Darcy I wanted to go over and talk to Cory but about what? A lot of things didnโt make sense and they were barely adding up. I couldnโt sleep, I couldnโt function properly. I had found a paper in that storeroom, similar to the one Cory had given me. Why did Rhys have it? The headline read โDrunk billionaire heir kills three in an accidentโ. I felt my insides squirm when I saw the Madigan name there.Whoever wrote it kept emphasizing on the Madigan name, I knew he wanted to have the people locked in.โYou need to stop staring into space like that and tell me what is going onโ Rhyโs voice cut through my reverie. He walked towards me, eyes narrowed. My face warmed as he reached the space where I was sitting. He grabbed my shoulders, turning me slightly so we were face to face. His eyes held mine with concern and a bit of amusement, as he tilted his head. โWhat are you thinking about?โI shook my head and looked down, away from his piercing gaze. What could I say? That someone had bee
DarcyโWhy? Did I hit a nerve? Or are you too ashamed to tell your darling wife what we did?โ Blair taunted, her expression twisted with triumph. She knew. She fucking knew! I clenched my fist at my side. My breath hitched."Don't listen to her, Tessa," he whispered. His eyes pleaded with mine as if asking for permission to take me away.I looked at him incredulously. โI think my job here is done, call me Rhysโ Blair winked at him before walking away, leaving both of us in silence.I turned to walk away but was halted by his hand on my forearm.I looked up at him and saw he wasnโt meeting my eyes. โDid you sleep with her?โ I asked quietly. A part of me hoped he hadn't even though I knew the truth.But I could remember the night he came back a day after Coryโs visit. He reeked of alcohol and aside from that, something about him had seemed different than before. It was the same feeling that went through me the first time when I saw him kiss Blair.For the first time ever, Rhys Madiga
Unknown POVโWhy did you call me out here?โ I asked her as she took majestic steps around the private restaurant she had chosen. It still remains a mystery how she got my number and even the balls to text me. But I ignored my thoughts and focused on the woman in front of me.My eyes were locked on her long legs that swayed like a feline's in the most seductive of ways. They looked good too. She was beautiful and she knew it but that wasn't any of my concern. I had somewhere important to be.โWe are here to discuss businessโ She removed her shades and sat down in front of me with that confident posture that women seem to have when they sit in their designer gowns.โI think you should be discussing with Vincent not meโ I leaned back against the comfortable leather seat in the restaurant she had invited while crossing one leg over another and trying to hide how impatient I felt. Her gaze didnโt waver for a second. It was unnerving. โHe is not veryโฆcooperative about all this stuff. I mea
RhysโYou have a secret affair.โ Liamโs voice held a hint of a tease to it as if he knew something I didn't. We used to be a group of three but Bruce and I had been closer. After my fallout with Bruce, I ghosted Liam, ignored him and cut him off completely. It wasn't until early this year when we were able to talk things out but he was leaving town. But when I dropped Tessa off, I got a text from him that he was back.And after being away for seven months, I tried to fill him up with what I could.โYou are just crazy. How did I end up with such a friend?โโSo you haven't been sleeping with her in secret even though you claim it's only business?โ He was still grinning. โOr is this another of your little secrets like Blair? Or the one where you lock everyone outโ I had told him about Tessa and what I wasn't sure I had done with Blair even though I couldn't remember anything from that night no matter how hard I tried.โI don't see how it's any of your businessโ My temper had gotten shor
RhysI was going to go back to Playboy Rhys.When Liam and I decided to leave after seeing enough, he promised he was going to go back there. There was a glint of satisfaction on his face. We moved to an orgy he was invited to and there were a lot of drinks and ladies everywhere when we got there. I reminded myself that I was free to do whatever I want and whatever commitment I had with Tessa didn't matter. It was all work. I didn't need to give her the illusion that we had something going on, something more.She had made me grow weak and I didn't like that, I didn't need that.Music blared, people were dancing and drinking, laughing nonstop and most of them were tipsy already. We managed to squeeze through all the sweaty bodies that were dancing in circles on top of one another, stumbling and tripping, laughing and singing along to different songs. The ladies didn't stop eye fucking us with lustful gazes, as far as I was concerned that could only be interpreted as lustfulโฆI liked
Unknown POVI had managed to sneak into their home. As I watched her, something seemed different about her and it felt as though she was oddly shaken by something.Surprisingly, the guards were now back to following her around everywhere. She was on constant guard, but I thought nothing of that. Her face always remained the same โ a mixture of sadness, fear, hatred, and anger all at once โ and she never showed any emotion whatsoever. That suited my purpose just fine.I thought it was pathetic, it was going to need more than guards to stop me from getting what I wanted, but that didn't mean it wouldn't work. There were other things, things that I could do with my new knowledge about her, things that would make this plan of mine work out perfectly well. It wouldn't be easy, I'm sure, but everything would eventually fall into place in my favour.Even if it meant taking everything else away from her. The guards weren't going to protect her forever. She wasn't even safe.Was it because her
