"No way, Joan! This is ridiculous and unacceptable. You have been married for three years. Three years is not a joke." Grace exclaimed in shock, disbelief evident on her face at what she just heard."I mean it," Joan affirmed, her green eyes doing nothing to hide the pain in her heart. "Richard has not touched me since we got married." She revealed, lowering her eyes and playing with her food. In the luxurious surroundings of the fancy restaurant, soft jazz melodies wafted through the air, creating an atmosphere of refined elegance. Crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the well-dressed patrons engaged in hushed conversations.The chairs were plush and velvety, cradling diners in comfort, while linen-clad tables enhanced the overall sophisticated ambiance.Joan Brandon, twenty-six years old, blonde, beautiful, with large green doe eyes, was invited out by her best friend and colleague, Grace Everton, who noticed the latter was feeling lower than normal th
After saying goodnight and parting ways with Grace, Joan returned to her house, slightly tipsy from all the wine she had at the restaurant.Entering her home with a light step, all of Grace's words and actions resonated in her ears, making her smile.As she walked into the sitting room, she was met with an unexpected sight – her mother-in-law, seayed on the sofa, her eyes fixated on the TV screen."Mrs. Charles, you're here." Joan greeted the older woman, her voice filled with warmth and a hint of surprise. "I didn't know you were coming. How was your trip?"The woman remained engrossed in the television, seemingly ignoring Joan's presence and greetings. The woman had never liked her, not even for one day, and Joan knew it. But she always tried not to let it bother her too much.Undeterred, Joan tried again, "Is everything okay, Mrs Charles?"A tense silence hung in the air for a moment before Mrs. Charles finally spared her a glance, her eyes narrowing. "I don't need your small talk
The tears flowed freely from Joan's eyes as she walked down the stairs. While walking away, she heard the dialing tone of her mother-in-law's phone and she already predicted what was about to happen. But she didn't care anymore. She had it with them and everything they represented. For three years she had endured this sham of a marriage where she was starved of everything marriage was supposed to be about. Three good years of her life wasted on a man she foolishly loved and married oblivious to the fact that he was only pretending to feel the same way about her. But no more. She was done. whatever wants to happen should happen. She doesn't care anymore. On reaching the foot of the stairs, she halted as her eyes settled on her luggage. Wiping her eyes with the back of her palm, she grabbed onto the boxes and bags and moved them all to the guest room without hesitation. Just as she dropped the last bag, she heard her phone ringing and she fished for it. Her upper and lower teeth pre
Grace opened her eyes the next morning to find that Joan was gone from the bedroom. Although her house was a three-bedroom detached bungalow, she insisted that Joan sleept in her room because of the state of her mind last night. But alarm bells began to ring in her head the moment she looked around after waking up and did not find Joan in bed or the room."Joan?" Grace jumped out of bed, half running to the sitting room, hoping the one she sought would be there. To her relief, Joan was there. However, to her utmost dismay and confusion, the girl was seated at the bar, downing alcohol so early in the morning, dressed in her scrub."What are you doing?" Grace collected the bottle and glass from her, giving her a concerned look. Her eyes were all red and swollen, and her beautiful friend looked like a shadow of her former self. "Don't do this to yourself, Jo. And what are you wearing?""What? I'm dressed for work." Joan responded, her speech slurring slightly. However, Grace noticed i
Unknown to Joan, the person lying on the bed was no ordinary being. The very moment she stepped into the room, a terrifying black wolf roused from its deep sleep.Lazer, the black wolf, opened it fiery red eyes to search for the one who's wonderful and addictive scent had woken him up but all he could see was black. That was when he remembered that they had been in a terrible accident earlier, an event that knocked them out completely.Unable to resist the scent of the person that just walked in, Lazer spoke. "Roman, wake up."His call succeeded in waking Roman — his human — up. However, Roman only woke up in the subconscious, not physically."Can't you smell that?" Lazer asked, getting overly excited unlike his usual self. "I told you she was the one last night but you were doubting me. Now she's so close and I can barely stay still. Do you believe me now?" Lazer added in a half complaining tone.Last night, this very scent had wafted across their nostrils while they were at a restau
Meanwhile, in the second emergency ward, Grace met someone she didn't expect to see in their hospital — Mr. Trevor Baliante, the king of the business world. She, and every other person conversant with the business world new him to be the CEO of the biggest multi billion dollar company in the country and the hottest, most sought-after bachelor.It was not news that Mr Trevor was single to stupor and was not ready to mingle yet. However, his hot physic and otherworldly facial beauty made ladies gush whenever they set eyes on him. Grace was not an exception. Only, in her case, she told herself he was out of her reach seeing how he avoided women. For this reason, she made no real effort to get noticed by him.Seeing him there, Grace didn't need anyone to explain what Amira meant when she said high profile people were involved in the car crash. What she didn't understand was why they were brought to their small hospital when there were bigger and better equipped ones around.Dropping all
