61Zara's POV "I will be a queen and I will be a queen for Hunter that's for sure." I fumed. "Come on, baby, accept it. My boss doesn't want you." Enzo came behind me to hold my waist. "Shut up." I tried my best not to scratch his face as I got away from him. He wasn't very handsome. He wasn't very ugly either. "He ditched you but we won't. Your BBC men and I are always there for you." Indignation waltzed through me. I removed my slippers and charged them both at Enzo. They hit him on the face, causing him to fume. "Feeling insulted? That's not even close to what I feel." The lines on his face eased out. He came up to me and kissed my lips forcefully. When I tried to shove him away, he tossed me on the couch and lifted my dress to put my bare pussy on display. Since I was dreadful that Hunter was coming to meet me and I wasn't even close to fully dressed up, I only threw on a long dress and skipped my undergarments. Enzo took advantage of that and cupped my pussy. "It's bette
62Claire was focused on reading her old college projects. Now that she had only herself to proceed forward and begin her career, what could provide better motivation than her old projects. They were also retained by her college and kept for reference for other students.She also reconnected with a professor from college who admired her. An hour long conversation with him rekindled the fire within her. It was him who gave her a link to all the best projects done by the ex-students gathered in one place for reference.Claire also evaluated the works she had finished before she got married. As a civil engineer, she took part in creating five most known places in Bloomcrest and in three overseas locations so far. And then she was married to Hunter and gave up on work. Not that anyone knew her. For the world Claire was a princess born to her wealthy father. She was royalty with good looks and pleasant nature. They took her for a papa's princess who was best at getting dressed and flauntin
63Dominic saw the hesitation in her features and declined with a smile, "No, darling. But I will be there behind you to take your back if you need moral support." While checking the papers she gave him, he resumed, "My job was only to take care of the legal procedures to bring your company into existence for I know how strenuous it could be. Once I get you your commencement certificate, my part will be finished. And that's where yours will start." "You will have to go out and invite professionals to work with you. You will build your own R&D department, your own auditing team, your own designing team and gather your own employees who will work for you." Sweat beads began to form on Claire's forehead. To say she thought that everything was going to be served on a platter for her was wrong. Her father's words meant that she would have to put in efforts. Although the thought of facing people other than her family made adrenaline rush through her, she dipped her head in agreement. D
64As quickly as she burst into laughter, her expression faltered and face became dull. Old memories made her chest squeeze. There were many like Pavel who desired to take her out. But Claire being Claire, the lovesick devoted wife that she was, never took up on their invitations. She brushed their requests aside or left them unread and ignored. Two years ago when she was not still married, she refused to pay heed to these guys because mentally she had reserved herself for Hunter. From a young age onwards she had concluded in her mind that it would be Hunter, taking her first kiss and first time. Her mouth trembled in a remorseful smile. She wasted her teenage years and beginning of her adulthood for a man who treated her like a trashcan. This time, nevertheless, she was determined to not just go out with Pavel but also enjoy the evening. She asked him about the time as to when to meet and he texted: I'm on my way to your house. And I am wearing blue. How about we twin today? Not
65Hunter sat with a hard expression outside the operation theatre. His back was arched forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he ominously gazed at the wall across from him.Cole was unknowingly pissed by his expression. He had been noticing his best friend's body language and for some reason he seemed unperturbed. His girlfriend was attacked! Another man in his shoes would want to conduct restless searches to find out the person behind it. He would hiss and curse, make promises to find the culprit and get his woman the justice she deserved. But Hunter MacIntyre was unpredictably calm. Although his face was hard, it didn't amount to concern. There was no worry on his forehead nor any dark light for seeking revenge on his woman.What's more, he sat like he was a distant relative to Zara. A relative who was here to complete a formality. When it was beyond Cole's point of contemplation, he let out a grumble deep from his chest. He yanked Hunter by his shoulder so his face was para
66"You want to be with her again?" Cole raised an eyebrow before he exploded into peals of laughter.He was happy on the inside that Hunter finally realized his feelings. Still, he wanted to make him feel guilty for his deeds and continued to laugh out loud. He held his belly and shook his head. His laughter resonated in the air around them. Hunter's gaze blazed on his face. He fisted his hands on his sides while looking away. But Cole didn't stop. He laughed till his jaw and stomach ached. Then as he came to glance at his friend, his eyes sparked with malice and lips twisted. "Is this some kind of joke? Claire is not a toy, Hunter, that you can throw away and want it back when you see someone else playing with it."Hunter's gaze simmered with warning. The darkness in them served as a visual representation of his wrath. He hated the fact that Claire was compared to a toy. Cole was shaken for a second but he stood to his ground as someone had to give Hunter a reality check. Becaus
