DELIA HERRERA POV Celine was smiling and moving through the crowd. She looked so happy that it made me sick. I watched as she spoke with some group of people, the happy smile on their faces making my fist clench. Bunch of people pleasers. I was sure most of them didn't even like her. They were all just pretending so that they could get something out of her. It had been annoying to find out that despite all the money I'd siphoned out of the company, she'd still managed to rebrand it and keep it running. Then she went on to change the name, erasing Herrera from it. She destroyed my very legacy. All the time that I suffered, she'd spent it in achieving great things and being happy with Belshar.Tremor racked through me all of a sudden and I swayed on my feet. My hand trembled and my body grew hot. I knew exactly what I needed. The darn pills that Zane had gotten me addicted to. Why hadn't I taken the stupid pills? I thought I could survive without them but now as I shook like I was c
CELINE HERRERA POV "I'm so glad you are here Grandma. I thought you wouldn't make it" Grandma held my face In her hand, a smile on her face. "I would travel over the seven seas just to celebrate you, my child.""Aww, that is so Sweet. I am so sorry for the stress though. It must have been exhausting for you""You don't have to apologize. I should be able to do this much after everything that happened" I frowned. "Didn't we say we were going to forget about that, Grandma?" "Oh right, we said that. I'm sorry, I keep forgetting about that. You look so beautiful by the way. You're so pretty, it's making me tear up" she said and I laughed "You're going to make me cry too, Grandma"She patted my head and then looked around. "Where is Belshar. Why isn't he here by your side? He's been gone for a while hasn't he""I'm sure he'll be back soon," I said, glancing around. The music suddenly got louder and the DJ encouraged everyone to get on the dance floor."See, he should be here with you.
CELINE HERRERA POV The shot was a warning and Delia flinched, getting distracted for a second, but that was all I needed. I shoved at her hard and she fell to the floor, a gasp escaping her lips. The gun skidded out of her hold and she crawled after it. I got it before she could, then I kicked her in the face with my leg. She grunted, her head smacking against the hard concrete. She slumped to the floor, blood seeping out of the cut on her head. The cops lying in wait all rushed up to the roof, then they swooped in and grabbed her by the arms, handcuffed her hand, and dragged her to her feet. Delia looked around wildly as her shock wore off, and then her gaze met mine in disbelief. "How... How" she stuttered but I felt no pity for her. I'd always wanted her to pay for her crimes and now that it was happening, It felt like a breath of fresh air."It was pretty easy Delia. You are not as sly as you think you are" Once I was sure they had her secure, I walked toward her and wasn't s
SEQUEL******CELINE HERRERA POV "Hi, my name is Victoria Hilton; it's so nice to finally meet you in person, Celine. Belshar has told me a lot about you" Smiling nervously at her, I glanced at Belshar, my brows arching. "This is Victoria. She's a caregiver and will be assisting you from now on" "She is?" I asked, holding his gaze, and he nodded, his expression neutral and unreadable. Was he doing it on purpose? We never discussed that I would be getting a caregiver."Yes she is" I turned to face the girl, then smiled as I noticed that she was starting to get nervous the longer we stood in silence."It's nice to meet you Victoria. I didn't know you were going to be here today, so I am just a little surprised" "You don't have to apologize ma'am. I should have come way sooner, but I had a prior client who needed my services even after she delivered her baby, so I should be the one to apologize for keeping you waiting. I hope you are not offended".I shook my head. "You were just d
CELINE HERRERA POV "He got you a caregiver" Karen asked as I tried on one of the dresses I'd picked out during our shopping spree. "Yeah, and I was skeptical at first, but Victoria has been really good to me, and I feel a lot better this day. And let me tell you, I was a little passive-aggressive with her for the first few days but she's such a sweet soul it's hard not to like her""That's such a sweet thing for Belshar to do. He is always so thoughtful, isn't he? You are such a lucky girl, Celine." she got out, her voice filled with awe, and I rolled my eyes even though I agreed with her. "It's like he always knows what you need just by observing your moods""You are right, but sometimes it can be annoying," I said and stepped out of the changing room. Karen's eyes widened. "Wow, that really looks good on you"I glanced down at the cream-colored flay gown I was putting on, then met Karen's gaze. "It is and I really like it, but I think it's too tight across my chest area. My boobs
CELINE HERRERA POV "We should stop at Kails for some coffee" I suggested as we stepped out of the boutique. "I thought you were not supposed to be drinking coffee" "I won't, I'll just order cake and a soft drink. Can we go to his cafe, please? I am starving" "Is this a pregnancy thing too" I nodded eagerly. "It probably is. I love the scent of coffee, especially the one Kail makes. Also, we might run into Enoch there since that is his new favorite Cafe," I chirped in, and Karen groaned. I was going to tease her more when someone bumped their shoulder Into me, hard. I gasped stumbling back a bit before glancing up in annoyance at the person. It was a lady. My bodyguards were by my side in a flash, and knowing the orders Belshar gave them to do whatever it took to protect me, I couldn't help but worry that they would do something crazy. "Please, let me handle this," I told the guards, and seeing the serious look on my face, they stepped back a bit but still stood alert.The lad
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV *****Celine was at Kail's cafe again. It wasn't as if she was always going there, but anytime she had the chance, it was the first place she chose to spend her time and It made me very anxiousI had been watching Kail for the past few months, and it was glaring that he was different, but I still couldn't bring myself to trust him. It could all be an act and I was not willing to take the risk.I'd installed cameras in his cafe, especially in the areas where the drinks were made. If he was pretending and trying to get back at me, I would know in time and do what I must. Celine was fragile. She already gave me one of her kidneys. If anything was to happen to her now, I doubted she would be able to survive it. So I paid more attention as I watched Kail make her drink, my eyes fixed on his hand to make sure that the drink being prepared for them was safe; I watched with focus as he handed the drinks to one of the servers, and then I watched as the man took their
