★★★★★As Nadia followed the woman down the corridor, she couldn’t shake the mild tension building in her chest. She was trying hard to stay composed, but the thought of meeting the boss sent her mind into a quiet spin. Glancing sideways at the woman, Nadia bit her lower lip before cautiously asking, "How’s the boss? I mean, you’ve worked here a while, so you must know something about his personality, right? His preferences? I don’t want to mess anything up on my first day." Her voice carried an air of nonchalance, though her lips remained pressed tight, betraying her nerves. The woman gave her a knowing glance but didn’t seem phased by the question. She chuckled softly, almost as if she had anticipated it. "Ah, well, that’s the thing. I can’t really help you with that, because as of last night... our boss changed." Nadia blinked, caught off guard. "Changed?" "Yeah, it was quite sudden. No official announcement has been made yet, but our former boss sent a post on the company forum
★★★★ Nadia paced furiously across the room, her chest heaving with each angry breath. "This is unbelievable!" she snapped, her voice a mix of frustration and disbelief. "I swear, before I lose my mind entirely, I’m walking out of here. This job—it’s not for me. I don’t deserve this treatment, this... this nonsense," she spat, her eyes blazing with fury. She was already halfway to the door, her hand gripping the handle, ready to make her exit, when Harley’s voice cut through the air, steady and cold. "You didn’t read the contract, did you?" His tone carried a quiet menace as he rose from his seat, slipping his hands casually into his pockets. "The pros and cons were spelt out pretty clearly. And just so you know, according to the agreement you signed—" he paused, letting the weight of his words settle, "—you’re bound to this job for a year. Walking out now means you’ll owe a hefty compensation. You’ll be paying for something you haven’t even earned yet." Nadia froze, her fingers stil
★★★★★Harley’s eyes darkened as his father spoke, his frustration barely concealed beneath the surface. He folded his arms, leaning back against his desk as he sized up the man in front of him, refusing to let old wounds dictate his response. "All right, since this is my office, let’s get straight to it. Why are you really here?" Harley demanded, his voice cold and business-like, giving no ground to sentiment. His gaze flicked toward Amanda, sensing that her presence was not coincidental. "Did she bring you here?"Amanda opened her mouth, clearly prepared with a rehearsed explanation. "Harley, actually—"But before she could get a full sentence out, Harley’s father waved her off dismissively, his tone gruff and commanding. "Who is this woman, anyway? If she doesn’t have any real business here, she can leave while we talk."Nadia, who had been quietly enduring the tension in the room, took the opportunity to stand. "I don’t have anything pressing here, so I’ll be going," she said, eag
★★★★"My thoughts are simple. Since you are my employee, my order cannot be questioned. Now drive to your house," Harley said, overlooking Nadia’s anger.Nadia pressed her teeth together, swallowing back her anger before starting the car. She did not think she was played by him in such a way.On one hand, he made it crystal clear there were no feelings he had for her, on the other hand, he was making every possible way to be around her.'Huh! Did he think that she would give him her body if he clings to her for 24 hours?' Nadia thought, after which she questioned, "You will have to pay for food in my house. Nothing is free. Besides, my house is full of dust. You will see crawlers around the house!"Harley smiled, replying, "Your tone is hostile, but fine, I will pay for the food. actually!" There was a pause before continuing, "How about I cook, and you clean the house, as I hate dirty places."Nadia shifted her head to Harley and said with judging eyes, "So you are going to cook to a
★★★★★ "Is that Harley in your house?" Jasmine asked again, her tone sharper now, laced with suspicion. Nadia fumbled with her words, desperately trying to conjure a convincing explanation. "What? No, no—" she stammered, her voice coming out in a rush. "That’s... that’s a friend of mine," she added, laughing awkwardly. "He’s here to cook. I'm just cleaning up the house, you know, nothing major." She turned sharply, glaring at Harley, who stood across the room with a bemused expression, clearly aware of the mess he’d just created. He could have kept his mouth shut, but instead, his voice had slipped into the conversation, sending everything spiralling. Only God knew what Jasmine was thinking now, Nadia thought to herself, biting her lip. She could feel the weight of Jasmine’s silence on the other end, the tension building. "Nadia..." Jasmine’s voice cut through the air, slow and prodding, as if trying to tease out the truth. "You sure?" Nadia swallowed hard, glancing at Harley aga
