1 - Prologue

"I was confident that I was only using her for my personal gain. To use her hatred to take vengeance against the Morgans. But I can’t help but claim her every time I see the face I imprinted on her."

___

LILITH.

"Cut the bullshit and answer the question, Xander,” I could hear my own heartbeat thumping.

“For fuck's sake, tell me the truth! Did you really g-get rid of them?" I cried melancholically while grabbing the collar of the man standing tall in front of me.

My eyes slowly filled with tears as my body shivered with anger inside me. Why wouldn’t I be when I accidentally discovered something horrendous about this man I called my savior. 

I couldn't fathom how this very man who rescued me from the valley of death was capable of killing someone. Is he the same as my ex-husband? Do all wealthy men view life as something they could easily dispose of?

"Need I remind you of who you are, Lilith? Raise your voice again and you can ask them yourself," his voice was frightening and cold. Yet the way he called my name was the sweetest.

He brushed his fingers at the back of my ears and caressed them. Then his grip tightened around my fingers and forcibly removed my shivering hands from his wrinkled collar. 

Ignoring what I asked, he distanced himself and fixed the tuxedo he was wearing for tonight's party.  

As he faced the mirror, he began talking, "You knew what you signed up for, Lilith. What I did was not beneficial only to me, but mostly to you.”

He justified his crimes adamantly, “Our vengeance is now in motion. To perfection, I had to do it. Or else, The Morgans could easily smell your rotten soul from afar," he sighed as he saw the reflection of my glaring eyes in the mirror. 

Like a madman, he flipped in an instant and squeezed my cheeks, 

"Isn't this what you truly wanted? To put an end to those Morgans fagots, huh? Or don’t tell me you are having second thoughts now that Drake Morgan entered your pants again?" there was mockery in his voice. 

I felt insulted, but the fear I had of this man was way stronger. I clenched my fists and looked down. I needed to calm myself down in order to rebut his delusional reasoning.

I took a deep breath and lifted my head, "To make my husband and his family pay for what they did, yes. Didn’t I already bet my life on it?" I emphasized with my lips trembling in anger.

"But to kill innocent lives and sacrifice them, hell, no!" I yelled at him as tears flowed non-stop. Those people he killed took care of me during my recovery. 

I whispered with a cracked voice, "That's not what I signed for, I am not a killer, nor will I ever be an accomplice."

Maybe that’s why the name Alexander Forger was feared not only among the billionaire’s circle but even in some underground syndicates. 

Based on his demeanor, I knew I said something I shouldn’t have. But his sense of hearing seemed to stop at the mention of the word ‘husband’. 

I could tell his blood was rushing to his brain. A smile disappeared from his face, and a big frown enveloped his handsome face. 

He violently pressed my body onto the bed behind me. Everything happened in a flash, and I wasn’t able to resist. 

His brute strength gave him an advantage over me as he put my fragile body beneath him. He pinned me with his bulge-muscled arms. 

I ought to struggle but compared to his physique, my efforts were futile. 

Not another second passed when he forcibly claimed my lips. He held my chin and applied pressure on it. He used his sharp long tongue to break into my sealed lips.

I positioned my arms in between our bodies and pounded his chest but that didn't work either. 

Little by little, the aggressive kisses from this angry man turned into passionate ones filled with love and jealousy. 

I only confirmed his possessiveness when I heard him utter these, "I want you to put this in mind, Lilith. You are my wife. Not Drake’s, but solely mine, do you hear me?" his prowess intimidated me in every way that all I could do was nod my head.

"You are now living as my wife…my wife alone. Your name now is Lilith Forger, And I own every bit of you,” he claimed not only by words but through his actions. 

He pecked and put kiss marks all over my body, “You are my precious one, and you can never get away from me," as he clearly stated my ownership over me. 

I looked at him dazed, as I processed his claim on me. But even before I could recover from the kisses, he began undressing me intrusively. 

He slid down my silver evening gown, and I unexpectedly succumbed to him as if I was bewitched. 

His well-composed tuxedo was almost torn apart when he impatiently removed it with excitement. 

He traced the visible scars on my body with his fingers, caressing me here and there. And once again, a fiery night ignited between the two of us, forgetting about the argument we just had a few seconds ago. 

He began playing the pearl stimuli in between my legs. So I spread it so he could dive deeper to pleasure me. He raised my arms above my head and didn’t let me touch him at will.

 It was his way of showing his dominance towards the intimate moment we were both engaging in.  

After giving in to our sexual hunger,  I sat down on the bed, and wrapped myself with a blanket, while Xander flaunted his naked body sitting near the window frame. 

"X-Xander?" my voice was now as soft as mellow music. 

He responded to me while pouring a drink, "Yes, my wife?"

"Make me understand why you have to kill those innocent people. My conscience couldn’t take it," I strongly shook my head in disagreement.

Xander lit the tobacco in his mouth, "The fewer people know about your real identity, the higher chance for us to move freely. It’s what you call a clean slate, Lilith."

I kept sighing hearing petty excuses from him, or so I thought. I couldn't help but show my disappointment about it, "Those were innocent lives. Those were people. They had family, too. They weren't even connected to the Morgans, were they?"

But he responded differently from what I expected. He laughed maniacally without any sign of remorse, 

"Innocent, you say? If only you had known who they were, I highly doubt you would even want them alive. Not even a single soul from those deserves to live. None!" he was berated.

Xander didn’t give me a chance to debate anymore, 

"Stop crying over spilled rotten milk, Lilith. What I want you to do is focus on our goals. Brace yourself because you'll be meeting them soon," he smirked as he warned me.

Thrilled by his statement, I lifted my head and leaned forward, "Soon? I’ve been preparing for more than a year now, still, you won’t let me meet them!" I contested.

"Very well. I think a year to recover from your plastic surgery is enough. And you are convincing enough to make them believe that you are, indeed, my wife. The only question left is, are you ready to see them?" he asked mockingly. 

"You don’t need to ask. I know I am. I won't get swayed by useless emotions anymore. Hatred and vengeance were my only motivation in life," I declared accepting his challenge with clenched teeth and fists. 

But he made fun of me, imitating a wrong notification sound, "Teng! Wrong answer, my wife!"

I frowned at him and irritably responded, "What else should I feel?"

He showed his teeth as if he won big, 

"Nothing! You must feel nothing. Hatred and anger will bring you nothing but impulse and failure. You must learn how to control your emotions in front of them. You must not even flinch in front of them. Ignore them as much as you can. Let them notice you first.” 

"Now, let me ask you again. Can you smile at your ex-husband who denied you? Your twin sister who framed you? And the Morgans who threw you? Can you deceive them behind that angelic face of yours?"

His words made me think. I silently contemplated everything before I made myself convinced, "I will do it, Xander. I must and I will!"

By the time I answered he went straight to the bathroom to clean himself before joining the party, "You must rest. Next time, you will."

I lay down and indulged myself with different thoughts running through my mind. Fortunately, because of the sex, I slowly gave in to exhaustion.