“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
My chuckle started slow.A sharp exhale.Then it built, curling from my throat, spilling into the space between us.A laugh.Dark. Wrong.I was laughing alone, and that made them stare.Curious. Amused. Wary.“I am,” I admitted, voice smooth, easy. “A handsome whore, though.”Agostino chuckled, shak
I stepped closer, my presence looming, an oppressive weight pressing down on him. “Call her with that name, you wouldn’t be able to hear your own name,” I warned, my voice like a sharpened edge, deceptively calm. My hand came down on his shoulder, a casual gesture on the surface, but the pressure
Her braid had slipped over the edge, dangling over the table’s side.Her legs tilted to the right, her body slumped, utterly unaware.I inhaled deeply, slow.My hands found the table, fingers splaying across the cool surface as I leaned down, my gaze narrowing.She was too still.Her breathing was n
I didn’t answer.He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming like he could see inside my head."It proves my point," he murmured, tilting his head. "You crave her so much that you crave every single bit of information about her."A slow, ugly smirk curled my lips. “That is not true. I also don’t know
Alex leaned forward, his smirk deepening, watching me like a predator waiting for its prey to crack."She’s pretty, sure. But you’ve seen far more beautiful women before her." He tilted his head slightly. "Like Jennie—your ex."Jennie.I almost laughed. Almost."You think I would notice someone base
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