"Why are you here?" I didn't let her speak. "After nine years." I choked back a sob.What would be her excuse? That she felt guilty for abandoning us for nine years and that she did it for our sake?I scoffed and released myself from Layla's grip. "I know you hate me, and there's no excuse that can make you change your mind about me."She moved closer, tears about to fall from her eyes.I stepped back as she continued to move forward."Stop! Go back to the hole you came from. Sarah and I don't want you, so just fucking leave and don't come back! And I hope you die a terrible death!"Tears fell from her eyes, her hands shaking as she tried to take my hand into hers, but I didn't give her the chance to.She was in tears, sobbing quietly."I was a coward, I'm aware of that. I also never wanted to show my face, but I have to, for you to know the real truth." She raised her head as if trying to suck back tears. "The real truth behind everything that happened." She continued. She looked al
"I'm so, so sorry," I stuttered, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. "I thought you were... Carlton. I know that sounds stupid, but I was hoping—"Mr. Larsen's expression softened, and he placed a gentle hand on my arm. "It's okay. I get it.""I'm really sorry." I repeated.Mr. Larsen smiled kindly. "No need to apologize. Are you ready to leave?"I glanced back at Carlton's headstone, my eyes welling up again. I had said my goodbyes, and it was time to move on."Yeah, I've said my goodbyes. I'm ready to leave, but thanks for offering - my driver's waiting." I forced a smile."You must be here for something else, right?" I added."Actually, I'm done here too. Let me drive you home instead. Please, don't say no."What a nice guy. I'd just kissed him and apologized - he hadn't pushed me away or asked what I was thinking."Okay." I agreed.Mr. Larsen nodded and offered his arm. I took it, and he guided me away from the gravesite.As we walked, the silence felt comfortable, not awkwa
" Won't you invite your brother-in-law in—or should I say, ex-brother-in-law?" Alexander smiled, but it wasn't the usual warm smile. Instead, it had a creepy undertone that made me feel uneasy."Hi, how can I help you?" I said, standing firmly in the doorway, unsure of what to make of his sudden visit. This would be our first one-on-one conversation; it was always with Carlton or at family dinners."Oh, sweetheart, at least let me come in." He said, his smile still plastered on his face.He pushed the door open, his hand forcing me to step back. I let out a frustrated sigh and closed the door behind me, turning to face our unexpected guest."Oh, hi." He said, waving at Sarah, who stood up from the couch, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion."Anyway," he turned to me, "we need to talk in private.""Why's that?" I replied. "Say what you need to say here; they're not going anywhere."He chuckled. "Okay, okay. I promised I wouldn't waste time. I have a lot on my plate. So..." He sucked h
I was just a few steps away from facing a room full of reporters, and my nerves were starting to get the better of me. Layla was by my side, but Sarah had stayed behind; she'd been feeling awful with a headache, and I'd insisted she rest instead of coming with us. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. As soon as I'd informed Alexander about my decision to forfeit Carlton's company shares, he'd wasted no time in putting this press conference together."Ready?" Layla asked, glancing at me with concern."I guess," I replied, smoothing out my dress.Layla gave me a reassuring smile. "It'll be over soon."I nodded."I need to leave right now, but I'll be back before you're done with the conference." Layla said."Is it that job?" I asked, more concerned. "Yes, I promise I'll be back before you know it."We reached the door, and Layla hugged me. "Go, I'll be back."I nodded and stepped into the room, where a flurry of camera clicks and flashing lights immediately assaulted me. Squ
"Take care of yourself." Sarah said."I will, take care of yourself and your friend too." I adjusted her hair and gave her a kiss on her forehead.Getting back home, I met Sarah sad. She heard the news of her close friend losing her parents in a plane crash on their way to New York. Sarah mentioned that she was like family to her, and hearing the sad news, her friend must be devastated. I told her she should head back to New York to be with her, but Sarah didn't want to go because she thought I still wasn't okay, despite Carlton being back. She was right, but I'll be fine.After minutes of trying to convince her that I was okay, she finally agreed to go back to New York, and here we are, at the airport, saying our goodbyes."Remember, call me if anything happens, okay?""Okay, okay," I said with a smile. She always acted like the big sister, and I loved her for that."If you don't pick my calls, I'll assume something's wrong and I'll be on my way immediately."I pulled her in for a h
CARLTON"What the fuck was that about, Carlton?" I heard Jace's footsteps move closer to me."I should be asking you that. How did she know I was here?" I put aside the papers in my hand and faced Jace, who had his brows furrowed in anger.He scoffed. "I sent it to her. That's not the issue here. Why are you treating her that way? Do you know what she went through when you weren't around? I don't think you do, because if you saw her, you wouldn't treat her like that."I saw everything while trying to keep an eye out for whoever sent the hitman, hoping they'd slip up. Of course, I knew who it was – I knew it was Alexander – but I didn't want to believe he could go to such extremes, so I needed proof, hence why I faked my death. Aunt Claire and Jace also knew I was alive, making it easier to stay hidden."Mind your business, Jace. Your job is to help me take down Alexander, not meddle in my personal life. You're in no position to lecture me. Now, sit and let's finalize the plan and stop
