*WARNING: This Chapter Contains Sexual Violence.* [Luke’s POV] “Get it, baby! Yes! Yes! Fuck me harder!! YES!” A female screams filled the hotel room as Luke repeatedly rammed into her from behind, grunting along to his own build up of ecstasy. He sank his nails into the plump flesh and spread her butt cheeks to go deeper as he continued thrusting brutally. Every hit of the roof made her tremble, clinching him as though her life depended on it, giving him the satisfaction that he needed for his own release. “Argh!!” Luke thundered in fury. After all that he had done for her, all that he had told her, why didn’t Juliette do anything?! Well, she did—she kissed that son of a bitch before the entire fucking world and made that glorious introduction of her new status as the wife of Ralph Virtus. DAMN YOU, RALPH VIRTUS!!! Luke’s mine screamed, and slapped the crimsoned skin twice. “Work harder, Melissa!” he roared. “Yes, Luke!” squealed the girl in delighted pain and squee
[Juliette’s POV] I get it — Ralph never regarded anyone in the Virtus clan his family. Not his father, nor his brothers. Why should he? They all wanted him dead. This time, I didn’t feel sad, I felt angry. Ralph’s father took him away from his mother, only to have him murdered by his brothers. Ralph was right, the man is a hardcore psychopath. I lifted my chin to kiss the rough skin underneath his chin. “How did your mother end up taking the poison? Didn’t you say that your father threatened all these women to stay away? He even killed two of them who tried to sneak into the mansion.” Ralph chuckled dryly. “She changed her appearance and got herself a servant’s job at the Virtus mansion.” What a smart woman! She knew that an arrogant man like Damien Virtus wouldn’t give a shit about the servants, so he wouldn’t pay attention to the lot, and she could secretly stay near her son to keep an eye on him. And saved his life. “She’s a brilliant and brave woman, Ralph.” I leaned
[Ralph’s POV]“Those sharks fell for it,” Ben’s voice rang in my ear. “Her trick worked like magic.” “How much was their bid?” I asked the phone, my eyes fixed on the slender figure seated on the deck beyond the closed glass door of the living area, out of earshot. “A hundred and twenty percent — as she had predicted.” “Fuck…,” I breathed in disbelief. “Yeah, that’s the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the numbers,” Ben remarked. “The Lux’s gift is not a hoax.” “We know it isn’t.” I swallowed to push down the lump of bewilderment. The gorgeous creature was now standing, gazing ahead. Ben added, “I just didn’t think I’d be lucky enough to experience it firsthand, you know what I mean?” I knew exactly what he meant. That exactitude of calculation is not humanly possible with even the most brilliant economist. It was as if the world was designed by her calculations. “... you managed to pacify her?” Ben’s voice snapped me back to the living area. “Yes,” I groaned.
[Juliette’s POV] Ralph looked as if he had just been named the valedictorian. “Harold Lux had the same vision for Lux Corp?” I nodded in excitement. “Yes! We both realised that our markets are saturating. The rich couldn’t get any richer. We could pump in more for R&D, to level up our innovations. But the plateau is inevitable.” Ralph turned to face me completely. “That’s why he wanted to sell WhizTech.” Again, I nodded. “We need to lessen our load in order to continue moving.” “Cut the deadweight.” “It sounds cruel. But numbers are numbers.” I shrugged. Ralph gazed into my eyes. “I didn’t want to say this, but it does feel good knowing that I share the same views as your father.” I pulled back with a suspicious smile. “Are you into Papa?” He threw his head back and expelled a hearty laugh, and I giggled along. As the laughter subsided, he shook his head in disbelief and said, “If I had a choice, I’d rather be born a Lux than a Virtus.” Instantly, the cheerfulnes
[Juliette’s POV] He was smiling at me with the smile Papa has whenever he’s with mother. A smile that seems to say ‘This is the woman who made me feel like the luckiest man on Earth’. A strange feeling coursed through me from my toes as I stared into Ralph’s eyes, those alluring golden swirls around his black irises. We are at a place where reality couldn’t reach us. We have no last names, no status, nothing. There’s only us — Ralph and Juliette — tonight. This one night, we are just us. Just this one night I want to be his Juliette. I lunged over, got on my knees, and took his lips for a hard kiss. He was taken by surprise at first, then his lips parted and I slid in my tongue to caress him. My hands cradled his masculine jaw to hold his face in place so I could explore more of his mouth. His hand came up to my waist, pulling me closer to return his affections with increasing passion. “Juliette,” he groaned into my mouth. He liked what I was doing. Smiling, I grabb
