BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV
Celine looked utterly terrified and she had every right to be after the stunt she pulled... She dared to lie using my name. God, she appeared so pure without a stain to her name but I was starting to see her for who she truly was.
Celine jumped to her feet. "How the hell did you get into my house" she asked, her gaze darting from mine to the door as she tried to look for an escape while making sure that she was not within my reach.
Cocking my head, I regarded her darkly. "Is that really the question you want to be asking right now, Celine Herrera" Gods! Even calling her name was making me mad. Every time I said her name I remembered Selene, and her blood-drenched face as she'd drew in her last breath in my arms.
Celine swallowed audibly, her right hand rubbing against her left arm. "I said what I did in the heat of the moment, You have to believe me, they were making all sorts of assumptions and my torn dress was not helping..." she said then jutted her chin at me, "But what would you have had me do... I was being slandered in every direction, I had no choice but to defend myself_"
" _ and lying that we were seeing each other was the only excuse you could come up with" I interrupted then scoffed, "How very convenient"
"I am sorry_"
“_You do not sound like you mean it" I stated and watched in surprise as the anger she was so desperately trying to hide within surged to the surface. Her face reddened, her hands fisting by her side as she tried to sound apologetic when we both knew she wasn't.
"You shouldn't have torn my dress" she gritted out, her eyes holding mine longer than anyone ever dared to.
I stared at her. She wanted to die alright. Maybe getting away with all her past crimes has made her bold, but she didn't know what sort of minefield she was stepping into.
No one used Belshar's name to lie, especially not when she was a major suspect in the case of my wife's death.
I could still feel Selene sticky blood on my palm sometimes when I rubbed them together.
"And what If I denied your claim? Didn't you think that far in your lie"
Her eyes filled up with tears and I felt a nasty squeeze in my chest that made breathing a bit difficult.
"If you are going to kill me, you should just get it over with... Everyone knows what you represent anyway and my life has already gone down to shit" she said, her lips trembling as she tried her hardest to stop the tears from falling.
My hand lashed out and I grabbed her by the arm and jerked her toward me so harshly, that she slammed into my chest with only a surprised gasp managing to escape her lip.
But she'd blinked and I watched in satisfaction as drops of tears trailed down both her cheeks.
"There, you should get used to crying because you are going to be doing a lot of that for the next two years," I said and watched as her eyes widened.
"What?" She managed to get out as she subtly struggled to snatch her arms from my grip, but she was fighting a losing battle and she knew it.
"It means exactly what you know it means. I signed your contract that you were so desperate for and I also did not deny your claim... Since you are so surprised, I guess you haven't seen the news" I said and let go of her.
She stared at me, her lips agape as confusion shone through her teary eyes. "I thought you were here to kill me... Why would you sign the documents, you made it clear that you weren't interested in helping me"
"I wasn't interested, but it is either this or your death," I said and held her gaze."You see, I think it would be a shame if you get such an easy way out without properly paying for what you have done"
Her brows furrowed. "I am not the first person to lie, so why should I die because of that... I don't understand why you hate me so much, I have never done anything to you"
God, she was good, she said it with so much sincerity if I didn't know better I might have actually believed her.
"Does it matter now? You got what you wanted, didn't you? You and I are going to get married and that too in two weeks" I informed and she flinched then took a step back as a look of dread crawled over her expression.
"Two weeks?" She gasped out in disbelief. "Why would you_" she started to say I cut her off with a wave.
"Do not argue with me Celine, I wasn't the one who came to my office crying and begging for me to marry them"
She paled as if I'd hit her. "It was because I was desperate... I was on the verge of losing everything I have ever loved, and I still am, but if we rush this, my grandfather will find it suspicious, he'll suspect a contract marriage"
I scoffed. "The date has been fixed and nothing is going to change it, also I am pretty sure your grandfather knows that the only way you'd ever be able to get yourself a husband is through a contract marriage"
"Why" she asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears once more, "because I am ugly and no one would want to be with me unless I paid them to"
I wanted to say yes, I wanted to see her cry but something held my tongue and I couldn't get the words out of my throat no matter how much I tried to.
What the hell! I wasn't one to pity. I thrived on people suffering so why was I keeping quiet when I should be ripping her to shreds until there was nothing left?
Exhaling in anger, I shoved the document I'd brought into her hand and her gaze dropped to it.
