DELIA HERRERA POV "I want my money back," I said, and Kail looked up at me from his phone, a bored expression on his face."I do not have it," he replied nonchalantly, then grinned, and for a second, I had to take in a deep breath so I didn't explode. "Don't fucking mess with me Kail, even if you are the most feared killer in the world, I will fucking destroy you" He stood up all of a sudden and I backed up as he towered over me. The look on his face was psychotic."Do not fucking threaten me, Delia. You should learn to read the room and realize that I am a minute away from bringing out a dagger and slicing that pretty throat of yours" he grinned, his eyes flashing.I glanced at his fist clenching by his side but there was no other weapon in sight. "If you hurt me, you won't get away with it," I said, trying to sound brave.He reacted by throwing his fist in my face, stopping a second before it connected with my nose and I stood there, my hand staying uselessly by my side because h
DELIA HERRERA POV "Delia," someone called, and I turned in the direction of the voice. Bella was standing there and as I took in her appearance and the look on her face, it didn't look like she was here by chance. "What a surprise running into you here. Such a small world isn't it" I forced a smile. "You are absolutely right, but just so you know, I usually do not frequent such dingy places, but I came here to eat once and the food was so good, it became one of my favorite places to come when I am having a bad day""You're having a bad day? And here I was thinking that you came here to celebrate your sister being found after she was declared dead," she said, and my fake smile stretched."What can I do if the world doesn't revolve around Celine Herrera? There have been some troubles at the company. I needed a break from all the toxicity"She nodded as if she understood me. "Of course. Making money should always be our priority, and if the business is experiencing bad marketing, you s
DELIA HERRERA POV The water cascaded down my skin and I tipped my head back, rubbing at my neck to get rid of the tension. God, today had been a tough one. It was going to be another week of sleepless nights, but at least I'd gotten rid of one of my problems. A giggle burst out of my mouth, and then I started laughing as the image of Bella's surprised face when I'd attacked her flashed in my head. It had been so good to stab her in the throat and hear her make those awful gurgling noises.My finger skimmed her pearl necklace on my neck and I grinned at the giddy feeling that rushed through my body. I knew I would wear it better.My goodness, that little bitch had been intolerable, and she acted so high and mighty as if she thought no one could touch. Did she also say she was crazier than me? What a fucking joke.Yes, I'd been impulsive, but killing her had felt so good that if I could turn back time I would do it all over again. I would do anything to see the shocked look in her ey
CELINE HERRERA POV "Oh my goodness, Celine!" Delia gasped as she saw me, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened. "I can't believe it's you," she said and started toward me. "You have no idea how brutal these past few months have been; I have missed you so much... Argh," she stopped as the palm of my hand crashed against her cheek, her head whipping to the side. She turned to face me fiercely, her eyes fogging up. "What the hell," she said, grabbing her cheek. "Why the hell did you hit me" I crossed my arms, my brows furrowing. "You don't know?" I asked and she gaped at me as if I'd gone insane. "Maybe if I give the video clip of you pushing Crystal off our company building to the cops, that might jog your memory" "Crystal? Who the hell is Crystal" she shouted, the veins on her neck popping out."Crystal is Belshar's wife Selene, my best friend that you pushed to death" There was a brief moment of absolute silence, then Delia's eyes widened, her mouth dropping to
CELINE HERRERA POV I stepped into Belshar mansion, the Sharp pain I occasionally got in my head during the day if I over-exerted myself, making my head throb.Xavier's face flashed in my head and I grimaced. I didn't want to think of him. He'd been like everyone else in my life. They all hurt me, lied to my face, and acted like it was nothing. But he was the worst and I hated him.The pills in my purse called for me to take them but I stopped myself. I couldn't depend on them forever. Besides I'd only never known pain, so this was nothing.I sensed Belshar before I saw him and I braced myself, building my wall so high even I couldn't see in. I turned, and he stopped mid-step on the staircase, his haunting green eyes locking with mine. My gaze dropped to the floor, the feeling of being unable to breathe flooding my chest."You shouldn't leave the house without the guards. I know you hate them following you around but until I know that you are safe from danger, just bare with it""I am
DELIA HERRERA POV "You want me to help you," Julie asked, looking down at the cheque in front of her. "You dared to show up in front of me and ask me to help you" she snapped, looking up at me. "What do you take me for Delia, a freaking pushover"I arched a brow, her rage towards me unexpected. I was offering her five million, so why the hell was she giving me attitude? "Is the money I am offering not enough for you? Are you trying to ask for more" I asked genuinely confused, my legs shaking agitatedly as I leaned forward, "Five million is a lot of money and if you don't take it, you might, no, you'll end up regretting it, Julie" Julie gaped at me, a disbelieving look on her face. "Did you lose some of your brain cells? Like, where the hell do you get the audacity? You dare come to me and throw money in my face after what you did to me? Are you fucking serious right now" I could feel the wrinkle form on my forehead. "And what did I do to you, Julie? What are you so pissed off for?
