AthenaThe knock on the door before the push still couldn't take my mind away from last night's scenario. I couldn’t focus. Not at work, not anywhere. My mind kept replaying the moment—Lucien, cold and indifferent, touching me in front of another woman. I hate to admit that she is his wife now. Damn the fucking title! I should’ve felt triumphant, powerful even. Instead, a knot of frustration tightened in my chest. What did it mean? Was he training her? punishing or, or worse—trying to humiliate her?I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as Ethan stood in front of me. His charming, fearless demeanour only added to my irritation. He was supposed to be my ally, not Moore’s. Yet here he was, explaining why he was being "kind" to her.“Why are you so concerned about Moore?” I asked coldly, my voice laced with suspicion. I wasn’t in the mood for his games. His loyalty was starting to irritate me.And besides, why on earth is she not at work?He shrugged casually, his smirk
Lucien“Tell me, what will you have done to him? I thought you didn’t care,” Gregory asked, placing the files in front of me with that same smug look he’d worn ever since I ordered Mauro’s release.“Greg…” I began.“He only helped her. You can’t just pull him away from his work because of that,” Gregory interjected. “I know you want to punish anyone who’s aided her, but taking that young man away from her will only make you look like a jealous husband. And you know what that means—people will think you actually care.”I didn’t lift my gaze from the files I was signing. Why was Gregory pushing for me to overlook this? Ethan from the hospital had dared to help Moore cover her tracks, all while the press screamed about her supposed infidelity—an affair just days into my marriage.The irony was, I didn’t care what the tabloids thought; in fact, I wanted her hated. But I couldn’t ignore the bitterness that surfaced at the thought. My reasons for wanting her despised went beyond public scru
Moore.I paced relentlessly around the room, biting my nails in nervous, futile rebellion.Lucien will be home soon, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d do now. The air felt charged with an impending storm, and I was its sole target.I never felt this restless before, but after he left me with a warning of him returning and that I should be ready, plus my sister's revelation on her instructions to Mr. McWood, I find it hard to be calm.Why would my sister instruct Jordan to go to Lucien? What on earth did she expect him to do? If anything, Lucien would never care about my safety. If he was keeping me alive, it was only so he could be the one to end me himself, on his terms. The notion sent a shiver through my spine.The phone in my hand buzzed, and I jolted. It was the first time in five years that I'd held a gadget this freely, and I still wasn’t used to the feeling of having one again, the cold metal alien against my skin. Emily had insisted on it, a “gift” she said, though I c
MooreThe questions roiled inside me, each one more troubling than the last. I watched as Lucien put his phone away, his gaze pinned on me with unsettling intensity. Vivian? What did he plan to do with her?I fought to keep my terror hidden, but his eyes seemed to see right through me. That smirk on his lips—it was as if he could hear every frantic thought racing through my mind.“You look worried, Moore,” he murmured, his voice smooth and dangerous. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Freedom from my money and my control?”I clenched my fists, trying to hold onto a shred of defiance. “My freedom isn’t yours to grant or deny.”But I needed to know why Vivian and her mother had been summoned.“Is that so?” His brow arched, a taunting gleam in his eye. “No questions? None at all?”The anger and fear twisted inside me, shame washing over me forever believing I could escape his grip.“What’s the matter?” he pressed, stepping closer, his voice a low, taunting whisper. “Cat got your tongue?”“I ju
LucienI couldn't take my eyes away from her portrait as I sat quietly in my study.In a few minutes, it would be that day.The very day I lost her to the cold hands of death.All Moore's fault.“Daddy, I met someone today, and she looked just like Mommy.”“Guess what, Daddy? She's so kind to me.”“Daddy, I want her as my mommy. I want her to be my mommy.”“Daddy, just for the one year I’d have left, I want a mommy… I want her to follow me to school for the school play. I want her to watch me act Juliet.”“Daddy, she smiled at me. She loved me. Please, Daddy, marry her. Ask her to marry you. No one says no to you.”Her voice rang so deeply in my head that I found it hard to breathe.All Moore had to do five years ago was say yes. I just wanted her for a year because my little princess did.I had to go the extra mile, buying the largest shares in her father's damn company to get her. I couldn't court her properly because if she had at least given me an audience, I would have told her I
