For weeks, I holed up there, trying to get my head straight, to shake off whatever the fuck had been haunting me. But no matter how much I drank, no matter how many deals I closed, or how many people I put in their place—nothing helped.Every day was the same suffocating drag.And to make things wo
I stared.Like a fucking idiot, I just stared.What the hell had she done to me?I was Ace Salvatore. Ruthless. Collected. Always in control.And yet, here I was, restless, burning, unable to shake the memory of her.It made no sense.She wasn’t supposed to matter.She should have been like the othe
Eventually, I found an empty bench and dropped onto it, my body sagging under the weight of my thoughts.I leaned back, tilting my head toward the sky.The stars blinked down at me, indifferent.The leaves rustled gently, the night breeze whispering through the trees. Somewhere in the distance, cri
Ace POV:What the fuck is she doing here?My body moved before my brain caught up, striding forward as Iris ran straight toward me.Then—she stopped.The second her eyes landed on mine, her entire body froze.She stumbled back, her breath hitching, her chest heaving like a cornered animal.Terror.N
Then a broken, gasping sob tore from her lips.It was small, barely a whisper against the night air, but it hit me like a punch to the gut.“Sh… Sh…” My voice came out strained, hoarse. Without thinking, I caught her hands, gripping them tightly before bringing them to my mouth and blowing on it.S
"Boss, what happened here? What is she doing here?" Ivan’s voice broke through my haze, cautious yet curious. I turned to him, my expression unreadable, my emotions tangled in a mess I had no patience for."I want to know everything about her." My voice was rigid with command, leaving no room for a
Her days were spent scrubbing floors, washing dishes, and cooking meals she never got to enjoy herself.Every penny she earned was accounted for— rent, food, and the barest essentials of health. There was nothing left over for herself.Her clothing situation was dire. She had never bought herself
Beep. Beep. Beep.The sharp, relentless blaring of her alarm cut through the silence, jolting her awake. She turned it off mechanically, her body heavy with fatigue.4 a.m. Too early, yet too late. The night had offered no rest, only the illusion of it.The ceiling above her, marked with tiny crac
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