“I’m quite certain that’s not the toilet…or is it?” Luca questioned with taunting eyes as he stepped closer to her. She could hear the drip of water hitting the wooden floor.She maintained his gaze, not backing down. Even though she was scared as hell, she wouldn’t give this man in front of her the luxury of seeing her cave in. With a rough gulp, she spoke, “I saw water dripping, I only wanted to take the clothes out. You startled me.” She took her voice to a near whisper, unsure if he bought the lie.He narrowed his eyes, searching hers for some truth. He hummed suspiciously, “Huh. Well, sorry about the mess. I’m not the cleanest.” He apologized, stepping back from her.She felt the airy gust of air conditioner on her body once again almost immediately he stepped back. They weren’t even touching, yet she craved his body warmth.“Like I said, I’ll be right out. You have nothing to worry about.” She said, spinning on her heel and making her way into the bathroom. As soon as she was ou
“I’m just teasing. I wouldn’t do such to you.” He waved a dismissive hand, sliding a knife out of his pocket.Kiara remembered how hard her eyes had widened as he stepped closer to her, pressing the sharp blade into her soft skin. Her heart raced wildly as she prepared herself for the worst that was yet to come. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the pressure, the pain—anything to tell her that Luca would make her life a living hell now.Instead, he had just moved it to the lock of the handcuffs, wiggling it inside a bit, “I forgot the keys somewhere. I have no idea where they are.” He took the cuffs off her sore wrist, massaging them gently.“Kiara!” He said with a booming voice, frightening her. He did it once again, leaving her an anxious mess. “What is it?” She yelled back, covering her ears with her hands. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to just disappear at that very moment.Kiara felt someone tap her shoulder, and it jolted her back into reality. “Oh my God, Mom! You
“Oh God. Oh, God.” Kiara trembled as she looked down at the injured man in front of her. Has she taken it too far? She didn’t mean to kill him! Her hands shook uncontrollably as the golf club clattered on the ground with a loud sound.“You’ve gone nuts, Kiara!” Luca yelled as he pushed her into the wall. “Look what you’ve done now! You’re going to clean this mess up, all by yourself, because I won’t help you.” He said through gritted teeth, looking down at the man who was bleeding on the floor.Kiara fell to her knees beside the man, shaking him gently, “Sir, sir, are you conscious?” She called out, looking to see if he was the least bit alright.He groaned in response, trying to move, but instead, he let out a yelp of pain, unable to move his arm.“You are really trying to kill the pizza person, huh?” Luca retorted, looking down at the man unfazed. He couldn't care less, as long as it wasn’t him.Kiara pursed her lips, hurriedly pulling her phone out from her back pocket before diali
“Mom said you wanted to see me, huh?” Kiara grinned as she sat right across from her father at the dining table, digging into her full plate of food.She was starving, well deserved for all the stress she’d been put through yesterday. “You should slow down first.” Damian suggested, gesturing towards her plate, “You eat like a wolf.”Kiara snorted, “Well, guess who I learned that from?”“I can’t seem to figure it out.” He chuckled, pushing around the sausages on his plate.“So, sweetie, I wanted to talk to you about the company.” His tone became more serious, and he placed his hands on the table, lacing them together.“Yeah, what about it?” She raised a brow, gulping down a glass of orange juice. All Damian did was stare, he didn’t say anything else.“Dad, you’re scaring me. Can you say something?” Kiara’s brows furrowed in annoyance as she dropped her silverware back onto her plate.“Right. Right, I’m sorry darling,” He nodded, finally slipping back into reality, “Well, you know I’m g
The first time Kiara’s father brought up the fact that she would be in full ownership of the company, she frowned upon the idea, saying that office jobs weren’t for her. She also thought she wasn’t meant for those kinds of roles, so instead, she’d stick to helping.Doing the little she can. You know, charity, helping out at orphanage homes, raising money for a particular cause and mass donations, those kinds of things. She’d stick to those things—her personal routine, her holy grail.Now, she knew better. She also knew that if she was the owner of the company soon enough, it would be game over for Luca. Of course, she couldn’t trust her father right now. As a matter of fact, Damian trusted Luca way too much for his own good and look where that got him. Now, it was her turn to take over. She wouldn’t lay all her cards out on the table, but she’d pretend so.“Good morning, how are you doing?” Kiara set her bag on the table, smiling down at the newly hired accountant, courtesy of her. S