Grace couldn't believe her ears after everything Joan told her. It was not even up to an hour since they arrived at the hospital and so much has happened already. So much that they both knew trouble was already close to their doorsteps. At the close of their shift, Grace, determined to help her friend escape the mess she had created for herself, led her to the travel agency to complete all the necessary documentation needed for Joan to leave the country as soon as possible. While they were there, Joan couldn't sit still. She was physically trembling and her mind was a mess. She was yet to deal with one trouble and here she was trying to get out of another. She couldn't tell if this was just ill luck or if she was being punished for something she did in her past life. "Relax, Jo. This shouldn't take too long." Grace tried to calm her down, seeing how she was up on her feet and pacing about again for the fourth time since they arrived."I can't. What if he wakes up and comes looking
At the sight of the latest addition to the number of people in the house, a well-known kind of fear and curiosity hit everyone. There were a few people in the country that nobody dares to mess with or get into trouble with. One of the most feared ones was Trevor Baliante. Ironically, he was the most harmless looking one, and the biggest investor in the Brandon's business.No one knows how he does it, but all who got into trouble with him had somehow ended up badly, and the police had never found Trevor wanting. He, also, was one of the few businessmen allowed to have heavily armed guards for no apparent reason.So seeing him in their presence at that time and in that manner, signified nothing but trouble. Their fear was justified.Joan and Grace were worst hit. With their hearts pounding in their chests and their eyes stretching as if they were about to pop, they exchanged glances, knowing that what they fear the most had finally caught up to them. Joan willed herself to calm down,
The noise from the drama downstairs caught the attention of other people in the house, including Williams, who returned to the house that morning with Roman and Trevor. He had already gone into one of the rooms to rest his head when he heard the disturbance, and he walked out to catch sight of Trevor and Daniel pushing themselves off the floor. Just one look at Cody, and the latter began to explain what had just happened. Roman, on the other hand, was about to step inside his room after speaking with Joan, when he heard the noise. Pausing his movement, he smelled the air and caught a familiar but unexpected scent, which made him frown when he realized who it belonged to. What was she doing there so early in the morning? Changing his mind, he headed out of his room and started toward the stairs with the intention of meeting her downstairs. However, she was faster than him as she showed up before he could completely descend the first floor.“If it isn't the one and only Roman Gavri
Joan's heart raced as her eyes caught the blood on Roman's shirt, her mind immediately darting to worst-case scenarios. Yet before she could even get a word out, Roman cut her off with a sharp question."What's going on with you?" he asked, his tone suspicious but not in any way tired or worn out as his appearance suggested.Joan blinked, taken off guard. "What do you mean?" she shot back, her voice steady, though the pulse in her throat quickened."The noise," Roman said, his eyes narrowing. "I just heard a crash."His gaze shifted toward the gap between the door and frame, clearly wanting a glimpse of whatever chaos was inside. Joan quickly leaned against the frame, blocking his view, her body rigid as if she could physically stop his curiosity."It was nothing," she replied, forcing a tight smile. "Just... just some rearranging." She added.Roman didn't buy it. "You're sweating. And your eyes are red." His gaze was unflinching, his brow furrowing as if to unravel the lie she was tr
Joan lifted her eyes to find the headless man standing right before her. The sight was too much for her. He was dressed in an attire she knew to be worn hundreds of years before she was born, his clothes tattered and worn out as if he had just stepped out of an ancient painting.He stretched his hand in silent demand for his head, his fingers were long and skeletal, trembling with impatience.Terrified was an understatement of how Joan felt. Her heart hammered in her chest, every beat a painful reminder of her confusion. She extended the head toward him, her hands shaking so violently she feared she might drop it.The head felt heavy and unnaturally warm against her palms. As she held it out, she felt a strange compulsion to look at it, as if drawn by an unseen force. Against her better judgment, she turned the head around and a gasp escaped her lips.It was alive. The bright green eyes were open, staring at her with an intensity that cut through her soul.Joan frowned. Those eyes… t
