CHAPTER 7 “I believe that a good man does badly with good intentions. But does a bad man do bad with no intentions? Or good with bad intentions?” — Jean Anturez JORDAN POV YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME. Those were the exact words that left my mouth when we all stepped into the renowned Cattanio-Alderman household and my eyes stumbled on none but Laura Fuckin’ Alderman. Just like the night before she planted a slag into my leg, she wore a beautiful pearly smile, the one that lured the weak into her trap before she busted the little fantasy that loomed around her, revealing her very dark and ugly core. Our gazes collided and darkness had swirled in her eyes before she gave me a spine-chilling smile. It wasn’t the evil kind of darkness; it was a mixture of what I’d call amusement and something I was still trying to decipher. Her smile had been almost contagious, stepping in front of her whole family and taking up the role of the eldest daughter of the wealthiest family in all of
CHAPTER 8“Advantages never come free. You have to create it the way you want it.”— Ashish PatelMELODY POV“A masquerade? Not so bad.” I nodded to my three fathers who were seated on their office couches like kings they were. It would have been crazy in the eyes of the world and the gods for three grown-ass men to share literally everything. But this kind of thing is the only thing I have known since I spoke my first word.It was either three of them or nothing. As puzzling as it was, I found it highly fascinating that the three of them could be so close, despite... Everything. Their past; considering that Daddy used to be Dada and Papa's sworn enemy. Add the mere fact that the three of them loved one woman. I have read stories during times of severe boredom, but I have never come across a tale of a woman with three husbands. Not even the gods were that blessed.And I am saying blessed because they all loved her to death. The men would literally die for Mommy. And honestly, if I d
CHAPTER 9“Be careful of success. It has a dark side.” — Robert RedfordJORDAN POV“You should keep their eldest daughter busy, son. We can’t let this opportunity slip through our fingers.” The itch to scream was hot and unforgiving beneath my skin as my father repeated the same words for the umpteenth time ever since they disappeared into the office that night.Get Fuckin’ close to Melody Cattanio.“And why would I do that? I don’t even know her.” I retaliated using the same words I spouted whenever he threw that phrase into my face. I did know Melody. To some extent of course. Nobody in this world could actually say they knew that girl all too well. She was a sin wrapped in a mystery, and not even a hundred years would be enough to fully study her. At least that's the conclusion I drew after spending a few seconds of her sitting across from me, and not me inside of her. “We all saw how you two looked at each other. You can't stand in front of us and swear that nothing has ever ha
CHAPTER 10 “I have a perfect cure for sore throat… cut it!”— Alfred HitchcockMELODY POVEvery man filtering through the door could make a fine husband. And if I was desperate enough, I would sew my own wedding gown and tie one of them by my side right fuckin' now.The lobby was buzzing with California Elites and the members of “high-class society”. I wasn’t surprised when Jada Pinkett Smith herself showed up, even more, when nobody seemed to be fazed by her appearance. You had to be one hell of a rich sick fuck to see Jada Pinkett and not lose your shit and start asking for selfies and whatnot. But my focus wasn’t on women. I don’t need women and their wantons. No shades at the lesbos… But men… Yahp. Those creatures are amazing. And they smell nice too. With the rim of the glass on my lips, I scanned the crowd stealthily while taking small sips. The wine settled in my stomach with a wave of warmth, heating my chest pleasantly as I continued my survey.My eyes landed to my right,
CHAPTER 11"It's almost as if we each have a vampire inside us. Controlling that beast, that dark side, is what fascinates me." - Sheryl LeeJORDAN POVIt felt like being dunked into a pool of molten lava.The chlorine as it sipped into the plastic cast and passed the bandages into my sore wound. I tried for the laps, kicking the water and breaking through the surface, but a cramp decided to grasp me by my muscles, rendering me immobile. I became a lump of breathing meat under the bright blue pool water. The only thing I saw before I sank to the bottom was a glimpse of red and sparkly heels as they retreated, the sound of them hauntingly ringing in my brain.My chest burned as my lungs fought for air, and for a second there, I thought this was it.What a pathetic way of dying. What a lot of things I am going to miss in life. I opened my mouth and tried to resurface, only to fail miserably. A firm arm snaked around my chest and pulled me up. We broke through the surface in what fe
CHAPTER 12“The heart of another is a dark forest, always, no matter how close it has been to one’s own.”__William WordsworthMELODY POVHazel eyes, rainforest, and hot muscles.That’s the definition of distraction in all forms of the word and I hated it.The things I felt for Jordan Fuckin’ Rothschild had to be all inhuman, and I found myself having a hard trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing.Normally, anybody who carried just a fraction of what HE possessed would be unalived, thrown into the sea, and contributed to the marine food chain and survival. One thing I understood intimately was that in this line of work, distraction was suicide, and we all know I don’t do well with all that.But there was something burning low and unhurried deep within the foreign folds of my being that prevented me from planting a bullet between his eyes. It wouldn’t even cost a lot, just one bullet and all of this… All of this madness would be gone and over with. But he was my pawn. My boardi
CHAPTER 13“The more we deny that we have a dark side, the more power it has over us.” __ Sheryl LeeJORDAN POVAll the air that was going down my pipe got trapped in a balloon, causing me to heave out and start coughing frantically.A smooth hand found my back and started patting softly, but the coughs never seized. “Ahhhmm… I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle all of you. It was just… Oh, silly me.” I watched as the hostess got up and poured a glass of water before rounding the table and walking to me, then held it up for me, an apologetic smile on her face. “Thanks.” I wheezed as I took the glass and gulped down the whole liquid down. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL?“I was just… Oh, my word. This is embarrassing.” Mrs. Cattanio-Alderman laughed off nervously as she started walking back to her seat, her face flushed and making her look 20 years younger than her actual age. “That’s actually a good idea.” My dad jibed in, and I stopped myself from throwing the empty glass at his head.
Chapter 14 “There are those who are afraid of the dark, not just because it’s dark, but because of what’s inside the darkness.” — Timothy LongJORDAN POV“And then another one bites the dust. Hell must be freezing and demons fleeing with the way everyone is just getting hooked. Tell me, what in the world is going on? Is the earth running out of women or something?” Quin drawled smoothly before winking at me, the glass of whiskey lingering on his lips for a moment. “Something,” I grumbled nursing my own whiskey like it was some kind of a relaxing charm.“Besides, I haven’t agreed on getting married.” I finished the sentence, the word ‘married’ sending a jolt of pain to my brain. I was too fuckin young to be tied down to a woman. Not just any other woman, but Melody.“What’s the worst that can possibly happen? It’s Laura Fuckin’ Alderman you’re marrying. That alone is enough to put you down that aisle by the altar and marry the shit out of her.” Quin’s voice crackled over the blastin