MasukShare
0017
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-31 07:33:39
Bab terkait
POWERLESS 0018
We pulled up outside a bar in the Bronx. The place had an old, worn-down feel—flickering neon signs, scratched wooden floors, and the lingering scent of whiskey and regret. A slow, bluesy tune hummed from the jukebox, setting the mood. Behind the counter, a guy in a denim apron and nothing underneath, moved with the practiced ease of someone who’d seen too much. Braxton. Candice’s long-time, on-and-off boyfriend. The moment he spotted her, she gasped dramatically and launched herself at him. “Baby!” she squealed, arms wrapping around his neck. Braxton caught her effortlessly, chuckling. “Skipped work again, huh?” I rolled my eyes and let them have their moment, absently twisting the ring on my finger. A silent reminder of everything I’d signed up for. But tonight, I was off-duty. Slipping the ring off, I ran my thumb over the slight indent it left on my skin. As if on cue, my phone vibrated inside my purse. Again. Orbot. A long list of missed calls filled my screen,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-01POWERLESS 0019
“Alexander freaking Blackwood.” Candice let out an ear-piercing squeal, spinning on her heel like she was about to launch herself at him. Whatever she was trying to do, gush over him, maybe… went horribly wrong because she promptly lost her balance and crashed onto the ground in a heap, her short skirt riding up to expose black lace underwear. Jake, still processing the shock of everything, blinked before bending down to scoop her up. She slumped against him, mumbling something incoherent, completely oblivious to the tension crackling in the air. Alexander, on the other hand, hadn’t moved. He just stood there, his silver eyes locked onto mine—unblinking, unreadable. He wore a loose brown shirt with long sleeves and matching pants, an almost careless contrast to his usual sharp attire. I was surprised he wasn’t with his bodyguard. And suddenly, I felt it. Embarrassment. No. Humiliation. I was standing in a grimy alleyway, surrounded by drunk idiots, outside a rundown bar
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-01POWERLESS 0020
I woke up with a pounding headache, my body sluggish and my mouth bitter as if I had swallowed regret overnight. What a stupid day yesterday was. Rolling out of bed, I shuffled toward the bathroom, my movements slow and mechanical. The cold water shocked my senses as I brushed my teeth and stepped into the shower, letting the heat loosen the tightness in my muscles. By the time I emerged, wrapped in a towel, the morning had fully settled in. I walked into the dressing room, scanning my options before settling on a long-sleeved blue dress with buttons running down the length to my legs. Simple, but elegant. Sliding into it, I glanced at the time it was already past eight. I checked my phone hoping to see a reply from candice but I didn’t get anything. I was going to have to call her soon afterall that’s what a real friend would do after leaving her in the arms of a typical stranger last night. Obviously, Alex is gone by now. That thought brought a small, relieved smile to my
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-01POWERLESS 0021
Hello, Mom.” I stepped into the hospital ward, my voice soft as I took in the familiar sight. The open window let in a warm breeze, carrying the faint scent of antiseptic and fresh air. The couch in the corner. Mom looked cheerful, her cheeks slightly flushed as she chatted animatedly with the nurse. “Isla!” She beamed, lifting her arms toward me. I hurried over, embracing her tightly before pressing a kiss to her cheek. Gently, I placed a bouquet of daisies her favorite on the bedside table. “You look well,” I noted, watching the way her eyes sparkled as she batted her lashes, trying to look cute. Classic Mom. She was happy. She had no idea why I was really here. I had come to tell her about the Dubai trip—an announcement handed down by none other than my contract husband. And there was no way in hell I was going to agree to his condition. Still… maybe Dubai wasn’t such a bad idea. I needed the escape. After all, I was the one who had been assaulted by Drew an
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-01POWERLESS 0001
I didn’t expect the world to crumble in a single afternoon. One moment, I was hoping for a miracle. The next, I was holding a medical report with a death sentence wrapped in a six-figure invoice. “Your mother needs immediate surgery, Miss Monroe,” the doctor had said. “If it’s not done within the next seventy-two hours, she may not survive.” He said it like he wasn’t talking about someone’s life. Like he wasn’t talking about the only person I had left in this world. When I walked out of that office, it felt like my legs weren’t mine anymore. My fingers clutched the hospital file so tightly, my nails dug into the plastic cover. I didn’t even notice when I stepped into the rain. I was numb. Cold. Lost. $500,000. That’s what it would take to save her. Five hundred thousand dollars for the surgery and the post-operative care. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. It was more than my life’s earnings. More than I’d ever seen in one place. And I had no one. No backup. No plan B
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-22POWERLESS 0002
