DELIA HERRERA POV PAST"You shouldn't be up here," I said like I hadn't spent weeks stalking her and finding out that the roof of G&H Corporations was one of her favorite spots to frequent and as she turned to face me, the wind blowing through her hair and her eyes reflecting the waning sun as the clouds gathered above, I couldn't help but wonder how someone like her managed to make Belshar fall for her.I also didn't know why she kept coming back to this particular place, but I wasn't too keen to dig up and find out what she was up to. What mattered was she was here, and there was no one around, just like I knew it would be. Selene's brow arched a bit, a confused look in her eyes that were red and puffy. Had she been crying? Maybe she kept coming here because she was contemplating suicide. It didn't matter tho, I was going to make it easy for her. I'd tried to convince myself over the weeks leading up to this that killing her was going to get me in a lot of trouble but then I figur
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV I should have killed the bastard, but he was Delia's husband and of no consequences, hence why I'd let him live. I was still pissed tho, and as I strode toward my office, all I wanted to do was to put a bullet hole in the head of every guard that was in sight, but really, it was myself I was angry at. The attack on mother had been a distraction and I had fallen for it. The real target had been Celine Herrera all along. My first marriage had been a hidden one that the world didn't know about, but since the Herreras' were public figures, the wedding had been published in the news and every other outlet, and I was sure that was how Xavier got to find out about it.Enoch had been right that I had no lead about Celine's whereabouts and having him hit me with the reality of the situation destroyed me. I thought when Celine was out of sight, she would be out of mind, but I was sorely mistaken, and now everything was shrouded in the memory of her. I had watched an
CELINE HERRERA POV "How long are you going to keep me here?" I asked and stared at David, who only glanced up from his phone and smiled. "At least until you see this place as your new home" he answered after a bit and then focused on his phone once more. "Is there still something not to your liking? Is that why you keep asking that question?" he asked, and I glared at him as I rubbed at my neck. His gaze followed the movement and the smile left his lips. "Those bruises look good on your neck, Celine," he said, his voice so eerie the hair at the back of my neck stood on edge. He smirked as if he knew just how his being creepy affected me."I think it suits you. You have such a beautiful pale throat and I can see why Xavier squeezed it too hard. You should forgive him as it wasn't deliberate. He has nightmares sometimes and can't help himself from choking out anyone within close range," David explained, and I just gazed at him, hoping he saw just what his words sounded like in my ea
CELINE HERRERA POV Xavier grinned, his eyes gleaming. "You made me this way Celine. You corrupted my very soul, you took my heart and pierced it with vicious thorns so that I was never able to forget you. And even with that pain, I was just going to watch you from a distance; at least that calmed the beast inside, but what did you do... What did you do, huh? You went and married Belshar," he said, his eyes darkening as his words got rougher towards the end. I stared at him then my stomach dipped when he grabbed my chin and Yanked my head forward to lick languidly at my cheek. "look at what you did, Celine," he growled, his mouth moving against my cheek as he inhaled deeply. "You turned me into this and you do not even remember my name"I shoved at him, but just like Belshar, every inch of him was solid and it felt as if I was trying to push a wall as he crushed his body to mine. I didn't want this. I didn't like it when he invaded my space because he made me feel things I thought
DELIA HERRERA POV "I want you to stop looking for Celine," I said, and Enoch turned to face me as if I was the trashiest thing he'd ever seen. "What?" He asked as if he hadn't heard what I'd said. I stepped closer to him and held his gaze. "I said you should stop trying to find Celine. It's been five days, and no one called to demand a ransom; what do you think that means?" I asked, and he sighed in exasperation as he leaned toward me, his hand on his waist."What do I think it means? I think it means she's been held against her will..." "Wrong," I said, cutting him off. "It means Celine ran away from her husband and is probably somewhere living her best life while we put a halt to ours. The board meeting to have me appointed as the new CEO will be held on Monday, and I need you to be there to support me," I said, and Enoch stared at me incredulously. "I cannot believe you. Your sister is missing, and all you can think about is how to steal her position... Are you even worried ab
CELINE HERRERA POV Xavier didn't follow me as I walked away, and for that, I was glad because I couldn't stand him. My heart felt like it was being squeezed and all I wanted to do was scream out my frustrations because I was being suffocated by it."Where the hell are you, Belshar?" I gritted out. "You said I was yours for fucking two years so why do I get to spend four days with that psychopath. What the hell are you doing Belshar? Why the hell aren't you looking for me" I entered the room David had assigned to me, slammed the door shut, and was going to scream when I noticed David standing there with his hand hanging awkwardly by his side. "I thought you two were going to spend more time talking," he said, and I noticed that my drawers were open. "I am being held captive here, do you really think I'd have anything to hide" "You have been very cooperative, you can't blame me if I am a little cautious of you" "You didn't find anything did you, so maybe you can be less cautious no
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV "We've got their location, boss," Stone said, and I met his gaze as I got to my feet. "I know," I said, then glanced at the laptop in front of me and the video that was playing repeatedly on it, a video of Delia pushing Selene, no Crystal, off the roof of G&H corporation. Xavier had sent it, and I knew he'd done it deliberately and was probably planning an ambush, but I didn't care. Celine had already stayed with him for more than a week, and I was close to losing my mind. "Get all the men ready; Celine comes back home today," I growled as I shoved the gun on my desk into my gun holster and walked past Stone. Celine had been telling the truth. Crystal had lied about everything... She'd deceived me into thinking that she was the real Celine I'd met in the school field that day when she was not and the hurt that came with finding that out was heart-wrenching.I should have realized it sooner, especially after I saw the surgery scar on Celine's stomach. She h
