An idea flashed before his eyes and he smiled, he took out his phone and sent out a text message. Darren sat in front, so Victor Blackwood had no knowledge of his action. “Thirteen million dollars.” Darren raised his bidder card above his head. Victor smiled, he rested his back on the seat. “Fifteen million dollars,” just as expected he raised the stakes. “Fifteen million, Five hundred dollars.” Someone shouted. Darren and Victor turned towards the man's direction. Victor could be heard laughing out loud, he found this fun. The auctioneer stared at the man who had just placed his bid, his gaze skeptical.Emery felt so anxious at this moment, she didn't know how to react to all that was happening. She understood one important detail— If Darren placed his bid, the bidding process would never cease, that's because she could sense that both men are so proud, arrogant and very stubborn. The auctioneer stared at Victor Blackwood and Darren waiting for them to counter the bid, these two
As the man unlocked the door, Emery stepped into the room, enveloped by an unsettling darkness, she felt a chill run down her spine. She stood frozen, her breath caught in between her throat, the air around her felt suffocating. The uneasiness got the better of her. Her palms were slick with sweat as she clenched them tightly forming a fist.Tiny droplet of sweat formed on her forehead, like tiny droplets of dew on a windshield, a physical manifestation of the turmoil brewing with her. Emery was being drowned in anxiety. Emery understood one thing, the stranger was intentionally creating an atmosphere of suspense. She tried maintaining her calm demeanor, it's been a few minutes since they had gotten into the dark room. Emery couldn't feel any movement, she could hear his heartbeat and breath. He had released his firm hands from her mouth; she was still tied to him somehow. The rapid beat of her heart swirled her mind into confusion. This was the second time she found herself in
Emery eyes widened in shock, her jaw dropped. These were images of Jonathan on life support. She glanced at the living figure before her and the lifeless man in the photography. She knew nothing about the car crash, it hadn't been announced on the news. She held the pictures firmly examining them, the pictures were inscribed with dates. How come she knew nothing about this?Tears streamed down her face, this was the exact year and date she had gone searching for him. Emery felt he had left her without a trace after toiling with her feelings. Jonathan frowned, he took out a handkerchief and handled it over to her.Emery wiped off her tears and they flowed back out, forcing its way out of her eye socket. The pictures were heartbreaking. Her heart tightened, the image in the photo made her shiver, she felt suffocated around her chest area. It felt like she wasn't having enough air. The warm tears soaked her veil, making it stick to her face, she could barely recognize the man in the ph
Emery dashed towards Jonathan giving him a firm headshake, her disagreement so vivid, “You can't be right! You have no idea who is at the door.” Her voice trembled. She didn't understand what was happening. Jonathan smiled, “Of course I do, it's Darren Harper, your ex-husband.” Emery held her breath, “You knew?” She asked.Jonathan laughter rang through the room, “He introduced himself,” He replied, Emery couldn't explain how she felt at the moment. She knew Darren was ruthless and heartless but he wouldn't kill anyone—So she believed. Jonathan on the other hand wasn't a liar, she had seen everything with her own eyes. “There has to be some kind of misunderstanding,” Emery wasn't ready to accept this yet, she had to find out the Truth herself. The bang on the door increased, it sent shivers down her spine. Emery couldn't face Darren now at least not now. “Darren is the devil himself, he could read your thoughts!” Jonathan's voice was laced with words, each word from him etched de
“Ouch,” Camila rolled over on her bed. Her face creased into a tight frown, “What the fuck!” She growled. Her head hurts so bad. It felt like drums were being played inside her head. She clutched her head tightly, her eyes became blood hot from the immense pain she felt. “Gosh!” She yelled. A maid rushed over, “Ma'am, this would help with the hangover.” Camila opened her eyes with difficulty staring at her maid, “What the fuck is that?” She asked.“Hangover soup,” the maid replied. Camila took the soup, gulping it down, and after a few minutes she felt better. “What happened?” She said looking around her room.“Ma'am, you came back home so drunk last night.” The maid explained. “Oh!” She exclaimed, giving herself a soothing head massage to help relieve the pain completely. She rested her body back on the bed’s furniture trying to recall what had happened. Last night events flashed through my eyes, everything seemed normal. She had been so busy shooting on the set and had to ta
Camila felt so terrible, “Who the hell drafted this shit?” She cursed beneath her breath. She slumped dejectedly on the sofa, she had come back here just to set her wedding date with Darren and this was the prenuptial agreement she signed?How the hell would she stick to a dumb marriage that has no benefits? She wasn't Darren's first bride, from the Intel she got, he had been divorced several times.She had no plan staying in a marriage for that long. All she wanted was his influence, and yes of course some of his assets. “There has to be another way!” Camila muttered, she felt drowned by her thoughts. She had clearly stated what she wanted and Darren was far above that. “Of course there is,” Her father broke the awkward silence. She raised her eyelids, staring at him waiting for him to proceed with the solution he had in mind. “This could be rendered void and another one would be drafted, or you forfeit your marriage to Darren,” he responded.Camila felt lost in thoughts, after a f