Joan stood frozen, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the damaged car. The front was crumpled, the windshield shattered, and the tires looked like they had been clawed. She couldn't comprehend how anyone could have survived such a wreck."How did you... how did you survive this?" she stammered, looking at Trevor with a mix of disbelief and fear. "And Grace? Was she hurt?"Trevor shook his head, his expression calm. "No, your friend is fine and at her house already. She wasn't in the car when it happened."Joan's mind raced, trying to piece together what could have caused such destruction. She was still reeling from the sight when Roman pulled Trevor aside, speaking in a low, urgent tone."Take her home," Roman instructed. "But wait ten minutes before you leave.""Boss, they are too much. This fight is not one you should confront alone." Trevor spilled, his frown deepening."When did you begin to underestimate me?" Roman probed, narrowing his eyes at Trevor."I would never do th
Roman's car zoomed off with the same speed as they came. This time, Joan kept her mouth shut even though her heart was hanging in her throat. He made a sudden, sharp, and dangerous turn, causing the tires to make a screeching sound, but that was not all that got Joan extremely agitated. He was driving toward a very tall grass barricade which led to a farm, and he was driving at a high speed.“What are you doing?” Joan managed to get the words out of her mouth. Despite being secured by the seat belt, her hands searched for something to hold on to as she imagined her life coming to an end already.Instead of responding to her questions, Roman kept his gaze and focus ahead, already sighting danger around them. He was thankful for the fear in Joan's heart because that was the only reason she kept her gaze forward. If she had managed to shift her attention to the side, she might have caught sight of the fast moving creatures in the shadows following their car.The field he was aiming to b
“Boss, it's almost time.” Trevor said, bringing down his arm after glancing at his wristwatch for the umpteenth time. His face held a deep frown, unlike his usual demeanor. Inside, he was a panicky mess. If it were just him and Roman out there by that time, he wouldn't be worried. They could very easily handle anything thrown at them. But having Joan with them complicated the issue.“I know that.” Roman answered, his eyes fixed on Joan and Grace. He was seated on the top of the bonnet of his car, while Trevor stood beside him. It's been over thirty minutes since they arrived at Joan's parents’ house, and the man was nowhere to be found, neither was he taking his calls. If he didn't know how worried she was at that moment, he would have suggested they leave. But he didn't want to come off as uncaring. Trevor let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair, a move that Grace's eyes caught just when she moved her attention to his direction. “She is gonna freak out.” Trevor c
Surprised at how easily Roman agreed to Joan's request, Trevor's lips parted. He watched the latter walk away before turning to look at Daniel, who looked to be in the same dilemma.“You should go after him. He may have forgotten.” Daniel said to Trevor and as if suddenly woken up from his slumber, Trevor followed Roman out.Grace, who didn't understand what the men were on about, simply watched Trevor leave before setting her gaze on Daniel. She couldn't help noticing his handsome features, which she had been too agitated to notice earlier. It seemed all the people surrounding Roman were specially carved by the creator. Daniel flashed her a smile, and she didn't hesitate to return it. “Please tell Madam not to worry too much. Her mother will be found.” He said, hoping to ease the tension and break the silence. He would have gone with Trevor, but he knew that Roman would not want him to be involved in anything happening that night. “Thank you, Grace responded, appreciative of his k
Guilt instantly registered on Joan’s face when she sighted Grace. She knew she had offended her friend by attempting to run away and also ruined their dream vacation by cutting it short to give days instead of seven. “Hey, you're alright.” Grace pulled Joan into a hug, letting out a relieved breath. “I was so worried.” Grace added, and the guilt in Joan's heart heightened. “I'm sorry, Gracie. I wasn't thinking. I only wanted to try to get away from everything.” Joan explained, receiving the hug with a heavy heart.“It's fine. We'll talk about that later.” Grace said, her expression shifting to a serious one as she pulled away from the hug. “What happened to your mom?” Grace asked, looking intently at Joan as if searching for the answer to the question in her eyes. Puzzlement clouded Joan's features. “My mom?” She asked, wanting to be sure she heard correctly.“Yes.” Grace nodded her head. “Nothing. Why?” Joan asked, still not getting it.“Nothing? When was the last time you heard
Alarmed Daniel moved to block Joan's way making her halt and stopping her advance to the staircase. Cody moved from the door also, following her with the intention of apologizing properly. However, unlike Daniel, he didn't go to stand in front of her. When she stopped, he waited behind her for the right opportunity to speak. He had known Roman all his life and had been working for him for many years. Not once had he had any problems and he didn't want to start now. All he tried to do was to avoid being accused of letting her out of the house and facilitating her second escape attempt. Little did he know that his attempt to avoid trouble was going to invite even bigger trouble. He was no stranger to how werewolves treated their mates. Roman was a powerful lycan who had done the unthinkable in the past because of the death of his mate. Cody didn't want to be put in that position.“What is this?” Joan asked, frowning at Daniel. “Are you also going to stop me from climbing the stairs?”“