[Juliette’s POV] Two days later… I entered my office at the Virtus HQ building and on my desk, in front of the keyboard, was a box of chocolates with a ribbon slapped in the middle. It startled me. Given my popularity here, the chocolates must be laced with poison. I sat on my chair and stared at the innocent looking balls of dark brown sweetness, planning my next move—keep or eat? Then, I glanced at the dustbin beside my desk. ‘It’s not poisoned, damn it.’ I jumped up with a fright then saw Filipo at the door with both hands tucked in his pockets. His face had its usual frown but it somehow felt less hostile. ‘Why?’ I had to ask. ‘What does it look like?’ Filipo’s face turned grouchy. My gaze bounced between the gift and him, and then I said, ‘A bribe?’ He shot a surprised and annoyed look at me then stepped into my office and snapped, ‘Christ—it’s a thank you gift!’ Oh… I mouthed and looked down at the neat rows of chocolates. This signified a huge step. This mean
[Jewel’s POV]‘What the fuck is this shit?’ The director, the princess of the ex-Second in command of the Virtus clan, stared in disbelief at the page of fainted words, slanted by the old cursive style. We started the feud… she thought in dismay. The old ledger clearly says so. Numbers may not be the Virtus’s game, but that doesn’t mean she’s dumb in it. She’s as good as that Lux whore. And smarter. She slammed the book shut and threw it on the carpeted floor of her bedroom with a huge disappointed ‘humph!’So what if they were the ones who started the feud? The feud has happened and it’s still rooted deeply in many members of the Virtus clan, especially the younger ones who adore and look up to the older ones. ‘I can twist things around. Easy peasy.’ She snickered and lifted the corners of her mouth. ‘All I need is a token to start the machine rolling.’ Her pretty lashes fluttered as she glanced at the phone lying quietly on her bed. That dumbass Marco is taking too long. Donk
[Juliette's POV] His hand slammed over my tied wrists and grabbed it as an anchor to ram in another, stronger and deeper than the one just before. A hard moan of extreme pleasure screamed from my throat. 'Deeper, Juliette?' His husky voice sounded in my left ear, the darkness amplifying his sexiness and the thrill of his promise. Oh, fuck yes… I want it. But will it tear? He's larger than usual, for some reason, and it feels even better, I'm not gonna lie… 'Deeper it is,' he grunted and slammed in another, striking the same spot twice as harder. Burst. His name tore from my throat as I was seized and everything shook like a 10.0 earthquake. 'Fuck, kitten,' he grunted and plunged in another one—and another wave of intense euphoria gripped me. 'Ralph!' I sobbed. He stiffened, his own pleasure spilling in low, sexy groans, and then relaxed again. And then a caress across my forehead and then the binds came off. Followed by the blindfold. I winced from the glare as hot
[Juliette’s POV]I wiped the smile off my face and straightened my back. 'Right now, I'm the HR Manager of this place. You're fighting the battles, I'm just doing my part to help you win.' The large guy shifted in his seat with pride in his hard gaze. 'I respect that.''And I respect you.' I leaned back slightly and asked, 'So where do I search?' The hesitation was reasonable: should a Virtus let a Lux search through his things? Can he trust a Lux?But it also revealed his desperation for his claims to be approved, just like an average member of an organisation. He sighed in relent and shrugged. 'My folder. It's in the intranet. I'll give you the password.'I beamed with relief. 'I'll let you know once I'm done and you can make a new password.''Yeah, whatever.' He stood and was out of the conference room. That actually went well! I can't wait to tell Ralph! *****[Marco’s POV]It was sheer luck that he came upon the piece of news. He spoke to so many people, sent his private i
