53Hunter's PovShe struggled under me like a rebellious deer would from the sharp claws of a panther. Each time she made a move our lips brushed together. It didn't take her long to realize that and she froze like a statue. But her eyes spoke. They screamed at me. Cursed me. They also mocked me for cornering her in the dark like I had a right on her. That's true that I don't. But I want to have it again. I want to have my spousal right on her again. I know I must be crazy for feeling this way but I cannot run away from my feelings. I cannot lie to myself that I missed her. I missed every small habit of hers that I have refused to regard when we were together. Only after she left me did then everything came back to bite me in the ass. The trembling of her lips made my heart skip a beat. I knew she would be shaken after seeing me. That all her past wounds will rip open and bleed again. But I can't deny my desperation. I was dying to see her, which is why, when I heard from my manag
54Hunter's Pov (cont'd) She whimpered and pushed me back. Rubbing her arm I held in a scalding grasp, she sneered. "You can't do anything, Hunter MacIntyre. Tyler is not a weakling. You can't take him down. He knows how to deal with a monster like you." Hearing her praise that scoundrel in front of me, a vortex of fury swirled inside me."Don't." I fixed my dark eyes on her. "Don't try it, Claire. I know there's nothing between you and Tyler.""Just because you think it that way, it doesn't mean it's not true. Tyler promised to marry me. He promised to give me a marriage you couldn't." She articulated after averting her gaze. I didn't want to irk her but my lips upturned in a knowing smirk. She looks away when she's lying. "Reject him. He's not worthy of you.""Neither were you and I still married you. What's wrong with trying it with him? He can't do any more damage, can he? You've done everything to me. I don't have anything to lose." I bit into the flesh of the inside of my
55Claire's POV My head throbbed in an agonizing headache as I watched the two men glower at each other. Never in my wildest dream would I ever want them to have a face off. Yet, here they were. Face to face. Fighting over me. For what? Their claim? I scoffed and blinked my eyes. None of them were saints. They may not have let it be obvious but both of them had blood on their heads. That's how the rich become rich. By shedding blood. Sometimes theirs. Sometimes of others. Although I have not heard any news about them both indulging in criminal activities, I can confidently say they had connections with the dark side of the world. After all, a man will not threaten another with such malice if he wasn't a part of the underworld. And surprisingly, both of them were. Hence, I was numb with terror as I did not want them to get into a physical fight because of me. "You do realize that you are standing in my house, right?" Tyler drawled in a pissed voice as his hands fisted on his sides
56I froze in my spot as the sound of breaking and bursting objects boomed. Hunter and Tyler were after each other's throat. At one moment it was Hunter throwing Tyler against the wall then another it was Tyler. While it felt like only a handful of seconds had ticked by, both of them were drenched in blood. My mind didn't shift gears until I witnessed Tyler breaking a flower vase on his head. It sent Hunter a few steps back. He struggled to maintain his balance. When he had it, he howled like a mad wolf and grabbed a broken, sharp and pointed piece of glass from the floor. "Hunter, no!" I threw myself in front of him, staggering him in his stride. I know I shouldn't feel dizzy but that's what it does— the sight of Hunter's blood. His forehead was clad in red, his left eyebrow split open from the corner and the right side of his mouth was swollen. His lips quivered as if he was on the brink of bursting out. Fear fluttered in my stomach because he looked like a monster. "Please."