JULIE POV"I am here to see Enoch Stanton. Tell him it's Julie Ping, his wife's best friend," I said, and the secretary gave me a one-over, a scoff escaping her lips as she focused back on what she was doing. "You'll need an appointment to see Mr Stanton. He's a very busy man and won't appreciate me disturbing his work just because someone like you wants to see him"Her words didn't hurt; I was used to everyone looking down on me or treating me as if I didn't matter anyway but It was all going to change very soon. I would come out on top, and they'll all be sorry that they were shitty to me. "This is really important...." I paused glancing at her name tag, "Helena, Delia sent me to tell him something important. You do not want to get into trouble with Enoch when he finds out that you deliberately stopped me from seeing him..." "I am trying to work, lady," She cut me off and, this time, held my gaze menacingly. "If Delia Herrera wants her husband to know about something, I am a hund
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV "How about we throw a party to celebrate finding your wife?" Séda asked, and I glanced at her, knowing that she wasn't really asking a question but telling me what she wanted to do. "Why would you want to throw a party, Séda, or did you and Father forget what roles you played in her abduction?" I said, watching her expression, but there was no crack in her armor. "She disrespected our name and had to face the consequences. Just because she was your wife, it didn't mean that she was going to get immunity," she said, and I got to my feet and strode towards her until I stood In front of her menacingly."Don't give me that bullshit Séda, you did what you did because nothing pleases you more than suffering and misery. You wanted to destroy me...""No, I wanted to make you stronger. How else would you have shot at your father and brother if I hadn't pushed you to the limit? How else would you have known just how powerful you could be... Celine made you weak; I cou
KAIL NESSAR ABED POV "Victor stakov" the man gasped, blood spurting from his mouth. "It was Victor Stakov," he shouted, then screamed when I pressed the branding rod against his skin.The sizzling sound and the smell of burning flesh filled the room, everything mingling to create an atmosphere charged with an intensity that made my blood surge through my veins as if I were riding out a high God I missed this. How long had it been since I last tortured anyone? I'd made a lot of coffee and cakes to keep myself occupied but it was always so monotonous. It got boring too. This. This was exactly what I needed. Dropping the rod onto the burning coal, I raked my hand through my hair and stared down at the man on the table. His body was covered with my brand, his skin bruised and burnt.It was a work of art, really, but there were still some spaces that I hadn't marked, and my fingers itched to pick up the rod and fill it up."Please" he gasped, spitting out more blood. "Don't kill me. I
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV My heart was in my throat. Fuck! I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. I was speeding through the highway but I didn't care. I should have known that something like this was going to happen. "Argh" I roared, my hand clenching on the steering wheel. "I'm going to make you pay bastard"Just how was Celine feeling right now? My heart raced with every terrible scenario, Fear clawing at my chest, its icy grip suffocating me. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't fucking wrap my mind around the fact that she had almost been hurt.I watched it all happen too.I veered off the road, my tires screeching as I turned a sharp corner. Kail's cafe loomed in the distance.When I arrived at the spot, I noticed that the car the hitmen had used was still parked out front. The windows were shattered and bullet holes riddled the door. My hands trembled, the rage in my chest suffocating. The guards were still standing around. Their greeting went unheard as the roaring
CELINE HERRERA POV Belshar still wasn't saying anything. Anytime I got a picture, I asked him about his day, hoping that he was going to tell me about the girl and why he was meeting up with her but each time I asked, he just told me how work went and how boring everything was while skipping out the most important thing I wanted to know about.There were six pictures so far, and I was starting to get angry. It all came with messages too. Messages that ruined my day every time I thought of them.Was it a reporter sending the images? Are they going to call soon to demand money or threaten to release the picture?They probably wouldn't, especially since the photos were not that incriminating.The most intimate one was the first picture I got and that was because the lady had been in a bathing suit.I dragged my finger through my hair and then sighed. "Should I just ask Belshar about it?" We had real enemies to worry about, so why was I allowing this to chip away at me? What was I so af
