~ETHAN~
I always wondered what went on in her thick skull. How can somebody with such high academic qualifications, one of the smartest women I've ever met and a total genius, think like a fucking squirell? Her emotions were always ahead of her, she acted without fucking thinking and she gets hurt at the end. Anger was a meager way to describe the emotions I felt. That sick bastard, he was beyond lucky he didn't lay his filthy hands on my wife. It gave me extreme pleasure to watch him beg for his life as my fist ravaged his stupid face. The scars would always remind him not to mess with what's mine and most especially, not to ever drug any woman. The police arrived quicker than I had expected and in few minutes, the sick bastard was handcuffed and escorted out of his apartment. I would make sure he spends a good time in prison. How did I hire such a sick creep in the first place? Losing his job will render him useless, he'd be plunged deep into debt and he would forever regret the day he touched my wife. "Ma'am you have to come with us to give your statement", a police officer said as he approached Maddy. "She's not going anywhere with you" I retorted as I tucked Maddy behind me. "But sir...." the officer protested. I shot him a warning glare. "My wife was drugged and God knows what that sick man did to her. She needs to rest before you start prodding her with questions" I barked. I didn't wait for the officer to respond, I led Maddy into the car and drove off, leaving them in the scene of the crime. "What's going to happen to him?" Maddy asked, her voice strained from prolonged crying. "Why do you care?" I shot back and she flinched. "I'm sorry" I sighed, grabbing her hand and wrapping mine around it. Her soft hands were extremely hot and bruised. "I was just worried about you" I said as I gently caressed her hand. "You should be more worried about your fiancée" she hissed, pulling her hand away from mine. "She is not my fiancee" I replied, trying to sound as convincing as possible. In all honesty, she wasn't. Samantha was a horrible woman, spoiled and selfish. She wasn't a fit wife neither would she be a good mother. We were betrothed when we were kids, I didn't even get the opportunity to protest the decision and I had faith in the union in the beginning. Well until the whore cheated on me with my brother, Harris. Everything with Samantha was strictly business and now I could afford to call off the engagement, I would do it just so I never have to see her again. "Mrs King" I teased as I grabbed her hand again. "Samantha is Mrs King, not me" Maddy sighed. I knew it hurt her to say that, I also knew in her heart, she knew Samantha did not stand a chance. "Samantha isn't the one who signed a marriage certificate" I said softly. "As long as I'm concerned, you're Mrs King" I smiled as I brought her small hand to my lips and placed soft kisses on the back of her palm. Maddy finally relaxed and she didn't remove her hand from mine. "Thank you for coming to get me" she said in a low voice. "I was so scared, I didn't know what to do" she sniffed, her eyes watering as she spoke. "That bastard will never be able to breath near you again, I swear on it" I growled. The ride back home went silent, Maddy drifted into deep sleep and I locked in her seat belt to make sure she didn't fall over. For somebody that was extremely troublesome and annoying, she looked extremely peaceful while she was asleep. We finally arrived at our home, I drove the car into the garage and parked it with the rest of my leisure vehicles. "Maddy, we are home now" I said, gently tapping her arm. She stirred in her sleep but she didn't wake up. I tapped her several times but she didn't wake up. Whatever was given to her was still in her system and her body must still be worn out from stress. This meant I had to carry her inside. I cussed under my breath as I carried her out of the car. It would be really embarrassing if my staff saw this, I silently prayed they were all out of the house. We made it inside undetected and I carried Maddy to her bedroom and tucked her in securely... I took one last long look at her before heading towards the door. I froze in my tracks as soon as I heard her groggy voice. "Stay with me, please" she begged. "Are you sure?" I asked with a raised brow. She nodded and made room for me on the bed. Moments like this made me forget everything with her was fake and she wasn't really mine , but that didn't matter right now. I quickly kicked off my shoes and got into bed with her. I tried to keep my distance but as she drifted into sleep, her body curled against mine. "God help me" I sighed as I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer to me. Thank mother nature for sleep because if Madison was awake, she would have felt my raging boner pressed against her back. And it only got worse each padding second. I couldn't help it. Her body was soft and warm and we were cuddled, my hand rested around her boobs. Morality was the only thing that kept me from rubbing one out and nutting on her back.. but what kind of man would that make me? I needed to suppress the evil thoughts that kept flooding my mind but it seemed impossible. I closed my eyes and thought of nursing homes and a random Midwestern ranch, that was the only way Maddy couldn't possess my thoughts. In no time, I fell asleep as well, allowing myself slip into the ecstacy of my imagination.The sharp, relentless pounding on the door jolted me awake. My heart thundered in my chest as I blinked, disoriented, the faint glow of moonlight streaming into the room. Maddy stirred beside me, her small body curling further into the warmth of the blankets. For a moment, I wanted to ignore it—let whoever it was stay outside and figure their shit out—but the banging only grew louder, more aggressive. I carefully slid out of bed, tucking the blankets around her sleeping form. She mumbled something incoherent but didn’t wake. Running a hand through my hair, I padded toward the door, my muscles tense. Whoever was pounding like that better have a damn good reason. The moment I opened the door, Samantha shoved past me, her heels clacking furiously against the marble floor. “What the hell is wrong with you, Ethan?” she spat, her green eyes flashing with rage. I stepped in front of her, blocking her path toward the bed. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know what time it is? I tho