MooreThe silence was suffocating, a cruel reminder of my place in this house. Watching Vivian's mother and two others silently clean up the mess Lucien had made while breaking into my room earlier made the lump in my throat even harder to swallow.They avoided my gaze, their movements tense and deliberate, as though I was the source of their misery. Just a few days here, and I had already made an enemy of myself. Lucien chasing Vivian away because of my recklessness had only solidified their disdain.I had tried to help—picking up broken pieces of wood, or anything I could—but the sharp, curt dismissal from Vivian’s mother made it clear: I was nothing more than a burden here.“Don’t make things worse for us,” she’d said, her tone cutting through me like a blade.I sank to the floor, clutching my knees as I stared blankly ahead, my mind spiraling down paths of regret and longing. What would my life have looked like if I had chosen differently?Maybe I would have been independent, weal
MooreI wanted to protest, to fight back the way I did on the night my fate was sealed with Lucien. But my mind was too consumed with the thought of finally getting answers as I walked briskly behind Linn. His grip on my wrist was so tight it felt like my skin might tear.A few steps from Linn’s door, he abruptly released my wrist, his expression cold as he issued a warning.“Head straight to the red room,” he ordered. “You know the way, right? Boss said to use the bathroom and change into the clothes you’ll find on the floor beside the door. You’ve got ten minutes. If you value your life, don’t waste a second.”With that, he turned and walked away. I watched him leave, standing there.I sighed and trudged toward that dreaded room, my heart heavy with the knowledge that it likely held my end.I wanted to turn around, to run as far as I could, to escape whatever awaited me behind that door. But I couldn’t.This time, it wasn’t because I knew I wouldn’t make it past the front door or be
Lucien“Lucien…”I didn’t turn. Midnight had struck, and there were more pressing matters at hand—like making sure Moore paid for her sins.“Lucien, please…” Her voice trailed behind me, desperate and urgent. Athena was relentless, her footsteps quick as she tried to catch up, but I could feel the weight of her desperation in her tone. And God, I hated it. Desperation. Clinging. Weakness.She reached for me, but I raised my hand sharply, stopping her before she could touch me. My steps halted, and I turned to face her with a calmness that masked the irritation bubbling beneath my skin.“You will go home tonight, Athena,” I said coldly, my voice slicing through the air. “And you will not return until whatever ridiculous thing building up in that heart of yours has died down.” I raised my gaze to meet hers, holding it with brutal intensity. “Completely.”Her steps faltered, her hands trembling as they hung at her sides. Her lips parted slightly, as if to protest, but no words came out.
MooreLucien’s door was locked.I stood at the entrance, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, feeling the slight dampness of sweat on my skin. The scent of the food I had been cooking still clung to me, and I frowned, suddenly self-conscious. Should I have taken a shower before coming here? Maybe changed into something more… decent?I glanced down at my outfit—tiny shorts and a tank top that did absolutely nothing to hide my skin. The idea of facing Lucien like this made my stomach turn. Not because I cared what he thought, I told myself, but because I didn’t want him to think I had dressed this way for him. I would never do that.Would I?No. Absolutely not.Still, the urge to rush back to my room and grab a robe or something less revealing was strong. But I stayed put, pressing my hands together as I tried to steady myself. Whatever reason he had for calling me here, I doubted my outfit would be the focus.Lucien never needed a reason to be cruel.I wondered what my offens
Lucien"But I'm cooking," Moore protested, her voice clipped, eyes fixed on the floor as if she were speaking to herself rather than me.The sheer audacity of her response made something snap inside me. Cooking? That was her excuse?My jaw clenched as I took a step closer, towering over her. "Did I ask?" My tone was sharp, edged with something dangerous.Her lips pressed into a thin line, and I saw it—the hesitation, the defiance she wanted to suppress but couldn’t completely hide.She was angry. I could see it in her. And it wasn't because I interrupted her cooking session or whatever hobby she picked up in my absence, but because Athena was there. She thought I invited Athena, to possibly humiliate her.But Alas does she know I wanted her, her pussy and not that of Athena's.No offense but I find it hard to fuck Athena anymore. I have this insatiable hunger to end our contacts, but that would only mean I wanted Moore. More than I had intended. I can't risk finding that out. “No.”
