"You don't belong in this world of mine," Liam whispered, his lips inches from mine. "But I'm selfish, and I can't let you go." "I want to stay," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I'm falling for you too, Liam." - I should be sneering, laughing even. How blind could he be? Liam Sterling—the killer, master manipulator, the ruthless, untouchable king of New York’s underworld—brought to his knees by the one woman sworn to tear him apart. For years, revenge was all I had. Liam destroyed my family, tore my life apart, leaving me with nothing but rage. I rebuilt myself piece by piece, every step driven by the thought of making him pay. But then... I got close to him. Close enough to touch. His touch is fire, burning through every wall I’ve built. Each kiss, every stolen moment, weakens my defenses, awakening a need that terrifies me. How can I want him like this? Crave him, when every scar I carry is a reminder of all he’s taken? I should hate him. I should destroy him. But when he looks at me, when he holds me like I’m something he needs to protect, I’m lost. And as I watch him break, all I feel is a strange, hollow ache where satisfaction should be. How can I keep fighting him, when I’m already falling, already broken, for the man I was supposed to ruin?
Lihat lebih banyakThere's a certain silence in suffering—the kind that wraps around your throat, leaving you gasping for air. It's like a constant tinnitus, a ringing that drowns out everything, even the sound of your voice as you silently scream for help. You want to reach out to someone, anyone, to plead for relief. But even when someone is there, the silence can still feel overwhelming.
Amid the chaos of New York's evening rush, with honking horns and bustling streets, the quiet inside me remained deafening.
Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled out of the studio, jogging away from the school building and the girls who made my life feel like hell at school. My pointe shoes were still tight on my blistered feet, tulle brushing against my leotard, and tights sticking uncomfortably to my sweaty skin, the cold night air made my sweat feel like icy pins. I felt like I was suffocating.
I saw the SUV parked in the lot, waiting for me like a lifeline. I sent up a quick, desperate prayer that my mother was inside, hidden behind the dark-tinted windows in the back seat. Her presence was my comfort, even if she couldn't always be there. I hoped she had randomly decided to come pick me up from school, trying to be the devoted mother she once was before work took more of her time.
I knew she wasn't in the car, but it didn't hurt to hope. I just wanted to talk to her, to feel like I still had someone who truly understood me. She had always been my closest confidant—the one person I could tell everything over her precious homemade hot chocolate. And for so long, I had been her confidant too. When the girls at school started picking on me—whispering cruel things, laughing behind my back—I withdrew, slipping into a shell I never knew existed. And this put a snag on the bond between Mother and me.
My parents used to be around all the time, but they soon became more... distant. I knew they loved me, but their work had started taking over everything. It was always demanding, but something had shifted. It wasn't just the endless 'meetings' or late-night calls anymore. Strange men started showing up at odd hours, and I could hear them having heated conversations behind closed doors. Even when they tried to hide it, the tension was obvious—the tight lines in their faces, the way their voices strained when they thought I wasn't listening.
I understood. They had their own issues, and they were big ones--bigger than they felt I could understand. But even with the best intentions, it felt like they were slipping away. I didn't want to add to their stress. My problems seemed small compared to whatever was going on with their dealings.
Being an only child in a wealthy family had its own kind of loneliness.
The chauffeur drove me home in silence. The rhythmic hum of the engine and the occasional creak of the leather seats were my only companions.
When we finally arrived, I was greeted by an empty and quiet home. My parents were nowhere to be found. Of course.
Defeated, I made my way to my room. As the exhaustion of the day took over, I drifted into a restless sleep, the remnants of my tears still damp on my cheeks.
Suddenly, a piercing sound jolted me awake. The emergency alarm blared through the house, slicing through the silence and dragging me from my troubled dreams. The shrill noise was relentless, sending adrenaline racing through my veins. I sat up in bed, heart pounding, disoriented, and terrified, the quiet of the night shattered by the blaring alarm. My first thought was to find my mother.
Although I knew what the alarm meant, my parents had schooled me and prepared me for emergencies, and even in my disoriented state, my body practically flew off the bed and moved on autopilot.
I could hear one of my mother's many quotes echo in my head as my legs led me..."Remember, the only way to stay ahead is to see the danger before it sees you..."
I ran on bare feet down the halls to the one room I had hoped I would never have had to enter. I reached the steel-reinforced door of the panic room, the one my parents had designed to keep us safe in the event of a crisis.
I punched in the code with trembling hands and swung the door open. The room was stark and sterile, safe for the monitors on the lone desk in the small space. This was my sanctuary in this chaos. I hurried inside, barely taking a breath as I tried to get my bearings.
I activated the surveillance system. Screens flickered to life, showing different angles of the house. My heart hammered in my chest as my eyes darted from one camera feed to another, searching for any sign of what was happening outside or who activated the emergency alarm.
"Where's Dave and everyone else?" I murmured to myself.