[Juliette’s POV]I was stunned for a second, then I grabbed my elbow around his neck and rested my left cheek against his. “I care for you, Ralph,” I whispered into his ear and kissed his earlobe. “Fuck.” He stiffened and his biceps clamped harder around me as his hips moved faster, and he thrusted more rapidly into me, making me numb all over with pleasure. “Say it again, Juliette….” “I care for you!” I cried, tears streamed down my cheeks, scalding them. “I care for you, Ralph! Oh shit, I’m close…,” I squeaked meekly, a wave of tension seizing me.“You feel something for me, don’t you?” he asked firmly. “Yes!” I gasped. He pulled me away and his fierce gaze was fixed on me. “You can only have me, Juliette. Do you get it?” I kissed his mouth to silence my own wishes, but he broke away and held my gaze. “ONLY ME, JULIETTE.” Arrogant, stubborn and bossy ox. “Yes!” I kissed the area between his eyes. “I’m yours, Ralph. Only yours.” “Fuck, I’m close too!” He pressed our forehea
[Juliette's POV] One week later… I closed the door to the office of Lux Corp’s CEO and stalked to the table as the CEO sat in his chair. "I've read all the science reports and there's nothing wrong with HFE-10!" I crossed my arms and glared at the stubborn ox. "We have to release the drug soon and get leverage!" Ralph lifted a glare at me. "You may be a fact sponge and a business genius, Juliette. But I know a lot more about drugs than you do! And I said we need to test the revised formula for magnesium!" I thrust a hand at the door and exclaimed, "They've done all the tests! And the results are all positive!" He threw out his palm in anguish. "Were you sleeping just now? They didn't redo the magnesium test. It was a convenient assumption!" I gripped my hands in annoyance. "A convenience based on a perfectly scientific reason — the Mg levels won't fluctuate!" Ralph closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. When he opened them, they were warning me. "It's just one test,” his
[Juliette's POV] I sat at my desk and stared at the two new black files. That female voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite put a face to it. I shifted closer to the keyboard and desktop monitor. Hand on the mouse, I clicked to pull up the screen I was looking at before I was dragged into the meeting for the release of HFE-10, the revolutionary drug that would cure eczema. Sigh. I get Ralph's concern — kids all over the world would take this medication, and since their biological system is more sensitive, all precautions must be taken. But no drug is a hundred percent safe. I blinked and shook my head. No point worrying about that now. I'll think of something later. Contingency plans, in case we need them. I stared at the long list of files of contracts under Lux Corp. Where was I just now? Ah! The arrow shifted to the files dated two weeks from two months ago. The mouse clicked and I stared at the familiar document. Fifteen minutes later, I made a list of th
[Juliette’s POV]“Those VIPs of his casino?” I asked, still in disbelief. He flashed a nodding grin, and I jolted upright, a surge of admiration and awe to my face, and I beamed, grabbing his hands in excitement. “That’s what you’ve been up to?” Then, logic jetted in. “But how? Papa and I are the only ones with that list. And those ultra rich don’t listen to anyone but Papa.” “They listen to the one who leads the people doing their dirty jobs.” I stared speechless at the man who once saved me from a drug lord, and tried to sever all ties with the mafia, get his clan members cleaned up, and reform his family business. This man had done his best to go against the impossible, push the flow and ride the currents. Never once did he bow to failure, except to learn from it. Now, he’s back in the shadows, unable to shake off the darkness and his past, yet he shines far brighter than anyone. Papa may be standing in the light, but he’s as shady as a shady businessman can get. He was study
