Audrey RedField's world crumbles when she discovers that her boyfriend, Zachary and her younger step sister, Amelia are getting engaged and to steal her inheritance. Fueled by anger, Audrey strikes a deal with a mysterious CEO, Xander Clarkson and enters into a marriage of continence, little does she know that he has his own agenda, one that ties Audrey to him far more deeply than she would ever imagine. However, when she discovers the secret he had been hiding and how it would affect her, would she choose to stay with him?
View MoreAudrey's Pov
“What is this? Explain it to me!” I yelled at the man in front of me, throwing the bunch of pictures that I held at him. Pictures of him and my sister cuddling on the bed, some of it showed them having sex while some showed him putting a ring on her fingers. Others were very explicit. I waited, waited for him to tell me that this was a deep fake, maybe, that he wasn't the one. I would have gladly accepted the explanation, but he merely bent over to pick up the pictures, his eyes narrowing. “Were you spying on me?” He raised an eyebrow, he gazed intently at me. “What?” I questioned, not believing my ears. “I asked if you were spying on me, Audrey.” He repeated, a frown spreading on his lips, “You know how much I hate you invading my privacy, yet you still did it anyway.” My hands trembled as I stared at him in disbelief, “Are… Are you serious? You aren't even going to deny this?” My heart pounded in my chest, my hands trembled in anger. “Also… Invading your privacy? Is that really what you are focusing on right now!” I could barely keep my voice steady as I spoke, “You have been sneaking behind my back doing something like this with my sister and now you're trying to turn this on me?!” “This isn't about me, Audrey,” He said coldly, “It's about you not trusting me. You always do this, always looking around for something. You're always trying to pick a fight.” My heart sank at his words, the bitter taste of betrayal filled my mouth. This was a man I trusted with everything, a man that I thought I knew better than everyone. “How could you stand here and act like I'm in the wrong? Don't you dare twist this further, Zachary.” I spat, taking a step forward, “I never went looking for anything. These pictures found me, they were sent to my mail by someone I don't even know! Or maybe it was because you were careless, or you just didn't care. And yet, you're trying to gaslight me into…” I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Is this true or not? Have you been having sex with my sister, and not only that, you're getting engaged? Is it true?!” I questioned again, begging him with my eyes to tell me it wasn't true. But deep down I knew, I knew that it was. However, Zachary didn't even have the decency to hide it, he smirked, raising his gaze to meet mine. “What of it? She's a lot better than you anyway. Your sister, Amelia, is everything you could never be. She's smarter, more fun in bed and less clingy. Why will I leave her for an old hag like you?” Zachary sneered, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. How words hit me like a train, making me stumble and hold the edge of the table for balance. “Zachary… I did everything for you. I gave you so many opportunities that Amelia would have never been able to give you, I literally gave you my entire life and this is how you repay me back?! By sleeping with…” I trailed off, I couldn't even call her my sister. “You're a pathetic woman, Audrey.” Zachary continued, his legs bringing him closer to me, “Always desperate for attention, always so needy. You practically drove me to her.” The tears that I had tried to keep from spilling finally fell down my face in droplets. Every word he said was like a dagger to my heart. “How could you do this to me? You promised me, you said that you would love me forever!” I yelled at him, staring at him through blurred vision. But through my blurry eyes, I saw his real face. The façade of love that he had shown me was nothing more than that; a mask. “You were so naive, Audrey. Did you ever think I cared about you? You were just a convenience, one that I played with while Amelia wasn't around.” He continued, not caring that my heart broke with every word he said. “But you know, I am willing to take you back. After all, you only love me, and you'll continue to love me.” Zachary raised his hands, caressing the side of my face and forcefully raising my head up to look him in the eyes. “You are so beautiful when you cry, Audrey. Just forget any of this ever happened, and we'll continue the way we were. Come on, Audrey, kiss me and we'll return back to how it was.” Zachary enunciated sulkily, leaning his head down to place his lips on mine. At that moment, it was as if something snapped inside of me. Blood rushed to my head and I became extremely angry. It was as if the tears that were flowing dried instantly and were replaced by hot flowing rage. Everything about him fueled my anger, every word he uttered. I had given home everything, my body, my life, my heart, everything and he had thrown it away like it was nothing. Now he stood before me, thinking he could bend me to his will once more? No, not this time. I was done playing the damsel in distress. “Zachary…” I whispered, my voice calm but laced with cold edges. His smirk widened as he leaned in, thinking I was about to give in. But as his lips neared mine, I snapped. In one swift motion, with all the strength that I could muster, I slapped him. The sound echoed in the room, like a glass plate shattering. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stumbled back. Before he could recover, I lunged at him, pushing him back with all my might. If there was one thing I knew, it was that Zachary was like a piece of paper. He had no body muscle, not any strength. Even a woman like me could beat him up. My hands fought their way to his throat, gripping it tightly. “How dare you," I hissed, my voice low and dangerous, "How dare you think you can manipulate me, humiliate me, and then expect me to come crawling back to you. I loved you, Zachary. I gave you everything, and you betrayed me in the worst way possible. And now you want me to forgive you? To go back to the way things were?" I laughed. His hands clawed at mine, trying to pry them away from his throat, but I tightened my grip until his face turned red, his eyes wide with panic and he almost couldn't breath. However, I realized what I was doing very quickly and released my grip, and got up from his body. I remembered when he did this same thing to me. He strangled me one night until I was rushed to the hospital. He begged and I went back together with him. Thinking about it, I was a woman who had thrown away my dignity to someone who had never loved me. But that would change. "You’re nothing but a lying, cheating coward," I spat, "You don’t deserve love, and you certainly don’t deserve mine. You and Amelia can go to hell, both of you.” I said to him, snatching my bag from the table and walking outside. Once I did, I took out my car keys and was about to open the door when someone walking into the house caught my eye. I froze when I saw the very person we were talking about come into the house, a huge smile plastered on her face. She stood right in front of me, waving her hands in greeting as she mouthed, enunciating her words clearly, “Hello, Sister.”Author’s povThe police quickly surrounded Daniel, cuffing him as he groaned on the floor. Blood trickled from his nose, and his face was twisted in anger and humiliation.“You’ll regret this, Xander!” Daniel spat, glaring up at his brother.Xander leaned down, his expression calm but firm. “Regret? That’s something you should feel for all the lives you’ve ruined. It’s over, Daniel.”As Daniel struggled against his restraints, the head of police stepped forward. He pulled out a list of charges and began reading them aloud.“Daniel Clarkson, you are being charged with the following: the kidnapping of Mrs. Wright, the attempted murder of Xander Clarkson, embezzlement from your family’s company, obstruction of justice, and numerous other crimes. You’ll be facing a long time in prison.”Daniel’s face contorted with rage. “None of it is true!” he shouted. “This is a setup! You’re all working against me!”“Your corrupt cop was also seen running off and right now he’s willing to testify agai
Author’s povMrs. Wright sat in the dark room, straining her ears for the movements of her captors. It had been a few hours since they taken her from her old place and brought her to this new place, hours marked by terror and solitude and confusion. But something inside had changed that night. Something told her she couldn’t be captive anymore. With newfound resolve, Mrs. Wright steeled herself and tiptoed to the door.The house was still; her captors didn’t suspect a thing when they had gone to bed earlier. Mrs. Wright cautiously unlocked the door, afraid of its creaking as she turned the knob to let herself out into the night air that was cool and freeing.She was done hiding. This time, she was going to save herself.The road stretched before her was infinite in the dark. She knew that with each step she took away from her prison it was another opportunity to get to her son and get out a solution. Her heart was beating both in fear and anticipation of the worst. She ran through t
Daniel’s povI stormed out of his office, hot blood rushed through my veins. How dare he? Who the hell does this man think he is? Some kind of a superhero coming to ‘save’ the company. He was going too far and asking too much. I got out of the company and headed for my car as I sat down there and leaned back in it. I was so angry I couldn’t hold myself back.My hands gripped tightly around my steering wheel; those knuckles were all white as if they were screaming ‘help!’ in some invisible way. In anger, I punched my steering wheel a couple of times before leaning back in my seat.I then turned the ignition and drove directly to the warehouse where I had everything under control—my men, my operations, and my future. It was a sanctuary of sorts for me, a place where I could reorganize my thoughts and plans without any distractions or disturbances. A couple of my men were already there when I arrived.They all stood up as soon as they saw me enter, feeling the unrest radiating off me. “
Audrey’s povI clearly remembered the drive to the cabin that morning. I’d driven so slowly, looking in the rearview mirror every few seconds to make sure I wasn’t being followed. The streets had been practically empty, but everything had felt still and foreboding because of it. When I had gotten to the place, I had parked a few hundred meters from the cabin itself, hiding my car behind some trees before continuing on foot.The closer I got to the cabin, the more uneasy I felt. Something was very wrong. The place looked abandoned—deserted—but it wasn’t just that. It was something else; something I couldn't explain.“Mrs wright?” I asked while staying at the door and knocking. I hoped no one would bash my head in as I opened it inwards as it groaned under my hand as I gave it a push so I could step inside.The sight that met my eyes made my stomach plummet. The entire cabin was in shambles. Furniture was flipped over, papers were strewn across the floor, and a faint acrid smell wafted