67It was a bad idea to go out with him. It was proved when they pulled over across from a pub where couples were shamelessly making out by the wall and on the ground. The area was dark and surrounded by trees and heart wrenching silence. Claire had sensed Pavel wasn't a good company for her long back. But only when he grazed her butt on their way inside the pub did she finally conclude that he was not just bad but rather a walking warehouse of red flags. "Claire, you haven't touched your drink yet. What are you thinking? Drink it." Pavel raised the glass to her lips. "Erm, yeah, I will. Give it to me." She had to insist to him for a while to let the glass be in her possession, and that she would drink it on her own. When Pavel shifted to the other side to talk to a man, Claire took a deep shaky breath as she stared at the drink in front of her. Something about it didn't make her feel right which is why it was sitting untouched on the table.This was like what? Third time, he was
68Her gaze was misted with tears that she blinked back. When she looked up, she saw the manager. His face was crossed with malevolent objectives. Behind him was another man. The bartender, from whom Pavel bought two drinks. One for himself and other for her. As she gathered her courage to look back, she saw Pavel's smirking face. "Thanks, buddies." He stopped right in front of Claire meanwhile his eyes glazed over her body like a magnifying glass on an invaluable fossil remains. "I knew she wouldn't be an easy target from the moment we stepped inside the pub. The way she looked around and pretended to be cool about everything made it obvious that she wouldn't fall for my niceness. So I had to do this."Pavel lifted her face by jerking his forefinger under her chin. His mouth upturned into a smitten grin as he licked his lips. "I've been after you for a while, Claire. You refused me in the past like I wasn't worth the hassle." He sneered before turning to his allies, the manager an
273Hunter's POV She stopped just a hand's distance away and blinked her doey eyes at me, "I know we've been through so much, and our past is complicated. But I don't want to rush into anything this time. I want to love the good part we missed before. I want us to take our time, to enjoy each other's company, to fall in love all over again. I want you to make me feel special.""I want our second chance to be different. I want it to be about us, about our love, about our connection. I want it to be real, and true, and raw. I want us to be vulnerable, to be open, to be honest with each other. I want this time to be our time. Our time to love, to laugh, to live. Our time to be us." Her lips trembled. She was having a war with herself whether to tell it to me or not. She chose to do it anyway and risk it all... Because, by sharing her feelings with me, she was exposing how desperately she wanted me. "I want us to create new memories, to make new mistakes, to learn from each other all ov
272Hunter's POV "Claire, what's wrong? I thought we cleared our misunderstanding in the elevator." I said as I tried to move closer to her. It compelled her to take three, long steps away and put distance between us that overwhelmed me. A feeling of dread made my stomach heavy. What happened to her? Did I do something wrong? Was it because of Penelope? Yeah, it could be her. They have been friends for years, and while Claire didn't stop me from chasing her away, it doesn't mean she appreciated it. "If it's about Penelope then I can call her and apologize. I'm sorry, I didn't think it would hurt you to see me sending her away. But I did—" "It's not about Penny, alright." The heaviness in her voice made me stare at her. We've been so good. I was starting to believe it wasn't a dream. But we're going back to square one. I ran my fingers through my hair. My body was burning from heat and sweat. The suit was suddenly too tight for me and I had to undo the first few buttons and fan
271Hunter's POV"Why are you following me? Go! Don't you have a meeting to attend?" She feigned a glare, but the playfulness in her gaze and the excitement in her voice told me she loved me trailing after her."The biggest challenge at hand is just accomplished. Why would I bother about work? My PA will take care of it. It's time to celebrate!" I said smugly, walking behind her like her shadow. Claire tried not to blush but the way she lowered her gaze, I swear it took everything in me to not grasp her and kiss her on the lips. I can't believe she's doing it again. Can't believe that I could be forgiven so quickly again.She had been so mad at me. She had expressed her disgust loudly and made sure I felt every bit of her loath. But look at me, I'm following after her like I did earlier and she was happy. Her smile told me she was pleased. She liked it. She enjoyed it. Could I really be this lucky? Or is Claire stupid? She can't give me a second chance despite the pain she suffered
