Tyler and Dior sat in front of us. The three of us—Dior, Tyler, and I—stayed calm and acted as if we didn’t know each other though I really wanted to ask them why the fuck they are meeting Bryce.“Tyler Jacobs and Dior Miller. They are the executives I wanted you to meet, hon,” Bryce smiled and I nodded. “And this is Ran—”Dior cutted him off. “Ranleigh Asmodeus, right?” Dior gave off a pleased smile. “I’ve heard so much about you. You’re all over the news, ma’am. It’s nice finally seeing you in person,” she declared. She extended her hand and I extended mine too. We shake our hands.Tyler cleared his throat. “So what is your fiancée doing here, Bryce? I thought you said you’ll just keep your lover from everyone’s sight. You’re possessive as fuck. What made it different this time, huh?”Bryce smirked. “She said she’s bored to death in our home. She’ll be my new personal secretary from now on,” he answered. Dior furrowed his brows. “She will be what?!”Tyler chuckled, which made Dior
I looked at Tyler with my brows furrowed. I am not aware that Hendrix Stanov would be facing the lawsuit. If there is someone that should know about what is happening to that son of a bitch and if there’s someone who has the right to kill that jerk, I am the most qualified person for that. I should be the one torturing him. I’ll kill Hendrix. I just have to do it with my own hands.And he would be the first person I’ll kill for personal reasons without the org telling me to do so. Hence, he shouldn’t be put behind bars for me to do it without suffering from any repercussions. Torture suit him best and him begging in knees makes it even better. He’s way too evil to be killed so easily or be put in jail with special treatment. I needed him to suffer and give him a taste of hell. I’ll kill him slowly and wait for the day that he’ll beg to just kill him instead. Give him false hope and ruin it the next moment.“Your expression seems a bit off, Leigh. What’s the matter?” Bryce asked.
I stared at my newly purchased smartphone and sighed. Now, I am regretting buying this and even declined to use Bryce’s debit card. I didn’t know that he would be the one that would choose the smartphone for me and it would be a lie if I say that he only chooses an ordinary phone when it costs me a large loss of money. Is this some kind of joke for him? The money I spent on this could feed my whole family for three to four months and I wasted all of it in just a second. This is a waste! Really. No… In the first place, this is his lifestyle and the money I am complaining about is just a penny for him. he could shop without thinking how much it costs him because he had enough or more than enough. Must be good to be rich, huh?“What are you doing?” Sheldon asked. I looked at him and sighed. “Contemplating about life.”He snorted before sitting on the couch. We’re in the lounge area at Bryce’s company waiting for him to finish the meeting with the executives. Usually, a secretary shoul
This is insane. Fucking insane. Sheldon looked at us with a shocked expression while the executives just shook their heads and acted like they didn’t hear anything of what Bryce said. Meanwhile, I am left dumbfounded. Bryce continued sniffing my neck like some maniac that he is. I am beetle red and embarrassed of what he’s doing in public. “B-Bryce…” My voice croaked and it sounded like a moan. “Stop it, Bryce. We’re in public.”He snorted. “Yeah? As if I care.” He tucked my hair behind my ear before biting my earlobe. “You don’t have to be so embarrassed just because of this," he whispered huskily. “We’re in my company and no one would tell me what I should do and what I should not do inside my territory. I am the boss here, Leigh.”I squirm my feet. I wanted to push him away and let myself breathe. My heart was racing so fast as his eyes examined me from head to toe and smiled at me after. Should I crack his head so he could tell the difference between me and that girl named Vi
“If you kill me now, there would still be a lot of people who’ll attempt to abduct you, Miss. I am just one of many who was ordered to do this,” the driver declared. I rolled my eyes. His body was quivering and by the number of bruises he had on his body, it seems that he too wasn’t in a good position. Neither of us is.In terms of luck, both of us have very bad luck, I guess?And there was something that I could not brush off. He was too sloppy. The way he carried out this abduction has so many loopholes for a well-planned attempt… well not unless this is the original plan — to make it more obvious that I am being abducted. Even an ordinary person would be knowledgeable about what to do in cases like this as they have an idea through the films they watched, and for a person who works under such orgs or gangs, this is way too obvious. It’s like they intended to make this abduction obvious in the first place. If that is so, what is their original intention that it needs to hide under
I rolled my eyes at her. “You and your paranoia,” I murmured. “You!” She pointed her index finger at me again angrily. “You ungrateful child! Just because I replaced your mother…” she paused for a moment as her eyes grew bigger. She bit her lower lip before glaring at me again. “Tommy!” she yelled. “That child is disrespecting me again!”I furrowed my brows. I wasn’t even doing anything but just let her blabber about how I hated her guts which is very irritating. This woman never failed to irritate me. She’s been getting on my nerves ever since I met her and it seems like she has the knack to get into everyone's nerve every fucking single day. I ignored her and looked at the little guy who kept on staring at me. I smiled at him. “You’re late, mom,” he declared. Dad immediately put his index finger in between his lips. He tried to hush Ron but Ron just rolled his eyes at him. I remained silent as I knew dad wouldn’t let this slide. “What did I tell you, Ron?” dad asked, readying hi
