TANYA'S STORY It had been weeks since I'd seen Zeus, but he had kept his promise. He'd been depositing ten thousand dollars in my band account for two weeks and told me he'd see me soon. Why wasn't he falling to his knees like the rest of them? Was he looking to have me chase him? If he was, was that the last thing that would happen? Or was it? It's not every day you come by good sex like that. If I was his, how come he wasn't showing it? "We're closed," I huffed by hearing the jangle of the doorknob. "I'm here to give the bartender a ride home," a husky, familiar voice came from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Zeus standing there. Damn, was he sexy? I looked back, trying to regain my composure and trying my best not to show how excited I was that he was there. "Hey Tanya-" "Ivy! Why don't you head home? I got this," I diverted. The last thing I wanted was for her to recognize him or vice versa. "Really?" Ivy smiled. "Of course, don't worry about it; C
TANYA'S STORY "Why should I entertain that old man?!" I exclaimed, "Roy is disgusting." "You'll do it because I tell you to!" Zeus commanded, "Don't you like your new house? The guarantee to Yale for your son? I can take them all away in an instant!" "How dare you?!" I screeched before lunging at Zeus. I dug my nails into his chest as he threw me against the wall. The impact caused my breath to escape me. The back of Zeus's hand smacked my cheek as I fell. "Why did you have to go and do that?" he growled, "You know better!" I was hoisted over his shoulder and carried to my room within seconds. He violently threw me down on the bed and tore my clothes from my body. "Fuck you!" I kicked. Zeus seized my ankle before my foot could land its mark. He flipped me onto my stomach. "No! You don't deserve it!" I winced. "Shut up!" Zeus hollered while shoving my head into the pillows. He greedily shoved his cock inside of me, only it was my ass. "Ahh!" Please!" I cried
"I'm leaving!" I screamed, "You're going to marry her?! Marry Ivy?! How could you?! After everything you said, everything!" "Stop, Tanya-" "No! Go to Hell!" I cried. Tears streamed down my makeup-stained cheeks as I angrily threw my clothes into suitcases. Zeus snatched the current one I was filling. "You act as if I'm just going to let you leave," Zeus chuckled. "Why wouldn't you?! You love her enough to marry her, so marry her! I don't have to be here to put up with this!" I wept. "You don't understand, she's pregnant," he clarified. I felt as though someone stabbed me in the gut. I heaved over in pain and fell to my knees in a manic cry. "How could you?!" "I didn't!" he hissed while marching over to me. He tossed my luggage to the side and grabbed my arms. "What the Hell?! I snapped, "You just said-" "I said she's pregnant. I never said by me," he growled. I could see the anger in his eyes. Why was he so angry if he claimed he loved me more? "Then who
What the Hell did Tanya confess to me? This woman was just as crazy as they come. How naive can she be? "You don't think he ever loved you?" Eve hissed. "Fuck you!" Tanya turned the gun to Eve. Eve responded with a maniacal cackle. "He never loved you! You were his way into getting to Ivy!" Eve said, "He never cared about you! Clearly! I can't believe he let you stick around and cling to him like a pathetic child!" "You're one to talk!" Tanya growled, "You're just angry that he loves me more than you!" "Pfft," Eve started cackling even louder, the craziness echoing on the walls surrounding us. "You idiot!" Eve spat. "I-it's true, Tanya," a weak man's voice croaked. We looked over to see Zeus staggering to his feet. "Zeus!" Tanya smiled. "Stop!" Zeus croaked. "I told you, Tanya, I don't love you," he reminded, "I used you to get to Ivy; Eve was telling the truth. Tanya's cries turned angry as she outreached her gun to Zeus, "You twisted son of a bitch." "
The police interrogated us for weeks; luckily, the security footage gave us our alibi. It still hurts to watch Eric die. Today is his funeral. Dimitri and Reign have consistently checked on me, tending to my every need and heartache. I'd wake up crying, and one of them would hold me in their arms to comfort me until I fell back asleep. Eve, Tanya, Zeus, and Deacon died that night, but Eric, Eric, is who mattered to me. I could still hear him coming up the stairs to greet me. I hurt so badly in my heart. Watching Eric being lowered into the ground caused me to fall into a drunken tailspin. I did love him. He has always protected me ever since I lost my parents. Now I lost him. The one man I loved more than I thought I could. He was gone now. "I'm sorry, Ivy," Dimitri apologized. "Why are you sorry? You never cared for him," I snorted. "You're drunk, so we're going to chalk that up to you grieving," Reign replied. "Oh, please!" I raised my voice. "Ivy, stop," Dimitri warne
5 YEARS LATER "Hey, Ivy? Is this the form you were looking for?" Keiran asked. I briefly glanced at the forms my assistant was holding. "Yes," I confirmed, scribbling my signature. Send these as soon as possible. I need this alcohol for tonight's wedding." Keiran shook his head with a chuckle. "What now?" I asked. "You have a hang bar on the ceiling so your bartenders can dance around like Coyote Ugly, yet spend millions of dollars for your high-end wedding services." "I'm versatile," I joked. "This bar is known for its weddings," he teased. "Fair," I reasoned, "Alright. Please send those; I gotta get home." "See you tomorrow, Boss. By the way, Happy Birthday," he replied. I gave a slight nod before exiting my bar. "Wow," I hushed to myself. I forgot it was my thirty-first birthday. I'd been so wrapped up in the bar and its success that I'd forgotten it was my birthday. I was also learning to plan events since sitting alone at home grew boring. I like my life