Lucien"I know you better than anyone… So tell me, why did you linger in London when we could have actually taken care of everything perfectly well from Italy? You made me stay more than two weeks apart from my—"Gregory abruptly cut himself off, his frustration evident as he paced the length of the private jet."From your?" I arched a brow, narrowing my gaze at him.Greg hesitated, his jaw locking. He would rather bite his tongue than complete that sentence."I guess you already knew," he muttered, walking briskly towards the exit ramp, leaving me alone with my thoughts while I let out a slight chuckle.I didn't reply. Instead,I walked into the car, and leaned back against my seat, staring out of the small oval window. The city lights of Milan stretched beneath us, golden threads weaving through the night.I hadn't been able to get Moore out of my head for even a second, not even in the extra two days I spent in London. No matter how hard I tried, she kept invading my mind—her face,
Arthur“The Venice deal is back on our radar after ghosting us. Lucien must have rejected them.”Eric's voice cut through the silence of my office as he strode toward me, placing a thick file on my desk.I leaned back in my chair, my fingers tapping lightly on the glossy surface of the proposal. Lucien must have felt insulted. That man had power—wealth beyond measure—and yet, it didn't take much to weaken an empire. A single crack in the foundation, the right pressure applied to the right wound, and even the strongest could crumble.And that was why I didn’t just want to beat Lucien in business. I needed to go deeper. I needed to strike where it would hurt the most.I have his whore wrapped in my hands for a starter and I'm pushing way beyond that.Eric pushed another file toward me, filled with details about Lucien’s holdings, movements, investments. But I was barely looking at them. For the past five years, I had been nothing more than a shadow, working behind the scenes, maneuverin
MooreI froze at the sight of him.Jordan McWood.The last time I saw him, I’d been undressed, humiliated beyond words, and in no state to properly face him. And yet, here he was, standing right in front of me as if nothing had happened.Vivian had also been implicated in that rash decision of mine and I had hoped Lucien hadn't done anything to him too.He seemed like such a cool guy who stood for me even when he had no idea who I was.Without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him in a brief hug. It was instinctive, something I hadn’t planned, but it felt… right. He had been kind to me, and after everything, kindness was something I couldn’t take for granted.When I pulled away, I cleared my throat awkwardly, realizing what I’d just done. "Sorry," I muttered. "I just… I never got the chance to properly thank you for what you did for me that day."Jordan smiled. "You don’t have to thank me, Moo… Mrs Giodarno.""No, I do." I shook my head. "You went out of your way
MooreI furrowed my brows, walking directly out of the hospital.Someone was waiting for me outside.A strange occurrence, considering who I am now. If it were Lucien, he wouldn’t have bothered with something as simple as waiting outside. He would have walked in like he owned the damn place, his presence enough to silence a room.Lillard? Possibly. But what reason did he have to meet me so urgently?I sighed, slipping my phone back into my uniform pocket as I made my way toward the exit. I had left Mirabel with Ethan for now, and I didn’t want to waste time on whatever nonsense this was.The moment I pushed the heavy hospital doors open and stepped into the crisp evening air, I stopped dead in my tracks.Grey Addison.For a split second, I didn’t recognize him.He looked like a man who had just crawled out of hell. His usual arrogance had been buried beneath exhaustion, his once-polished appearance now tainted with disorder and pain. His right arm was wrapped carefully, and even from
Moore"You’re just determined to make Georgia hate you, aren’t you?" I said, glancing at Ethan as we walked side by side through the hospital hallway. His hands were full, carrying all the cleaning supplies like it was nothing."Well, I don’t give two fucks about her," he replied without hesitation, his tone cool and indifferent.I sighed, shaking my head. "You really don’t seem to understand that she likes you."Ethan shot me a sideways glance, his expression unreadable. "Are you interceding for her? That’s a shame." His voice was serious, but I caught the slight amusement beneath it.I frowned. "What? No. I just think you’re usually good at reading a room. This whole act of yours is only making her hate me more, though." I shrugged, resting my hands behind my back as we continued walking.Ethan ducked his head slightly, his piercing gaze settling on me. "Do you want her to like you?"I blinked, momentarily thrown off by his directness. It was unexpected. Ethan wasn’t exactly the typ
Moore"It pays to be a billionaire’s wife. Only someone with such status will resume work three weeks after her first day," Brittany sneered, her sharp eyes narrowing in disgust.I remembered my first day at this hospital vividly—Brittany had hurled insult after insult at me.Now, nothing had changed.I glanced at her, my expression blank, radiating an indifference I knew would only piss her off more.I don’t give a damn what you think about me.I wasn’t here for Brittany or anyone else. I was looking for one person.Ethan.It felt like months since I last came here. The memories of that day were still raw, still bleeding.I had stopped coming after Ethan had given me those jackets, a moment of kindness that had cost me dearly.Lucien had punished me for it.By dragging Athena to his bedroom.By making me watch. He had also had me whipped the next morning, rendering my body useless while he also made sure my clothes, the very one I and Lillard got were burned.A violent shudder ran do
AthenaMoore was carried by Lucien!I stared at my phone, frozen.The image burned into my mind like a cruel joke, one I couldn't wake up from. My grip tightened around the device as my anger swelled, boiling over with every second I continued to look.The headline at the top of the article taunted me, even though my name wasn’t mentioned.“Billionaire elite Lucien Giordano spotted outside his launch event carrying his once-disgraced wife in his arms. Has he finally forgiven her for the humiliation she caused him six years ago?”Wife… why do they call him his wife? Moore is no wife to Lucien!I scrolled, unable to take my eyes away, another one followed.“Enemies to lovers? Has the great Lucien Giordano rekindled his past love with Moore?”My breath hitched. I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs.No.This wasn’t the Lucien I knew. There was no way in hell he would do that for Moore. For her.Lucien never looked at her the way he looked at me.He had never carried me bef