MIRAI have absolutely no idea where I’m going. I only stumble blindly down the room until I get to the door. I have no idea that tears are running down my cheeks until the salty taste slips past my lips and into my mouth.The pain in my chest swells until it’s choking me, until I can barely breathe. The whole party suddenly feels suffocating. I need to get out of here!Subtly aware of the fact that I probably look like a raccoon now, I pause for a second to dab at my wet face and wipe my tears, but deep down, I know I will never be able to wipe away the memories of what I just heard.I will never be able to wipe away this choking, overwhelming sense of betrayal.I stumble towards the exit once more, not caring to watch where I’m going.“You’re mine. Only mine.” Mason’s words echo in my head like a broken record. Liar. He’s a complete liar and like a pathetic fool, I believed him. I let myself trust him. I let myself fall in love with him.My soul feels like it’s been crushed to a mil
MASONThe moment Darth informed me that someone else, specifically him, Axel Roman, had his hands on my woman, I saw red. I had unfinished business with Halloway, but I abandoned it and practically flew down to the main ballroom.Now, I watch from a distance as the motherfucker greedily soaks up her laugh and smiles. I watch as she gives another man all her attention.I watch as Mira Fernandez disobeys me once again.How I’m able to stand still and not walk over there and bash Axel’s head in is a fucking miracle…one that might not last very long. He leans forward to pick a stray strand of hair that grazes her cheek and I clench my fingers in blinding rage.“How long has this been going on?”“About fifteen minutes now.” Darth responds.I shut my eyes for a brief second to quell my venomous anger. That will be fifteen punches for the fifteen minutes that Axel Roman has tried to take what belongs to me.I’m aware that the fact that he’s here is a warning, and I vow to send back that war
MIRAI fly into the first room I can find – which happens to be the bathroom. My pulse thumps rapidly as I make my way down the marbled floors, looking for an empty stall to hide. My mind flashes to the black clouds I could see in Mason’s eyes earlier. Something tells me that if he catches me this time, I might likely not survive his wrath. I finally find an empty, half open stall and slip in quickly, locking the door behind me. My legs are trembling as I listen quietly for any sounds. Five minutes later, I hear the sound of footsteps as people walk in.“Can you believe that Mason brought his slut to a high profile party?”From the sounds they’re making, it is apparent that the ladies came in to powder their noses. I roll my eyes.“I know, right?” The second one replies. “Once a slut, always a slut. She even kissed another man while he stood right there. Where did he even find that whore?” I stifle the urge to open the door and give those bimbos a piece of my mind. Instead, I bring
MASONThe darkness that crawled like a fog in my head when I saw Mira and Axel kiss earlier threatens to come out and play ball right now.I hold her to me by her fragile wrists, realising that it would take absolutely nothing to hurt her – realising that in this moment, maybe I want to hurt her.I do not care about her explanations or whatever she has to say. She should have known better. Now, she stares at me through those scared, wet eyes, but instead of remorse or pity, I only feel a cold, angry emptiness.I flip her over and press her into the bed, lifting her arse high in the air as I ready her for my spanking. I had thought of this idea when she ran from my office earlier, but now, I’m switching it to a whole new level.After I spank her to my satisfaction, after I make sure that that pussy is wet and dripping from the pleasurable pain I inflict, she will explain to me why she let another man touch her, most importantly Axel Roman. That prick.“Mason, what are you doing?”“Stay
I huddle into my blanket in the front seat of Vanessa’s Ferrari and stare out the window, trying to numb the painful pang in my chest. She finally gets in, starts the car and pretty soon, we’re off. With every mile that takes me away from the party… away from Mason, I feel a strange hurting sensation in my throat.“I can’t believe that sonofabitch. Thank God I arrived on time. Are you okay, sweetheart?”Because I still feel raw, I ask instead,“Where’s Anna?”“Girls sleepover at her friend Marcy’s place.” I smile fondly at the thought of my sister. I miss her so much. I turn slowly to my best friend.“How did you find me? How did you escape Damon?”She shrugged,“I traced your phone’s location to that room, or rather, the police did. Same thing. As for Damon, I escaped. But let me worry about that.”Despite the numbness, the thought of Vanessa sneaking out of Damon’s glass mansion to rescue me like some kind of superhero brings a smile to my lips. I lean over and give her a quick
In the hidden darkness of a dilapidated warehouse, a beautiful woman sits atop her wooden throne, her face set in hard, straight lines.“What’s the status report?”The woman before her trembles like a leaf.“I’ve tried all I can to keep them apart. I have executed all your plans just like you asked. We’ll just have to wait to see the results.”The queen rises to her feet, the flowing tail of her dress dragging behind her.“I’m beginning to think you’re becoming incompetent. Maybe you don’t want to see him again as much as you claim to. Maybe I should just do away with him.” Her voice oozes evil. Pure, calm evil.“No! No, please. I promise I’m trying my best. Please don’t do this. I beg you.”The queen pretends to be deep in thoughts for a second.“Wanna see something amusing?”The woman raises red, tear drenched eyes, her stomach tightening with foreboding. Things the queen finds amusing are never amusing…they’re traumatising.Taking her silence as an answer or not really caring at a
