∆IVORY∆"Ivory?"When his warm voice reached my ear, that hot breath sent shivers down my spine. I jerked when my eyes opened wide, and before I knew it, I shoved him away with all my strength."You did more already," I huffed, pulling the blanket up to cover myself. "I don't think I need to take any responsibility.""More?" Alexander raised an eyebrow leaning closer to my face, that moving lips of his, reminding the passionate kiss we shared last night."Yeah," Turning my face, I grumbled, and tightened my grip on the blanket. "First, you hurt me in the hospital. Then, I was just having fun with my friend, and instead of letting me enjoy my life, you dragged me back here even though you knew I was drunk." I sighed dramatically trying my best to keep blame on him rather than me solely being a culprit. "As I said, mistakes do happen when we are drunk, and besides, it's not like you’re a girl, so you don’t have to suffer anything!"Alexander crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly
∆IVORY∆"Unbelievable? If I’m not like this, how can I handle that hammerhead nephew of yours?" I huffed, crossing my arms, being proud of myself.Patting my head like I was some puppy, Alexander chuckled. "That’s great, I’m so proud of you, but don’t hide things from me again, I'm worried about you." "I shouldn’t hide, but you do," I muttered under my breath slightly glancing at him, narrowing his eyes, he asked, "What did I even hide from you?" I bit my lip, feeling dramatic, "About your boyfriend," I thought to myself but didn’t dare to say it aloud since it's his personal matter. Instead, I blinked my eyes at him suspiciously.He, however, had the audacity to pull my cheeks like I was a five-year-old. "Since you want to take responsibility for me, get ready, I'll be taking you to a place." Is he taking me on a picnic or something? Why is he acting like father coaxing his child? What does he even think of me? A kindergarten student?"A place?" I raised an eyebrow.He nodded, lo
∆NO POV∆"What would we even do in an auction event?" Ivory scratched her head with an innocent face.Alexander smiled, sighing inwardly, "What kind of adorable expression is that? Does she even know how hard it is for me to control myself when she looks at me like this?" Ivory, completely unaware of the effect she had on him, tapped her chin thoughtfully. "What exactly are we going to do in an auction event?" Holding her hand, Alexander pulled her along with him. "You'll know soon, but for now, let's go."As they entered the grand venue, attendants handed out elegant masks. Alexander took one and effortlessly placed it over his face before handing another to Ivory.She checked the sparkling mask carefully with a confused face. "Wait… is this a masquerade ball or something? Why do we need to wear these?"Alexander smirked, adjusting his cufflinks. "Because people don’t like their identities revealed during the auction, for confidentiality purposes, in elite auction events, they use
∆NO POV∆"Is he going to stay silent throughout the ride?" Ivory thought to herself while stealing glances in between awkward silence.Alexander sighed inwardly, "Only if she knew what she meant to me, things might be different in between us." The drive back to the hotel was quieter than usual, the tension lingering between Alexander and Ivory like an unspoken agreement of mutual understanding."A billion-dollar worth contract deal," Alexander said casually, as if he was discussing the weather, "I already discussed everything with them. They’re so eager to meet you, but since you went missing, I had to delay it." He shot a serious glance at her, "While I was worried about you and your deal, you were out here enjoying yourself with your friend and male strippers." Ivory immediately lowered her head, out of guilt, and mumbled in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Mr. Kingston."Alexander couldn't stay angry with her anymore, and he raised his hand gently to pat on her head, as she looked like
∆NO POV∆"Can you stop this nonsense of yours Pearl?" Ivory sighed at Pearl's dramatic words, while she herself was overwhelmed by the gifts Alexander is giving to her.She is in a situation where she couldn't say yes to those gifts, at the same time not ready to say no to him because of his threatening her they'll be nothing to each other if she were to decline his gifts.Pearl leaned back on the headrest of the bed, scrolling through her phone with a sly grin while Ivory was busy staring at her own mobile.The mood in the room was calm, until Pearl gasped dramatically."Well, well, well… look what we have here." She turned her phone toward Ivory, showing her the screen clearly. "Mr. Alexander Kingston and his boyfriend on a romantic dinner date in the city of London!"Ivory blinked hard, staring at the article in surprise.Pearl couldn't help but to be surprised just like Ivory, "I thought he was here for you, isn't he here for you?"Ivory didn’t respond immediately. Her expression
∆NO POV∆"OH. MY. GOD."Pearl's eyes widened in shock when she refreshed the news feed.Ivory looked up from her sulking. "What now? What did you find out now?" Pearl turned her phone around, and showed the latest update to Ivory."EXCLUSIVE: Mr. Alexander Kingston confirms his romance with a longtime lover! Tomorrow, they are to be engaged in London officially." Ivory’s stomach dropped. "Wait, what?!"Pearl scrolled down, showing the pictures of Alexander and Eric looking suspiciously too comfortable, with Eric dramatically clutching Alexander’s arm and Alexander grinning like an idiot.Ivory clenched her jaw, forcing a neutral expression to hide her real feelings. "That’s a bit much… but they look good together, if he has found his true love, whether it’s a boy or a girl, then I’m happy for him." Pearl smirked, leaning in closer to her face. "Still not disappointed?" Ivory rolled her eyes before grabbing a pillow and tossing it at Pearl’s face. Pearl burst into laughter. "Ohh