“What the hell are you doing?” Sheldon and I looked at the side where the voice came from. Bryce was standing there with his arms crossed while glaring at us. “Explain what’s going on, Sheldon. Explain it in a way I would decide not to shoot you.” Sheldon cleared his throat and looked at Bryce before looking at me. I saw him smirked which made my heart beat erratically. What the hell is he planning to do?“I was comforting the lady’s…” he paused for a moment and looked at me with a sly smirk plastered on his face. I gulped. I swear to god that if he blabbers one more word… “the lady’s younger brother.” He looked at me and chuckled. I just glared at him, praying for a chance of strangling him to death. Bryce, who was silent for a moment, walked in front, blocking my view of Sheldon. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he nibbled his lower lip. “Seems like you became close with my secretary, Leigh,” he declared.My brows furrowed. Me and Sheldon? Close? I scoffed. What is he talki
“Are you planning to steal my sister away from us, Sir?” Ron asked while staring coldly at Bryce. Bryce chuckled as he tapped Ron’s head. “I’m not gonna steal her away from you, kiddo.” He sighed and crouched in front of Ron. I’ve never seen him give such a gentle gaze to anyone. Not even to his father or to his brother and seeing him this way to my son made me doubt that my hunch was wrong back then. Maybe I stereotyped him as an asshole when he’s only half of an asshole unlike his twin. Maybe the man who fucked me could be a great father to our son. “I’m gonna marry her with your consent, though even if you disagree, I would still be marrying your sister. And that’s not stealing, kiddo. That’s marking what is supposed to be yours.”I almost rolled my eyes in front of everyone. I even heard Sheldon sighed. I guess it’s a good thing that he doesn’t know that Ron is his son or that I didn’t reveal that I have a son from him. Of course he’s twisted as fuck! He’s a fucking mafia. It’s
“What are you doing here, Bryce?” I asked when I saw Bryce getting in my room. He took one more step and closed the door behind him. “This is my house, babe. Of course I’d be here.” He motions his finger at me to come to him. I obeyed and I knew exactly that it was so out of my character. But, it was as if my feet had its own life and it was willingly obeying Bryce. Why am I doing this? Was it because of his dominating demeanor that made me obey? If that is so, it’s making sense now as to why he’s the mafia lord. He started walking towards me making me instantly regret walking near him. I immediately stopped back as if my feet were stuck. He sighed. He closed the gap between us, making me move a step backward. He was way too domineering. He looked at my lips and then to my eyes and to my lips again, making me bite them. As I explore the view, his eyes met mine. “I’m sorry about what happened today. Something came up,” he whispered with his raspy voice. I gasped when I felt his
“What an idiot.”Dior’s eyes bore into mine with a judgmental stare as if she's dissecting every nuance, leaving me exposed to the weight of her scrutiny. She had been cursing me boldly earlier.“You really texted him that?” she asked again, making me repeat what I just confessed earlier. “Yeah?”“Wow!” she shouted before clapping her hand in the air. “I thought Tyler’s the only idiot in this world, and here you come telling me you did something so fucking stupid! Where in the hell did you leave your brain at, Ranleigh?!”“I just want to save them though?”“Okay, you idiot heroine. You think they would be grateful to you after you did that?”“I just want to help? I am not expecting anything in return.”Dior clenched her fist. “I know you were fucking stupidly selfless before you gave birth to your son but seeing it now, I just can’t help but feel disappointed at you, Leigh. You’re acting like how a people pleaser will act. It’s disgusting. What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she sho
“I’m glad you’re here,” Sheldon declared as soon as he saw me. He strides confidently, clad in sleek black attire that contrasts elegantly with his fair complexion, creating a striking and sophisticated build. His hair was a tousled chaos with each rebellious strand escaping in every direction as if trying to break free from the confines of order, and his face… I guess he does have a very bad day, huh?“I bet you do,” I replied with a bit of sarcasm. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist before dragging me inside Bryce’s office. I was shocked to see what was happening inside.The office was a labyrinth of disorder with the papers scattered, folders standing at precarious angles, and a chaotic jumble of cables snaking their way across the desk. I looked at Bryce who was holding a lengthy cable and was trying to choke someone by using it. “Bryce, please stop!” Sheldon shouted in desperation. Bryce acted as if he didn’t hear Sheldon. He ignored him and instead focused on choking th