DarcyโAll you have to do is deny that it's not meโ Rhys stated as if it were the simplest thing to do and what was even more shocking was that I couldn't believe my ears.I stared at him as if he had grown another head. โAreโฆ Are you crazy? That would be so hypocritical and I don't know what else it could be because your name isn't exactly in the dictionary of synonyms. Besides, you were bold enough to do it, why don't you just boldly take the blame for it?โI wasn't about to put myself on a plate as a scapegoat for it. I wasn't going to lie on his behalf.I was hurt and broken by my reality, this reality.I was in love with Rhys Madigan and he had cheated on me, again.This time however it hadn't been because I had caught him in the act or because Blair thought it was nice to just drop the news on me, this time it was on a gossip magazine.โHot playboy back to his old ways?โ and below this dump caption was a picture of a ginger-haired girl and Rhys, even though their faces were not s
RhysShe looked like she couldnโt believe me, different emotions ran through her face at once and it was hard to keep track of all of them.โAll you have to do is deny that it's not me,โ I explained to her, sounding as casual as possible as if it were the simplest thing to do. How was I supposed to know that somehow someone had taken pictures of me and the ginger-haired and sent them to the media as juicy gossip?It was suddenly everywhere, people called, my reputation was at stake and the possibility of losing the clients I had won over to my side was high.How could I be so careless? But it could be fixed, no one could tell that it was me, it was taken from the back, and those who knew me very well were free to be skeptical but I was going to prove that it could be anyone.The 5โ2 woman in front of me kept staring at me as if I had grown another head. โAreโฆ Are you crazy?! That would be so hypocritical and I don't know what else it could be because your name isn't exactly in the dic
DarcyโI love you, Tessaโ His words made my heart race and the world stopped spinning around me. His voice was so calm but laced with determination.My knees gave up underneath me, I felt dizzy and weak. My heart was pounding and everything seemed to come to a standstill for the moment.How did he say those three words to me? I mean I loved him. Of course, I loved him, I loved him since forever.I had always dreamed of when I would hear him say those words to me, but this wasn't how I imagined that moment to happen. The first time I heard them, it was obvious it was because he wanted me to keep this child. And now? It was to make up for calling me stupid. Not once did he mean those words.YetI felt like I couldn't breathe, my chest heaved up and down as if I were running. Every fiber of my body was shaking, my legs couldn't seem to support me anymore.Why was he saying this? Was he really thinking that I would buy whatever he just said? Was it a trick to manipulate me?Or did he truly
DarcyโTry? Do you realize how stupid you sound? Do you? Why canโt you see the red flags? you are so gullible that you believe whatever anyone says to you. I've been betrayed before, I will always be betrayed, no matter what. And you seem to think that I am just like any other person? you think that I'll change because you tried to make me happy? You need to grow up Tessa! fucking grow up and get your head out of all those fantasiesโ I couldn't get them out of my head ; They stayed inside my mind like poison. I kept repeating them over and over, like the mantra, like the mantra that kept repeating in my mind.I knew he was right, I knew how cruel his words sounded . My mind was running wild, like I was going insane with the way it kept repeating those same words. It took everything in my power not to burst out crying on the spot. I was still breathing heavily and I didn't even notice when I stopped walking. I simply kept walking, taking long deep breaths. My body was shivering with s
Rhys I thought my head was going to explode from the pressure I was feeling at that moment. My heart was beating so fast I swore it would give out any second. I couldn't breathe. It seemed like I had forgotten how to and I was suffocating. I couldn't think straight, it just didn't seem real. All I could see were black dots. I was used to everything being black and white, it was easier to pick sides and focus on the side you have chosen but right now it was all blurry and gray, like looking through a thick layer of dust. Everything around me was dark except for those black spots, which weren't really spots, they seemed to be tiny holes in space. They made me feel sick and nauseous. Like I was drowning. Or maybe I was dying. But what kind of death?There was no lead or response from the contact I had reached out to. Mr Stark still wasn't allowed to talk to anyone, Vincent was still roaming freely after killing our grandfather.What was I supposed to do now, just collapse into a puddle
