It was a long line, and I was at the very end, of course.But after 15 whole minutes of standing on my tiptoes, shifting from one foot to another, it was finally my turn!Or so I thought.Ivan glanced at me once before turning on his heel and walking away.Wait. Wait, what?!My eyes widened in horro
What in the foreign phew-phew language was that supposed to mean?But whatever it was, I could tell from the slight narrowing of Ace’s eyes that it wasn’t good for me.He was staring. Hard.He was impossible to read. Always so expressionless. So calm. So terrifyingly collected.Was he mad?Annoyed?
The room felt too big. Too quiet.“It would make them… uncomfortable.” I shut my eyes, bracing for impact.He’s going to scold me. Or mock me.Or— something.Because every time I gave him some sort of explanation, I ended up in trouble.Last time, I had spoken too much, too freely. And what did I g
She exhaled deeply, her eyes darting to my neck. Avoiding my gaze again.I felt the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat beneath my fingers, uneven and fast. Too fast.I slid my fingers through her hair again, slowly, tracing down the length of her back, letting the strands breathe freely. They were sof
Without thinking, she placed her hands on my thighs, as if she did this all the time.My jaw flexed.Her wide, innocent eyes roamed over my torso, her gaze trailing the ink that covered my skin. She looked utterly entranced. As if she were trying to map every inch of me with her eyes alone. I let
She looked utterly wrecked—overwhelmed. Adorable."Then… then… w-why did you get it?" she stammered, her voice shaky. "Didn’t it hurt?"I let out a slow breath, relishing her reaction."No," I murmured. "I’m used to it."What would her face look like if I kissed her throat? If I dragged my lips ove
I pushed up from my chair, towering over her. “Athena,” I said, voice low, controlled. A warning.“I don’t like to hurt girls,” I continued. My tone was measured, but the weight behind it was sharp as a blade. “Especially when someone behaves like she’s entitled, even when she knows she isn’t.”My
Iris's POV:It’s all my fault.If I hadn’t touched his tattoos, none of this would have happened.I knew the moment my fingers brushed against his skin that I had made a mistake. A deep, gut-twisting kind of mistake. But God— did you see his body? Carved like stone, muscle taut beneath intricate
Why did I only notice it now?Ace chuckled—low, knowing."Do your work like a good whore," he murmured, his tone silky but laced with steel. "And show me your devotion, brat."He leaned back, and the pressure of his hands, which had been a constricting comfort around my body, vanished. Like a snake
I blinked, my breath hitching, frustration curling inside my chest."Please…" The whisper left me before I could stop it, before I could hold onto my pride. My head dipped down, shame curling my shoulders inward as I bit down on my lower lip. "Just one kiss. Even a peck."Ace clicked his tongue, th
“Don’t expect me to treat you like a good girl till I believe you’re sorry, Iris,” he murmured, his tone dark and taunting.Before I could process it, his thumb shoved past my lips, forcing them apart. My eyes flew wide, a muffled “Hmph” escaping as my hands shot up, fingers digging into his knees
“Sit on your knees.”…What?I froze.My smile slipped, and a soft “Huh?” escaped me before I could stop it.The warmth I’d felt a second ago twisted into something heavier, sharper, and I blinked at him, caught off guard.“You heard me, my sweet whore,” he said, leaning back with a smirk that stretc
I clenched my fists, inhaling sharply before narrowing my eyes at him.This man.This man would kill me.My fingers tugged at my top, pulling it back down as I tried to piece together what just happened.Why did he stop?I gulped, my throat dry, my body still traitorously warm. Ace smirked, draping
I sputtered, fisting my hands.“Boss,” Joy’s voice cut through my humiliation.“Wouldn’t Hudson sir be angry about what you just did to his sister? Should we, uh, step outside?”Ace didn’t even spare her a glance.“No. Stay here and do your work. I’ll do mine,” he said smoothly, like he hadn’t just
And he had the audacity to ignore me?He didn’t even say thank you!I glared at his back.“Boss,” I said, layering my voice with a little too much sweetness. “It’s past your lunch time. You should eat.”Nothing.Not even a glance.Ace continued flipping through his damn papers like I was invisible.
But it was probably not the sparkly, glittering fairy kind. More like the I-make-people-disappear kind.Joy. That’s her name.Wooow.A woman named Joy working at a place where she literally brings pain. “Oh yeah!! I remember now,” Joy exclaimed, her face lighting up like I was her long-lost best f
Damn it, Iris. Play it cool!His gaze didn’t waver. “May I know what you are doing here?”I cleared my throat. “Uh… just… passing by?”He arched a brow.I let out a nervous laugh and gestured to the air. “You know, just… admiring the architecture?”Then, he tilted his head toward the slightly open d