57He came forward to touch my cheek. I reached out and punched his jaw. He was bleeding so badly that a pool of redness had formed at his feet. Despite that he was steady in his spot, his stance strong and confident. "I never thought I'd say this but I hate myself for loving you. You are my life's biggest mistake. I wish I never met you." He nibbled on his bottom lip and looked down. It pinched my heart. For a tall and powerful man that he was, he appeared helpless and pained by my words. "You have done me enough damage, Hunter. I will kill myself if you dare show your face to me again." His face shot up, his eyes wide in shock. "You can't—" "You know I can do it. And I swear on my dead baby that I will." He came closer while staring at my face. "You will do no such thing." "I will and you will be responsible for my death like you are responsible for my baby's." He wanted to retort but I said, "Go away, Hunter. Just go away." "Just goo!" I yelled, holding my head. Even if
58Three days later,Hunter was sitting in his cabin in front of an open laptop, his eyes were staring at the screen but his mind was stuck to that moment Claire walked past him without giving him a glance while he was bleeding in Old Murphy mansion."What else do I expect— her care?" He sneered and held his head in his hands. “She was honorable enough to not kick me in the nuts for what I did to her.” He couldn't take her out of his head. Hunter couldn't focus on his work either. There were her images from that night and her icy words always reeling back in his mind. He caused damage that wasn't reversible. Even if he offered his life to pay for his mistakes, it wouldn't be enough. "I am sorry, Claire. I was such an idiot. I couldn't see your worth." He muttered to himself while rubbing his eyes. “But I'm glad it happened. If Zara hadn't come into our lives, I wouldn't have recognized my love for you. It was always there between us. You have brandished me as your own and I never
59Zara giggled to it and answered, "And for his dick. It's this long and this thick." She showed with her hands the size and thickness of Hunter's male organ. "Even if you combine ten dicks like yours, you can't make one as thick as his. And he's very good in bed.""Better than me?" Enzo turned her around to take one nipple in his mouth. Zara moaned. She guided his other hand on her free nipple and gave it between his finger and thumb. "I don't want to insult your hard work with my honesty!" Zara chuckled, which led to squirming pain in her chest as Enzo bit down on her nipple. She was about to return the pain when she fisted his dick in her hand. Except that Enzo filled her hole again, and started thrusting in her. "If he's so good then why are you here in bed with me?"Zara smiled, wrapping her arms around his built shoulders."That's because that idiot is starting to realize his hidden love for his ex-wife. He refused to touch me and since she left, he's moving around like a
60Zara's POVAn avalanche of disbelief plunged within me. My fingers twitched as I kept myself from crumpling the property transfer papers in my hold. They didn't seem real. They couldn't be. Hunter cannot just get rid of me like this. "H-Hunter, you want to chase me away?" I feigned a hurtful voice, keeping my tone several octaves low."I just don't want to chase away the feelings increasing in my chest day by day. And they're not for you." Hunter said with a straight face. My lips quivered. I wanted to say something but the shock was intense. My senses were torrentially struck by his unexpected move. As I stared at the papers, my own words I smugly shared with Enzo not ten minutes ago resounded in my own ears. "I was born to be a queen. Hunter will make me one for he is the king of this country."All the risks I took and crimes I committed came flashing in front of my eyes. From the murder of my husband who went bankrupt because of me to the fake rape I caused to myself. I des
286Hunter stared at her, thrown off guard by her words. He reflected back on their meeting in the dark alley, and indeed what he realized made his mouth open a little. Mona hadn't looked like she intended to do anything physically with him. Her grin back then had been playful— one that of a naughty child who knew he was notorious for his mischief. "You can say that I was testing your loyalty towards Claire. I didn't intend to do anything mischievous, Hunter. But you see, Claire ruined everything when she interrupted." Her lips lifted in a sneer as she showed him her left cheek.There was a visible claw mark on her skin from Claire's nails. The scratch was swelling, its edges inflamed and red. Hunter felt bad for her. Now that he knew that Mona didn't mean to do anything condemning in the dark alley of the mall with him, he felt the need to apologize to her on behalf of Claire, but Mona beat him to it as tears flashed in her eyes."No, Hunter. I might want to see you with Claire an
285Hunter's body worked on its own. He felt like someone had trespassed into his territory and snatched one of his shirts that Mona was folding.He growled at her as his eyes seemed to darken even more. In the dim lights he came off as a hunter ready to tear his teeth into her skin and kill her. It wasn't a surprise that Mona was unaffected. She just rolled her eyes and lifted her finely manicured hand to blow over her nails."What the hell are you doing here? How did you come inside?" Hunter hissed."I was trying to be helpful as you can see." Mona said while casting a gaze around.Hunter's walk-in closet was a mess. It looked like a clothes manufacturing factory, unfolded shirts lying here and there, some trousers on the floor as if they were dropped just there after trying them on."I don't need your fucking help, alright! Just tell me why you are here and get the hell out." Hunter gritted out between his clenched teeth.Mona watched his knuckles whiten as he fisted on the shirt
284"If you think that then I'm happy otherwise in my opinion, Reggie ruined everything I did." Hunter smiled a little awkwardly."That's because you're used to having everything done meticulously, Mr. Billionaire. But for normal people like us some mess and chaos is welcome.""Well then," Hunter sighed. "I'll have to make sure there's some chaos in our relationship."Claire chuckled. Later on, they hopped back on the bike and Claire was the one handling it. Hunter sat behind her, admiring her as she flawlessly rode the bike. There were no words exchanged until Claire stopped the bike on the street some yards away from her house.Hunter blinked his eyes as he looked around."Why here, Dove?""Scott's room's window." She pointed as from where they stood they could clearly see that Scott's room's lights were on."Oh." Hunter got down as he didn't need any further explanation.He wanted to drop her at the gate of her house and watch her go inside. But he deemed it was okay if they got dow