Kiara’s eyes narrowed as she drifted through the company’s files that lay on the table right in front of her. She had been studying them all day, well enough to know how things worked at the very least.All that was left was for her father to come in, so they could finally talk. She wondered why he was taking so long at work, and her patience was wearing thin gradually.She decided to stand up from the table and walk around, stretching her arms and limbs a bit. Her eyes were beginning to get sore from all the reading she’d been doing, and she rubbed them, annoyed.“Oh, look at the time.” She sighed, as she placed a hand on her hip, looking up at the clock. It was already 6. P.M.“I’ll just call him then.” She grumbled, pulling her phone out of her breast pocket and putting his number on the line. It rang for a few seconds, but there was no response, and it went to dial tone.“Hey, it’s Damian! I’m either busy or in a meeting. Leave a message.” Her father’s pre-recorded voice echoed th
“Thank you so much, the food looks delicious.” Kiara smiled as the waiter set the bowl of steaming hot pasta right in front of her. It was Damian’s favorite, but he already had his food in front of him. A bit of seafood rice and a soup on the side.Kiara grabbed her silverware and looked at the two men across from her. “We can eat now.” She murmured, taking her fork and a spoon and picking up some pasta to take a bite.“Actually, sweetheart. Do you mind if we swap plates?” Damian asked, uneasy about what he was about to eat.“Oh? Why couldn’t you have just ordered this instead?” She pouted, as she chewed on the delicious, creamy pasta.“Luca said it would be nice, but I’m not really feeling it now,” he explained, looking at Kiara, hopefully.“Damian, what are you saying? This is quality food! It was Annie’s favorite.” Luca laughed, urging Damian to take a bite, but Damian shook his head, standing on in business.“Nah. I’d stick with my usual,” He replied, “So?” He looked at Kiara.Luc
“Thank you so much, Doctor.” Maria shook the doctor's hand, looking down at Kiara, silently sleeping on the bed. “I'm glad I could help.” She gave a small smile, looking back at the monitors. Her vitals were more calm than before. Initially, they were erratic, without telling if Kiara would be okay. Gradually, it began to reduce and all of a sudden, it went back to normal. “She should be thanking her lucky stars. We almost lost her ma'am.” The doctor said, shaking her head.“We had all hands on deck for her, doing everything we possibly could.” “What…what was found in her system, doctor?” Damian asked, his heart racing with each second.“Well, we aren't certain for now. The only thing we know for sure is that it was extremely deadly. It almost took her life, so let's just be thankful she survived.” The doctor explained.“Deadly?” Maria sniffled, resting her head on Damian's chest as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. He rubbed her up and down, kissing her forehead. “Yes
“Do you realize what you’ve done?” Damian’s voice rose, his frustration boiling over. “You let him walk free! A man who’s been under investigation for attempted murder and possible fraud and likely has ties to this mess!”“Dad, you don’t understand,” Kiara said weakly, her voice shaking. “Luca—he’s not what you think.”“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Damian snapped. “You’ve been manipulated. Or worse, you’re willingly working with him. Which is it, Kiara? Are you naive, or are you complicit?”“Neither!” Kiara shouted, her voice breaking under the weight of her emotions. Tears streamed down her face as she stepped forward, her fists clenched at her sides. “I didn’t have a choice!”Before Damian could respond to Kiara’s outburst, his phone buzzed again. The vibration felt like a sharp interruption in the thick tension of the room. He exhaled sharply, snatching it up from the table.“It’s the office,” he muttered, his brows furrowing. Kiara took a shaky step back, her chest rising and fall
“Kiara!” Damian’s yell caught Maria by surprise and sure sent Kiara over the edge. Kiara stumbled into the living room, her legs trembling beneath her. The hollow echo of her own steps on the tiled floor sounded deafening in the quiet house. Her father’s voice cut through her thoughts like a knife.She was still shaken by the events that took place at Luca’s house but never expected to get home to her father yelling at her. “Where the hell have you been?” Maria hurried to her side, holding her arm. “Your father is really mad at you. What did you do?” Damian’s voice thundered from the hallway, into the living room, freezing her in place. “Kiara!” She looked up to find him standing, his posture rigid, his face a mask of fury. Her mother was just standing by, her face etched with worry, her hands clutching tightly at a tissue.“Dad…” Kiara started, but Damian held up a hand to stop her.“Save it,” he said, his tone colder than she had ever heard. “I’ve been patient with you, Kiara.