[Juliette’s POV]I should be happy. But I can’t smile. Even his knitted brows of concern couldn’t take my mind off what happened after lunch. It was going so well. What happened? Why was he hostile again? It was like the discussion we had this morning never happened—like I had been in a different dimension, or time zone, and I just got back from it. Something rough but warm covered my hand on the restaurant table and I looked down at it. The large hand securing over mine, shielding me from harm, from everything. ‘Do you need details about the emergency? Will that make you feel better?’ Ralph asked in his deep, calm voice of masculine sexiness. A voice that makes me want to crawl into him and wrap him around me and complain and whine. But if I did, he’d remember about the deal we had and take over. I don’t want the Virtus family members to accept me out of the Don’s orders; I want them to accept me for me, and because they want to. I turned to my left and gazed into those handsome
[Juliette’s POV] ‘I gave you the receipts, didn’t I?’ That look of disgust was hard to miss. The descendant of the command sergeant, Calum Virtus, Director of the Virtus Retails, was known to be the better—and prettier—version of Marco. And he was a clean freak. Arms crossed, the pretty guy snorted. ‘Ezio warned us all. So I sent them all to you yesterday. After working hours, of course. After all the real work was done.’ So my work is useless to the company, huh? My fingers tightened around the iPad pen. I sighed inwardly and maintained a cordial smile. ‘I really appreciate it, Mr. Calum.’ The sound of a formal address raised his brows, and suddenly he looked embarrassed. But only for a split second. ‘So why are we here?’ The fine chin tilted away haughtily. ‘I just told you I’ve got lots of stuff to catch up on. And you’ve got the nerve to call a Director in for this.’ ‘I have no choice. This can only be discussed with the Director of Virtus Retails.’ The proud gr
[Juliette’s POV]Dinner was at Sweet Like Heaven bar restaurant, atop one of the highest buildings in the city. I told him about this place a month ago, heard it from someone in the Lux Corp ladies’ room, and felt curious enough to try it. The place was hard to get a table—the long waiting list and all—but he managed to fix us up with one. It was flattering to know that he still remembered. But then, is he doing this out of guilt? For cancelling lunch with me to meet another woman. Is there really another woman? ‘Kitten?’ His voice feathered inside my ear and I blinked at the elevator door as we rose smoothly to level thirty-three, where the restaurant is. Then his warm lips were on the edge of my ear, pressing gently. ‘What’s on your mind?’ I turned to him and he caught something on my face and sighed with a frown. ‘What is it?’ He was as curt as a husband who was about to be confronted about his mistress. ‘Promise me you won’t get upset,’ I muttered, trying to sound less confron
[Juliette’s POV]Sluuurp! Muack! Lick, lick… kiss… nibble, kiss, nibble…. Sluuurp!‘Mmm….’ A moan in my voice sounded in my ear, and a giant shudder raced up my body, under my trembling skin. The dream of sunset colours evaporated into the expensive frame of the poster bed in my bedroom. And I’m back in the Lux mansion, lying in bed on my tummy, with my eyelids weighing like boulders, my flesh soaking up in pleasure, blood rushing, chest fluttering, tingles streaming incessantly from between my thighs, breasts grinding the soft sheets—and my swollen wet lips spread wide for the scorching, fierce lips and voracious wild tongue, dipping and prodding and devouring—-.‘Oh Fuck!’ My back lifted in a cobra pose as a powerful one consumed me, and then our lips found each other and he kissed me hard, as demanding as he was earlier—and a few hours ago—while fondling my breasts. I was lifted to my knees, and he entered me swiftly, clutching me hard to reach the deepest depth at one go, and t
[Juliette’s POV]”Jesus Christ….” Ralph stared in wide shock at the truth revealed in Elizabeth Lux’s handwriting. His shock was as good as mine. I realised my mouth was agape and closed it, my shock finally ingested in a gulp and an inhale. I found my voice and muttered, “She had his baby.” I turned to Ralph and swallowed again to maintain my voice. “Milo’s not the first.” I grabbed Ralph’s sleeves and shook him out of his daze. “Milo’s not the first to have the Lux and Virtus blood! Do you know what this means?” The swell in his throat finally came alive, bobbing nervously between the collar of his freshly put on shirt, and he murmured with heightened worry. “This means Milo is in grave danger.” I felt my face fall deadpan. That wasn’t what I had in mind. “No, silly! Milo isn’t the first. That means he’s safe! Daddy wouldn’t mind having him.” I pointed at the journal. “Daddy knows this all along—.” “And he hates it.” Ralph’s fierce gaze bore into mine, trying to make me see what