I slowly opened my eyes, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through my body. I tried to stand, but it was like a weight was holding me down. I groaned, scanning the unfamiliar room. I glanced down at myself, realizing I was shirtless, with a clean towel covering my wound. How did I get here? Memories of collapsing onto Samantha's shoulders flooded back. Where was she?I pushed through the pain, hastily searching the room, clutching the towel to my wound. "Samantha?" I called out.Just as I reached for the door to search for her, she appeared, holding a glass of water. I pulled her into a tight hug, spilling some of the water. But instead of reciprocating, she quickly pulled away, avoiding eye contact."Here's a glass of water," she said, her voice detached, holding out the half-full glass. "They don't have a first aid kit here, so you'll need to go to the hospital or get it dressed at home."Her gaze still avoided mine."Look at me." I growled. She sighed. "I don't want to."I gently
We didn't exchange a word during the drive home. All I could think about was how to make her stay. If I brought out another contract, she wouldn't sign it. I needed something to compel her to stay, something that would leave her no choice.Upon arriving home, we saw Canyon and his family outside, looking worried. We stepped out and approached them."What's wrong?" I asked.Their expressions softened as their eyes fell on the towel covering my wound."We wanted to see Mrs. Williams, but suddenly some man came in and started threatening us. He's inside." Canyon said.My brows furrowed. "Some guy?" I walked past them and entered the house.Inside, I saw Alexander seated on the sofa, his legs crossed."Oh, brother, where have you been?" He stood up, smiling."What are you doing here?" I asked."I came to see you. Is something wrong with that?" He moved closer, and I instinctively positioned myself between him and Samantha."You're not welcome here, Alex."He put his hands behind him and s
I received a message from Ethan Russell, George's former lawyer, stating that I should come to Georgia as soon as possible to see what was in the house George left the key for me. I decided to go because I had been procrastinating for no reason, so I discussed it with Carlton and he approved, but he would have some people stay with me until I returned to Florida in case his brother tried anything. Here we are, at the airport, and he was seeing me off."You can still take the private jet, Samantha." He said, giving my arms a gentle squeeze. "No, Carlton, I'm fine taking the plane.""Okay." He turned to the two huge men in suits next to him, his expression stern. "Take care of her, nothing must happen to even a strand of her hair." He said. My eyes went to people murmuring as they walked by. "Look at those people, Carlton." He looked around. "What about them?" "These huge men? Nothing will happen, I can take care of myself. Moreover, your brother has been silent since forever.""And t
I stared out the window, watching for pharmacies so I could buy a new one or something else to use immediately. I hoped it would destroy whatever was building inside me.Carlton's hand gently stroked my thigh. "Don't you think this is too short? You'll catch a cold." He said."This is the only gown I have that isn't spaghetti-strapped or cleavage-revealing," I replied. "If you don't want me to catch a cold, you shouldn't have filled my wardrobe with those."The only reason I owned this short-sleeved, V-neck gown with subtle depth was cause Layla insisted it would look good on me during our shopping spree months ago.Carlton picked up his phone and started typing with one hand while keeping the other on the wheel."If you need anything else after the wardrobe change, let me know." He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket.I went back to looking for pharmacies, then noticed we were out of the city, heading towards Calypso City, where I spent my childhood before moving to Miami t
SAMANTHAI stretched, moving my hand but then felt something huge and strong behind me. I slowly opened my eyes to find Carlton beside me. Everything that happened last night came flooding back. I had to admit, last night was better than the other nights we had together. I want to hate him, I really want to but... I can't–My heart doesn't want to. I slowly tilted my head up to see if he was awake, his eyes were still shut and he looked gorgeous even in his sleep. My hand trailed down his toned muscles but stopped at his groin, taking a look at his now resting cock which had me trembling last night. Tempted, my hand made its way down like it had a mind of its own, wanting to touch it. What was I doing? I immediately stopped and withdrew myself from him. Suddenly his hand pulled me back into his arms, I looked up at him, but his eyes were still shut."Touch it whenever you want to, it's all yours, do whatever you want to with it." His deep morning voice came. What was he spewing? All