"My terms and conditions. Read through them thoroughly and sign"
"And if I don't," she asked, her gaze darting to mine but not quite holding as they'd done earlier.
"You will sign even if you don't want to. This is all just a formality. You'll also be meeting the family this weekend, so prepare yourself" I said and turned to leave and saw from the corner of my eyes her exhale of relief. So she was relieved to see me go when she was the mastermind behind this whole mess.
Stopping sharply, I whipped around to face her and she jerked back, her eyes widening.
"You didn't Include the fact that your grandfather's other condition to get the company was to have a child in two years," I said and watched as her eyes got so wide and her cheek turned pale I thought she was going to faint.
"I was... I was..." She stuttered, her lithe frame trembling as she clutched the documents in her hand tighter.
"Were you planning on having the child outside our marriage or perhaps getting an artificial insemination seeing how you choose to exclude it from the contract"
"That's not, that's not it... I was going to tell you about it, but.. but"
Feeling bored, I turned away from her. "Read the contract and sign. I included all the little things you forgot to add, and don't think you're going to be getting a penny of my wealth either" I said, turned away from her, and walked out of the room.
The cool breeze outside of her mansion felt good against my burning skin but it didn't take away the fury that was making me burn in the first place.
She'd lied to the press like it was nothing just in the same manner that she told me with a straight face that she had done nothing to harm me.
I should have just killed her, but if I did then I would never find out the truth and I would not be able to torture her.
She was going to confess one day. She was going to and when she did I was going to put a bullet through her head.
Exhaling shakily, I fished out my pack of cigarettes, yanked one out, and put it to my lips.
Then I took out a lighter and watched it for a while... I quit smoking for Selene, and now that she was gone, I couldn't help but feel as if I was on the fucking edge of a cliff, tethering dangerously... Smoking wasn't going to help but at least it was going to serve as a distraction.
I brought the lighter up to the cigarettes then blinked as it was suddenly yanked from between my lips and then my gaze clashed with those of Celine Herrera's furious one.
"You will not smoke on my property! I will not allow it!" She yelled, her eyes determined and I took a step back.
"What did you say" I said, staring at her with the gaze I reserved for all those who dared to challenge me.
Celine didn't so much as flinched, instead, she stepped closer daringly and yanked the lighter from my hand. "I said you are not allowed to smoke on my property... You might not respect me, but you will respect the rule of this house!"
DELIA HERRERA POV ‘Celine Herrera is mine, she is my fiance and I would hate for what happened today repeat to itself. Making a mockery of my wife-to-be is the same as making a mockery of me and rest assured, I won't sit back and just watch"He'd said those words with a straight face, he'd threatened the press without a trace of hesitation and as I watched the news for the hundredth time, I felt my heart rate start to hurt... Or maybe it was because I couldn't fucking breathe. The tablet fell from my hand as I gasped for air and clutched at my chest to relieve whatever it was that was clogging it up but it didn't help."Andrea!" I gasped for the name of my maid, but I was sure she wouldn't hear even if she was in the same room with me. My voice was that low.Getting to my feet proved difficult and when I finally managed it, I stumbled toward the front door because I knew if I didn't get air I was really going to suffocate.My heart squeezed and the door in front of me felt as if it
CELINE HERRERA POV I thought he was going to choke me out, what with the rage I saw firing up in his dark green eyes that were almost black as the darkness that surrounded us, instead he had just smirked, turned from me, and walked away like he couldn't be bothered with me.I should have been happy that he'd listened to me but his dismissal was infuriating and all I wanted to do was to find an opportunity to smack him in the face just once, just once, but I was certain that would be asking for death.Groaning, I walked back into the house and slammed the door so hard, that I could hear the walls rattle, but it was all just in my head.Grabbing the documents, I walked up to my room, dropped them on the bed, and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower.The water cascading over my skin was soothing and I just wanted to stay under the spray forever, but I couldn't since I had to read the contract he's brought for me to sign. "I can't believe this is really happening. Karen was right,
CELINE HERRERA POV The atmosphere was tense even though this was supposed to just be a family dinner with Belshar's family so that they could get to know me and I'd also get to know them but I wasn't surprised, because judging by the circumstances that led up to it, I had expected a much colder reception. The news article about my alleged unfaithfulness had been taken down just some hours after it made the headline, then a day later the publisher who had written about it died in a freak accident and I tried not to think about just how a freak of an accident it was or if Belshar had a hand in it. God! I was really marrying a killer. Why did I think that it was a good idea to go into a contract with a Mafia? I should have chosen a much more safer option so why was I here meeting Belshar's parents and also still hoping that they would like me? What the hell was wrong with me?"You do not like the food, do you?" I flinched, my gaze snapping up to meet those of Belshar's mother. She wa
