficult for you to find, so why do you keep doing it? You keep throwing Moreau's necklace for no reason." Abihirt's question was simple enough, but it more than made Froy almost faint. The man's eyes moved restlessly. It took a few moments of pause to actually find an answer. "I was out of line, Uncle. I was angry at the attitude you gave Lewi and the way you gave the necklace to Moreau instead!" That was like a huge protest. Froy's voice boomed loudly. The man was lucky, because it seemed like Abihirt had paid with money to make people leave the park, which Moreau only realized when she looked around. Not a surprise. She should be used to it. "What's wrong with that? Didn't I replace Lewi's necklace with a new one?" Abihirt's
Moreau thought that Gabriel's involvement in the trip to Sierre De Guadarrama National Park was something that made it an unfair prospect. However, it turned out that she was wrong to include such a notion, as Abihirt's wishes were more understandable when asking her to move to Gabriel's car, while the man walked into the building—quite a flashy place there. Moreau had been to this place before; it was where Froy got married and she ended up asking for permission to leave early. It was a little odd to think that Abihirt had actually come to the man's nephew for some sort of accountability. Now she found her stepfather forcing Froy to walk. Although it seemed forced, Froy would have no choice. The man's body had disappeared in the car. Only a tendrils of shadow remained, then she also had to watch Abihirt's body get into the driver's seat. The car engine started and that's when Gabriel understood to bring them up behind. "Abi wants to ask his nephew to dive
Moreau shook her head for a while. In the end, she decided to lift her face. She was almost surprised—of course, because this was not what she wanted to find; the smallest hint of disappointment on her stepfather's handsome face, no matter how much Abihirt tried to keep every detail of the reaction between them brief. The necklace left to her was indeed a lasting memory and Moreau was sure it was very-very precious. "I apologize." She still could not take it for granted that Abihirt did not want to prosecute anything at the moment. There was an impact where her heart felt like it was being crushed. Staring at the man made her eyes sting and heat up. To the time that kept crawling forward... would soon be accompanied by seepage of water and Moreau would not be able to hold back. Perhaps Abihirt understood how worry controlled the fear in her mind, so the man hugged instead of saying angry. Hugging after letting her tremble as if this was an unexpected outburst of trouble. "N
There was only one step left, so Moreau should have been able to finish this sooner. She swallowed harshly. A moment of staring at the doorknob with great fear before finally being overwhelmed by the determined action of pressing and pushing inside. Perhaps she did so in such a hurry, that the sound that broke the surface immediately attracted someone there. Who would have thought that Abihirt would be towering in front of the translucent glass, while the man's gray eyes were assaulted by the view from outside. There was something Moreau couldn't quite put her finger on. She felt—then—Abihirt was daydreaming, because after all... detecting the man's response; little could be expressed in the odd way that Abihirt acted oddly upon realizing her presence. There were no words. No sentence was even close to being uttered. Silence. And yet, in those moments of near—closeness, Moreau felt how her heart rumbled loudly. Like it didn't want to stop. It was still hammering and sh
"Why don't you come with me, Juan? I'm afraid to go in alone." Everything was supposed to be fine—no; actually—a little fine, until Juan's shocking confession almost made the whole stability of Moreau's mind and how she had desperately fought for, now suddenly fall apart. Juan's decision seemed so absolute, though Moreau still hoped the man would suddenly change his mind and then they could settle this whole matter quickly. Unfortunately, the faint shaking response was something so real. It had such an impact that Moreau almost forgot how to breathe properly. She turned her face out the window, glancing around the place. Not ready to go down yet. Almost desperate at the thought of being so close to Abihirt. What was the man currently doing in there? Busy with some important business? "Just accompany me for a moment." Once again Moreau tried to persuade. This time really craving how Juan would agree. She looked up at the man, but was always met with the
Technically, the necklace was hers. Yet, no matter how cynical Moreau's voice had become, Froy still showed no intention of correcting his wrongdoing. Instead, he chuckled, as if there was no need for corrective behavior for an intentional mistake. "Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" Now that one question almost made Moreau thin her lips faintly. She simply restrained herself, then made sure the tips of her fingernails dug deep into the surface of Froy's arm like she often did to Abihirt, though this was clearly a different concept; not pure insistence; she wanted Froy to agree immediately or at least until the man jumped into the water. "It doesn't matter who I am. Make sure you return the necklace to my hands. I don't care which way you do it either, but one thing's for sure... I won't hesitate to tell Abi everything you've done." It wasn't just a threat. Froy should have understood. Alas, the man did not care. "You're his favorite gir
"Juan, we should go home," Moreau said, really not wanting to look at Froy's annoying face. She pulled the ends of the cloth over Juan's body. The man understood easily. They should walk, in any direction, to leave this place as soon as possible. However, only one step was taken. The next, a touch on Moreau's hand was tight. "I'm not done yet." The man hissed almost too close. How insolent, as if Froy had deliberately left the pain until Moreau winced faintly. "I have nothing to talk to you about. Let go!" A slight rebellion from Moreau. Struggling hard to brush off Froy's pathetic behavior, but it was useless. Even the actions of Lewi and Juan left no good prospects. Froy would really go crazy, if it continued like this. "I don't know what you're trying to talk about, but this necklace was given to me at your uncle's wish and also with my mother's consent. My mother herself isn't angry, so why are you bothering with a matter that you obviously don't k
Chuckling, it was at this moment that Moreau realized she was going to argue. A little unreceptive about the man's comment on the freedom she had. "The attitude I'm currently displaying is something natural. At least I'm not as pretentious as you. Besides, we're having a good time together. It has nothing to do with you. I told you that I didn't mean it. Lewi, are you alright?" It would be fairer if Moreau spoke directly to Lewi. Fuck if Froy still disapproved when she reached out to touch Lewi's shoulder. The pregnant woman herself showed no objection. Froy was overreacting! "No need to be so nice!" And so it was that the man finally snapped back. Grasping Moreau's shoulder tightly to get rid of her. "Don't be an ass, damn it!" Now Moreau could feel how Juan tugged on her arm to get her to take a step backward. Taking instinctive action to get to the front after what Froy had done. Little more than a shove to get the shameless bastard out of the w
"No, Juan. Stop chasing me!" Moreau's one mistake was to smear her melted ice cream on the tip of Juan's nose. Now, she desperately needed to avoid anything and everything Juan might do. That guy really wasn't going to stop until he got his hands on her. Damn, how they were almost too close, that there was almost nothing Moreau could do to prevent Juan—just a little—from grabbing any of the good prospects between them. The man could have grabbed her flying hair, but he didn't. Juan would never be that rude, choosing to be more patient, like when Moreau looked back but was engulfed in a straight-forward step and suddenly... she accidentally bumped into someone else's body. Everything seemed to stop in an instant. Moreau was shocked to find Lewi about to fall. However, Froy's nimble little instincts, at least, would not lead them to dive in the middle of a big problem. It was inconceivable that something would happen when Lewi fell and she might harm th