“Forget about what that old man said, Leigh. You don’t have to do whatever he tells you,” Bryce declared. He faked a cough before looking at me. “It will be better if you just ignore him. I can cover up for you,” he added. I bit my lip. I know that Henry found out about something he shouldn’t and I can’t just ignore that. I can't turn a blind eye to this one even if I want to. I don’t know how he made it happen but it seems that Henry Vergara, Bryce's father, found out about his grandson. Seriously, where did he get all this idea? I did all the cleaning and I made sure of it that no one would find out but he still did. I also made sure that those who know will shut up or they’ll forever hold their peace. Who among them betrayed me? Now, I have to know what he wants. I am sure we can talk this out — I hope we can talk it out. “Yeah,” I lied. Bryce nodded slowly as if something bothered him but that was short-lived. He smiled after. “That’s… that's actually good to hear,” he trailed o
We arrived at the manor an hour later. My mind was all fuzzy. After what Bryce said, my brain seemed to malfunction. I couldn’t think of anything but the sensation of his lips brushing against mine, how it turns me on, and the words he said that disturbed my whole system. Damn him!“You arrived safely, my lady,” Sheldon declared. “The Marquis is waiting for you inside.”“Has his grace already heard about the commotion?” I asked. Sheldon looked at me and nodded his head. “News sure flies so fucking fast.” I commented. “May I advise my lady to watch your words when talking with His Grace,” Sheldon declared. I nodded my head. I, at least, knew that much. Henry Vergara isn't someone I can be casual with. Even if I am his daughter-in-law.“My lady, please consider my advice,” Sheldon declared. I forced a smile. What's up with them now? Not only did he seem to be anxious but the way Bryce acted now and Henry's sudden visit showed that there was something going on. Internal affairs, if I
I closed my eyes. So this wasn’t the first time that Ace did this? Not that it was a shocking truth. It was not that hard to understand their situation. Anyone who has the clue can guess as much.Ace was hidden from the public. The whole world knows that the Marquis had only one heir and it was Bryce. Ace can have fun by borrowing Bryce’s identity.But why was Ace, Bryce's identical twin, being hidden? What prompted them to do such an act?“I guess I’ve been tolerating your actions too much these days, Ace.” Bryce's face darkened. “Don’t forget your place,” he added. Ace’s jaw clenched. He turned his back and walked out without saying anything which took me by surprise. What the hell was that? That is so not like him. From the very short time that I came to know him, he seemed like the type to put up a fight. “Let’s go.” Bryce grabbed my hand and dragged me into his car. Both of us sat in the back while his bodyguards sat in front. They drove the car without saying a word or two. N
“In the count of three, crouch down while covering your head. Do you understand?” Bryce mouthed. I nodded my head. He didn’t give me time to react or ask questions after that. As soon as I nodded my head, he immediately started counting. Gunshots from different sides started firing. Bryce hugged my whole body as if protecting me from bullets. I wasn’t shaken even after hearing those loud gunshots but knowing that Bryce was covering me with his body put me in an alarming situation. If there was one word that could describe him best, it would be nonchalant. How dare he throw himself in such a situation?! Who does he think he is?! Superman? Damn it!I struggled a bit to push him away from me but he tightened his grip even more. “Stay still, woman,” he declared. “You should know how to behave yourself in situations like this.”“I can handle myself, Bryce! What if you get shot?! Stop putting yourself in danger!”“Are you worried?” he asked. I couldn’t answer so he once again asked: “Are
“Don’t worry, Bryce,” I declared. “I won’t.” I looked him in the eyes. “I will never love you. Ever. That's a promise.”If I was a little doubtful that my hunch was right back then — that there was something wrong about this whole setup — now I am sure of it. There really is something wrong about this. I just can’t figure out what it is. He hugged me tightly making me lose my composure. He kissed my hair and groaned as he rested his head on my neck. I felt like my whole system rambled. Damn! For fuck’s sake, how could he be this intimate after telling me not to fall for him? After telling me that he'll never love me, he'll be this caring and sweet? It doesn’t make any sense to me. He was confusing me.And moreover, he smelled of alcohol as if he just had a drink before coming here. He was too drunk.“I can’t lose you too,” he murmured again. “I just can’t. If I lose you too, it will be the end of me.”I had no idea what he was talking about. It was as if he was seeing me as someone I
Bryce's jaw was clenching as he walked towards the shop from where I was standing. He looked like he was ready to kill someone. His forehead creased and his brows knitted. I know he was cursing underneath his breath based on his angry looks. I just stared at him confusedly. What's up with him now? For him to show such an angry face is quite rare… really rare. I couldn’t even see him frown in the past. I couldn’t even read what was in his mind each time our paths crossed, especially when he was talking to me. He was always emotionless. Nobody was ever able to read what was on his mind and no one had ever made him show emotions. I was so sure of that, so what triggered him to be this angry that he was now showing it?He stood up in front of me after entering the shop. “You didn’t answer my calls.”“Huh?”He sighed. “Check your phone, Leigh.”I looked at my handbag placed on the table a few meters away from me. “My phone’s in my bag,” I answered. I looked at him with my brows furrowed.