I didn’t sleep that night. How could I? I kept staring at the check as if it might vanish if I blinked. The zeros looked like a cruel joke. Unreachable. Unreal. But they weren’t. They were real. Tangible. Enough to save my mother’s life. And yet, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The thought of marrying a man I had never met, a man so far from my world, so powerful, so unknown it should’ve terrified me. And it did. But not more than the sight of my mother’s pale face and shallow breathing in that hospital room. So, when the clock struck 11:59 p.m., I found myself exactly where I swore I wouldn’t be. Standing outside Blackwood Towers. I hesitated at the entrance, the towering glass structure looming above me like a fortress. The city lights reflected off its sleek walls. Cold and intimidating. I would’ve preferred a more normal meeting maybe in a house or something but I didn’t know the location of the Blackwood estate. Hell… nobody did. The security guard had been expecting me. H
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-22POWERLESS 0003
The first thing I noticed was the silence. It wasn’t the peaceful kind. No. This one was suffocating, heavy, eerie like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The Blackwood estate was unlike anything I had ever seen. More like a fortress than a home. A sprawling mansion built from polished gray stone, lined with steel gates, surveillance cameras, and perfectly trimmed hedges that looked like they had never known chaos. Just like him. The driver dropped me off at the entrance and left without a word. I stood there for a moment, suitcase in hand, feeling like an outsider about to trespass into a world I didn’t belong in. The massive double doors opened, and a woman in a dark uniform appeared. “Mrs. Blackwood,” she said, bowing slightly. “Welcome.” Mrs. Blackwood. The words made my chest tighten. I wasn’t a wife. Not in the way anyone imagined. Not in the way I once dreamed of. No love. No vows. No warmth. Just a signature on paper and a ticking clock counting down my
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-22POWERLESS 0004
Two days in the Blackwood mansion felt like two weeks in a snow globe. Perfect from the outside, cold and suffocating on the inside. I wandered aimlessly from hallway to hallway, trying to find meaning in the silence. But I couldn’t shake the weight in my chest, the guilt pressing harder with every breath. It had been three weeks since I signed my life away. Three whole weeks since I’d seen my mother. No matter how lavish my surroundings were, I still felt like a daughter who had abandoned her. I had to see her. “Please… just for a few hours,” I told the driver. His eyes flickered with hesitation probably wondering why someone like me, Mrs. Blackwood, wanted to visit a rundown government hospital in the slums instead of sipping champagne in a penthouse spa. Still, he nodded and opened the car door, mumbling something under his breath as he drove me to the shacks. The hospital hadn’t changed. But being Mrs. Blackwood had changed my perspective. Now, I saw every cracked wa
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-22
Bab terbaru
POWERLESS 0021
Hello, Mom.” I stepped into the hospital ward, my voice soft as I took in the familiar sight. The open window let in a warm breeze, carrying the faint scent of antiseptic and fresh air. The couch in the corner. Mom looked cheerful, her cheeks slightly flushed as she chatted animatedly with the nurse. “Isla!” She beamed, lifting her arms toward me. I hurried over, embracing her tightly before pressing a kiss to her cheek. Gently, I placed a bouquet of daisies her favorite on the bedside table. “You look well,” I noted, watching the way her eyes sparkled as she batted her lashes, trying to look cute. Classic Mom. She was happy. She had no idea why I was really here. I had come to tell her about the Dubai trip—an announcement handed down by none other than my contract husband. And there was no way in hell I was going to agree to his condition. Still… maybe Dubai wasn’t such a bad idea. I needed the escape. After all, I was the one who had been assaulted by Drew an
POWERLESS 0020
I woke up with a pounding headache, my body sluggish and my mouth bitter as if I had swallowed regret overnight. What a stupid day yesterday was. Rolling out of bed, I shuffled toward the bathroom, my movements slow and mechanical. The cold water shocked my senses as I brushed my teeth and stepped into the shower, letting the heat loosen the tightness in my muscles. By the time I emerged, wrapped in a towel, the morning had fully settled in. I walked into the dressing room, scanning my options before settling on a long-sleeved blue dress with buttons running down the length to my legs. Simple, but elegant. Sliding into it, I glanced at the time it was already past eight. I checked my phone hoping to see a reply from candice but I didn’t get anything. I was going to have to call her soon afterall that’s what a real friend would do after leaving her in the arms of a typical stranger last night. Obviously, Alex is gone by now. That thought brought a small, relieved smile to my
POWERLESS 0019
“Alexander freaking Blackwood.” Candice let out an ear-piercing squeal, spinning on her heel like she was about to launch herself at him. Whatever she was trying to do, gush over him, maybe… went horribly wrong because she promptly lost her balance and crashed onto the ground in a heap, her short skirt riding up to expose black lace underwear. Jake, still processing the shock of everything, blinked before bending down to scoop her up. She slumped against him, mumbling something incoherent, completely oblivious to the tension crackling in the air. Alexander, on the other hand, hadn’t moved. He just stood there, his silver eyes locked onto mine—unblinking, unreadable. He wore a loose brown shirt with long sleeves and matching pants, an almost careless contrast to his usual sharp attire. I was surprised he wasn’t with his bodyguard. And suddenly, I felt it. Embarrassment. No. Humiliation. I was standing in a grimy alleyway, surrounded by drunk idiots, outside a rundown bar
POWERLESS 0018