~MADISON I stared at my reflection in the mirror, smoothing the midnight blue dress I had carefully chosen for the evening. The silk fabric hugged my figure perfectly, flowing down in elegant folds. It was the kind of dress that made you feel confident, beautiful, even when your heart wasn’t quite in it. The warm light from the vanity caught on the delicate silver necklace I wore, a simple piece that Ethan had given me months ago. It was my birthday, and despite everything—the fights, the cold distance between us, his increasing absences—I wanted to believe tonight would be different. He’d promised we’d go to dinner. He’d promised to make time for me. I glanced at the clock on the wall. 7:30 PM. The reservation was for eight, but Ethan was nowhere to be seen. The house was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made you acutely aware of your own breathing. “Ma’am?” The soft knock at the door startled me. One of the staff, Maria, peeked her head in. “Would you like me to check with
~ETHAN The drive home was quieter than usual, a stark contrast to the chaos in my head. My thoughts kept circling back to Maddy—her voice, the way her eyes lit up when she mentioned her birthday plans. I could still hear her teasing me about wearing something "other than a suit" to dinner tonight. I’d intended to make it. I really had. But the day had spiraled out of control. A client crisis, endless phone calls, and the suffocating weight of managing the company had consumed every second. By the time I realized how late it was, the clock on my dashboard read 11:15 PM. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, frustration bubbling under my skin. I’d missed it. I missed her. As I parked in the driveway, the house loomed ahead of me, its windows glowing faintly against the dark night. The air felt heavy as I walked to the door, turning the key in the lock. The silence inside was deafening. No staff bustling about, no soft hum of conversation. Just the muted tick of the grandfather cloc
~ETHAN The air was thick with awkward tension as I walked into the brightly lit pottery studio. It was an unconventional place for a corporate team-building exercise, but King Enterprises had recently partnered with this studio as part of a local arts initiative. My PR team insisted this event would be good for employee morale and our public image. I wasn’t convinced. The large room smelled of clay and faintly of paint, with rows of pottery wheels and long tables neatly arranged. The studio walls were decorated with shelves of colorful pottery, cheerful and inviting—a sharp contrast to the stiff, uneasy energy radiating from my employees. I scanned the room quickly, my gaze landing on Maddy at the far end. She was standing alone, looking painfully out of place amidst the clusters of coworkers who whispered and laughed amongst themselves. Samantha, of course, was front and center, making sure everyone noticed her. She tossed her hair back dramatically and laughed a little too loud
The event had been exhausting. The endless small talk, the fake smiles, and the way Ethan’s eyes followed me all night—I felt like a bird in a gilded cage. By the time the everything ended, all I wanted was to disappear into the quiet sanctuary of my room. I lingered near the grand staircase of the pottery studio, pretending to be engrossed in my phone as people around me trickled out. I could feel Ethan’s gaze on me even before I looked up. When I finally did, there he was, cutting through the crowd like he owned the world. His suit was stained with clay from the exercise and he wiped the spot profusely as he walked towards me. “Ms Taylor,” he said as he approached, his voice lower than usual, as if he were trying not to startle me. I froze, gripping my purse tighter. “Mr King” “You're going home with me” he said, his tone soft but firm. The words hung between us like a challenge and the bystanders who had heard what he said gasped and stared daggers at me. My instinct screamed
I stood in the glass elevator, watching my reflection grow smaller as the city below me shrank. There I was—Madison Taylor, no longer the awkward girl with too-big sweaters and a heart too soft for her own good. No longer the girl who flinched at the sound of his name. Now, I was confident, collected, and ready to face whatever lay on the other side of those doors. Even him. Ethan King. I hadn’t seen him in almost a decade. The last time we were in the same room, I’d been holding back tears as he and his friends laughed at my expense. High school had been its own kind of battlefield, and Ethan had been the king, both literally and figuratively. He’d ruled the halls with his charm, his looks, and his cruel words, cutting me down without ever giving it a second thought. But that was years ago. I wasn’t that girl anymore. And he? Well, he was the CEO of a billion-dollar company. King Enterprises. I clenched my jaw at the irony of the name. How fitting. The elevator dinged, jolting me