☆★★★★Nadia came out of her room after taking a bath. She was hungry and wanted to see what he was doing in her house. She did not understand why he had not called her for lunch yet. When she reached the hall, she saw him sitting on the sofa, smoking and with a tense expression on his face, as if he was lost in some deep thought."Did you fail in your proud culinary?" Nadia said, and looked around, finding the house very clean and the men gone from her house.Harley glanced at her fresh face, her wet hair wrapped in a towel, and her house gown tied around her waist. Harley sighed with a smile and replied, "I took the responsibility of feeding you; how can I fail to do so? One thing you must know is that defeating Harley is not easy.""Well, didn't you lose to Damon often?!" Nadia said with a sly smile on the corner of her lips as she walked towards the dining table and found a few bowls placed neatly.Harley's smile disappeared as he said, "None of us win twice in a row. That sick bas
★★★★★ "Doesn't she work in your office? What's the reason for bringing her here and why are you holding her hand?" Amanda stood up from her spot, a drink in her hand and anger in her eyes. Nadia tried to remove her hand, but Harley held it tightly and said, "Since when did people start asking me about my actions? Everyone knows that I do whatever I feel like doing. By the way, what is the purpose of your presence in this house?" "Harley, that's enough! I called her, and she didn't say anything wrong. In the morning this woman was present in your office and now you are attending family dinner with her and standing holding her hand, what do you want to show?" asked Harley's father while his mother sat on the sofa with moist eyes as she had not met her son for many years and was unable to do so because of her husband. "Why can't she? When you brought Amanda in to join the family dinner- which doesn't feel like a family dinner to me anymore, why can’t she?" Harley said, moving comforta
★★★★"What does that mean?" Amanda deliberately ignored the meaning of Harley's confession, because there was no way she could let him go. She wanted to settle down with a successful man, and Harley was her perfect match."Are you really stupid or just stubborn to get attention," Nadia replied to Amanda, there was a calmness in her eyes which further humiliated Amanda, and she flared up, "You don't know anything about us, how we had been and what our relationship was like, which means you are in no position to talk between us." "Amanda!" Harley's father stopped Amanda, "Calm down! We have plenty of time to talk about this calmly, and we shouldn't ruin the mood of the dinner we're all here for.""You really surprise me. Every time, I feel like I never understand you, which is great because I love experiencing new things, although there is no other discussion that can surpass any of my decisions," Harley said with cold eyes.Meanwhile, Nadia saw Harley's mother's nervousness, as if she
★★★★ "Ellie!" Gary tried to approach Harley's mother, but he stopped him, saying, "Don't come close to mom. I didn't lay my hands on you just because of her even though I was on the verge of ripping your neck off your body. So, Again count yourself lucky!" Harley growled at his father. Just then, one of Harley’s men interrupted. "Boss, this woman is fainting!" Harley’s gaze shifted briefly to Amanda before he gave his orders in a cold, merciless tone. "Take her to the hospital. Make sure she doesn’t die, and ensure she gets proper treatment at our camp." Amanda tried to protest, but her words failed her as she collapsed. Without hesitation, Harley’s men carried her away, leaving the scene in tense silence. By that time, Harley's mom mustered up some strength and looked at her husband with pain and tears. Earlier, when Amanda said those things about Gary, she denied them without a second thought, even though somewhere in her heart, a bad feeling was swirling. But, in the end, she wa
★★★★"Are you hurt?" Harley asked, concern lacing his voice."Yeah, my foot," Nadia winced, her grip tightening around his neck. "I think something’s stuck in it."Without hesitation, Harley scooped her up in his arms, cradling her gently as he made his way inside, his jaw set with determination."It's Amanda, and she has more people inside," Nadia cautioned him so that he could have his gun ready."Humph!" Harley hummed only, then took her to a place where there was little light and a small place to sit. He carefully laid her down, turned on the phone's flashlight, and said, "Hold it up on your feet and let me see what it is?"Nadia's face was tired and sweaty, but her eyes were calm seeing Harley in front of her eyes. She got the phone and held it up, only then did they both notice a nail embedded in her left foot.As soon as Harley touched the nail, Nadia cried out, clutching his hair in her palm as her agonizing voice erupted, "Oh, it’s hurt!"Harley looked up at Nadia’s painful f
★★★★★ "I don't know how...." Harley's mother's hands were shaking as she held the gun in her hand. "There's no time for a lesson! Just put the muzzle on my handcuffs and shoot!" Nadia shouted, her impatience growing as Amanda's people could show up at any second. "Alright," Harley's mother muttered, exhaling sharply. She pressed the muzzle against the lock and fired without hesitation. The handcuffs snapped open instantly. Nadia forthwith ran to Amanda and pulled her back by her hair before Amanda could able to run out of the room. "Let me go, bitch!" Amanda protested, trying to scream. But Nadia held her back with her arm around her neck. Suddenly Amanda's men arrived with guns drawn. Seeing them, Amanda screamed, "Don't just stand there and help me!" She gritted her teeth and spat at the people who should have been running to her aid. "Don't come close to her if you want her alive and well?" Nadia yelled, holding Amanda tightly as she tried to strike a deal for them to escape.