“What do you think?” Luca asked, grinning. “Where is this?” Kiara asked again, still looking around the room. “BDSM?”“It’s exactly what you think it is, ki.” The room has every implement one could imagine, with an assortment of bondage equipment to keep the victim perfectly still. At that moment, nothing else mattered; no one else mattered. They were the only two people on earth; they were alone in a place where they could let all their inhibitions go and Luca could make Kiara fulfill her submissive purpose in life. Kiara wanted to talk, but Luca stopped her from saying another word. “We’re here already. Only one thing should be on your mind. And that’s to feel every moment you have here because there’s no going back anymore. For your own sake.” He added in a very scary tone. Kiara understood the threat. She became calm and obedient. Luca walked closer to her and whispered into her ears. “I am going to use my toy hard, use it until we both lose track of time and reality, where
It’s finally time. Kiara stood outside Luca’s house, her heart pounding against her ribcage. It was exactly 7 p.m., and the air carried a crisp coolness that heightened her awareness of every sound, every sensation. She took a deep breath, adjusting her scarf as she stepped forward and rang the doorbell. She was hoping that Sam and Katie would run into her embrace the moment the door opened. Although she wished not. Almost instantly, the door opened to reveal Luca, dressed sharply in a fitted black shirt and dark jeans. His smirk was as disarming as ever, his piercing blue eyes scanning her face with unspoken intent."Right on time," he said, his voice low and velvety. "Come in, baby."Kiara sighed. The warmth of the house enveloped her as she stepped inside. The entrance was lined with a trail of crimson rose petals that led to the dining area. Soft ambient lighting bathed the room in a golden glow, while faint classical music played in the background. The table was set for two, co
Harrison approached Kiara as she stood in the station lobby, still trying to make sense of what she had just done. His brow furrowed in thought as he held a file in his hand, the same file he had been working on earlier.“Miss Kiara,” he called gently, his voice calm but firm.Kiara turned to him, her eyes narrowing. “Detective, I don’t want to hear it.”Harrison frowned, confused. “You don’t even know why I’m here. I came to share some findings with you—”“Don’t bother,” she interrupted sharply. “I know you’re going to try and convince me that I’m making a mistake by posting Luca’s bail. But it’s done. I’ve made my decision, and I don’t need your opinion.”Harrison paused, taken aback by the hostility in her tone. “That’s not why I came,” he said carefully. “This isn’t about Luca. It’s about the driver who saved you during the car chase. We’ve uncovered some information—”Kiara cut him off again, her frustration bubbling over. “I don’t care! Just close the case, detective. Stop all i
“Buzz…buzz” The sound of the alarm clock woke Kiara up. She stretched to switch it off. It wasn’t up to two hours before she was finally able to sleep. She kept thinking about Luca and her sexual fantasies. Even when she eventually made peace with sleep, she found herself dreaming about sex with Luca. Thanks to the alarm, she couldn’t reach orgasm—in her dream sex. After switching off the alarm, she was going to go back to sleep but the sound of the knock on her door made her groan. “Darling, it’s me.” Damian spoke, loud enough for her to hear.There was no response, so he continued. “I was hoping we could talk before I leave for work. You were asleep when I returned last night.” That was the lie Kiara told just to remain in her room when she was informed about Damian’s arrival the previous night. “This early?” Kiara groaned under her breath, pulling the covers over her head. She needed more time to gather herself before facing anyone, let alone her father.Damian’s voice came a
Kiara got back home and rushed into her bedroom and sat down silently at her dressing table. Her red-hot sex was still being fueled by a no less guilty delight, but her face was still burning with intense humiliation and guilt. “How could I fall for that? How could I let him get into my head?” She questioned herself. The well-earned kiss she had this morning left a burning, blistering sensation across her body; she wanted more. She couldn't focus on anything other than how her body reacted. “You’ll never find someone who understands you the way I do. Who loves you the way I do.” His words echoed in her head. That’s true, though. He knows her body chemistry more than she does herself. Kiara began to picture the kiss again, and gradually the feeling became a deeper, duller crimson, while her as yet unrelieved arousal rendered her hidden flower benumbed but still swollen. The state she was in, Kiara thought she was going crazy. How could all these intense feelings remain for so lon
Kiara’s stomach churned at Luca’s words. She felt the air in the room grow heavier, suffocating, as if his confession carried a tangible weight. Her fists clenched under the table, her nails digging into her palms.“You want me?” She repeated, her voice cold and disbelieving. “You think you can ruin my life and then sit here and talk about want, like it will erase everything you’ve done? You tried to kill me. You poisoned your friend’s food.”Luca leaned forward, his gaze never leaving hers. “Ruin your life?” he echoed, his tone soft, almost incredulous. “Kiara, everything I’ve done—every single thing—was for us. For you. Because I love you.”Her laugh was bitter and sharp. “Love? You don’t even know what that word means. Manipulation, lies, poison—that’s what you call love?”Luca exhaled, his expression shifting to one of practiced remorse. “I won’t deny it. I’ve done terrible things. I’ve lied, I’ve pushed beyond boundaries, and I’ve taken risks that I shouldn’t have. But Kiara, eve
Kiara’s heart skipped a beat. She froze, her hand hovering over the remote. Her mind raced, her father’s words echoing in her ears.He knows.Slowly, Kiara got out of bed and approached the door, her hands trembling. She cracked it open just enough to see Damian’s face, his expression a mix of concern and determination.“What do you mean by my relationship with Luca?” She whispered, her voice barely audible.“I think you know what I’m talking about,” Damian said gently. “This isn’t just about what’s happening now, is it? There’s more to this—something you haven’t told me.”Kiara’s grip on the door tightened. For a moment, she considered slamming it shut and pretending this conversation never happened. But the look in her father’s eyes stopped her. He wasn’t accusing her; he was worried.She opened the door fully and stepped aside, motioning for him to enter. Damian walked in, his eyes scanning the room as if it might hold answers. Kiara closed the door behind him and leaned against it