270Claire's POV Hunter is a man with a lust for revenge. He won't abandon his enemies unless he's seen them grasping for breath and bleeding in every way possible. What he's done to Tyler is somewhere unfair too. And though Tyler could fight back, he's been the bigger person between the two. All he's done is defend himself and avoid Hunter's attacks. But it should come to an end. I know both men. While one openly declares war and strikes mercilessly, the other one observes everything silently and creates his strategies. Tyler may look non-violent, but that's only on the surface. He's holding it together because of me these days. But when he'll snap, the explosion will be catastrophic. "And please stop being so abrasive and return his company shares back to him."Hunter sighed as he moved closer to me, "So, your friend wasn't lying about it." "About what?" "Second chance." A soft grateful smile seeped into his lips like honey.On the other hand, my jaw dropped in stupor. I gave h
269Claire's POV I could think of nothing else except for his hard body and how it felt under my belly when I was on his shoulder. My eyes lingered on his throat. There were crimson patterns my nails carved on his skin. In the reflection they looked hot on him. Suddenly an urge to trace them with my tongue throbbed through me. I stared at his throat before raising my eyes to his mouth— his mouth that I loved kissing. I think I'm the first woman in this world who desires a man more than a man would do to a woman. But can you blame me? When the man is Hunter MacIntyre, lust and arousal personified, sense and wisdom stops working. He had a strange kind of animal magnetism that drew me to him. I felt sixteen all over again and my thighs trembled. "I saw you burning Tia Murphy's car." I spoke to ease the tension between us. "It was not needed if you ask me." "Not needed?" My breaths hitched when he spoke. His voice was hoarse and it felt like he was going through the same painful mome
268Claire's POVA new variant of anger pumped through my veins, one that has never plagued me before. I was seeing red everywhere I saw and the desire to feel Hunter's blood on my fingers made me clench my teeth to control whatever crazy fit was taking over my body.I have been jealous before, but this was beyond my imagination. My heart was smoldering outrageously and my breathing was ragged. Hunter's expressions and his words worked like a dose of stimulant, triggering my indignation to another level of madness. How dare he say that? I've been thinking about him, non-stop, since we separated. I never had the chance to shift my focus on another man— he had always been on my mind, and yet he had the guts to say those things to annoy me. I stormed outside the mall from the main gate through which Penny and I had entered. It was dumb because Penny's car was parked in the opposite direction. I stopped to exhale a breath. People around me peered at me curiously. Some stopped to gossip
267The look of possessiveness on Claire's face made Hunter's heart whirl. He'd been praying to see this look in her eyes. Praying to know whether her heart still beat for him. Guess, it never fell out of love from him. The realization whipped smugness into his looks as Hunter amazedly grinned. He was loving seeing his Dove deal with the trouble that was Mona Rocha. "You bítch, what do you want? Weren't you kissing his enemy a few days back to insult him. So why this sudden show of possessiveness? Back off, he's mine now." Mona sneered as she managed to free herself from Claire's grip. She scooted towards Hunter and wound her hands around his arm. He wasn't happy by her sudden closeness. Hunter was about to pull away when Claire let out an animalistic cry before grabbing the front of Mona's top and shoved her aside. "You aggressive whóre! What the fuck is your problem?" Claire snickered, "It's you who have a problem understanding that you're greatly loathed by him.""Loathed by
266As they stole a glance from behind the wall, their faces went pale because a woman was pinning Hunter against the wall, trying to touch him desperately. On the other hand, he had a hateful scowl on his face as he aggressively held her arms to keep her away from him. "What part of 'I don't like you' was clear to you? What is your problem, huh? Stop coming after me, Mona. I've told you many times I'm not interested either in you or your twin sister. Can't you see the ring on my finger? I'm fucking taken." He gritted those words out as his eyes hardened in detestation. The woman, nevertheless, moved closer and pressed a hand on his crotch, causing his eyes to freeze on her face. Claire's heart nearly stopped at the shock as her fingers trembled on the wall where she had placed them. Her teeth clenched as her stomach fluttered in a fit of rage, watching the woman touch Hunter inappropriately.Her gaze lingered on her hand for as long as it was there. She didn't know that she was hol
265Even though the girls had a head mask that completely covered their faces, they chose to take cover behind cars as they closed in on Reggie stealthily. They crouched down to become smaller and avoid their reflections getting caught in the side mirrors of the parked car.Reggie was best in his field. His circumspection earned him the position he worked on. He wouldn't be the country's wealthiest man's chief bodyguard if he was lazy or sloppy. His confident stance said that he knew what he was doing, and the way he kept looking around from time to time, it showed he was multitasking between avoiding spectators and carrying out the order given to him.A point came when Tia suddenly halted in her tracks to rummage something in her purse. A low curse came from her mouth which was quite audible in the empty parking lot. She turned around and that's when Reggie's heightened senses kicked in. He leapt behind a car so smoothly that Claire and Penny's jaw unhinged, eyes stared unblinkingly a