"Did the roses give it away?" Reign smiled. "Uh, sure," I sighed while taking the bouquet, "Come in." I turned to see Cameron standing in confusion, and Reign followed suit while closing the door behind him. "Sorry, this is Cameron," I introduced myself. "I know who he is," Reign reminded him. Remember I met him a few times when his mother would stay with Zeus?" "I didn't know that part. I wasn't there," I inadvertently sneered before setting the roses on the countertop. This is a conundrum; he was one of the men I didn't need to have show up right now. "How've you been?" Reign greeted. "Good, you know, football took off, and I don't have to worry about anything for the rest of my life, thanks to Zeus," Cameron said while shaking Reign's hand. "What brings you out here with your illustrious football career taking off an all," Reign snarked. "I came to see Ivy," Cameron replied, "I wanted to know what happened that night my mom died." Reign briefly subdued his
"Aodhan, what did you do this time, young man?" I asked. "Nothing," Aodhan dropped his head in shame. I knelt to his level and looked into his eyes. "Son, I love you. I won't get upset at every little thing. If I ever do, it's because I'm scared for you, not angry at you." "I wanted the pudding; I didn't mean to, Mama," he confessed. "It's okay, baby," I embraced my son tightly. Ariel will watch you for a few hours, and then we're going home, okay?" Aodhan, my secret. I'll never tell Dimitri or Reign. One was his father; I don't know which; honestly, I don't care. Aodhan has both of their good qualities. Both Dimitri and Reign looked so similar that telling which could be his father was a tough one. "I know that look," Ariel hinted, "What's wrong." "You've been one of my closest friends since moving here. You're also the godmother to Aodhan," I rambled. "Right, everything okay?" Ariel asked. Ariel had short, bright orange hair with freckles splattered perfectly a
How could such a man be so naive? I never gave him an answer. Instead, I left the room and went back to my own. I knew it bothered him, me not answering. From the looks of it the following morning, it drove him crazy. Zeus made me a luxurious breakfast, eagerly awaiting an answer, which I still refuse to give. "Why not, Ivy?" Zeus pressed. I bit into the juicy strawberry. The hint of sweetness followed by the rush of jaw-clenching sour made everything much more enjoyable. "I like you son more than I like you," I admitted, "And Dimitri." "What if I told you they aren't who you thought they were," Zeus reasoned. Narrow-eyed, I annoyedly glared at him, "What do you mean?" "What if I told you they knew I was alive all along, and we made a bet," Zeus added. "What type of bet?" I pressed. "Now that takes the fun out of the bet," he taunted. "Fuck you," I scoffed while hastily rushing back to my room. Zeus always knew how to lift me and get under my skin. "Asshole,"
Everything was such a blur. I don't remember what happened. Zeus was pinning me down, then nothing. I blinked; it was dark, and only the roaring fire lit up the dark far corners of the room. This was Zeus's room. My throat was dry. I could barely breathe. I tried rolling over when something caught on my wrist. "What the fuck?" I yanked again, this time hearing metal clanking. Both my wrists and ankles were shackled to the four-poster bed frame. "You're awake," Zeus commented. Looking at him furiously, I could prop myself on my elbows and say, "Let me go, now!" "No," he denied. "Now-" "No one is here, so there's no point to scream," he interrupted. "Why the Hell did you shackle me to your bed frame!" I shouted, "I would have fucked you if that's what you wanted, but instead, you knock me out. I began coughing uncontrollably, and Zeus rushed to my aid, raising the water glass to my mouth to quench my thirst. "You knew you would be punished," he reminded. "How do y
"Do you like frustrating me? Making me angry? Toying with my emotions?" Zeus growled upon approaching me. "Yes," I teased, "You look like a hurt little puppy." "What about these past five years? Does that not matter? Have the nights we spent together meant nothing?" Zeus questioned. "I do love that the boys have father figures in their lives, but I already spoke to them about it, and they want to move back as well," I sighed, "As for the nights, a woman needs sex too." "Their children!" Zeus's anger grew, his eyes turning dark. "If you're doing this to get back at me, I'm sorry. I've been apologizing to you for the past five years. Can you not see that?" While sauntering over to Zeus, my eyes locked onto his. The fury beckoning behind them made me want to do conniving things. I took his glass of whiskey and downed its contents. "I do see it, and I don't care if it hurts you," I lied. Zeus gripped my wrist; this time, it was painful, not in a fun way. "Ah!" I winced.
