"There is someone else of great importance, an individual who will be an integral part of the esteemed Gaard Corp moving forward - a woman who is none other than the CEO's wife."Another powerful wave of murmurs, excited whispers, and furious speculation washed over the crowd like a surging tide. The reporters and journalists allowed inside the lavish hall immediately began snapping photos and recording footage in a feverish frenzy, desperate to capture every tantalizing second of this highly anticipated unveiling for the world to bear witness."It can't be," one guest muttered in disbelief."Are they saying what I think they're saying?" another wondered aloud.Some of the attendees looked faintly disappointed. Their expressions were tinged with envy upon learning that the powerful, anonymous CEO behind one of the world's fastest-growing business empires was already married. They wondered just who the lucky woman could possibly be to have secured such an elite, coveted position as w
Knox's warm hand guided Serena into the awaiting limo. The plush leather seats enveloped her as she slid inside.A faint red glow bathed the opulent interior in an otherworldly ambiance.Serena's eyes struggled to adjust to the almost darkness.That's when she heard it. The unmistakable sounds of passion. Grunts and moans pierced the quietness.Serena's cheeks blazed. She instinctively turned toward the noise, squinting to make out anything in the shadows."Oh god," she whispered when she caught glimpses of writhing forms at the opposite end of the large limo.Was that Meredith?Serena quickly averted her gaze, embarrassment flooding through her.She hadn't expected... this.Her eyes darted around, desperate for somewhere safe to land.She was startled when she suddenly found Knox’s face mere inches from hers.Her breath caught in her throat. When had he gotten so close?His amber eyes gleamed in the low light, fixed intently on her lips."Knox," she breathed, barely audible.The air
One could practically taste the desire saturating every inch of the confined limo. It was like a bubbling cauldron of lust and want waiting to boil over at any second. The air was heavy with the heady aroma of arousal that permeated the vehicle. Serena could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her skin tingling with anticipation as she gazed at Knox through hooded eyes. She held his scorching gaze that promised pleasures untold once they were finally alone.However, a deafening bang suddenly ripped through the air, shattering the sensual atmosphere in an instant. The entire vehicle shuddered violently as the limo jerked forward with force. Knox’s muscular arms instinctively wrapped around Serena then pulled her against his broad chest.The front end of the limo rose up on its hinges, causing the tires to squeal against the asphalt before crashing back down with a sickening crunch. If not for his lightning-fast reflexes, Serena would've gone flying across the cabin like a ra
Knox just stared back at her silently. His expression remained cold but Serena could see the fury blazing in the depths of his eyes in an all-consuming wrath that burned hotter than the sun's core. "Answer me!" She cried, her voice rising in pitch as hysteria threatened to overwhelm her. Her throat burned, yet she didn't care. "Is my sister alive? Have you been lying to me this entire time?"Silence was all that met her.Serena's heart shattered into a million shards that instant. All the love and affection, the burning desire and passion she'd felt for Knox just...evaporated, dissipating like a wisp of smoke in the wind. Her own father's life was in danger for being held hostage by Knox's vile family, and the possibility that her supposedly dead twin sister was alive and kept prisoner by her own husband… the revelation of Mia being kept in the estate and cheating on her.... it was simply too much for her to process all at once. An overload of emotion threatened to drown her where
Serena's mind was a whirlwind of emotions spinning around in a frenetic storm that threatened to pull her apart from the inside out. Her sister Sirona, the other half of her soul whom she had mourned and suffered for year after torturous year, had been alive all along? She turned to Seven with desperation written in hard lines over her tear-stained cheeks as she struggled to keep her tears at bay. "Get me out of here," she rasped out. "Please...I can't...I can't be near him right now."The words tumbled from her lips in a frenetic whisper. The need to put distance between herself and this man who had so thoroughly shattered her reality burned through her veins. She had to get away, to escape the confines of this mental cage that had become a haunting remnant of their doomed relationship, lest she succumb to the storm of emotion threatening to drag her under completely.Seven gaze flickered between Serena and Knox uncertainly. "I'm not sure that's the best idea right now, Donna,"
Meredith's lips curled into a sneer. "Because in the grand scheme of things, my dear, he does mean nothing. He's a liability, a weak link that needs to be severed for the greater good. You have your sister and those vile souls to blame.""They only want Sirona in exchange for my father's life. Why the hell is that so hard for you monsters to do? Just hand her over and let him go!" Serena screamed. She didn't give a damn about anything else Meredith said. Her twin sister and father needed to be saved, that was all on her mind. A violent coughing fit racked her body, her throat raw and aching from the screaming and sobbing. Meredith's face contorted in disdain."Because giving up Sirona for your father is impossible, stupid, naïve girl!" The old woman's voice rose. "That girl is more dangerous than you can possibly comprehend! More of a threat than a thousand nuclear bombs if she's not kept contained and carefully controlled! You are only alive and breathing now because she’s locked
The huge double doors to the dungeon at one of Knox's estates slid open, revealing his towering figure. An oppressive air accompanied him, making it feel as if the very atmosphere held its breath in his presence. Dark tendrils like mist swirled around him, and his eyes that was always cold, blazed with a fury that made them appear even icier than usual. His mind was still reeling from the hateful words Serena had hurled at him in the car earlier, and in a moment of desperation, he had teleported himself here.Knox despised himself for losing control and slapping Serena in a moment of anger. He couldn’t forgive himself, especially when the thought crossed his mind that perhaps Sirona had found a way to bypass his restraint meant to keep her in check, and had gotten into Serena’s mind. More than half of him believed the venomous words Serena had spoken weren't hers but were instead Sirona’s doing. This belief drove him to the dungeon, determined to confirm his theory.His eyes lan
Knox felt as if the entire world had collapsed around him, with a devastating blast of despair and despair threatening to break what little remained of his damaged psyche into a million shattered fragments. The sheer, all-consuming agony that had lanced through him was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It that it defied description… as though every nerve ending in his immortal body had been set ablaze and doused in acid simultaneously.The air became heavy and oppressive as the full impact of what had happened started to sink in, and the cold stone of the dungeon walls seemed to close in around him.Knox simply couldn't - no, he utterly refused with every fiber of his being to accept the cruel reality that his worst fears had been realized in the most brutal and decisive way imaginable. Serena. His beautiful, precious mate...the very radiant light in his darkness...she was gone. Why? The question kept coming back to him, echoing through the vast emptiness of his head, e