★★★★★Meanwhile, Harley returned home and learned from the servant that his father had been awake for a while but had ordered no visitors until he permitted it. Ignoring the warning, Harley marched straight to his father’s room. Rather than knock, he pounded on the door.His father’s irritated voice boomed from within. "I warned you—I don’t want any interference! If you all want to keep your jobs, stay out of my business!"At that moment, Harley responded by firing on the door lock and then kicking it open. Gary ran to the corner in fear, his back hitting the wall. When Gary saw that it was Harley who had shot at the door, he blurted out, "What's going on in your head? You could have called me!" "Where are they?" Harley yelled with murderous eyes."Who are you talking about?" Gary replied, trying to sound calm, but miserably failed under his son's intense gaze. Harley clenched his teeth and rushed to his father, who tried to escape, but Harley grabbed him by his throat and howled, "
★★★★★ Jasmine was exhausted, thirsty and going through the ripping pain in her shoulder, but she made sure she reached out for her husband, who was looking for her crazily. "Hello... it's me!" Jasmine said in a tired voice and crawled away from the dead man. Since it was almost dark, she took refuge behind a tree and decided to stay there until Damon came. "Where are you?" Damon's harsh voice broke out, full of impatience and tension. "Come and get me. I am tired and I...I killed a man who wanted to kill me," Jasmine said, "Also a group of people took Nadia with them. She is in danger too. Bring men," Jasmine said, closing her eyes. "Hang in there!" Damon said. There was a sense of reassurance in his voice that calmed Jasmine and she replied, "Okay!" And she touched her shoulder where she felt pain. Meanwhile, Harley reached the mansion where Amanda's father was busy in the swimming pool with some young lady. As soon as they entered, they all started screaming in fear becau
★★★★★"I don’t know anything!" Harley’s mother stammered, her voice trembling as she scrambled towards Nadia, who sat handcuffed in the corner. "In my sleep, I felt someone’s hand on my face, and I jolted awake. I tried to fight, and Harley’s father did the same, but they injured him before dragging me out of the villa. It was dark outside.""I think it’s the same people who brought you here. They pretended to be the police and tricked me," Nadia said calmly as she looked at Harley's worried mother."How is his father?"Nadia felt bad hearing Harley's mother's worried voice."When I left the villa, a doctor monitored him and the doctor said he is fine and has no injuries," Nadia said."You are not lying to me, are you?" Harley's mother asked again just to believe Nadia was not saying the positive just to keep her calm."Why would I lie to you to keep you satisfied when both of our lives are at stake? I was thinking about your son. I'm afraid he won't deal with this situation patiently
★★★★Nadia didn't go to her house. Instead, she went to Jasmine's house. All the way she kept wondering if Amanda was really that stupid. Knowing Harley's nature, how could she dare to attack his mother, and why did she think that kidnapping Harley's mother would make it easier for her to get back into his life?When she was about to enter Jasmine's house, a police car blocked her way, which shocked Nadia, and she quickly got out of the car in confusion and asked, "What happened, Sir?!" At the same time, Jasmine saw Nadia and the police from the balcony, where she was walking with a coffee mug in her hand. So, she decided to go and see what the matter was."Are you Nadia Hazelwood?" a policeman asked.Nadia replied, a little nervously, "Yes, sir, I am Nadia Hazelwood. Is something wrong?""We found illegal substances in your house. You have to come with us to the police station," the cop said, showing off the handcuff to Nadia who could no longer stop herself from panicking as she mut
★★★★ As the morning dawned Nadia found herself pinned down by a strong arm around her waist and unable to breathe. But what scared her the most was the thought that Harley was naked. She moved quickly and looked under the sheets, but he wasn't naked; he was wearing his boxers, and she sighed with relief. Then she tried to push his hand out of her to get up, but he grumbled, "Let me hold you a little longer." "I have a lot of work to do; hugging won't buy me time," Nadia grumbled. "You work in my office, and as your boss, I am ordering you to remain on the bed with me; if you're so free, you can show me your care by kissing me," Harley said. "Stop your nonsense, Harley. Your mother will come anytime and I will feel ashamed," Nadia put her hand on his face and tried to push him away, but she couldn't. Though his sleeping face looked innocent and peaceful, which urged her to stare at him for a long time, she refused to do that since she was embarrassed to show her affection. Suddenl
★★★★★"Uh..huh! What did you hear him talking about?" Harley replied calmly."He was talking to someone in the garden who I couldn't see so I was standing near the wall and listening to their conversation, then I heard your father say that if that person can't achieve what he has been given to do then he should kill himself or your father will kill him," Nadia said with shock and fear in her eyes as she thought that Harley’s father was going to harm someone."Hmmmm... Dad is consumed by the greed to get the power. That is why he abruptly came here with Mom," Harley said, making his way to the bed, his hand unbuttoning his shirt, while he added, "Let him do what he wants. I'm glad you found something entertaining in this house!""How come you are so relaxed even after knowing all this? What if he is plotting something dangerous against you because I felt he has no sympathy for you or no care that you are his son," Nadia said impatiently putting both her hands on her waist as she did no