Emery thoughts swirled in chaos, she moved towards Camila. Her eyes scanned through her pale body. One could clearly see Darren's fingerprint on her neck. Emery didn't know how to react, she stood there in silence. After regaining herself, Camila stood up with difficulty, her whole body felt so weak and out of energy. Emery rendered her support which Camila didn't appreciate. Camila pushed her hands away glaring at her with killing intent, Emery's heart tightened. “I'm so Sorry,” she apologized. Darren squeezed the document he was reading glaring at Emery. “Why the hell are you apologizing? She had slapped you!” His cold tune made the atmosphere drop to a few degrees. “You had almost killed her, stupid!” Emery yelled in her head. “I would have died with so much guilt if that had happened.” She said in her thoughts. Emery felt so helpless, all Darren ever did was to complicate things for her.His words sounded like a reminder, setting Emery at a loss. Why was he standing up for
Darren scowled, he closed the distance between them. He held her head kissing her deeply, Emery hates this side of him. The way he forces himself on her invades every power of her body like he controlled it. She bit his lips but he didn't let her go, his blood floored into her mouth making her regret her actions.Her body swayed in the same rhythm as his. A moan escaped her lips, she felt his hands around her body. He intensified his kisses, taking full control over her body.Emery found herself enjoying the moment, she traced her hands around his back, tucking the shirt he had on. “What are you doing?” She thought.“I want you, and you want me just as much, don't fight it!” Darren's husky voice made her yield. She picked her up in his arms leading her back to his private room.Like a queen, he was extremely careful laying her on the bed, he pulled out the last piece of clothes she had and and sucked her mound. Emery let out a soft moan, using his tongue he played around her nipples,
The reflection moved first.Emery's breath hitched as the image of herself inside the mirror smirked, lifting a hand as if reaching for her. But the movements weren’t hers. The woman in the reflection... her, yet not her... tilted her head in quiet amusement. The golden glow of the mirror intensified, illuminating the fractures beginning to spread across the glass, fine as spiderwebs.Emery stepped forward, an almost uncontrollable pull dragging her in. She lifted a hesitant hand, fingertips hovering inches from the surface. It felt alive. Pulsing beneath her skin like a heartbeat.Her fingers touched the glass.Pain exploded through her skull.A memory... not a memory. A force shoving itself back into her mind.She staggered, gasping, clutching at her head as images slammed into her one after another.A veil of gold and candlelight.Two men standing at the altar. One in the light. One in the shadows.Her own voice, trembling with hesitation. "I choose..."The sound of screams.The Ma
Under Emery's fingers, the metal handle pulsed, sending a constant, throbbing beat up her arm. It seemed warm, almost alive, as if it were anticipating something. For her. The man in the mask spoke in a quiet voice that was slightly tinged with dread. "Are you certain that you are prepared for this?" Emery remained silent. as she wasn't certain. However, the noble was. His golden eyes flickered with delight as he leaned against the splintering frame with his arms folded. His lips curled into a lazy smirk as he whispered, "Go ahead." Don't claim I didn't warn you, though. She gripped the handle with her fingers. She turned it after that. The world disappeared. She was pulled forward by a gust of wind that ripped through her. Everything was sucked up by the weightless, limitless darkness. She was falling for a short, horrifying minute, her heart pounding in her ears, her air stuck in her lungs, and then— She landed. The air was heavy with laughter and music, and the aro
Before she even considered saying it, Emery's mouth came up with the name. It was waiting there, so sure, so familiar. Pain burned through her skull like a blade slicing right through it the instant it emerged in her consciousness. She shook from the sudden pain and gasped, sinking her fingers into the man's arms. The name escaped, barely within grasp. When she touched him, the man tensed. He strengthened his hold on her, as though preparing for the next move. His face was still expressionless, but there was something more in his keen, dark eyes. "Don't think about me." There was something almost regretful in his quiet voice. Emery's breath caught in his throat. "So why do I?" He didn't respond. There was a shudder in the room. The floor beneath them, the lamp, and the walls all wavered and warped like a water-shattered mirror. The tiny light from the carved symbols pulsed in time with the pounding in her head. It was falling apart here. Or perhaps—reforming. Another
