The way his hands had held her, firm, possessive, unrelenting."No," she said too quickly, too sharply.A lie. One that felt flimsy and fragile, one she knew they wouldn’t believe.Iris swallowed hard. She wished she hadn’t asked. She wished she had kept her mouth shut instead of letting the quest
Iris forced a nonchalant hum, pretending as if the simple endearment hadn’t unraveled something inside her. She tried to smile, but it felt fragile, barely held together.But Ace—Ace saw through her. He always did.His gaze roamed her face slowly, deliberately, as if memorizing every flicker of emo
Ace chuckled, low and knowing, watching her struggle with amusement twinkling in his sharp eyes. Panic fluttered in her chest, and in a desperate attempt to escape, she pushed herself off his lap, nearly stumbling in her haste."I—I need to go call Melinda! Breakfast table! Yeah—yeah, I’ll go help
This was something worse.She moved closer, slow, tentative. Then, with the smallest touch, she nudged my shoulder. The warmth of her fingertips seeped through my skin like a brand. My muscles tensed under her touch, but she didn’t retreat."It’s okay if you have worries or stress," she whispered,
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, fingers tapping anxiously against her knees.The moment she saw me, she looked up, her eyes searching mine. I could see it in the way her lips parted slightly, the way her brows creased with unspoken questions.But I had nothing to give her.I didn’t stop. Di
My eyes closed involuntarily.A low sigh escaped me.She shifted onto my lap, her legs straddling me, and I felt the warmth of her thighs against my hips."Straighten your back and neck," she instructed.And I obeyed.Her fingers worked slowly, gliding through my hair, pressing against my scalp in a
This was something else, something softer, and I hated that I didn’t understand it.Then, suddenly, she pulled back, and the cool air rushed in between us.My eyes snapped open immediately."Good?" she asked, her hands still resting on my shoulders, her touch now reduced to a gentle caress.No. Not
Hudson POV:"What do you mean by he loves her?!"Alex’s voice boomed through the living room, rattling the air, slamming against the walls like a gunshot.The others snapped their heads toward me, their eyes wide, stunned.It was like I’d just told them the fucking world was ending.I sighed, rubbin
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