VICTOR STAKOV "I don't think our plan is going to work out, "Gabby got out as she strode toward my desk. "No, I know it is not going to," she said, stopping in front of me. She leaned toward me, her hands slamming down hard to get my attention. "Belshar is being very difficult"I glanced up from the laptop in front of me and then flipped it close when she arched a brow. Exhaling roughly, I inched close to her. "How many times are we going to go over this, Gabby""As many times I meet up with him and he ignores my very existence"I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Give it time, it's going to work. You're just too impatient for your own good""No, that's not the case this time. It's been two weeks. Two weeks of trying my damned best to get his attention. We've met a total of six times and I am still not close to getting his attention as at the start""You told me he spoke with you the last time you pretended to run into him at a conference""He also spoke to other women there," Gabby s
CELINE HERRERA POV "What's wrong. You look pale" Victoria noticed, her eyes flaring in concern.I shook my head and dropped my phone. "Nothing, I just got a message from Belshar that's all. I think he will be home late today""You don't have to look so sad just because he's staying out, I am here to keep you company am I not"I forced a smile. "Yeah, but you're not Belshar"She rolled her eyes. "I don't know what I do at this job of mine. I'm just getting paid for doing nothing""Isn't that the dream job?"She grinned. "It is, but sometimes I need to feel the adrenaline from working hard at something"I shook my head. "You are so weird," I said, then reached for the fruit and popped one into my mouth. It didn't taste good, not with the image I'd seen replaying in my head over and over again.Why had he gone to the beach? What was he doing with her?Did they know each other from before? He hadn't even looked at her at the restaurant. Was that all a facade?God, my brain hurts just thi
CELINE HERRERA POV "I think Kail is stalking me," Karen said and I glanced up at her. "What?""I don't know Celine... I feel like I've been running into him a lot lately""Define a lot""Like every day of this past week. He runs a cafe so how is that even possible? Just how much time does he have to be going around like that, and that too everywhere I go? We don't have the same bloody schedule." She turned to face me, her back resting against the railings. "Do you think I am being paranoid""No, I don't think so," I said since it was Kail we were talking about. Just because he turned a new leave and was acting like a saint now didn't mean that he hadn't once been the epitome of all things evil. Also, I'd noticed the way his gaze had been on Karen the last time we were at his cafe. He'd stared at her as if he was trying to see into her soul.Karen pushed away from the railing. "Should I be worried? I can't imagine what he could want from me""I think he likes you," Victoria chipped i
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV"Do you have anything to report?" I asked Christian. The words that Victor had said to me a week ago rang in my head, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. It had been a threat. Was he going to target my wife? My fist clenched. "There is nothing so far. All Victor does is work and attend conference meetings. He's been creating a network for his business that has started to work from how much progress he made this week, but rest assured, all eyes are on him"Was that what he was hoping for? For all of my attention to be on him while he worked in the shadows to strike those closest to me."I want you to plant a mole in his mansion. I need to know what goes on when he's alone in his house.""Already working on that. We'll have inside information soon.""Celine has been home for a while now, but she's going to get bored as time goes on, so assign more bodyguards to her whenever she gets the urge to go out""Yes boss"I let out a rough exhale, then glanced up at Chris
CELINE HERRERA POV I was out with Belshar, and the Sky looked so blue that I couldn't help but feel a little thrill as I gazed up at it."Nice weather, huh?" he asked as he took my hand in his.I nodded. "It's really nice""We just have to walk for a few minutes and we'll be at the restaurant. The doctor said you need to walk more than you already do""Do we have to do everything he says"He grinned. "We don't want to give that man a heart attack, so let's just follow his advice, okay? He worries over you more than I do"I chuckled. "True. Off we go then," I said, and we started to walk.The street was a lot quieter than usual, and all of a sudden, I couldn't help but think if a hitman was lurking in the shadow, waiting to get a perfect angle and take us out.It was all because of Victor Stakov. That was the name of the man who was threatening to destroy the peaceful happiness that I and Belshar currently shared. It was unfair. Belshar said he had eyes on him and that the man only s
CELINE HERRERA POV "You look exhausted," I said as I hugged Belshar. His scent was intoxicating, and I inhaled it greedily. His arms tightened around me."I missed you so much" he murmured against my hair, the sound of his voice resonating deep within me."Is that why you're back so early" I grinned. "I was sure you'd be another four hours""I couldn't breathe for that long without you," he said, his strong hands gliding down my back and sending delicious waves of pleasure through my skin."Oh yeah," I moaned, enjoying the feeling, but there was something off. I pulled back to examine his face.Belshar looked down at me and as I stared at him, he leaned close and tried to press his lips against mine. I moved my head back, evading his kiss as I noticed the worry in his eyes. He looked anxious too, as if there was something heavy weighing on his mind."What's wrong" I asked when he made no more move to kiss me. "Did something happen at work"He shook his head, then let go of me. "It wa