But then, something on the screen caught my eye—a familiar figure running across the lawn. Dave, our head of security, was sprinting toward the back of the house. His expression was tense, his movements frantic as he reached for the earpiece he always wore. He seemed to be trying to alert the rest of the security team.
My heart pounded in my chest, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. Dave disappeared from view, but my gaze quickly shifted to another camera. This one pointed at the back of the house, near the garage. I froze, my breath catching in my throat.
My eyes were glued to the back feed of the house, where a young man stood beside a car, his back to the camera. I didn't recognize him—he wasn't one of ours, that much was clear.
One of the car's doors was open, and another man stepped out, dragging two figures with him.
My parents. My breath hitched, and my blood ran cold.
My parents were tied up and gagged, their faces pale and terrified. My mind raced, struggling to process what I was seeing. It felt like my world was crumbling right before my eyes. The young man beside the car turned slightly, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the gun in his hand. My body went numb with terror.
"No, no, no!" I screamed.
I watched in horror, frozen, as he raised the gun, pointing it at my parents. A few words were exchanged, but the surveillance footage offered no sound, leaving their voices silent and lost to the static.
A shot rang out, briefly illuminating the night with a harsh flash. My mother collapsed first, her body hitting the ground, followed by my father. The scene unfolded in slow motion, like a nightmare.
As I struggled to make sense of the chaos unfolding before me, the young man turned, his gaze shifting slightly to the camera. For a moment, his eyes seemed to meet mine through the screen, or maybe it just seemed like they were trying to find the camera. I observed his face in that brief moment and burned it into my memory, knowing I wouldn't forget it. Not in a hurry.
Not ever.
Just then, the other man shouted something; his voice muffled through the screen but urgent. The young man glanced in his direction, alerted to the security team approaching. Without hesitation, they jumped into the car, leaving my parents lying motionless on the ground.
I stared at the screen, breathless, as the car sped away, my parents' bodies left behind in the dirt.
I was in so much shock I couldn't move or think. I fell to the ground, staring at my parents' lifeless bodies through the screen for what felt like an eternity before Dave got to them.
My eyes flashed to the emergency phone mounted on the wall, I stared at it for a brief moment as my mind began to work again.
I picked it up and dialed the first number installed in it.
"Pick up, please..." I whispered. I couldn't recognize my own voice. I felt like my world had just crumbled.
Finally, a click on the other end.
"Monique?" My godfather's voice was a deep, familiar rumble, steady as ever, though I could hear the surprise in it.
"Uncle, I—I they're gone," I managed, choking on my words. "They killed them—"
"What do you mean they're gone...?" His voice sharpened on the other end of the line. "What happened?"
But I couldn't respond.
He sighed, "I'll send help. You're going to be okay. You're safe now. Just stay where you are." He had probably gotten the hint of my devastation.
"Okay..." I whispered.
Dave just hadn't gotten there fast enough. My godfather wouldn't be getting there fast enough either. It was already too late.
The images were burned into my memory—my parents' lifeless bodies lying in the dirt and the cold, unforgiving face of their killer.
LIAMThe call came in the middle of the afternoon, just as I was sitting at my desk, scrolling through documents that didn't hold my attention. Work had become monotonous these days—like I was just going through the motions, trying to keep up appearances. I answered the phone without checking the number, expecting one of my contacts or maybe even Felix."Liam Sterling?" The voice on the other end was firm, professional."Yeah. Who's this?""This is Detective Crater from the Queens Police Department. We've never met, but I've been looking into your sister's case—Marie Sterling."The mention of her name hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. My hand tightened around the phone, knuckles turning white. "What are you talking about? That case has been closed for years.""I know. It's been nine years since th
MONIQUEI had control issues, and ballet school made me become a perfectionist. When I started getting bullied, our dance instructor from Italy—Costanza—had made a joke about my weight. She told me I was missing steps because I had fat arms and calves. The girls laughed and they used it to make fun of me every single day till I left that school.This made me a control freak. If things didn't go my way, I would want to tear things apart. But while I was in hiding, Don Antonio had a girlfriend, she was French and she was a lot younger than him and closer to my age. We bonded, in a way. She was a ballet instructor, too, and one of the few people who didn't make me feel inadequate. She showed me how to use my frustration and lack of control to fuel something productive, something that could center me.My years in hiding taught me more than patience and strategy. They tau
MONIQUEI arrived at the hotel café, scanning the room for Richardson. He was already seated at a corner table, blending in with the upscale surroundings of my hotel. His eyes caught mine the moment I walked in, and he gave me a quick nod, his face calm.I walked over, and without a word, took the seat across from him. He opened his mouth to speak, but I raised a hand, cutting him off before he could even start."How could you be so sloppy?" I asked, my voice low but sharp. "Your name, Richardson. They know it. Charles."His jaw tightened, and he sat back, crossing his arms. "I didn't reveal my name," he replied, his voice just as controlled as mine. "The messenger I sent must have picked it up somewhere after the agreement was made. I didn't hand it over."I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes at him. "Do you have any idea what k
