Oh, great, she is actually back, and just like the previous time, she never bothered to inform any of us about her arrival, even though Flora is probably asleep. I exhale and slowly continue to descend down the staircase, thinking if it would be a wise idea to reveal myself to her. Maybe not. I don't want to disturb her, and I don't want to get on her bad side because I really hate it whenever she keeps on acting as though I am literally the most annoying individual in the world to her right now, every single damn time. But then, at the same time, I am curious to know why the hell she hates me so much. So, should I talk to her, or should I just let it go? I wonder to myself, thinking deeply and observing her intensely as she continues to write down something briskly against the paper in front of her. But then, after a few minutes, she drops the pen again and stretches her hands, yawning slightly. Then she swiftly turns her head, and our eyes finally come in contact. She looks at me f
Okay, I don't think I can continue this way, I wonder to myself as I finally relax with my elbows against my knees. "Okay, I really want to get something straight and clear right now, and I need you to just be honest with me completely. Can you please just tell me what the hell I have ever done to you in this life to make you detest me this much?" I ask, and she doesn't stop what she is doing. She continues to write against the paper, ignoring me completely, and it makes me almost get extremely angry as I tighten my fist into a tight ball. Get a grip of yourself, Lucas, get a grip of yourself, Lucas. Don't worry, it's not going to last long."I am talking to you, Serena," I say, and she finally stops, closing her eyes and tilting her head up as though I am probably getting her frustrated."You are really distracting me from my work right now, Mr. Arden," she says, and I exhale before rubbing my fingers against my forehead."Please, can you tell me how I have offended you to make you h
"Why, Serena?" I ask once again, and she stops what she is doing, looking infuriated as she drops the pen against the table rather harshly."Mr. Arden, you are interrupting my work," she says and swiftly turns her head to look at me. "You really want to know why?" she asks, and I raise an eyebrow, observing her intensely as I wait for her reply. "Because I fucking hate you. I have never found anything particularly interesting or good about you directly from the beginning, and one thing I know for sure with every billionaire around this world like you is that they are totally unclean, and no matter how good they try to pretend that they are, they will always have a dirty, dark side deep down within them just waiting for the perfect time to emerge. So yeah, when I say that I think you are not a good fit for my friend, I know what I'm saying. It's not like I'm trying to take control over her life; I'm just trying to be a very good person to give her what is best for her."At this point i
"Hey, what's going on here?"I hear that particular sweet, soft voice that usually gives me so much joy, hitting my ears from behind. I swiftly turn around to see Flora standing at the foot of the staircase in her nightgown. I raise an eyebrow in confusion.I really do not understand this girl right now. I thought she said she was really, really tired and needed to rest. Why the hell is she awake? I wonder, and she brushes her fingers against her neck, looking a bit flustered about that fact as she shakes her head quickly."Oh, yeah, I'm so sorry about that. It's just that, well, I kind of was asleep until I heard some shouting coming from upstairs, so it just made me curious," she says. It's at that instant that I remember that it was actually Serena's shout that woke her up.Bloody hell, I think to myself as I quickly look around the entirely large living room, glancing at the documents scattered on the table while brushing my fingers through my hair with frustration. Now, how the h
I sigh and plant another soft kiss against her forehead, still holding her tightly against myself. "Don't worry, it's all going to be fine, okay? We're going to find her. I don't really know what made her get so infuriated to the extent of running out like that, but I don't think she might have actually gone too far," I say, and then she smiles before glancing at her phone again."Maybe I just have to keep trying," she says and taps Serena's number once again.We wait and wait for approximately another three to four minutes, and yet again, Serena doesn't pick up.*Where the hell could she have gone to?* I wonder to myself, frowning intensely as I quickly turn my head to look at Flora."I don't think she has my original number," I say to myself. I quickly take out my phone. "Let me call her instead. She might just pick up if she sees that it's an unknown number," I say, and Flora quickly nods her head.I type briskly against my phone and dial Serena's number with my own original number
I really do not want to leave her alone in a wild place such as this, but with the way she is gazing up at me right now, I feel like I might actually have no choice, and she is actually right about it. But how the hell am I going to keep my focus and attention on her so we can just get this over with, and I won't be able to let her out of my sight?I won't be comfortable if she is completely far away without me being there to help her. I can't let her loose in a place like this that is filled with so many prime eyes of dangerous black wolves ready to pounce on the nearest victim they can find who is looking so innocent and doesn't fit into this place.Flora fits the perfect description of this kind of victim, and the entire air in this place is not making me comfortable. But I slowly let go of her hand, watching her as she swiftly walks away from me, looking everywhere and trying to figure out about her friend.I continue to watch her, following her steps as I notice someone who looks