Pain.. Emery was startled awake as it burned through her body like lightning. She inhaled sharply, taking in a breath that was too heavy and thick. There was something metallic and harsh in the air, along with the smell of damp stone and earth. Not in the ballroom. Not the manor. She didn't know of any place. With shaky hands on the uneven ground, she forced herself up. stone. The stone is cold, fractured, and wet. She looked up and realized that everything was wrong. She was surrounded by a ruinous courtyard that was engulfed by growing vines. Above, looming stone walls that had been partially defaced by time. The sky was a deep indigo, eternal twilight that swirled like a living creature and was neither night nor day. It shouldn't be here. The mist coiling at her feet dampened her clothing as she trembled and wrapped her arms around herself. Next came— Footsteps. Go slowly. Measured. approaching from behind. Her heart skipped a beat. anticipating the noble, anti
Before her, the door looms, its surface glistening like liquid silver and pulsing with an almost... living pulse. Between it and the two guys observing her, Emery remains still. The man in the mask remains silent, his fingers moving at his sides as though he is fighting the impulse to grab her. But the noble— A slow applause. Deliberate and slow, the sound cuts through the tension like a razor. She spins around. He is present. His golden eyes shine with laughter as he emerges from the shadows at the ballroom's edge. He appears as majestic and untouchable as ever, dressed in deep crimson, but a sly smile is visible on his lips. "You always believe you have options." Not because of what he says, but because she has heard it before, his voice makes her shiver. The world flickers before she can say anything. similar like a dwindling candle's flame. As if reality itself were unraveling. She glimpses something, someone, for a split second. Here she was again, standing
The air changes as soon as Emery enters the room. Her stomach lurches with a sudden, nauseating lurch. Under her feet, the solid floor vanishes. She dives into the shadows. The wind whips past her ears, engulfing her in a limitless emptiness. Nothing remains of the world she was familiar with, including the ballroom, the nobility, and the man in the mask. But the voices are still there. whispers. Sound waves. She feels as though pieces of a life she doesn't recall are etched into her very being. "You promised me." "You betrayed me." "You were supposed to remember." The words encircle her, drawing and tugging. accusing. Then... Impact. Her air is taken from her lungs by the power of the impact as she hits solid ground. The cold stone under her stands in sharp contrast to the oppressive emptiness she just left, and her vision swirls as she breathes. She remains still for a moment. Then she lifts herself up as the world settles. and gets frozen. This location... It
The air trembles. Ripples rippled through the ballroom like a stone breaking the surface of placid water. Without wind, the chandeliers wobble, the candlelight extending oddly before snapping back into position.Emery stumbles when he steps. The planet itself seems to be opposing her choice. An unseen, relentless force tugs at her, attempting to pull her back. She doesn't stop, though. She won't. Her fingers move in the direction of the man in the mask—in the direction of the unfathomable familiarity in his gaze. She is wrenched backward by a sudden jerk. The noble's icy fingers lock her in place as his grip tightens around her wrist. "You are not his property." He has a soothing, dangerously low voice. She detects something deeper, though, beneath that flawless exterior. Something breaking. The man in the mask only tilts his head and smirks, as though the noble's rage were merely a funny sight. "That's where you're incorrect." His calm, unflinching voice pierced the dis
The music swelled around her, the haunting melody stretching and distorting as if the very air was suffocating under its weight. Emery barely heard it over the ragged gasps of the masked man in her arms. His blood—warm, slick—painted her hands in vivid red.“No,” she whispered, shaking him. “No, no, stay with me—”His masked face tilted toward her, but the eyes behind it—those familiar, aching eyes—were already losing their light. His fingers curled weakly around her wrist, gripping as if he had one final thing to tell her.But before he could speak, the world shattered.The ballroom cracked like glass. The chandeliers flickered violently, their golden glow twisting into something cold and unnatural. The guests—laughing, drinking, dancing—froze in place, their bodies flickering like mirages. Reality itself was coming apart at the seams.A sickening déjà vu coiled in Emery’s stomach. She had done this before. She had watched him die before.And every time, the noble had been standing t
Between them, Emery remained still. One man gazed upon her with pride, his assurance unflinching, as though she had always been his. Something deeper—longing, anger, something unsaid but indisputable—was there in the other's eyes as he regarded her. She was unsure if which frightened her more. With effortless ease, the noble reached for her hand and lifted it. His lips lightly but possessively brushed over her knuckles. He whispered, "I'll remind you why you're mine." She couldn't tell if the chill that went through her body was from fear or familiarity. She was yanked away by a powerful pull before she could react. The man in the mask. His hold was dominant but protective, powerful but not harsh. With a stiff stance and a presence that begged to be recognized, he moved between her and the nobility. He replied in a low, sour voice, "She doesn't belong in this time." "And you don't either." The noble's smirk wavered for the first time. Emery's heart was racing. She ough