~Joan~
“This place is... wow,” I muttered as we entered the house, its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, a fireplace glowing faintly, a rooftop pool gleaming under the fading light, and more rooms than I could count. The house was absolutely perfect, yet something felt off.
“So... how did you know about this place?” I asked Rhoda, who had already sunk into the plush sofa, crossing her legs, while I stood by the window staring at the dazzling city of Spain below.
“Well, this is one of Aaron's properties,” she chuckled. My stomach dropped. Aaron?
“He doesn’t know we're here. I have the spare keys to the building. I mean, why ask when I can just walk in?” Rhoda said, making a playful gesture with her arms, her smile wide and carefree.
“This is Aaron's house?” I asked slowly. She whipped her head around, her smile fading, eyes narrowing slightly.
“Yeah, it’s his.” Her voice grew sharper as she met my gaze. “What’s going on?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling disbelief wash over me. “I can't believe you brought me to Aaron's house of all places,” I muttered, my pulse quickening. I felt foolish for admiring the place, now knowing it belonged to the last person I ever wanted to be near.
Rhoda straightened up on the couch, her amusement dimming. “Exactly why I said he has no idea we’re here. Jo, your feud with my brother is seriously getting ridiculous.”
“Oh, really? You think this is childish?” I snapped, crossing my arms. “Have you forgotten the time we both landed in jail and he bailed you out, leaving me there to rot?”
Rhoda opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “Or the time we crashed his party, and guess who got blamed for that? Me! He called me a bad influence, told me to stop dragging you into ‘bad things.’ He acts like I’m the villain in your life.”
“Jo...” Rhoda started softly, probably trying to calm me down, but my anger was bubbling over.
“And now you bring me to his house? You really think I won’t get blamed for this too?” I spat, feeling the sting of frustration in my chest.
Rhoda stood and closed the distance between us, her face softening. “Jo, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think. I just wanted us to enjoy our girls' trip, and this house is... well, it’s perfect.” She gestured to the room around us, but I barely glanced at it. “I should have talked to you about it. You’re right.”
I exhaled slowly, trying to push away the tension in my body. “If we hadn’t spent a small fortune getting here, I’d drag us both back to New York right now,” I muttered.
Rhoda grinned, relief flooding her face as she pulled me into a hug. “Now come on, let’s go explore the city. We didn’t come all this way to sit inside, did we?”
“Please tell me we’re going to see Barcelona,” I said as she grabbed my hand, and she nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course! Coming to Spain and skipping Barcelona would be criminal,” she replied as we headed to the bedroom where our luggage was dropped.
I tried to shake off my discomfort while Rhoda gushed over the inbuilt walk-in closet. I forced myself to admire the design of the room, but my insides churned. The house was beautiful, but knowing who owned it left a bad taste in my mouth. Something was gnawing at me, and I couldn’t shake the sense that everything was about to go wrong. My instincts had never failed me before.
“Tomorrow, we’ll get up early enough to make it to Madrid in time,” Rhoda said cheerfully as we walked back after wandering through a few blocks and malls.
I hummed in response, distracted, my mind still not fully in the moment. Rhoda tipped her head back, letting the cool evening breeze wash over her face, her eyes closed, a peaceful smile on her lips.
“It’s nice to breathe fresh air outside of New York,” she sighed. I glanced over at her and followed her lead, lifting my gaze to the night sky. The tension in my muscles eased ever so slightly.
Rhoda suddenly snapped her eyes open, a mischievous glint in them. “First one back to the house gets a paid manicure at the fanciest salon in the city!” she challenged, and before I could respond, she darted off, her laughter trailing behind her.
I couldn’t help but laugh, my worries slipping away for just a moment as I chased after her. By the time we stumbled back into the house, both of us out of breath and giggling, it felt like a weight had been lifted, if only temporarily.
Maybe I could enjoy this trip after all.
Rhoda pushed the door open and froze, her smile vanishing. I stepped in behind her, peeking over her shoulder, and my heart sank.
There he was, sitting in the living room, swirling a glass of something dark. His expression was unreadable as he downed the last of his drink, the sound of the glass slamming against the table cutting through the silence. Rhoda shuddered, and I felt a knot form in my stomach as I frowned.
Aaron.
The devil had arrived.