MONIQUEHis words echoed in my head like a constant siren. I can't let you go.I hadn't fully recovered from Liam's confessions the other day. The intensity of his emotions, his possessiveness—it was almost too much. And yet here I was, tangled up with him again, our bodies intertwined in the sheets of his penthouse bed. The city hummed outside, but in this moment, it felt like we were in our own world.The sharp ring of the doorbell cut through the silence, stirring Liam awake. His body shifted beside mine, and I felt the absence of his warmth as he slid out of bed. I watched through half-open eyes as he grabbed a pair of pants from the chair nearby. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone always in control, even in the early morning hours.He glanced back at me once before leaving the bedroom, his gaze lingering, then disappeared into the hallway to answer the door.Through the muffled walls, I could make out the low murmur of voices. It was Felix. My pulse quickened. I couldn
MONIQUEThe number of work meetings had drastically reduced. As Liam's assistant, I not only gained access to his world but also front-row seats to the spectacle of it crumbling, piece by piece. Each passing day, I watched as the empire he had meticulously built seemed to unravel, and though I was part of it, I couldn't help but feel a certain satisfaction. There was a power in watching someone so formidable brought down by forces they couldn't control.I was seated in my office, scrolling through pictures Sophie had sent of Star. The fluffy Persian was curled up in a ball in one image, playfully batting at a string in another. I smiled absently as I flicked through them. There wasn't much else to do today. Liam had been out handling God-knows-what, and the office felt unusually still, like a quiet before an impending storm.I almost didn't notice when the door opened. Liam walked in, the tension radiating off him like heat from a furnace. I locked my phone and rushed to meet him. He
LIAMAs I stepped into the storage room, the strong smell of blood hit me, a clear reminder of the seriousness of the situation. I rolled up my sleeves, the dim light illuminating the grim scene: Trevor was tied to one chair, his body bruised and battered, while two other men were similarly restrained nearby. My men had done a thorough job. Felix stood at the forefront."Three men," he explained, nodding toward the lifeless form sprawled on the floor, "but one got caught in the shootout and didn't make it." His gaze flicked toward the surviving trio, a predator sizing up his prey.One of the men, a scrappy guy with a wild look in his eyes, squirmed in his chair, a desperate plea creeping into his voice. "Look, I'll cooperate! I'll tell you anything you want to know, just don't kill me."A humorless grin stretched across my face, a reflection of my disdain for his delusions. "You really think you'll walk out of here alive?" I stepped closer, my presence looming over him. "Who sent you?
LIAMThe warehouse was eerily silent when I arrived, tension so thick you could slice through it. The four workers stood before me, a mix of fear and confusion on their faces. I could see it in their eyes—none of them had a clue what was happening, or at least, that's what they wanted me to believe. I wasn't buying it. I didn't trust anyone fully at this point. One of them could've easily been in on it.I looked each one of them in the eye, my gaze hard. "What do you know about the attack?" I asked, my voice even but carrying a sneer.One by one, they fumbled through their answers, all variations of the same thing—we don't know anything, boss. Their voices desperate and nervous. It was hard to tell who was genuinely clueless and who was faking, because I was completely blinded by rage.But I was also not a fool. Trust wasn't something I handed out easily. After what happened, if one person could betray me, then why not all of them? Maybe they were in this together, covering for each o
LIAMA week had passed, and still, we hadn't found the thieves. Whoever they were, they covered their tracks well, leaving no trace behind. Each passing day felt like a ticking bomb. It wasn't just the financial hit—though that alone was staggering—it was the cracks it had started to create in my reputation.The rage boiled inside me as the reality of the situation grew clearer. Half of my investors had begun pulling out. Contracts that had taken months, even years, to secure were suddenly being terminated. The trust they had in me, in my operation, was slipping through my fingers like sand. And I didn't even have enough money to pump into my company anymore. All of it—both business above and underground—were evaporating before my eyes.I slammed my fist against the desk, the sharp crack of wood and bone reverberating through my penthouse office. I couldn't even keep track of how many times I'd lost control in the past month. Everything was spiraling, slipping through my fingers.Was
MONIQUEYou know how, when you spotted a trail of ants invading your yard, and after following their line, you finally found the nest? That moment when you crushed it, watching them scatter in chaos—that was exactly how it felt watching Liam and his people scramble in the aftermath of what I had done to his so-called empire. There was something deeply satisfying, almost intoxicating, about seeing their destruction unfold. It had been a whole surge of power.I got home from work and poured myself a glass of champagne, one of my most expensive bottles. The cool fizz hit my tongue as I leaned back against the kitchen counter, savoring the taste. The bubbles burst with the same satisfaction I'd felt earlier when watching Liam fall apart from the news of his robbery.I couldn't help but replay the scene in my head, how I had given him that reassuring shoulder, offering to help find the people responsible for the theft. It had been seamless. And after the night we spent together, the way I'
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