[Juliette’s POV]I woke up to the most handsome face and the scariest pair of eyes staring at me in the fiercest silence. “Ralph?” I grabbed my throat. “Damn, what’s wrong with my voice? I sound eighty years older.” A glass of water appeared before my eyes and a low, sexy voice gruffed. “Drink.” The cool rim wedged between my lips and the sweetest water carefully slipped in. I sipped hungrily, emptying the glass with a sigh of satisfaction, and a Kleenex pressed the corners of my mouth. “Why did you put sugar in water?” He laid my head cautiously on the pillow. “I put nothing in the water.” “But it’s sweet.” My eyelids felt heavy. “Sleep.” My eyes flew open. It was my turn to stare at the beast till he asked what’s wrong, and I told him. “You’re upset.” “Because you were sick.” “Was I?” I checked myself for scars, and memories of the past forty-eight hours swiftly slotted back into my calendar. Ralph worry-stricken face calling my name repeatedly, stroking my face to get a
[Ralph’s POV]Robert’s gaze shot a warning that was the same as mine: it’s a trap. I held a finger to my lips—an instruction for him to not be heard—and he solemnly nodded. Then, I said, “Why?” “It’s Juliette.” The voice sounded secretive and rushed. “I can’t explain anything. But I’ll get her out. You have to take her away.”It was then I smelled danger and shot forward in my seat to the desk where the phone rested. Still, something feels off. “Why should I trust you?”There was a pause and then a sigh. And then the same voice lowered and exhaled. “Her child needs her, doesn’t he?” Fuck. Fuck that dumb Ben. Fuck that smartass lawyer. The fact that he knew about Milo set off all the red alarms. I sprang into action, like the pathetic Ben who had lost that darn phone and leaked all the secrets. The desperate rush to fix everything right. Oh, her crying had weakened. I rubbed her back in a comforting way, the way her housekeeper always does whenever she’s upset. She pulled back and
[Juliette’s POV]Way to go, Juliette. You fell for your father’s old tricks, and then you fell for some stranger’s weird tricks. Just because he knows your name and says it out loud, you got into his car. Great. I’m going to be trafficked as a sex slave. Milo. I’m never going to see him again. And Ralph. A clean tissue entered my view. My view was misty, so I blinked to clear it, and then realised that I was crying. Quickly, and embarrassingly, I grabbed the offer and dabbed my eyes. The man cleared his throat and repeated my name, and I gave a cold chuckle. “Yes, my father sent you, didn’t he? To get rid of me.” Both open palms waved frantically. “No, Miss! I mean, Madam. I mean, Dona.” “Who the fuck are you?” I wailed. “Just tell me. I can take it!” God, I sound pathetic. But I can’t seem to stop. “W-wait—.” His phone was out, slapped to his ear, and it rang once, then a voice came on, loud and clear. “Yes.” That deep gruff. I spun around like a deer caught in headlights.
[Juliette's POV]Paul caught a glimpse of his bleak future and plonked onto his seat in a pale face. The shareholders around Paul shared his misery while others stared puzzled at Harold Lux as he moved towards the throne at the front of the conference table. He moved past me as though I had never existed, and cold guilt stabbed my chest. “Young people.” Papa sighed. “Give them one tiny piece of candy, and they think they own the entire formula.” Everyone ignored Papa’s invitation to return to their seats. Then, Uncle Jerry stepped forward to deliver the King’s instructions. “The contract is in your email.”“What contract?” I jolted a curious look at Pauline who was reading off her mobile screen, her brows growing closer with surprise and anger. . I felt a crack in my hope and made a lunge like Paul’s.“Don’t sign it!” I yelped, desperation clawing the air. “If you invest more money, Lux Corp would pop like a bubble! The debt’s too huge—we’d be bankrupt before the casino’s ready!”W
[Jewel’s POV]This idiot. She glared down as the baby drank quietly. How dare he ignore my calls! Is he an idiot? We can’t even tell how long those two idiots are going to take, and he wants a baby now? Her finger tips caressed those tiny plump cheeks, and her mouth curled up in a loving smile. It’s not that I don’t want a baby. Heat of worry and anxiety swarmed to the back of her eyes and knocked her eardrums. The Virtus princess perked up with vigilance. Hugging Milo closer to cocoon him from danger, her gaze bounced between the main door and the bedroom door, her Virtus mind calculating and reciting the drill. Bedroom, lock door 1, bathroom, lock door 2. Two knocks. Three knocks. One knock. The Virtus code. Jewel crept closer to the tiny slit between the main door and its frame, and a familiar voice hissed through. “Peach.” Instantly, she unlocked, and the door flung back—only to shut tight. She was in the arms of the man who’d never stopped loving her since they first met. D
[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