~Joan~The silence was thick, in the air, waiting for someone to break it. Aaron's dark eyes flicked toward his sister before locking onto me, their heat unmistakable. His gaze hardened, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He leaned back into the sofa, surveying both of us like he'd caught us red-handed doing something wrong.His expression was unreadable, but the anger radiating from him was sharp, palpable. Only one question echoed in my mind: how did he know we were here? Rhoda had insisted he didn’t have a clue—she hadn’t even told him.“Rhoda...” His voice was low, cold, perfectly controlled, but there was a dangerous edge to it. “Care to explain what you're doing in 'my' house, without my permission?”Rhoda was silent. If I didn’t know her so well, I might’ve believed the man across from us wasn’t her brother. Seven years wasn’t much of a gap, but Aaron made it seem like a big deal.His eyes slid to me, and I braced myself. “And you,” he said, his tone growing darker, anger simmering b
~Aaron~I was an early riser... Or maybe that was the wrong word to use. I had insomnia, so sleeping was a problem.Which explained why I was in the kitchen by 4 a.m., fully dressed in my usual outfit—a suit—brewing coffee. I walked into the sitting room, glancing at the windows. It was already dawn. The sky was glowing red, a warning of the day ahead.Soon enough, the girls would be awake. Speaking of "girls"... I took a sip of my coffee before walking toward the window, staring down at the quiet city, save for a few cars and early risers moving like ghosts through the streets. I’d had a business meeting in Barcelona, which explained why I was in Spain. I was supposed to be finishing up by the weekend and returning to New York on Monday. I should’ve been thinking about work, logistics, my schedule. But I wasn’t.No, I was thinking about what I’d come back to—my house invaded by my sister and her best friend. Rhoda always had a streak of stubbornness in her, but it never flared into
~ Joan ~I rolled my eyes as soon as he left, placing my mug on the counter. Rhoda huffed out a laugh, as she leaned on the island, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.“He can be insufferable at times... But, he’s got a heart of gold,” Rhoda said, eyeing me from the corner of her eyes, as though daring me to disagree.I said nothing. Because I wasn’t going to agree with her that Aaron had a heart of gold. Nope. I was convinced he doesn’t even have one to begin with. All I ever saw was his coldness, his need for control. How she could see past that, I didn’t know.“You’re staying, right?” she asked, and I glanced at her as I rinsed the mug, the water slipping through my fingers as I tried to focus on something other than Aaron.She shifted on her feet uncomfortably, sensing the weight of my silence, as I stared at her from under my lashes.“I mean, he’ll be gone by the weekend... that’s just two days away,” she added, a little too quickly. “We could have the whole building to ourselve
~Joan~Everything happened too fast. One moment, my gown brushed against my thighs, modest and safe. The next, it was bunched around my waist, leaving me exposed.A sharp tearing sound cut through the air, final and inevitable. My panties, torn and useless. A shiver ran down my spine as the cool air hit my bare skin, and despite myself, a twisted smile crept onto my lips.I can’t believe we’re doing this. His hardness pressed insistently against me, and I arched into him, a small gasp escaping despite my efforts to stay silent.“This is what you want, right?” he whispered, his voice rough and breath hot against my ear. A knot twisted tight in my stomach as I shook my head, fighting the storm rising inside.“Don’t bring your mouth near me,” I managed, keeping my voice steady, almost detached. I couldn’t let him see the heat coursing through me.I felt the hint of a smirk against my neck as he pulled back.“Oh, Joan.” His voice was gravelly, mocking. “I have no intention of touching you
~ Joan~“It was fun, Jo. You should have seen,” Rhoda gushed over her mug of coffee. I gave an absent-minded nod as I lifted mine to my lips, the warmth doing little to ease my tangled thoughts.She'd returned last night. I'd pretended to be asleep to avoid facing her. Truthfully, I couldn't sleep at all.“He's really cute,” she muttered, her eyes lighting up with that glint they always had when she found someone or something particularly fascinating.“Saunter off again without letting me know, and he won't have a cute face anymore,” a deep baritone came from behind me, making every nerve in my body grow taut.The color drained from Rhoda's face as her gaze darted behind me. I was certain my face mirrored hers—though not for the same reason.“Aaron,” she said, her voice sharpening. I forced myself to remain composed, bracing for whatever he was about to say next.A small part of me dreaded that he might actually tell his sister we’d had sex. And that too, in the living room.The mere
