"You know," Ace murmured, his voice smooth, almost hypnotic, "she was in that position because of you."Noah stilled, his breath hitching.Ace's dark eyes bore into his, empty, unfeeling. "Not because of me. Not because of them. Because of you."Noah’s face crumpled, his agony morphing into somethin
And it was why they had always been wary of leaving Iris in his presence.Unlike Noah, unlike the men in this room, she was fragile in a way that unsettled them. She did not belong in a world like this, a world Ace controlled with his brutality. And yet, Ace had marked her as his, claimed her in a
Author POV:Iris trudged through the restaurant like a zombie on its last ounce of willpower—except zombies probably had more dignity than she did right now.The exhaustion weighed down her shoulders, making her slouch like an overworked mule, but the physical fatigue wasn’t even the worst part.No,
Maybe, just maybe, she could make it to her room without running into Ace.That thought alone was enough to inject a little hope into her weary body.Her steps grew lighter as she reached the stairs, her heart lifting with anticipation.Freedom was close.Just a few more steps and she could throw he
Except for her.Iris stood there, awkward, small, her entire body stiff with unease.Her cheeks had deepened to a delicate shade of pink, her ears practically glowing in contrast to her olive skin.Embarrassment looked good on her.She turned, her head low, clearly desperate to escape.“Mini,” I sai
“Get me one plate of fried rice and some ice cream,” I ordered.A flicker of confusion crossed his face, but he didn’t question it. Just nodded and left.Leo, however, was less disciplined.“You just ate,” he snorted, the amusement barely concealed.I rolled my eyes. And?He shook his head.The mome
Focus.I had bigger things to deal with.But out of the corner of my eye, Iris was still grinning.Still eating.I let out a slow breath, shaking the thought away. The work wasn’t going to finish itself.The clock ticked steadily toward 11 o’clock.The work was half done, but my concentration was st
Far from first.But she was smiling like she had conquered the world.Aiden was gloating, showing off the scoreboard to the rest of the room, but the others barely spared it a glance.No one cared about a stupid game.Except her.Except me.My eyes stayed fixed on her.The way her eyes sparkled. The
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