CELINE HERRERA POV "Oh, he's here," I chirped, then waved Enoch over. He smiled, the melancholic look on his face easing up as he sighted me. "Celine, hi. I got your message," he said as he got to our table, then his gaze roamed over my face, his brows dipping in confusion. "You look fine, so what was with that text? I thought you were about to give birth or something" I gaped at him. "I am just three months pregnant Enoch, the baby isn't due for at least another six months""Oh," he said, scratching at the back of his neck. "Then why did your message sound so urgent"I shrugged. "Maybe you read it wrong. It wasn't urgent. I just texted you to 'get here now,' how is that urgent... And that's beside the point; how are you here so fast? I texted you like five minutes ago""I was actually on my way here when I saw your text." He said, paused, and watched me for a few more seconds. "Are you really sure everything is good? It's a bit suspicious. You've barely reached out to me in month
KAIL NESSAR ABED POV I watched as they wheeled her away, my heart burning in my chest.Belshar walked toward me; his face was grim and emotionless. He stopped in front of me and my jaws clenched, the anger in my chest poisoning my blood."You sure took your time, Belshar"He scoffed, his gaze moving over me. "That's what you think but I didn't take a rest for the ten days you both were captured, kail. I did everything possible to make sure you didn't have to die In this dump""If it was Celine, you would have made sure you rescued her in time" I roared and grabbed his shirt. "Do you have any idea what Karen went through in there? She's probably going to be traumatized after this" I gritted and saw red when he smirked."What the hell is so funny" I gritted out, the urge to punch him in the face becoming impossible to resist."I didn't think I'd see the day you would be concerned for someone else. I thought you were angry for yourself, but it turns out it's for Karen. You're down that
KAREN POV I started to get up and stopped when he reached out, his gaze intent on mine."Don't" he started, then swallowed, his gaze darting away from mine. "You don't have to get up"My face flushed and the prickly feeling in my neck intensified despite the frigid air. "Don't you like me anymore?" I asked and he shook his head, even though the action caused him a bit of discomfort."I like you a lot, Karen. You have no idea how hard it has been for me to have you so close and not be able to do anything" he said, his gaze pinning mine. "From the moment I laid eyes on you at the cafe, you consumed my thoughts. I couldn't help but watch you... I must have scared you"I bit down on my lips. "You did scare me at the start but I knew you weren't going to hurt me"A flicker of a smile ghosted across his lips, then he became serious. "You told me at the cafe before all of this happened that you loved Enoch. I told you how I felt about you and that was your reply"I twiddled with my thumb,
KAREN POV "I used to really hate Belshar, you know," Kail got out as he turned on his side to face me."Why?" I asked, staring into his grey eyes. "Because father and mother used to pay more attention to him than me. It was almost as if I didn't exist back then. They always had their eyes on him, so I had to go the extra mile just to get them to notice me."He paused, and I watched as a wry smile played on his lips. He looked so sad, it hurt my heart."I started to bully him because of that. I took pleasure in causing him pain since he took all my joy away. Father and mother soon noticed, and instead of getting in trouble, they told me that they were proud of me. So the pattern formed. It was only when I hurt him that Mother smiled at me, so I did it more times than often. But that feeling of finally being noticed soon faded because it was still because of him. I hated him so much all I thought about was killing him""And Belshar never fought back," I asked. It was a bit surprising
KAREN POV "Eat" the man snapped as he shoved the tray in my hand. "You should be glad that bastard over there takes all your punishment pretty doll. Enjoy it while it lasts because It won't be long until he's worn out. Then I'll have you all to myself" he said and reached to grab my breast."Don't fucking touch her," Kail roared, then groaned, his eyes squeezing shut in pain as he fell to his knees.The man laughed and then grabbed me by the chin. "It looks like it won't be long now, doll. You better pray Belshar does something to get you two out, or you're really going to die here" he grinned, then walked out of the room, the door shutting hard behind him.I cursed under my breath, then walked toward Kail.The food on the tray did not look all that appetizing but I was so hungry, my stomach was literally growling.This was the third time they were feeding us since they put us here. I crouched beside Kail. "Eat this," I said and tried to feed him the soup they'd brought. He shook h
KAIL NESSAR ABED POV The black hood over my face was disorienting and as the man behind me shoved me around, I couldn't help but trip over my feet.It was fucking humiliating. I had to give it to the guy called Victor Stakov though. He was good. Two attacks in one day. Who would have thought?I hadn't even been given a chance to struggle before I got shoved into the black van and a needle was jabbed into my neck that had me passing out in secondsThe only downside to this whole bullshit was that they had taken Karen too. I knew because I'd been holding her hand when I came face to face with them.My hands balled into fists, the rope tied around my wrist digging into my flesh.Fuck! They better not touch her. Where was she now? I didn't want to think of the worst, but every step I took without feeling that she was near made the knot in my stomach tighter. I couldn't fucking breathe.It didn't help that I couldn't see shit through the black hood over my headPlease. Please. Please le
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