After minutes of Passionate kissing and taking off our clothes in between. I withdrew myself from her, standing beside the bed. I gazed at her, mesmerized by her biting her bottom lip while caressing her nipple.I was so fucking hard but I needed to take things slowly.I walked over to my room's office area, grabbed the half-empty whiskey bottle, and poured a shot into my drinking glass. After taking a sip, I returned to the bed."What are you—?" She sat upright."From this moment on, till I'm done with you, you don't say a word till I give you permission to speak." I said.I knelt on the bed, carefully placing my drinking glass beside me. I yanked Samantha's legs, sliding her down toward me. The whiskey splashed on her body as I poured from the cup.She gasped. "Carlton.""No words." I warned firmly.I pressed myself against her, my lips finding hers once again. I don't think I'll ever get enough of her mouth, she tasted so fucking good. My lips trailed down her neck and then back to
"He's a monster now, Carlton." Jace said. Monster was an understatement. Alex had finally lost it all in the name of money. Just a week ago, we received a recording from the hitman's wife, proving Alex's involvement. She had recorded their conversation, sensing something was off– and I'm grateful she did.We also found out that Larsen and Alex were frequently seeing each other after Father's death, even on the day I was shot. The reason was still unknown, but we have tapes from security cameras that can prove they were working together. Who would have thought Larsen would be involved? Now I know why I never liked that asshole from day one.We didn't find anything linking Laura, and there hasn't been progress on Father's death. We tried convincing the housekeeper Jace met to testify in court, but she refused, saying she has a one-year-old son and doesn't want involvement. We can't force her, so we're looking for alternatives. The other housekeepers just vanished.Jace ordered his peopl
Samantha was using birth control pills, and I was aware of it, but I didn't question her. I was the type of person who fucks raw. I don't do condoms, they're like a barrier, and I hate barriers. So, her using pills during those times we had sex was fine with me. But now, those pills had to go.I took the pills from her purse while she was showering and returned to my room, flushing them down the toilet. I watched as the water swallowed them whole, and a smirk spread across my face. Phase one is done, on to phase two.Today, I lied about finding a clue about who was backing Alex, telling Samantha we'd go confirm it. Little did she know, we had an interesting, long day ahead. In casual attire, I waited impatiently downstairs. Finally, I heard footsteps and looked up to see her, beautiful as always, in formal attire with one side of her hair tucked behind her ear.Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you wearing?""My other clothes make me feel stuffy, so I decided to switch it up
We didn't exchange a word during the drive home. All I could think about was how to make her stay. If I brought out another contract, she wouldn't sign it. I needed something to compel her to stay, something that would leave her no choice.Upon arriving home, we saw Canyon and his family outside, looking worried. We stepped out and approached them."What's wrong?" I asked.Their expressions softened as their eyes fell on the towel covering my wound."We wanted to see Mrs. Williams, but suddenly some man came in and started threatening us. He's inside." Canyon said.My brows furrowed. "Some guy?" I walked past them and entered the house.Inside, I saw Alexander seated on the sofa, his legs crossed."Oh, brother, where have you been?" He stood up, smiling."What are you doing here?" I asked."I came to see you. Is something wrong with that?" He moved closer, and I instinctively positioned myself between him and Samantha."You're not welcome here, Alex."He put his hands behind him and s
I slowly opened my eyes, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through my body. I tried to stand, but it was like a weight was holding me down. I groaned, scanning the unfamiliar room. I glanced down at myself, realizing I was shirtless, with a clean towel covering my wound. How did I get here? Memories of collapsing onto Samantha's shoulders flooded back. Where was she?I pushed through the pain, hastily searching the room, clutching the towel to my wound. "Samantha?" I called out.Just as I reached for the door to search for her, she appeared, holding a glass of water. I pulled her into a tight hug, spilling some of the water. But instead of reciprocating, she quickly pulled away, avoiding eye contact."Here's a glass of water," she said, her voice detached, holding out the half-full glass. "They don't have a first aid kit here, so you'll need to go to the hospital or get it dressed at home."Her gaze still avoided mine."Look at me." I growled. She sighed. "I don't want to."I gently
CARLTON"What the fuck was that about, Carlton?" I heard Jace's footsteps move closer to me."I should be asking you that. How did she know I was here?" I put aside the papers in my hand and faced Jace, who had his brows furrowed in anger.He scoffed. "I sent it to her. That's not the issue here. Why are you treating her that way? Do you know what she went through when you weren't around? I don't think you do, because if you saw her, you wouldn't treat her like that."I saw everything while trying to keep an eye out for whoever sent the hitman, hoping they'd slip up. Of course, I knew who it was – I knew it was Alexander – but I didn't want to believe he could go to such extremes, so I needed proof, hence why I faked my death. Aunt Claire and Jace also knew I was alive, making it easier to stay hidden."Mind your business, Jace. Your job is to help me take down Alexander, not meddle in my personal life. You're in no position to lecture me. Now, sit and let's finalize the plan and stop