283"You'll never have to fight for any right when you're standing beside me. I'll always make sure you're respected and cherished more than I am. I'll also help you with your career, Dove. You can work at your father's or mine— wherever you're comfortable and I'd always come to pick you up so we can go home together." Hunter's voice was like warm honey, soothing and sweet. But Claire had more to acknowledge than just his heart-touching words. The surrounding was one of them. What had been a lake enveloped in a blanket of darkness was now glowing with golden lights. It felt as though the blanket was lifted off, revealing the beauty it had hidden underneath. "I'll always cherish you, love you and give you space. You will never have to question your worth or love for me.... Because I'll make sure I live up to your expectations." The pause he took allowed Claire to notice where they were standing— in the middle of a four post bamboo arch. There were colorful flowers and green leaves
282"Why are we here, Hunter? I don't have good memories attached to this place." Claire's voice was emotionless and a little hoarse."Do you trust me, Dove?" Hunter said over his shoulder.Claire didn't answer right away, and when she did... It was a small nod, although her eyes displayed her uncertainty."Then ask your heart to calm down. I won't do anything that would multiply your bad memories. Not on purpose!"Claire took a lingering gaze at him before she nodded again and carefully got down of the bike. She looked around into the dark as her heart kicked up a notch. All the excitement she had been feeling since the moment she saw Hunter had drained out of her. Her hands turned cold and she stuck closer to Hunter for his warmth. She ought to feel this way, after all, he's brought her to the place where she experienced her second heartbreak— The Lake.The sky was indigo overhead and the air was cool. The silhouettes of trees around made her jittery. Insects chirped menacingly and
281Although Dominic had been reluctant in the beginning, he told his wife that Hunter had called him a while before the dinner. He wanted to come to their mansion for some reason. Dominic revealed that Hunter prepared some kind of gift for their daughter, and needed his help to execute it. His request was to dim down the lights of the lamps around their garden so Hunter could have a dark set-up. And then the next thing that happened was that they heard commotion outside their window. Since their room was on the ground floor, they heard and saw everything. Hunter was in the garden, and he wasn't alone. His guards were there to help him whatever he planned to do for Claire. Dominic and Andrea also read the messages on the cardboards that Hunter held. One can say that Hunter's surprise proposal wasn't really a secret. His In-laws— correction, his ex-in-laws, who were about to become his in-laws again, had front-row seats to the whole thing.They read every message, saw every expressi
280"I know I was once the person Scott wanted to be like. But after what I did to you, his sister, he's lost all respect for me. I know he wouldn't hesitate to stab me the second he gets the opportunity." Hunter paused. "I don't consider that wrong because what I've done is enough reason for someone to put a blade through my heart.""Hunter!" Claire glared at him, but obviously it was so dark that he couldn't see it. But her hold around his neck, it indicated that she was disappointed. "I'm telling the truth, Claire. What do you think? That I'm only committing my mistakes in front of you. If that's what you think then you don't know me at all." The determination in his voice steeled her spine. "Fixing things with you was my first step toward fixing everything I destroyed." "Your forgiveness meant everything because if you could forgive me, then maybe the others would too. My goal is to make things right with everyone in your family, especially Scott."Claire's jaw unhinged. She was
279"Really?" He sounded playful.Claire hummed near his face and cupped his jaw, "I adore how you tackle challenges head-on and always come out on top." She paused, pecked him on the lips and added, "For me, you're a true champion and that's what captivated my heart.""You think too highly of me.""I just know that you're very skillful and...""And?" Hunter leaned in closer, depositing all his wait on her.Claire's lips tugged at the corners. An idea struck and she pushed him away. Hunter frowned at the loss of contact. But the push stirred his thoughts awake and he realized he was here on a mission. "You didn't answer my question!""What question?" Claire asked playfully."About being my girlfriend.""I'll think about it." She got out of his hold as she stifled her laughs.It was dark so she couldn't see his expression. But from what she knew about him, she knew he was boiling on the inside. Despite being one of the most successful men, he was grumpy and had very little to no pati
278Claire wasn't happy. Hunter did make mistakes, but that didn't make him a loser. A loser would never accept his mistake. A loser always avoids it and often others have to guilt-trip him to take responsibility for his actions. That, or he's blamed until he's forced to accept his mistakes. However, he would never willingly own up to them. Claire had a big lecture to give to him on this topic. She showed a phone sign with her finger as she put it near her ear, indicating that she was going to call him. But Hunter quickly shook his head and motioned down at the cardboard. Not many were left and Claire decided to stay. She probably read the worst ones, she deemed, as she folded her hands and waited for him to reveal the new messages. It read: On the other hand, you're so charming, honest, kind and considerate. Another one said: I'm nothing in front of you. Another one: Everyone loves you for who you are. As for me... He sighed self-loathingly as he revealed a new card: They can'