Monday morning arrived faster than I expected. I spent the weekend mentally preparing, telling myself over and over that I was more than ready to face Ethan King again. After all, I’d walked out of his office on Friday with the upper hand—something I’d been waiting years to have. Now, it was time to follow through. I stepped out of the cab in front of King Enterprises, the sun casting a golden glow on the towering glass structure. The building seemed even more intimidating than before, but I wasn’t going to let it rattle me. Not today. I walked through the grand lobby, the sound of my heels clicking against the marble floors echoing in the vast space. I could feel the eyes of the other employees as they passed by, but I didn’t falter. I kept my head high and made my way to the elevator, determined to make my presence known without saying a word. As I waited for the elevator, the soft chime signaling its arrival, I couldn’t help but think of what Ethan must be feeling now. He’d trie
Working at King's Enterprises had been hell. Ethan had been assigning me more work each day, clearly doing it just to piss me off. No one in the office seemed surprised at the workload piling up on my desk. In fact, the staff seemed to avoid eye contact with me altogether, as if associating with me would make them targets of his wrath as well. It was almost seven p.m., and I was still sitting in my office, trying to get through the never-ending stack of documents Ethan had sent over earlier in the day. My eyes burned from staring at the computer screen for hours. The office was quiet now, most people having left an hour ago. I sighed heavily, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ward off the headache that had been building all day. A soft knock on my office door broke the silence, and I looked up to see Ethan standing there, his expression unreadable. “What are you still doing here?” he asked, his voice low but with that edge of authority he never seemed to lose. I rolled my eyes. “
The event had been exhausting. The endless small talk, the fake smiles, and the way Ethan’s eyes followed me all night—I felt like a bird in a gilded cage. By the time the everything ended, all I wanted was to disappear into the quiet sanctuary of my room. I lingered near the grand staircase of the pottery studio, pretending to be engrossed in my phone as people around me trickled out. I could feel Ethan’s gaze on me even before I looked up. When I finally did, there he was, cutting through the crowd like he owned the world. His suit was stained with clay from the exercise and he wiped the spot profusely as he walked towards me. “Ms Taylor,” he said as he approached, his voice lower than usual, as if he were trying not to startle me. I froze, gripping my purse tighter. “Mr King” “You're going home with me” he said, his tone soft but firm. The words hung between us like a challenge and the bystanders who had heard what he said gasped and stared daggers at me. My instinct screamed
~ETHAN The air was thick with awkward tension as I walked into the brightly lit pottery studio. It was an unconventional place for a corporate team-building exercise, but King Enterprises had recently partnered with this studio as part of a local arts initiative. My PR team insisted this event would be good for employee morale and our public image. I wasn’t convinced. The large room smelled of clay and faintly of paint, with rows of pottery wheels and long tables neatly arranged. The studio walls were decorated with shelves of colorful pottery, cheerful and inviting—a sharp contrast to the stiff, uneasy energy radiating from my employees. I scanned the room quickly, my gaze landing on Maddy at the far end. She was standing alone, looking painfully out of place amidst the clusters of coworkers who whispered and laughed amongst themselves. Samantha, of course, was front and center, making sure everyone noticed her. She tossed her hair back dramatically and laughed a little too loud
~ETHAN The drive home was quieter than usual, a stark contrast to the chaos in my head. My thoughts kept circling back to Maddy—her voice, the way her eyes lit up when she mentioned her birthday plans. I could still hear her teasing me about wearing something "other than a suit" to dinner tonight. I’d intended to make it. I really had. But the day had spiraled out of control. A client crisis, endless phone calls, and the suffocating weight of managing the company had consumed every second. By the time I realized how late it was, the clock on my dashboard read 11:15 PM. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, frustration bubbling under my skin. I’d missed it. I missed her. As I parked in the driveway, the house loomed ahead of me, its windows glowing faintly against the dark night. The air felt heavy as I walked to the door, turning the key in the lock. The silence inside was deafening. No staff bustling about, no soft hum of conversation. Just the muted tick of the grandfather cloc