We pulled up outside a bar in the Bronx. The place had an old, worn-down feel—flickering neon signs, scratched wooden floors, and the lingering scent of whiskey and regret. A slow, bluesy tune hummed from the jukebox, setting the mood. Behind the counter, a guy in a denim apron and nothing underneath, moved with the practiced ease of someone who’d seen too much. Braxton. Candice’s long-time, on-and-off boyfriend. The moment he spotted her, she gasped dramatically and launched herself at him. “Baby!” she squealed, arms wrapping around his neck. Braxton caught her effortlessly, chuckling. “Skipped work again, huh?” I rolled my eyes and let them have their moment, absently twisting the ring on my finger. A silent reminder of everything I’d signed up for. But tonight, I was off-duty. Slipping the ring off, I ran my thumb over the slight indent it left on my skin. As if on cue, my phone vibrated inside my purse. Again. Orbot. A long list of missed calls filled my screen,
POWERLESS 0017
“Girl, you’ve been through a lot.”Candice slurped her ramen noisily, twirling the noodles around her chopsticks with practiced ease. Beside her sat a can of flat Diet Coke just the way she liked it. Don’t ask me why. She’s just weird like that.I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I don’t even know what to say, Candice. The whole thing is just so… bizarre.”Leaning in, I tugged her ear playfully. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone about this, okay? Just between us.”Candice snorted. “Girl, you think I’d go around spilling your Blackwood mansion drama? Please. Everyone already thinks you’re living the dream over there. And honestly?” She jabbed a chopstick at me. “It kinda looks like you are.”If only she knew.Two weeks. That’s how long I’d been trapped in that house since Nadia’s bizarre suicide, suffocating under the weight of grief and secrets I still didn’t understand. Nadia’s sudden death had left a heavy silence in the estate, the room she was discovered in, permanently sealed like a
POWERLESS 0016
“You can’t possibly be serious right now.” I stormed into his study without knocking, without a shred of courtesy. My fury propelled me forward, my footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. This was my first time stepping into his study, and just like his room, it carried the same dark, brooding aura. Alexander sat behind a sleek black oak desk, stacks of files in front of him. The blinds were drawn, blocking out the moonlight, leaving only the dim glow of the desk lamp to illuminate his face. The soft, golden light cast shadows over his sharp features, making him look even more unapproachable. He didn’t flinch at my intrusion. Instead, his gaze lifted lazily from the documents. “What do you want?” His voice was calm, detached like my outburst was nothing more than an annoying interruption. My anger flared. I marched straight to his desk and slammed the passports and tickets down in front of him. “You’re asking me what I want?” My voice wavered between disbelief and fury. “A
POWERLESS 0015
The days after Nadia’s death were the most toxic, suffocating days I had ever experienced. And that didn’t stop the press. They swarmed outside the estate gates, cameras flashing, eager to capture a glimpse of the very window where Nadia had hung herself. The funeral wasn’t what I expected either. It wasn’t like the ones on television, where people wept openly, their sobs cutting through the air. Instead, it was eerily quiet. Only Drew, his mother… who, surprisingly, didn’t cry as much anymore… and a handful of family members attended. I wasn’t allowed to speak to any of them. I stood beside Alexander, feeling the weight of their stares like invisible shackles. We were all dressed in black. A man with jet-black hair, introduced as Mr. Bolivar, Alexander’s new bodyguard stood nearby. Celeste, too. And unlike everyone else, she wore a bright pink blouse and black pants, as if the occasion was a fashion show instead of a funeral. Even now, she went to great lengths to get Alexande
POWERLESS 0014
“Call Drew! Call my son! Where is Drew?!” Gratia’s voice was raw with agony as she collapsed into the arms of a trembling maid, her wails piercing through the heavy silence. The weight of her grief was suffocating, thick enough to steal the breath from the air. I stood frozen, my body unwilling to move. My mind refused to process what I was seeing. I had seen death before, my grandmother’s funeral had been somber yet peaceful. A body laid to rest in a coffin, dressed in dignity. This was different. This was suicide. Nadia’s lifeless eyes remained open, staring at nothing. Her skin was ashen under the dim lighting, the heavy red curtains casting eerie shadows across the room. My stomach twisted violently, bile rising to my throat as I tore my gaze away. Beside me, Lucy stood motionless, her face drained of color. The air crackled with whispers and frantic murmurs blending into Gratia’s broken cries. Then, Lucy’s warm fingers wrapped around my wrist. “Come, sit,” she m
POWERLESS 0013
“Of course, Celeste, I know that. I’m married to Alex, remember?” I lied, letting out a light, almost amused laugh as I stared into her dumb eyes. Or at least, what I wanted to believe were dumb eyes. In truth, this woman was anything but. There was a sharpness beneath her doll-like beauty, that made me feel like I should tread lightly. I hadn’t known this hospital belonged to Alex, but the revelation didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me, however, was seeing Celeste here. After the strange way I’d been introduced to her, I never thought I’d come across her again. And yet, here she was, standing before me like a ghost I couldn’t shake off. Celeste tilted her head slightly, her smirk never faltering, her gaze sharp and unwavering. “What are you doing here?” I froze. My mind scrambled for a lie. I couldn’t tell her I was here to see my mother. There was something about her that made my instincts scream danger—like she knew Beatrice. And if Beatrice had meant something to Ale