Xander’s povI sat in my office, the door closed behind me as I went through the financial reports once more. My anger simmered beneath the surface. It was bad enough that the company was in such a state, but the audacity of the board to act like nothing was wrong infuriated me. My father had worked too hard to build this company, and I wasn’t about to let it crumble under their watch—or Daniel’s.Just as I was contemplating my next move, there was a sharp knock on the door. Before I could answer, one of the board members stepped in, closing the door behind him. He was an older man, someone who had been with the company for decades, yet his face now looked pale and nervous.“Mr. Xander,” he started, his voice shaking, “I need to talk to you.”I reclined back in my chair, signaling for him to continue. “What is it?” I questioned, but I already knew he didn’t come here to help me with anything but to stress me.The man hesitated, and then he leaned forward a little. “I think you should
Xander’s povI was in my company office gazing at the files lying on my table. My secretary had compiled every possible document pertaining to the financial record of the company and I was growing more angry after going through it. How was it not tallying? Who drew this large amount of money, the supporting bills and receipts were in no record?I could see lots of money being removed from the company but there was no mention of them being used for the company again. Why was this a thing?I called for my assistance as she appeared before me.“Is this all?” I asked as she nodded.“Yes, Mr. Xander. I think this is all there is available in the system…”“You think?” I interrupted her as she gulped.“It is all I could find in the system.”I leaned back in my chair and drummed my fingers on my desk. “This doesn’t make any sense… Someone has been withdrawing money at absurd rates recently, and with no record of what it’s being used for? How the hell does that work?”She didn’t answer, but sh
Daniel’s povI smiled after hearing his voice. Xander, always so easy to rile up. “Calm down, baby brother,” I scoffed. Taking another sip of my drink as I got to my feet to face him. “I was merely conversing with her. No need to get your knickers in a twist.”He stepped closer, glowering. “I said, stay away from her.”I saluted him sarcastically and stepped back a pace or two. “Okay, okay. Chill out if it bothers you so much.”As I walked away, I glanced back at Xander over my shoulder. “You should really learn to relax,” I drawled, mocking him as much as possible. “It’s bad for your health, all this stress you carry around.”Walking through the doors out of the pool area with self-satisfaction rolling off me in waves, I didn’t care about Xander and his anger. Not when they were both going to be defeated very soon.Back in my room, I poured myself another drink and stared out the window. It was a clear blue night with stars in the sky, but I wasn’t looking at the sky or the stars or
Daniel’s povLola’s body went rigid and her face turned a shade of red that clashed horribly with her hair. “Audrey?” she screeched.“Yes,” I said, nodding. “Why would she do this to me?”I shrugged. “I don’t know. But she must have seen that maybe Xander was looking at you a certain way and she just wanted you out of the equation.”Lola laughed cynically, and shook her head. “Audrey is going to regret this.” She said, “She honestly believes that nobody is going to stop her? For real.”I said nothing, just letting her stew. If nothing else, getting angry at Audrey took her mind off what had happened. "Wow, you look like hell," I said, taking a step back from the chart."Gee, really? How would you have guessed?" she snapped and rolled her eyes at me.I smirked, leaning against the wall. “You’re lucky to be alive, you know.”Her glare seemed to darken at my words. “If your people were competent at making sure no harm came to you and I, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place!”
Audrey’s pov“No,” I said, just as firmly. “But we can’t do anything stupid either. Any wrong step in this thing and it could throw us all over the edge. We just found her, let’s be careful and tail her for a while while trying to know what’s going on.”He gave a long heavy sigh and rubbed his fingers across his forehead. His eyes looked miserable because he knew I was right."Let's think this through," I said softly, resting my hand on his arm. "We'll find a solution for her. But we have to do it right."Reluctantly, he nodded, but his shoulders drooped in defeat. "Okay," he whispered. "But we need to hurry. I don't think she can last much longer."I nodded with both relief and determination. ***Daniel’s povI was in the car already heading to the house when I got a call from my men. “Boss, we have a problem.”“What is it?” I growled while clutching the wheel.“Mrs. Wright brought a stranger into the house she is hiding in, and now that we’ve arrived, the person is gone.”I frowne
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