∆ALEXANDER∆"Eric is right," I thought to myself, remembering our conversation from earlier. "Man, thanks to you, she'll misunderstand me even more," I signed running my hand through hair out of frustration, as I knew our conversation with media will be telecasted and Ivory will see it, if she were to see it, I couldn't even imagine what might happen to me! What will she think of me? What if she also misunderstands me just like everyone? We are already struggling to understand what we are to each other, and now this guy made it worse for me."No misunderstanding dude, I just helped you," Eric had countered confidently with that fish head of his."How exactly?" I frowned leaning back in my car seat."These girls are complicated Alex," he had said, waving his hand like some wise sage who is more experienced in understanding girls, "Unless you provoke them, they'll never admit the truth, with what we did today, if she has even the slightest feelings for you, she’ll react for sure, thi
∆IVORY∆"Couple outfits?" I couldn't help but to be surprised when I stared at Alexander in disbelief. "Why are we wearing matching outfits? What's happening here?" Alexander, however, chose the most effective strategy known to mankind, complete and utter avoidance. Instead of answering me, he simply turned to the stylist beside me. I crossed my arms, tapping my foot against the floor as impatience bubbled inside me. Here we go, his signature charming smile, one that could probably convince even the sun to shine at midnight, and with that same heart-stealing smile, he smoothly thanked her, "Thanks for preparing her, I appreciate your efforts."The stylist grinned, clearly charmed by him. Meanwhile, I huffed, shifting my weight from one foot to another, resisting the urge to grab his arm and shake some answers out of him. But before I could speak, she gave me a gentle smile and left the room, leaving me with the enigma known as Alexander Kingston.I crossed my arms, refusing to l
∆NO POV∆"Did you check the condition of the patient once again?" The senior doctor asked the junior doctor in duty, with a low hum, the junior doctor replied, "I checked, her blood pressure not reducing no matter what we did." The senior doctor looked slightly worried about the situation of Jessica, "maybe it's due to stress and trauma because of miscarriage." "I'll try my best," the junior doctor said with a faint smile.The beeping in the room was distant.Steady.... Rhythmic.... Mocking.Jessica stared at the ceiling, unmoving and with a stern face.The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to her skin, to her hair, to her throat. Her body felt like it wasn’t hers, light and heavy all at once. Her hands rested on her stomach, flat and hollow now, and it struck her all over again.Gone.The word had lost its meaning, it felt too small, too clean, what she felt was anything but clean. What she felt was chaos, and shame, and something worse, a strange, quiet emptiness that didn’t eve
∆NO POV∆"Jacob...." Jessica groaned in pain, Jacob gently held her hand, "you'll be fine, don't worry." The hospital waiting room was cold, not just in temperature, but with everything. The sterile scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, mingling with tension so thick it pressed down on everyone’s chests.Jessica had been wheeled into the emergency room barely twenty minutes ago, screaming in pain, blood soaking through her pale pink designer dress. The chaos of the press conference now felt like a distant nightmare. Here, in the hospital's dim light, the aftermath was beginning to settle like ash after a fire.Jacob sat in the corner, elbows on his knees, hands tangled in his hair. His eyes were wild and rimmed with red, fixed on the door behind which Jessica had disappeared.Valeria stood near the window, arms crossed, her face is hard as a stone.Robert paced a short distance away, phone pressed to his ear, whispering frantically to someone on the other end.The silence brok
∆NO POV∆"A husband standing up for his wife, since from when it is labelled as a sin?" Eric sneered, eyeing on Jacob, Robert and Valeria, especially glared at Jessica who caused all the mess in Ivory's life.Alexander adjusted his coat and glanced at Ivory with a smile, "If protecting my wife is a sin, then I don't mind being a sinner." In an instant, the entire scenario in the conference hall has changed.Jacob felt inwardly, "So, Ivory never lied, she almost got molested and forced by this bastard, then why did Jessie said Ivory was lying about that out of jealousy back then?" "Mr. Alexander, you were not wrong to attack such an abusive person," one female reporter said firmly."Not at all.""You were right to stop him, we are proud that you took a stand not just for your wife but for all women." A wave of support filled through the hall.But one question came cutting through the noise, sharp as a knife."What about your family?" A reporter hired by Valeria asked, stepping forwa