~MADISON I stared at my reflection in the mirror, smoothing the midnight blue dress I had carefully chosen for the evening. The silk fabric hugged my figure perfectly, flowing down in elegant folds. It was the kind of dress that made you feel confident, beautiful, even when your heart wasn’t quite in it. The warm light from the vanity caught on the delicate silver necklace I wore, a simple piece that Ethan had given me months ago. It was my birthday, and despite everything—the fights, the cold distance between us, his increasing absences—I wanted to believe tonight would be different. He’d promised we’d go to dinner. He’d promised to make time for me. I glanced at the clock on the wall. 7:30 PM. The reservation was for eight, but Ethan was nowhere to be seen. The house was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made you acutely aware of your own breathing. “Ma’am?” The soft knock at the door startled me. One of the staff, Maria, peeked her head in. “Would you like me to check with
The sharp, relentless pounding on the door jolted me awake. My heart thundered in my chest as I blinked, disoriented, the faint glow of moonlight streaming into the room. Maddy stirred beside me, her small body curling further into the warmth of the blankets. For a moment, I wanted to ignore it—let whoever it was stay outside and figure their shit out—but the banging only grew louder, more aggressive. I carefully slid out of bed, tucking the blankets around her sleeping form. She mumbled something incoherent but didn’t wake. Running a hand through my hair, I padded toward the door, my muscles tense. Whoever was pounding like that better have a damn good reason. The moment I opened the door, Samantha shoved past me, her heels clacking furiously against the marble floor. “What the hell is wrong with you, Ethan?” she spat, her green eyes flashing with rage. I stepped in front of her, blocking her path toward the bed. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know what time it is? I tho
~ETHAN~ I always wondered what went on in her thick skull.How can somebody with such high academic qualifications, one of the smartest women I've ever met and a total genius, think like a fucking squirell? Her emotions were always ahead of her, she acted without fucking thinking and she gets hurt at the end. Anger was a meager way to describe the emotions I felt. That sick bastard, he was beyond lucky he didn't lay his filthy hands on my wife.It gave me extreme pleasure to watch him beg for his life as my fist ravaged his stupid face.The scars would always remind him not to mess with what's mine and most especially, not to ever drug any woman. The police arrived quicker than I had expected and in few minutes, the sick bastard was handcuffed and escorted out of his apartment.I would make sure he spends a good time in prison. How did I hire such a sick creep in the first place?Losing his job will render him useless, he'd be plunged deep into debt and he would forever regret the
It felt like my brain was being split in half. My eyes felt extremely heavy and my body felt like I had been crushed by a truck.The feeling of the soft mattress against my body gave me a little relief, only, this wasn't my bed and I had never made it home last night. I vaguely remember getting into a taxi but I have no idea if I made it out of the club.I turned and writhed in the large bed until I found the energy to stand up.The very unfamiliar room was tactfully decorated with large wooden furniture and floor length curtains that blocked sunlight from entering the room.Aside the standard decoration, there was nothing else.Nothing to give me a clue as to who owned the room I was in. No pictures or paintings or even a jacket or sweater.I sighed and said a short prayer as I grabbed the shiny doorknob..Locked.I really need to find a way to stop getting locked in.I yanked the door knob severally, my frustration rising each passing minute.Who the fuck had done this? I folded t
The sound of the front door opening caught me mid-thought. My eyes darted toward it as sharp voices echoed down the hall, growing louder with each step. A chill ran down my spine, a sense of unease settling in my chest. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I glanced at Ethan, who sat casually across from me, his expression unreadable. But the slight tightening of his jaw told me he wasn’t thrilled about whoever had just walked in. Eleanor stood in the living room, her eyes focused on her phone as she muttered to herself. She was neatly dressed in a tight pant suit and her hair was styled in soft waves that framed her face."Be quick, darling. I don't have all day" she yelled at someone who was at the door.My face immediately fell when I saw whom she was speaking to.Samantha walked in, dragging a large designer suitcase that I was certain cost more than my rent.She stood beside Eleanor and they conversed in hushed tones.We hurried downstairs and Ethan looked as pale as a ghost. “Ethan,” E
"If I unknowingly signed to become your slave for life, forget about it," I muttered, flipping through the document. Ethan chuckled, his voice laced with amusement. "I would never do that. I'd never put you in restraints... unless maybe you wanted it." "Perv," I hissed, my cheeks heating despite myself. The pages rustled as I flipped through them quickly, scanning for any hidden clauses or sinister fine print. I wasn’t about to trust him blindly—not after everything. My eyes darted from line to line, my heart racing for no good reason. I wasn't a lawyer, but I could understand enough to know I wasn’t about to sell my soul. "I panicked for nothing," I frowned, slamming the document shut. "There's nothing bad in here." Ethan smirked, leaning back in his chair, the picture of confidence. "I know. I just wanted to teach you a lesson." "A lesson in what? Trusting you? Not happening." I rolled my eyes and shoved the papers across the table, putting as much space as I could between the