MIRAIt’s been twenty four hours and Mason hasn’t come yelling, screaming and wrecking havoc all over the place like I’d imagined. We haven’t even heard a peep from him and Damon. I’m supposed to be happy…relieved, but all I feel is a strange, empty hollow in my chest and mounting panic that perhaps Mason has decided to forget about me. Perhaps he’s realised that I’m not worth the trouble. Fuck, I’m a mess.A part of me wants to stomp over to La Magnifique and ask him if I am that quick to forget, if what we had, no matter how volatile, never meant anything to him. While a part of me just wants to be relieved that he seems to be giving me a break.I cannot deny that I miss him. I miss him so much, it’s beginning to hurt. I went to bed last night clutching the pillow to me and imagining it was his chest. I’ve fallen for Hades’s dark angel and there’s no going back.Saturday night rolls into Sunday evening. When Anna and Vanessa can no longer stand my long faces and new habit of cons
MASON“Hello, uncle.” I greet, not bothering to get to my feet as Escobar Scuderi walks into his huge office where I’ve been waiting for him for the past hour.“Nice of you to finally show up.”The older man takes in my calm demeanour with suspicious grey eyes, and I rein my temper tighter. My uncle likes keeping out bait, waiting for his prey to fall for it so he can snap you back into his jaws like the predator he is.I, on the other hand, learned to stop falling for his bait a long time ago. Currently, only Mira is allowed to make me lose my temper.Escobar takes his seat and spears me with a piercing look.“I see the prodigal son has finally come home.”I clench my fingers into fists to stop myself from lashing out.“Quite the opposite, actually. The prodigal son had come to deliver a warning.”The air in the room immediately becomes stiff with tension. I can feel Escobar’s soldiers become more alert from their perch at the door all the way from here.Escobar smiles.“Let’s hear i
SNEAK PEAK OF MY UPCOMING DARK ROMANCE NOVELTITLE: AUCTIONED TO THE RUTHLESS, ITALIAN DAREDEVIL.***He is Edoardo Vicenzo, son of Dante Vicenzo.They called him the most dangerous man in Italy, the boss of all bosses, the leader and owner of men.He had everything he could ever want… money, cars, women. Everything. While I, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing to my name.All I had was my pride. And my beloved sister.When my sister came home from school one day, crying that she was almost raped by one of his men, I lost it. I ran crazy. I became unhinged.My father warned us to keep quiet about it because he was obviously benefiting from the evil reign of Edoardo’s father in the city, but my name is Annachiara Giovanni, and I’ve never been known to keep silent.My blood boiling with rage, I went to fight for my sister that night and ended up nearly being forced into a sex battle. One thing I did not realise was that my sister wasn’t just assaulted by one of Edoardo’s men… she
THREE YEARS LATER... MIRA “Hello, beautiful.” I look up from the cake batter before me and my heart literally sings with joy as I watch my husband come in through the back door of our Victorian home. His handsome face breaks into a full blown smile and those smoky gray orbs shine as bright as the midday sun. I drop the whisk in my hand into the bowl and open my arms wide, beckoning at him with a grin of my own. Without hesitation, Mason covers the distance between us and wraps his strong arms around my waist. He lifts me off the floor and twirls in a half circle, eliciting giggles of delight from my throat. He finally puts me down and buries his face in my neck. “Mmm, you smell delicious. Did you miss me?” I whisper against his chest. “Yes, baby. I missed you so, so much.” My heart warms at those words, but I can’t help but tease him. “You saw me just twenty minutes ago.” He holds me tighter and breathes in the scent of my hair. “It doesn’t matter. The last twenty minut
MIRAI nearly sag from the force of relief that spirals through my veins.My lips stretch in a smile and before long, my pregnancy hormones kick into action and I’m crying all over the place. “Mira!” I hear my sister scream behind me. “He’s awake! Mason has finally woken up!”She wraps her arms around me from behind and I lean into her and shut my eyes, soaking in her love and relief as I sob against her chest.Before long, Vanessa also wraps her arms around us and we stay like that for a long, long time. Anna pats my hair and whispers.“I knew he’d wake up. I just knew it.”I lift my head slowly and stare at her through my tears.“How did you know?”She shrugs.“After he rescued Dutch and I from Halloway and her evil sister, he promised that he’ll always protect us. Mason always keeps his promises.”My tears fall faster and I cup her cheek, trying to smile.“He does, doesn’t he?”“Come on, pregnant lady. You need to sit down.” Vanessa chirps in.With Anna and Vanessa on both my side