I smell his breath as I shake my head quickly and try my best to evade him."Hey, it's fine, sir, okay? I didn't actually come here to have anything to do with this place. My friend is actually here, and I am just looking for her and nothing else, but I don't think she's around, so I'm just going to leave. Thank you so much for your care, though," I say and try to avoid him, but he stops in front of me once again, making it clearly evident that he is so not going to let me go if someone doesn't intervene for me right now.*Oh crap, now I regret actually separating from Lucas,* I think to myself as my heart begins to palpitate and race extremely fast in my chest. I slowly look up at the fellow.He is gazing down and smiling at me right now, and the smile is so terrifying and so dark and so dangerous-looking it makes me suddenly begin to hyperventilate as I step backwards, thinking of a possible way to escape from this dangerous-looking, traumatic situation."No, no, I don't think so,"
Fucking God, his voice sounds so dark and so evil and so deadly and dangerous it makes me begin to tremble with excessive fear clouding my mind. "Please, I'm so sorry, just let me go," I find myself whispering, with slight tears dripping out of my eyes as he continues to press his ass harder while I feel his huge, hard dick against my ass. He slips his hands into my gown once again and continues to squeeze hard against my breasts. "Fuck," he whispers and pulls down the coat. I struggle to put it back on, but he keeps it in place and grips hard against my neck from behind, choking me and making it so hard for me to catch my breath. "Stupid little bitch," he whispers against my ear and brings down one of the straps of my nightgown, forcing my left breast to pop out of its hidden place in a much visible way to the sight of the world. Oh crap. "Oh my God, such a fucking sexy little toy you are, aren't you?" he whispers, his voice sounding so grave and so dark as he squeezes hard ag
FLORA'S POVThis news is a nightmare. It's going to make everything worse for me, and I absolutely despise it. The rage boiling within me is almost unbearable. If I could get my hands on Victoria right now, I swear I would tear her apart piece by piece. How could she? How could she stoop this low just to sabotage us?The weight of the scandal presses down on my chest, suffocating me. I know this will be impossible to ignore. It has derailed our plan and diverted our focus from what truly matters—bringing down Damien. Instead of staying on track, we are now forced to fight off this web of lies, and I hate it with every fiber of my being.I glance at Lucas. He looks composed, but I know better. I see the tension in his shoulders, the slight twitch in his jaw, the flicker of unease in his usually confident eyes. He's nervous, though he's trying to mask it. I can tell his mind is racing, strategizing, scrambling to find a way out of this mess. He's always been the one to take charge, to f
LUCAS' POVI try to keep my focus on the plan we're putting together, but my attention keeps drifting toward Richard. I still don't trust him, no matter how convincingly he claims to be on our side. His words are sharp and precise, his demeanor calculated. He says he wants Damien to pay, that he wants justice, but something about him seems off. His presence feels too convenient, his willingness too eager. I can't shake the feeling that there's more to him than he's letting on.Across the table, Serena and Flora stand by, closely observing everything as we strategize. I catch the exhausted look on Serena's face—she's tired of all of this. The weight of everything we've been through is pressing down on her. She just wants it to be over. I meet her gaze with a reassuring look, silently promising that we're close to the end. That this nightmare is almost over."We've tracked his last known location to the marina district," one officer says, sliding a map across the table. "But he's been c
Lucas' POVThis ends today.I am not letting Damian escape again.I push myself to the absolute limit, my muscles burning as I chase after him with everything I have. But goddamn, he's fast—faster than I ever expected. His movements are fluid, almost unnatural, like he's spent his entire life training for a moment like this. He weaves through the crowded space with ease, slipping through obstacles like a shadow bending and twisting with the light.For years, I thought I knew who Damian was. A criminal, a manipulator, a strategist. But this—this sheer physicality, this level of agility—I never knew he had it in him.An officer to my right takes off after him, trying to cut off his path. Another, standing a few feet away, sees the chase and tosses a weapon toward me. Instinct takes over. I catch it in midair, adjusting my grip without breaking stride. The cool weight of the gun in my hand grounds me, sharpens my focus.I push harder.The moment I burst out of the building, my feet skid
Lucas' POVThe tension in the room is suffocating as we search every inch of Damien's office, determined to find the escape route he must have used. My eyes dart from the large wooden desk to the bookshelves lining the walls, scanning for any sign of a hidden passage. Drawers are flung open, chairs overturned, papers scattered across the floor as everyone works in frantic synchronization.Then, one of the officers calls out, his voice sharp and urgent."Over here!"We immediately scramble toward him, our boots thudding against the floor in unison. He stands beside the elevator, his hand pressed against the panel. His face is grim, his expression tight with focus."What is it?" I demand, my pulse hammering in anticipation.Instead of answering, he presses a seemingly insignificant button on the control panel. A faint click echoes in the silence, followed by a mechanical whirring sound. Slowly, a hidden access point reveals itself—an opening at the top of the elevator, leading upward."
