"I’m going tomorrow," she said.And then—She kissed my cheek.A soft, fleeting thing.But it burned.Not with passion. Not with longing.With goodbye."Your friends will come back to you soon," she murmured, giving me a small, knowing smile.Why would she say that?Why would she—Realization struck
The security cameras? Hacked.The patrol guards? Silenced.The emergency exits? Blocked.Ace wasn’t getting out. Not tonight.If his so-called friends were here, things would be a bit more complicated. I wasn't an idiot—I knew what each of them was capable of.Liam, the tech expert, could counter a
A slow smile curved my lips as I took a step forward. “Ace.”His eyes lifted to meet mine, void of any surprise.“Ivan,” he replied, his voice cool, measured. He took a deliberate sip of his wine, his fingers resting loosely against the glass.There was no tension in his body, no flicker of fear, b
He simply watched me, his eyes sharp with a knowing glint, as if he had expected my reaction.Then, with a lazy flick of his wrist, he rolled the glass on the table.The movement was slow, controlled, calculated—until the moment the glass reached the edge and tipped over.Crash.The sound of shatter
"Well, I am confused this time," he admitted, his tone completely detached, as if the stakes of our conversation were nothing more than a trivial puzzle.I leaned back slightly, watching him closely, trying to piece together what was running through his mind.Then, an idea struck me—a way to twist t
Ivan POV:I turned my head slightly, just in time to catch the look of pure shock plastered across his face. His frown deepened, his features twisting in something close to disbelief."What?" he murmured, his voice barely audible, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it more real.He stared
His body jerked unnaturally, his hands flying to his ribs as if trying to grasp onto something—anything—to stop what was happening.His eyes went wide, shock flashing across his face. Not just pain. Not just fear. But something deeper.Betrayal.Blood.Dark and unforgiving, it bloomed across his sh
Her voice cracked on the last word, raw and drenched in panic.Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling onto his blood-streaked face."Please, please," she sobbed, gripping his shoulders, trying—failing—to lift him up, to hold him, to keep him from slipping away.Isaac suddenly gasped, a sharp, rattli
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