My bar was engulfed in roaring flames. Tears streamed down my cheek as Veronica tried to deviate when the fire department arrived and finally extinguished the fire. I stood there, listening to people speak about property insurance and the time it would take to rebuild everything that had burned. "Ivy!" Zeus hollered, running up to me. "What are you doing here?!" I panicked, "Aodhan-" "Ariel called your phone, and she told me what happened. She's watching him," he reassured. His eyes widened in shock, and he looked at the catastrophe the fire left behind in its wake. Zeus was about to speak when he pulled aside the man trying to talk to me about the building. My blank expression spoke volumes. Hours passed in a blur, and Zeus returned home with me. "So it seems, perhaps three years, the bar can be rebuilt. They have to tear everything down and start from scratch," Zeus explained. "So, I lost everything?" I whispered. "No, Ivy," Zeus looked at me, trying his
"What?!" Zeus snapped. "You heard me. If I let you be a part of my boys' lives, then there would be no need for a DNA test, right?" I repeated. The rage building behind his eyes gave me the satisfaction I needed in this situation. "Why is it such a big deal about knowing who their father is?" he diverted. "Why do you care if I allow you to be in their lives without issue?" I debated. "She's not wrong," Ariel giggled while pecking me on the cheek. "Hey, now, she's not all yours, you know," Zeus reminded, I began to kiss Ariel passionately. "All right, fine, I concede," Zeus surrendered. Ariel and I began to laugh hysterically like candy from a baby. "I suppose me offering you to stay in Ireland with me is out of the question?" he asked. "Not necessarily; we could always use it to escape the city," I smirked, "Keep it." Ariel scurried off to work, and success reared its corner when I could see the jealousy in Zeus's eyes. "It doesn't bother you that I fuck Di
I could not sit at the dinner table and keep my thoughts to myself. I hadn't drunk since giving birth, but today, I was having a liquid dinner, whiskey. "You sure you don't want any lasagna?" Zeus offered. "It's delicious, Mom," Aodhan agreed while placing his dish near the sink. However, he was still too short to reach past the countertop. "Yes, baby, why don't you go with Ariel and get ready for bed?" I ordered. "but mom-" "No, but baby," I groaned. "Come on, I know a great movie we can watch before bed tonight," Ariel beamed while tickling Aodhan to the bathroom. "Come on, Ivy," Zeus grumbled while filling the dishwasher, "Do you need to be so dismissive? He was having a good time, and you shut him down." "Who the Hell do you think you are?!" I spat while grabbing the crystal pitcher full of whiskey. I stumbled up the stairs to a separate bedroom that wasn't my own. I knew what would happen tonight; I knew what Zeus wanted. I might enjoy it myself. I giggle whil
Knowing what Zeus could do made trusting any doctor with my blood work nearly impossible. He could manipulate anything to his will, which was infuriating. Rowan didn't look like him; I don't know what he looked like when he was younger. Reign and Dimitri were doing everything they could to help me cope with the current situation, but all it did was make me sick. It made me wish I could shoot Zeus again. "Ivy? Ivy?!" Ariel's voice broke my concentration. I blinked back to reality, her soft hand tenderly caressing mine. "Are you alright?" "I don't know," I confessed, nibbling on my lower lip. "I don't trust Zeus, but I don't know if he's not Aodhan's father. I don't want to know." "How come?" she questioned. I glared at her, not rudely, but as if to wonder why she would ask such a stupid question. How come I didn't care to know? Was it such a big deal to know who the father of my children was? Part of me thinks they're mine; it's no one else's concern. I'm the one who carried
Only a few doctors in Ireland could get me a DNA test. Zeus did this on purpose, and he knew it. There was no way he couldn't find out who Aodhan's father was, and he had to change his money within the blink of an eye to ensure he was his father. "You knew what you were doing. Admit it, Zeus. You've always been a conniving, selfish man," Dimitri commented. Ivy wants to go back home and have a doctor of her choosing. Not to ensure that there were very few near here, so few that you could manipulate it into ending the way you want." "Which is what, exactly?" Zeus sighed, "Is this because I punished you? Are you still not over that?" "You're lucky I didn't kill you," Dimitri growled. "Did you like what I did to you? Is that it? Do you care about me-" Dimitri swung, his fist landing its target, Zeus's chin. Zeus staggered, a small trickle of crimson blood seeping from the corner of his lips. The sadistic smile that came across his face said it all. The blood coming across
"There's no way Rowan is your son," I stated, "I'm going to do this DNA test with a doctor I choose. One you have never met and will never meet. Doctor Rick can go fuck himself if he thinks I'll believe anything he says to me." I threw the DNA papers on the floor. Their results had to be faked. There's no way he's Aodhan's father. Then again, how would I know? If he is Aodhan's father, there's no way I'd let him know. The type of man he is scares me. "What makes you think I've ever agreed to something like that?" Zeus scoffed. I dropped my head, taking a step closer to Zeus, making sure that he knew I was serious, "If you mess with me or my son, if you even think it, I'll shoot you again." Zeus cleared his throat before walking to the window, "How am I supposed to believe that?" "You don't have a choice," I glared. "What makes you-" "Try me, Zeus!" I hollered. My voice echoing the walls of his new mansion. From all the information I gathered, Doctor Rick and his team