Lucas' POVBy the time morning arrives, the first thing I see is Flora's peaceful face resting against the pillow beside me. Her features are soft, relaxed, untouched by the chaos of our reality. A few strands of her wavy blonde hair have fallen across her cheek, and I resist the urge to brush them away, not wanting to disturb the quiet serenity of this moment.She looks so at ease, so completely unburdened in sleep, and I find myself mesmerized by the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The warmth of her body lingers against mine, a silent reminder of everything that transpired between us last night.I think back to the way she unraveled me, how she shattered every last piece of my self-control with a single touch, a single whispered plea. She left me breathless, consumed, utterly lost in her.A slow smile tugs at my lips. I love her. I have loved her for longer than I can even admit to myself, and now, with her curled up in my arms, with her body wrapped around mine like she belongs
Lucas' POVI am already done for.Flora and Serena stand before me, their gazes sharp enough to slice through every carefully crafted lie I have ever told. Their eyes burn with suspicion, their bodies rigid with unrelenting determination. The air between us is thick with tension, pressing down on me like a suffocating weight.We have barely escaped Damien's ambush minutes ago—barely survived a situation that could have ended in bloodshed. And yet, instead of relief, instead of gratitude, all their focus has turned to me.I should have expected this.I want to tell them they should be thanking me, not interrogating me. If it weren't for my intervention, we might not even be standing here right now. But I know that line of reasoning won't fly. Not with them. Not with Flora.Because she wants the truth.And that is the one thing I cannot give her.The mysterious person who has helped me—who has secretly arranged for the armed men to intervene—needs to remain in the shadows. Exposing him
Flora's POVI stand there, completely dumbstruck, my breath catching in my throat. The entire situation has flipped in our favor so fast I can barely process it. Just moments ago, Damien held the upper hand, his grip like an iron shackle around me, his dominance undeniable. But now? Now, he is the one trapped.His hold on me loosens instantly as armed men flood the room, their weapons locked on him with deadly precision. Their presence shifts the air, thickening it with tension. The metallic click of safety switches being disengaged sends a clear message—there is no escape.Damien's jaw tenses, his mind undoubtedly racing for a way out. For a split second, I can see it—the battle within him. Fight or surrender? Run or resist? But the odds are impossible. The realization dawns in his darkened eyes, a flicker of recognition before he lets out a slow, measured breath and makes his choice.With a controlled movement, he drops his gun. The weapon clatters against the polished floor, the so
Flora's POVI keep glancing at Lucas, trying to read his expression. He isn't moving, isn't reacting—just standing there, staring at Damien with that dangerous smirk, as if he is cooking something up in his mind.My nerves are shot, my body tense. I flick my gaze to Serena. She looks like she is two seconds away from lunging at Damien and punching him in the face. But we all know that would be a terrible idea.Damien's gun remains trained on Lucas, his expression laced with frustration. "I don't understand," he says, shaking his head. "Why are you so interested in her? What's the history between you two that makes you willing to throw your life away?"We aren't about to give him the backstory—that Lucas and I were high school classmates, that this connection between us runs deeper than anything Damien could comprehend.The only thing that matters is that I cannot go with him.But he doesn't care. His grip on my wrist tightens, and he yanks me toward the bedroom door, still keeping his
Flora's POVThe fury in Lucas's eyes is unmistakable.A storm brews behind his gaze, dark and untamed, like a predator sizing up its prey. Every muscle in his body is locked in place, coiled tight with restrained violence. His fists are clenched at his sides, but he doesn't move—not yet. Instead, he stands perfectly still, watching Damien with an icy, unshakable focus.Damien's smirk widens, as if he enjoys the power he holds in this moment. His fingers flex around the gun in his hand, the metal gleaming under the dim light. His stance is relaxed—too relaxed. Like he truly believes he's already won."Come here, Flora. Now. Or I put a bullet in him," Damien threatens, his voice a low, menacing growl.A cold wave of terror crashes over me.My body refuses to move. My legs feel like they're rooted to the floor, my breath caught somewhere between panic and disbelief.This isn't happening. This can't be happening.I glance at Lucas, desperately searching his face for some kind of reassuran