∆NO POV∆"Is he really here?" "Mr. Eric Lawrence by his side, what are they planning?" "Are they here to answer or apologise?" The grand conference hall buzzed with anticipation, every seat filled, every camera focused from the main stage to Alexander and Ivory.The air was thick with curiosity, as all the reporters and industry giants whispered among themselves, hungry for a story that would make headlines across the country.Just then, the trio made an appearance in the conference hall.Alexander stepped into the hall, radiating command in his black tailored suit, beside him walked Ivory, dressed in a pristine cream-colored outfit that mirrored her name. Her eyes, though soft, held a slight nervousness, and at her other side, calm and confident as always, was Eric, his demeanor as casual as his untucked shirt and smug grin.The moment they stepped inside, the energy shifted into new level.The crowd rushed forward, reporters scrambling to reach them, microphones and flashes risi
∆NO POV∆"I'll take care of it," Alexander said and hung up the call, he had a long conversation with Eric about the press meet Jacob is planning along with that investor.It was nearly midnight, he totally forgot the time while talking in the call, once he was done with the call, he decided to speak with Ivory, knowing she needs him by her side now.While Ivory sat curled on the couch, the TV off, but the screen still casting a pale glow across the room. She clutched a pillow to her chest, eyes distant just like how she was lost in her own thoughts.Alexander stepped in, carrying two cups of lavender tea."Still awake?" He asked gently.She nodded with a smile. "I can’t sleep, with everything going on I can't even imagine taking a nap without worrying, tomorrow they’ll say useless things about you… and about me, that Jacob is looking for an opportunity to ruin you, they wants Kingston group of companies to be theirs, and now we ourselves gave them a chance to turn things against yo
∆NO POV∆"Nothing," Alexander said calmly with a smile, Ivory blinked, being confused by his answer. "What do you mean by nothing?"Just then, the door got opened, and Eric walked in, carrying a leather folder in one arm and a confident grin is on his face."Is he your plan?" Ivory asked, glancing between the two men who just smiled at each other.Eric leaned over and casually wrapped an arm around Ivory's shoulder. "Yes, my dear princess, and I brought you one of the best gifts, a very important one." He held up a slim black pendrive between his fingers."You found it? That quickly?" Alexander asked, his tone instantly sharper, and curious.Eric nodded, tossing the pendrive into Alexander's hand. "What did you even think of me? I'm the best, and every rotten truth about that scumbag is here, he is much worse than we thought." Ivory looked between them, trying to keep up. "What is that?"Eric turned to her, with a serious face. "The dark secrets of that investor bastard, the man your
∆NO POV∆"Ivory, did you look at the news? What's happening?" Pearl's message out of nowhere in the morning made Ivory to look into the news early in the morning."Heir to Kingston Empire Attacks Respected Investor" "Violence at High-Class Restaurant""Who Is the Woman Behind the Blow?"Headlines screamed with speculation, as a video surrounding everywhere, which was clearly shot on someone’s phone, captured the moment Alexander's fist collided with the investor’s jaw. It looped over and over on social media platforms, it didn't take long before phone calls started pouring in.Ivory looked stunned looking at the news and the number of phone calls he is getting because of that particular incident.Alexander was in his study with a clenched jaw, as the screen of his phone lit up with Jacob’s name. He ignored it once. Twice. But the third time, he picked up with an irritated face."You’re out of your damn mind, aren’t you?" Jacob sneered through the speaker, "When you teach us how t
∆IVORY POV∆"You can stop flirting," I blushed slightly, but he just smiled at me, I'm not sure what got into me when I kissed him, but I really wanted to do it very badly.I thought he would be teasing me about that kiss forever, but thankfully he didn't even mention about that, for some reason I felt protected and relieved.Maybe from now onwards whenever I see that man, I won't be scared like before, because there's someone who trusts me and stands by my side.The car ride home was silent.Not cold or awkward… just quiet still our eyes and hearts spoke more than any words can do.My fingers remained laced tightly on my lap, and I could still feel the warmth of Alexander’s hand over mine earlier, right before he stormed back into the restaurant and threw that punch that echoed louder than any scream I could’ve let out.He hadn’t said a word after our conversation, but I can see him being protective for me.His jaw was still tight, his eyes on the road, knuckles bruised and scraped.
∆ALEXANDER POV∆"Do you think you deserve to live?" My knuckles collided with his jaw before I even heard myself curse.The crack was satisfying. Not just because of the force, but because it silenced him. The smirk wiped clean off his arrogant face, replaced by blood and the stunned realization that someone wasn’t afraid of him.My blood boiled just after knowing this man dared to hurt my Ivory, how can I even allow him to live after what he has done to her?Gasps echoed through the restaurant, champagne glasses froze mid-air, whispers rippled around like wildfire, but I didn’t care.I don't care, because he dared to touch her and he deserves to die.All I saw was him, the bastard who dared to lay a hand on my woman, the fear in Ivory's eyes after seeing him, the woman on whose face I wanted nothing but a smile, but she cried, and looked scared, it's all because of that damn man.He stumbled back, crashing into a table behind him. I stepped forward, my fists still clenched, vision