Too Busy To Care ~Aaron~“We’re wrapping up the final project,” Lauren said, pointing at the screen as the slides transitioned. Her voice was crisp, professional. I tapped my fingers against my chin, considering the information.“I assume you’ve kept Mr. Hampton in the loop?” I asked, watching her expression. Lauren nodded and moved away from the screen, her focus shifting to gathering her files.The office was quiet, the others having left after the board meeting. My recent trip to Spain had paid off—I’d managed to secure a deal with a man whose investment I’d been pursuing for months.“Yes, I have. He seemed quite impressed,” Lauren replied. I nodded again and stood. She busied herself with packing her files, not sparing me a glance.This was precisely why I enjoyed working with Lauren. She wasn’t one of those women who threw coy smiles in my direction or pretended to be mesmerized by me. She didn’t care about my looks, let alone my personality—which, admittedly, was nothing to writ
~ Joan ~I glared at Aaron, who sat with his usual regal arrogance, an amused expression playing on his face. Plucking my earbuds out, I narrowed my eyes at him.“You scared me,” I snapped, pushing myself off the ground and brushing off imaginary dust.“Not my fault you decided to block out the world,” he said, his gaze flicking to the earbuds in my hand with thinly veiled disapproval. I cocked my head, annoyed.“Why were you sitting there watching me like some creep?” I asked, crossing my arms. He shrugged, his dark eyes dragging over me leisurely, setting my nerves alight.“I liked what I was seeing, so…” He let the words trail off.I huffed, turned away, and headed to the counter, pouring a glass of water. I could feel his eyes boring into my back, the weight of his attention impossible to ignore.My phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I glanced at the screen: a text from my editor.“Please tell me you’ve come up with something.”I sighed, dropping the phone fall on the coun
~ Joan ~Rhoda let out a choked laugh once we’d reached a safe distance, far enough to be sure those men weren’t on our heels anymore.Throwing her head back, she laughed again, the sound disappearing into the night air. It was 10 p.m., and the sparse crowd around us stared like we’d lost our minds.“Glad you find this funny,” I said dryly, though a faint smile tugged at my lips as I dangled my heels in the air.I’d slipped them off earlier when we’d outrun the men. How we managed to sprint so fast remained a mystery.At least I was lucky. My purse was still intact, though I was certain my fists and legs would be sore by morning.“Jo—oh, goodness,” Rhoda stammered, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks. I just stared at her.Rhoda wasn’t one to stand up for herself. She’d have been forced to tonight if I hadn’t been there.A shudder ran through me at the thought of Rhoda being dragged into something so vile. Worse still, Aaron would likely kill me if he found out anything had happe
♡Joan♡Note: If you like reading with music, try Meryl Streep’s "The Winner Takes It All." It’s even better with headphones. Enjoy! 😊🤭We left for Spain—not to visit Luna, but for a change of scenery.After a month of therapy, we were in a much better place. Healing wasn’t instant, but we were making progress.I stepped into the living room, taking in my surroundings while Aaron pulled our bags in behind me.It looked both familiar and strange at the same time, like a place I knew but hadn't seen in years. A small smile tugged at my lips.To think this was where it all began—months ago, maybe even a year.I walked over to the window where we’d first made love, my fingers brushing the glass. My scratches were still there.That surprised me. I half-expected Aaron to have changed the window, given his obsession with order. The fact that he hadn’t? Well, that made my heart do a little flip."Got any memories there?" His deep voice came from behind me.I glanced at him over my shoulder
Hiii🤭 Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, there's just a chapter left in the bonus chapters. So I'd really like to know what y'all would want to see in there 🙂. P.S: Seeing Joan and Aaron get married and have their baby would happen in the second book. Do drop your thoughts and I'd work on giving everyone the happy ending they want😊
♤Aaron♤The doctor discharged us a couple of days later and suggested we go to therapy—to help us cope with losing the baby.He had no idea how much Joan needed it. She’d seen someone die right in front of her, been caught in a shooting spree, lost our child, and seen me covered in blood. Even though she wasn’t saying much, I knew it had left scars on her.I promised myself I’d go with her to every session.That’s why I was opening the car door for her, helping her in before getting into the driver’s seat and pulling out of our compound. It was our first meeting with the therapist. She stayed quiet, staring out of the window like she wasn’t really seeing anything. It had been happening a lot.A tight feeling grew in my chest, and my grip on the steering wheel hardened."Hey. You good?" I asked.She turned to me, her eyes dull, missing the usual spark.She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, looking away.My jaw tensed.The rest of the ride passed in
♡Joan♡ I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I opened my eyes, someone was sitting next to me. Shoulders hunched, head bowed, my hand in his—and he was bloody. Damn bloody, all over. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and parched. “Aaron,” I whispered, and his eyes snapped up to meet mine almost immediately. They were bloodshot. I didn’t need anyone to tell me why. My own eyes itched and burned as I pressed my lips together to hide the tremble. “We lost the baby, didn’t we?” I asked quietly, as a tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I stared up at the ceiling. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. If I’d maybe listened to you and—” “It’s not your fault,” he cut in. His voice sounded cold, detached—very unlike Aaron. In the four years I’ve known him, he’s never sounded this... broken. I don’t know. I glanced at him. His jaw was clenched tight. My eyes traveled down his body where he sat. His shirt was soaked in blood. How badly had they hurt him? Why wasn’t he being