CELINE HERRERA POV "Belshar, hi. Your mother invited me for dinner, but something came up and..." She paused, her gaze meeting mine, "I guess I missed everything didn't I?" "You didn't miss anything, and you can still see Séda, you know how she gets after dinner" Bella chuckled and smoothly tucked her hair behind her ear. "You are right about that," she said smiling at him as if they both shared a secret the world had no idea about. My chest felt tight as I watched them and I didn't know why. Was I jealous? If I was, it definitely wouldn't be because of Belshar. I didn't even like the man. Maybe I was jealous because Bella represented everything I wasn't. Bella was gorgeous and the way she carried herself was almost angelic... No wonder Belshar expression was a lot softer on her... He'd never stared at me like that. "Is this your fiance?" Bella asked, pointing a dainty finger in my direction and Belshar glanced at me, the dark displeased look creeping into his eyes almost immedi
CELINE HERRERA POV Bella came through with her promise and she was also right about me loving the drink that she brought. It was refreshing and I couldn't help but take sips in between her doing my makeup. She talked about her business a lot and then switched to things she felt I should know about Belshar's family, then she warned me to stay away from Kail just like Belshar had done and her voice was so severe I just had to believe that Kail was really a bad person and that messing with him the other night had probably placed me in the list of those he considered enemies.I didn't want to think of what that entailed and just thinking about it made my head feel like spikes were being pushed into it."And now, the grand reveal. Ta-da!" She said as she removed the object covering the mirror with a flourish.A gasp escaped my lips as I stared at my image in the mirror. I raised my hand to touch my rosy cheeks, then my lips that had been coated with a light shade of red lipstick that mad
CELINE HERRERA POV Grandfather looked uncomfortable for once in his life as the two families were introduced, and I could tell from the perpetual frown that was etched on his face that he was not happy that I was getting married, that too before his beloved Delia. And Belshar was also a business rival.He didn't hide his judgment and disappointment but I could also tell from the look on his face as the night wore on that he was already scheming in his head on ways to use this connection to his advantage.Only Séda had accompanied Belshar, but I could tell they came with a team of guards who were probably all around our mansion to ensure the evening went as planned. Grandfather on his part got the best chef and made sure the dinner was befitting for Belshar and his Mom.Dinner went mildly well even though Delia moaned and bitched throughout. I was sure she did it to get Belshar's attention, but throughout the suffering ordeal, I knew he didn't glance at her for once because I could f
CELINE HERRERA POV PAST"I hate you!" Crystal yelled, the lightning rendering the skies making the statement even more severe. "You have everything and yet you can't even let me have just one thing that I want... Are you really my friend... Is this how you are going to treat me after all these years" Tears streamed down my cheek but the rain wiped them off as soon as they dropped. "You do not get to say that Crystal!" I yelled, matching her riotous energy and stepping into her space. "Do not think for one minute that you get to use that line on me. Do you not get tired of coming to me every other year and making the most ridiculous demands? What haven't I let go for you huh? I gave up Asher for you didn't I, I let you get first place in all the exams in high school, I applied to a different college cause you didn't want me to go where you were and now you want my fucking kidney. What are you going to ask for next, my freaking heart"She shook her head, the motion making her neck loo
DELIA HERRERA POV "Why are you just allowing her to marry Belshar? Their wedding is this week. What about me? This was not part of the plan" I screamed, my hands flying to my hair while my whole body shook almost convulsively. I was losing my freaking mind and grandfather looked totally nonchalant about it. "Say something! Fucking say something damn it" I roared. "Enough of your tantrums! I told you this was a bad idea from the very start.. what would you have me do against someone as powerful as Belshar" "If you had just cut her off then this would not be happening. She's not even a real Herrera and she killed your son. My mother died because of her.. how can you let this happen!".Grandfather stood up, walked toward me, and then grabbed me by my shoulders and stared at me for awhile until the trembling restless energy that coursed through my veins lessened. "That's enough now my lovely child, take a deep breath and calm down so we can talk about this rationally," he said and I t
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
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