[Ralph’s POV]And I slid my fingers through hers. I pinned her hands above her wonderful expression of bliss to sink deeper into her. She wrapped around me unconditionally while I stroked her the way she wanted, stretching her desires beyond that cliff so she’d want—no—burn for that tip. I pushed in further, driving her body to the brink of madness as our lips almost touched, my nipples pressing hard against hers, grinding, yearning for her the same ways her blood boils for me. “How badly do you want me, kitten?” I licked her quivering, intoxicated upper lip. I knew the answer, but I couldn’t help but tease her. My damn, damn pride. Her insides were hot like lava, twitching fiercely with a need for me to move. But her slender thighs were wedged securely between our warm bodies so she was completely immobilised, afraid that the slightest touch would take away everything, and she didn’t want that. So she resorted to hiking that sweet voice of hers. “Ralph, please!” I seized her
[Juliette’s POV]“Don’t worry, Miss Julie!” Thomas’ voice rang as the car bolted forward. “No one will know a thing!” Outside the window was pitch darkness. Even the headlights were off so that they wouldn’t be spotted. “You’ll be killed if Papa finds out,” I murmured, my heart racing as fast as the car. Thomas chuckled. “I’ll be fine, Miss Julie. There’s one thing I know for sure about Master Lux: he doesn’t care about small fries like us.”I felt my lips curled up in a smile. That’s true. Papa wouldn’t even know of Thomas’ existence. “But he’ll know when a car’s missing.” I sighed. “We’re so fucked. We’ll be discovered. And we’ll both have to pay for it—.” God, I’m whiny. “This is a gift, Miss Julie. From Mr. Ralph!” Thomas proudly patted the steering wheel. “The old Master hasn't visited the garage since his return. I bet you a hundred dollars, he doesn't know about this baby. Besides, it’s mine. I don’t put it with the other cars he used. So he’ll never know.” So this is wh
[Juliette’s {POV]He raised a brow. “Was?” And I nodded. “Before my vacation.” I looked down at my feet, the way I always do when I regret my actions. “I was struggling… I’m sure you can tell–I mean, you know… I couldn’t tell what’s real. I was living a lie for so long that I had started to believe it.” “That’s why you asked for a vacation.” A statement that sounded like a question, Papa’s condescending way of telling someone that he knows better. And I ran along with it. “Yes.” “And your head is clear now.” “Never been clearer.’ I glanced at Agatha who’d been standing behind Papa, her knowing gaze told me she'd laid the groundwork. So I casually explained, “That’s why I got curious, Papa. Ralph had access to everything you owned, including this room. And I remember how much you treasure this place.” The scepticism was still locked in his gaze but my confidence didn’t falter like before. “That’s why you never let anyone in. Only Agatha cleans this place, and she’s always supervi
[Ralph’s POV]“A break in?” Robert gasped, and anxiety was banging against my skull, threatening to burst through. “Goddamn it, Ben!” I roared. “What the fuck is wrong with you? We use it, we throw it away. It’s just a fucking burn phone—you didn’t use one, did you? You kept a second phone.”“It was for Jewel.” There was regret in his voice. But I couldn’t let it go. “And you left it in the office? Can you be any dumber? Now two lives are in danger because of you!” “ME?!” He finally flew off the handle. “You let the love of my life take care of your stupid child! Do you know how dangerous that is? That child’s a fucking shooting target!” My eyes turned murderous. “What the fuck did you just say?” Suddenly, Ben was as calm as he’s ever been. “I was wrong. I apologise.” At my silence, he continued, “I know you can’t chill” “The fuck I can.” My voice was running on its own. “So I won’t ask. But listen, will you? A shadow’s already on his way.” My fingers raged through my hair, sh