♡Joan♡ He got me to the car, opened the door, and helped me in. His shirt was stained, and since it was a lighter grey color, the blood was obvious. Ironic, that we were both bleeding, both capable to take lives. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his palm resting against my cheek as he locked eyes with me. “You’ll be fine. The baby will be fine too,” he said softly, and a tear slipped from my eye. Another followed, until I was crying again. I didn’t want to lose our baby. What kind of mother does that make me, if I can’t even protect my child? “What if—” “Shush,” Aaron interrupted, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I’m going back in there to finish this, okay? If I’m not out in five minutes, press this button.” He pointed to a button just beneath the steering wheel. “The car will automatically drive you wherever you need to go once you input your location in the GPS,” he added, but I shook my head. He looked away, quickly typed an address into the GPS, then tu
♤Aaron♤ A gunshot cracked through the air. Missed. I spun around, heart pounding—where the hell did that come from? My eyes snapped back to Joan. She closed her eyes, and I lost it. I pressed the trigger, hitting the leg of the bastard holding her. His groan echoed as he collapsed to one knee. His crew flinched, but my men stepped forward, guns raised and ready. One wrong move, and they’d all be dead. Hell, they’re dead already for even laying a hand on her. And if anything happened to her or our baby… God help them. I shoved my gun into the back of my jeans and crossed the distance in seconds, catching her in my arms before the man could drop her like garbage. She felt a little heavy, too still. My chest tightened. I hated this feeling. The last time I felt this helpless was when she slipped into that coma. And now? If she slipped away from me… if I lost her or the baby… I wouldn’t survive it. Killing these bastards wouldn’t be enough. I’d want them to drown in their own bl
♡Joan♡ He starved me—true to his words. I didn’t know how long I’d been here, tied and aching. It must be the early hours of the morning by now. Aaron had to know I was missing. He’d be searching, but how would he ever find me? I didn’t even know where I was. My wrists burned from the rope chafing my skin, my head throbbed, and my eyes felt too heavy to keep open. God, I wanted to sleep. I longed to be safe in Aaron’s arms, but closing my eyes here felt like asking for death. The room was quiet, for now. But if I dared to fall asleep, who knew what could happen? I shifted slightly and glanced at the man hanging upside down across from me. There was barely any life left in him. How long had he been like this, tortured and tied up? I didn’t care—but part of me was curious. After all, this was the first time I’d met my father. “How long have you been here?” I asked, my voice quiet. He didn’t answer. For a moment, I thought he was already dead. My stomach twisted at the thought of
♤Aaron♤ "What's the plan?" Denzel asked, rubbing his chin. I paced the small room, scanning the men inside. Not just any men—these were hulking, sharp-minded, and intimidating figures. Their expressions alone could send shivers down anyone’s spine, enough to make a grown man hesitate and women step back in fear. And that's why they were my best and top. "Any update, Jason?" I turned to the man seated at the far end. He was calm, his fingers gliding across his laptop’s keyboard as he scanned through data. He barely lifted his eyes before responding. "I hacked into every CCTV camera in town, but it’ll take a while to sift through the footage and pinpoint her exact location," he said. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. Time was the one thing I didn’t have. The longer this dragged on, the worse it could get for her. "Start with the cameras near her last known location," Denzel suggested, his voice steady but urgent. Jason pursed his lips, humming under his brea
♡Joan♡My head throbbed, my skull ached, and it felt like it would burst open if I moved.My eyelids were heavy, but I forced them open. Darkness greeted me first, making me doubt whether I had really opened my eyes.Had I gone blind overnight? Where was Aaron? Why was the whole house in darkness?I tried to call for him, but something was blocking my mouth. A gag. My eyes widened as memories slowly crept back, piece by piece.I was in danger. My baby was in danger. We had been taken.I wriggled my wrists, feeling sharp pain where the restraints cut into my skin. My hands were tied behind my back. That explained the ache.I jerked against the chair, trying to break free. My heart pounded wildly, each beat louder than the last. The more I struggled, the deeper the restraints bit into my skin.That would leave bruises."Don't. It'll only hurt you more," a man's voice broke through the darkness, and I froze. My breath hitched. Someone was here.In books and movies, captors usually walked