DELIA HERRERA POV "I think Celine is dead," I said, and Enoch glanced up from his phone, his hand dropping from his mouth where he'd been worrying his fingers with his teeth. "What?" he asked, paring up at me with a confused expression and I pointed at the news with shaky fingers as excitement flooded through my skin.It said that Celine Herrera had been kidnapped by one of the company's rivals and had been killed during the rescue mission and that some of the men who abducted her had managed to escape. Enoch shot up from his seat in an instant and walked up to the television all the while shaking his head as he stared at the picture of Celine on the television. "No. No. I refuse to believe it. This is a fucking false news. They're probably just trying to get traction, and I am going to bloody sue their ass for this," he said, and I gaped at him, my jaw nearly on the floor because there was no way he was serious right now."What do you mean the news is false? This is the national n
BELSHAR NESSAR ABED POV "We need to join them at the table," Celine murmured against my chest, where she had her face pressed against."But I quite like it here. Just the two of us, dancing under the moonlight"Her arms wrapped around me. "Me too," she sighed, then glanced up at me.Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the iridescent glow of the moon. I wanted to get lost in them."It feels so good to get away from everything, doesn't it""Yeah," I nodded, then caressed her cheek. "How are you feeling. Has it been difficult with Sadie""Not too hard since you help out a lot... Antonia has also been a good help to her. Thank you for getting her. You were right, she's really good at her job"I grinned. "I am happy to hear that. If it gets too hard, tell me okay"She nodded. "I will"Celine gaze darted to the hall as the music coming from inside changed."Do you think they'll notice that we've been gone for a while?" she asked, meeting my gaze."Kail is keeping them busy with his MC skills. We
CELINE HERRERA POV Giving birth was a nightmare, but as I stared at my beautiful baby girl's face, I couldn't help my heart filling up with joy and love. I glanced up at Belshar who was grinning down at the baby in my hand."She's so tiny" he got out, his voice filled with awe. "I know, right? After all that food, I thought she'd be a lot bigger"His grin stretched, his eyes crinkling at the side. "She's perfect," he said, then looked up at me. "Just like her mother"Color filled my cheek and I leaned toward him. "And she's strong just like her father," I said and pressed a kiss to his lips.His eyes were moist with tears when I pulled back.My heart squeezed; the feeling of too much happiness in my chest suffocating. But I loved it. I loved everything I felt when I was with Belshar."You're going to be a great father Belshar"He took my hand. "I promise to always be there for you and our daughter. And our other kids that we are going to have very soon," he grinned."Hey, what's tha
KAIL NESSAR ABED POV "Oh," Karen gasped, then pulled away from the kiss.I stared at her, my heart pounding as I took in her flushed face and swollen lips."What's wrong?" I asked as I watched her try and catch her breath."Celine. Celine and Belshar are here. They were the ones who told me about where you were. I was scared to come alone, so they came with me"I shook my head as I sucked in a deep breath. "I know," I said, then turned, and pointed to where Celine's phone was peaking through the hallway by the side of the wall.The phone soon disappeared and I chuckled. She probably noticed me staring and pointing at it."You two can come out now! Your cover has already been blown" I yelled and waited.Celine was the first to come out. She smiled as she gave a small wave. "Oh my God, Kail, it's been how long since you vanished," she said, The guilty smile on her lips stretching the closer she got to Karen and I. Belshar followed behind and stopped by Celine's side when they reached u
KAIL NESSAR ABED POV "What the hell do you want?" I groaned as I stumbled out of bed, my feet studding against the bedframe and jarring me awake as pain shot up my body. "God damn it"I grumbled as I walked out of the room. It was probably room service. My head throbbed and I barely managed to avoid tripping on the bottles that littered all over the floor. Just how much did I drink last night?"I told you not to fucking bother—" The words died on my lips as I yanked the door open and came face to face with Karen.I stared at her, my heart stopping for a beat."Karen—" her name escaped my lips as my heart kicked up in my chest, and then I clenched my eyes shut. "God, I am going crazy," I groaned, then chuckled under my breath as I rubbed my hand over my face. "I must be drunk out of my fucking mind. How long am I going to keep seeing your face, Karen," I muttered to myself, then pulled my hand away.My brows furrowed as I stared at her. Why was she still standing there? On a normal da
CELINE HERRERA POV "Absolutely not," Belshar said, then faced Victoria, who quickly looked away and shrugged. "You cannot travel in that condition""Why not? I already gave Karen my word that I was going to be her wingwoman," I pouted, and he scoffed."You are not going to be traveling, Celine, and that's final. Call Karen and tell her that you won't be able to go with her." He said then paced for a bit before turning to face me. "Did you forget what you went through in the past months? The doctor said no stress"I crossed my arms, my brows furrowing hard as I frowned. "Travelling is hardly any stress and you owe me this much after everything that happened"Belshar let out a sigh of frustration and then glanced at Victoria again. "Are you not going to say anything. Tell her just how dangerous traveling is in her condition" he said and I looked at her, my eyes daring her to say anything that was not in my favor She sighed as she dropped the towels she was folding. "If it's just for a
CELINE HERRERA POV THREE MONTHS LATER "What's wrong. You've been spacing off for a while now" Karen turned to face me and then shook her head, her eyes squinted to avoid the glare of the sun."Nothing's wrong," she answered, and I gave her a look because even a blind mind could tell by her aura that things were not right."You know you can always talk to me right"She forced a smile. "I know that"I couldn't help becoming more concerned. "If you're still traumatized about the whole thing you went through, I can fix you an appointment with the therapist that helped me when I experienced something similar"She sighed and came to sit beside me. "No, you don't have to do that at all. I promise I'm really fine."I nodded even though I wasn't convinced. There has been something off with her ever since the rescue and her refusal to talk to me was starting to make me worry.I already felt bad that she got dragged into our family's mess and had to go through something so horrible, so why wa
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