[Harold’s POV] “So he was there.” The owner of Lux empire, known to all as the Business King, Harold Lux, was tapping his finger on the antique desk back in his office at Lux Corp, listening to the P.I. reporting on the voice speaker of his phone, when rage took over. “And my daughter was there.” His voice was unusually calm. But his best friend and veteran lawyer, Jerry, could detect the livid undertone, and a sigh of exasperation let out into the air. His old brows slowly gathered. “Did they meet?” What a question. Of course, they did. Of course, they would! Harold’s fingers gathered into a clutch—within it, is Ralph Virtus’ neck. After the flipping of pages, the P.I.’s voice was back on. “No.” Everything slid off those tensed shoulders. Harold leaned forward, interested for the first time. “Are you sure?” More pages flipped to highlight the professionalism and then the voice returned. “Positive. She stayed in her villa. He stayed in his.” “And you surveille
[Chatri’s POV]The EMERGENCY sign was still lit up. Chatri couldn’t tear his gaze away from it, making sure the light doesn’t go out Across him, seated on the row of plastic chairs, nestled safely between his wife and his mother, his precious fourteen-year-old daughter was praying hard for her saviour too. It was near his heart. Guilt burned the back of her eyes. Ralph-kun… I blamed you for destroying the peace that we’ve paid with our blood and sweat to get. Yet, you did not leave me alone. You fought by my side. You kept your word. With your life. Is this the root of your men’s loyalty? Three hours ago, when they got to the van, her daughter was a crying mess, her almost naked body would have been in full display if it weren’t for that bloodied jacket. Ralph Virtus was sprawled at the van’s entrance, hanging on by a thread. Chatri had to get in the chopper. Footsteps snapped him back to the silent hallway. The ex-mob leader turned to them and Ralph-kun’s right-hand man was mo
[Juliette’s POV]“My father has brought us to the next level—there’s no doubt about it. But as you can see, the charts do not lie. Lux Corp will not survive the casino’s first quarter if we sit back and do nothing.”I gazed firmly around the room. These so-called shareholders of Lux Corp. I need to break their resistance and knock some sense back into them. The oldest one of the group cleared his throat and muttered in a haughty slow pace, “So what you’re saying is: remove Harold Lux as Chairman and put you in charge.” Another guy quickly added, “We don’t do this sort of thing.” Then, the third man snorted in derision. “I’m actually surprised that you gathered all of us here today without the Chairman. If he gets wind of this—.” “He won’t if none of us talk about it,” I snapped, frustration in my throat. What’s with the surprised looks and frowns of disapproval? Aren’t they as much of a businessman as Papa? Can’t they see the signs? The fucking obvious signs! Suddenly, Papa’s de
[Sarah’s POV]She can’t believe it. The unbeatable, ever invincible Don Ralph—the monster in the devil skin; a heartless murderer with the killer sense of an Olympic shooter; king of the world’s most ferocious mafia groups—is completely useless against an infant that’s less than an hour’s old. If it weren’t for Sarah’s fierce insistence and fearsome glare, he wouldn’t even hold his own child. ‘What if I break his neck?’ whispered the poor man, his eyes unable to stray from the tiny creature in his frozen arms. ‘Stop it,’ snapped the caretaker. ‘Sway gently, and you’ll be fine.’ She glanced at the bed and Juliette, who was sleeping soundly, and then back at the man, who would probably feel as though he’s on top of the world right now. Is he going to cry? ‘So what’s his name?’ asked Sarah, swiftly diverting those tears from crystalising. Without looking up, he muttered, ‘Milo.’ Then, he glanced at his sleeping wife and a proud smile appeared. ‘Milo Virtus. The first of the many.’