DarcyIt had been three days, three days since I last saw Rhys. Three days of craving his presence, of missing him more than any other person Iโd ever known, in ways I couldnโt quite explain to myself and would probably never be able to fully comprehend even if I wanted to. I didnโt know what I was supposed to do now that he wasnโt here- no he was here but far. I certainly hadnโt gone over the past three days planning an elaborate, intricate plan for what I could possibly say or do when I'll see him. It hadnโt crossed my mind once. I hadnโt done anything but stare at the door of my room as if it would magically make him appear.It was three days of wanting his touch, his kisses, and his arms around me every single second of the day. To feel the warmth radiating from his skin while we lay together on a bed, listening to the gentle patter of rain hitting against the window pane. To feel his lips pressed against mine, the taste of him lingering even after I pull away, the soft sigh of r
Unknown โWhat? why did you call me out here?โ I demanded once I opened her front door. I glared down at her with eyes so intense and as always I expected her to cower away but instead she stared me down right back.โBecause I wanted to see how you were doing, thatโs why. And to ask why you had not called me to apologize for what you did the last timeโI scoffed at her and shook my head in disbelief. โYou expect me to apologize? You want to talk about apology when you are the one who is in violation of the terms of our deal. I am doing nothing wrong. I did what was necessary to keep myself safe from your unnecessary gossip and I refuse to let you disrespect my husband. You are the one who owes me an apology Blairโ She looked at me confused, trying to find any signs of remorse on my face. She finally settled into shock at the fact that I hadn't just spat at her. โUnbelievable!โ She snorted at me, rolling her eyes in disbelief. โYou are unbelievable!โ I couldnโt tell if it was a threa
RhysโDidnโt I ask you to leave Claire?โ I tried to control my voice but failed but the rawness didn't go unnoticed, the snarls from my voice were as loud as sirens.โItโs me,โ I heard her voice and I turned to her. I wanted to ask if she was okay but she seemed a little nervous until I watched her whole body relax.With the way her large greyish-blue eyes were looking I could tell she was taking in my appearance and the look of shock on her face only confirmed that I looked like a mess, a total disaster.But it was nothing compared to the battle I had going on in me. The little voice in my head was begging to be released, to pounce on anything but I couldnโt let it, not when Tessa was here. I didnโt want anything to go wrong.I didnโt want to lose control and hurt her just like I had done with the guard, so I turned away from her scrutinising stare to focus on my walls which suddenly seemed almost peaceful, almost interesting.I could feel Tessaโs gaze, boring holes on my back and I
Vincent His arms were tied, mouth sealed while tears and sweat streamed down his cheeks to free himself from a strong grip. He tried desperately to kick away the arm holding him still, but that only made things worse for the man holding the other end of his chains. The men surrounded him, rough hands holding him back at each side as he fought against them with no success whatsoever. There was nothing he could do.I walked back to where I was and pulled the tape off his mouth.โPlease Sir, I am sorryโ He wailed. โPlease, sir. Donโt hurt me anymore. Please, I beg you.โ He begged me in vain. I ignored his pleas. I didnโt have the time to be nice. My mind was on something far more important at the moment than some silly human life. It wasn't about him, it never had been.โI gave you a simple job, I paid you for it, and yet, you failed me in my one request, you failed us all by your own incompetence.โ He flinched when I spoke, his entire body trembling at the mere thought of what I was g
DarcyRhys stared at me in disbelief. His face showed pain and he struggled to control it.โI need to goโ He suddenly announced.โRhysโฆโ I began but I didn't continue and he didn't stop either. I felt my heart ache once the door slammed behind me.I didn't come out of my room the next day, I wasn't sure what my place was in the house anymore, and I wasn't sure of what awaited me. I guess it was an act of cowardice, but what would you have had me do? what would you have done differently? Rhys didn't come back to my room, I didnโt blame him, I saw him fighting to keep his emotions in check, that alone was enough to make anyone want to take action against something they couldnโt control. But somehow I felt I was right.When I couldnโt deal with the tension and when my curiosity got the best of me, I left my room.The house was dead as a corpse, and my presence made no difference to any of it. It was as if the events of the previous day had taken its life, I could hear the maids whisperin
DarcyWe got back home, Rhys and I.By the time we returned, finding those photos was the last thing on my mind. We couldn't get to see Mr Stark as the doctor strictly advised against it. He insisted that the old man needed time to be monitored and need to rest properly without the bustle that came with visitors.I could not remember much from last night but when I woke up to a throbbing headache . It felt like someone was pounding on my skull with a giant hammer. My eyes were heavy and I could barely focus them. For some reason, I was in my bedroom- still in my bedroom. But I had the most bizarre feeling of dรฉjร vu...โRelaxโ that musical voice told me. โYou are safe now . No one will hurt you.โ That voiceโฆ that beautiful yet cold voice was familiar to me somewhere...Rhys.My eyes that I had closed suddenly snapped open as I looked into his mesmerizing pair of sapphire eyes , staring back at me, as if he knew what I was going through.โNo one is here to hurt you...โHe repeated, rea