LILYTHREE WEEKS LATER…“So, Mrs. Lachlan, what do you plan on doing with your husband’s ashes? Have you thought about that yet?”I sit before the therapist, totally swathed in a feeling of numbness. I’ve felt numb for the past three weeks. The only emotion that has kept me company during this dark time is pain… venomous, excruciating pain. “I don’t know yet.” I whisper, patting my swollen tummy absentmindedly.I don’t want to be here but Vanessa and Damon forced me to come after my third failed suicide attempt. They don’t understand. How can they? How can they understand that I might’ve lost my reason to wake up every morning? How can they understand that Mason is gone and I cannot live without him?How will they understand that I do not believe I have the strength to raise these children on my own?How will they understand that when the doctors pronounced him dead, I wanted to die, too?The therapist, a petite Korean lady, clears her throat and shifts closer.“Mrs. Lachlan, don’t
MASONWhile I’m still trying to deal with my shock, Scuderi’s hold on my neck tightens, blocking out any form of air from passing through my windpipe. My vision becomes increasingly blurry and my head starts to spin.“Get a hold of yourself!” My subconscious screams when I’m on the verge of passing out.At the last minute, I decide that I’m not gonna die like this. I promised Mira that I’ll come home. And I always keep my promises.Just when my uncle thinks he’s winning, I muster the last dregs of my energy and shoot up my free arm, striking him square on the jaw and dislodging him from my body immediately.“Fuck!” He snarls, falling to the side with a pained grunt. A greater part of me just wants to lie there and catch my breath, but deep down, I know that if I waste even a second here, I might not make it out alive.I quickly jump to my feet and pick up the nearest object I can use as a weapon — a baseball bat. When I turn to my uncle, he’s trying to crawl away like the coward he
MIRAThe moment I open my eyes in the morning, I know something has gone horribly wrong. I feel Mason’s side of the bed and it’s cold. Very, very cold. Dread crawls up my spine as I hurriedly sit up, trying to understand what the hell is going on.“Mason?” I call, pulling the covers aside and getting to my feet. “Mason, where are you? Are you in the bathroom?” Silence greets me. Stone cold silence.I pad barefoot to the bathroom, my stomach tightening with fear as I go. Ten minutes later, I’ve searched the entire room and even the closet, but he’s still nowhere to be seen. Now, I really begin to panic.I pull the door open with the intention of searching the rest of the house for him and standing just outside with two papers in her hand and tears streaming down her cheeks is Vanessa.I freeze, horrific images already swirling through my tired brain.“Nessa, what happened? Why are you crying? What are these papers?”She walks past me and climbs onto the bed, her shoulders tremblin
MIRAMy cheeks redden in embarrassment as I quickly look down at my bare feet. I raise my head slowly, already dreading the anger I’ll see in Mason’s eyes.However, when our gazes meet, all I see is worry and concern. He cups my heated cheeks with his palm and murmurs;“What happened, baby? Did you need something?”I’m about to reply when someone slams the table behind us and sneers.“What is this, Mason? Can’t your wife see that we’re in a meeting? How dare she interrupt us? And you’re just going to stand there and do absolutely nothing about it?”I whirl in the direction of the voice to find a stout, middle aged man glaring at us with fire in his eyes. Mason stiffens against me moments before he growls.“What did you just say to me?”The man tries to repeat himself but Damon places a hand on his arm and tries to force him back into his seat.“You do not want to get on his bad side, my friend. Especially when it comes to his wife.”The man looks from Damon to Mason and finally lowe
MIRAWe’ve been back in New York for a week now and Mason seems to grow more overprotective with every passing second. He doesn’t let me do anything… and I mean, anything at all. Sometimes, it’s a real struggle to convince him that I can brush my teeth on my own. Sheesh.I swear, if I didn’t love him too much, I’d have dumped his overbearing arse down the Himalayas mountain by now. Today is one of those days I dread very, very much. It’s one of those days when I have to convince Mason to let me step a foot outside.“But please, oh please…” I beg. “I promise we’re just going skinny dipping in the pool. We’ll be back before you know it.”“Absolutely not.” He says firmly as he knots his immaculate blue tie.I huff and flop on the bed.“Be careful.” He calls from his position in front of the mirror.I finally snap. “What?!”He turns to me, looking gorgeous and edible as ever.“Don’t hit yourself on the bed too hard. Lie down softly.”A incredulous laugh escapes me.“I shouldn’t hit mys
MIRAMason and I hurry through our bathroom niceties and five minutes later, we’re walking into the living room.“Wait for me here.” He says, motioning at a sofa. “I’ll handle them.”“No.” I retort as gently as I can. “I’m coming with you.”He lifts a brow.“There might be a possible threat out there, baby girl. Sit still while I handle it.”In response, I walk past him and gesture at the door.“Isn’t it great that I have you here in case of such threats?” I argue coyly. “Besides, haven’t you been taught never to argue with a pregnant woman?”His face is hard and unyielding for a second and I fear that he might force me to remain inside. To my surprise, his lips tilt in one of those sexy half smiles and he covers the distance between us with two long strides. Mason leans forward and places a soft kiss on my forehead.“I didn’t know stubbornness came with pregnancy as well. Fine, you can come. But you’ll stay behind me at all times. Understood?”I nod eagerly. I even salute and everyt