Ace POV:The air was crackling.Not just with tension—no, something more visceral. The scent of blood clung to the walls, thick and metallic, mixing with the sharp tang of gunpowder and the distant stench of rusted metal. It soaked into the concrete, into the very marrow of the room.I wiped my bl
Ares spoke as if the details mattered. They didn’t.In the corner of my eye, I saw it.A sunflower.Bright. Vivid. Golden.Far away, barely swaying in the cold breeze.My feet moved before I could think, drawn to it.Without realizing, I walked toward it, the world narrowing to that one spot of col
Stupid.My stupid girl.There are a lot of things about Iris that drive me insane.The way she defies me when she knows damn well she shouldn’t.The way she takes care of others when she should only be doing that to me.But the one thing I hate— The thing that makes my blood boil—Is that she cares.
"I don’t know, King. Your planning is always twisted and confusing."I hummed, unimpressed.At least he was honest.Twisted and confusing? Maybe. But that’s what made it work.I exhaled through my nose and turned, resuming my steps, the sound of my shoes clicking against the pavement like the tickin
His eyes turned glassy, but he grit his teeth, standing firm.The sight amused me.I let the silence stretch between us.Then—one swift motion—I dragged the blade from the tip of his palm to the very end—deeply.His entire body jerked at the final cut.Blood dripped onto the floor, pooling in small,
“Why are you so worried, Ares?”A beat of silence.The corner of my mouth curled upward, slow and deliberate.“So worried,” I continued, voice dipping lower, “that it almost seems like it’s more than me.”I let my gaze drop.To his bandaged palm.The one I had sliced open earlier.Still fresh. Still
A place where I found her.Where she found me.A place where a little bear mistook a monster for a man.I smirked, shaking my head at the memory.Walking forward, my steps felt both heavy and effortless at the same time. The world blurred slightly at the edges, but I saw everything.Heard everythin
I felt it.The slow crawl of amusement, tinged with something else—curiosity, maybe.“Well, it’s been years since I saw you in this state,” he murmured, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly.I didn’t answer him.“Where is she?” My voice came out cold. Devoid of any pleasantries.Felix perked up, his li
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