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Chapter 20
Huling Na-update:
2024-12-07 07:26:47
Kaugnay na kabanata
Tempted by Sin Chapter 21
PaetynI need to get out of this goddamn house before I lose my mind.It’s been a week since Liam accused me of cheating on him, and I hit him with the evidence I have collected of his supposed infidelity. Whenever we’re in the same room, he refuses to look at me or utter a single word, choosing silence over discussing the situation at hand. Like a child.In the four years I have been dating Liam, he has never once apologized for a fight or admitted he was in the wrong. I’m the one who has to apologize first and start talking to him again. Otherwise, if I don’t, he will continue to play the silent game. And I can’t stand it. Knowing he’s in the same house, breathing the same air, and going about his day and not speaking to me makes me irate. He’s sleeping in the spare bedroom for God’s sake.By now, I would’ve given in and apologized just so he would stop this game, but I refuse to be the bigger person this time, especially when he has been no saint either.With a huff, I grab my car
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 22
Ace“How is everything with you, Ace?”I blink at Enzo from across his desk, the leather seat cool against the back of my jean-clad thighs. He leans back in the large chair, his hands running down the front of his dark blue blazer sculpted to his frame. Not a single strand of dirty-blond hair is out of place, and his hard blue eyes focused on me.“Everything is fine,” I answer, my back pin-straight. “Is there any news on those Bonanno fuckers?”“They’ve been silent,” Enzo says and leans forward. “After they messed with our supply drop, it seems they’ve gone into hiding, likely waiting for us to retaliate.”“Are we going to retaliate?”Enzo hums. “Not yet. Patience is a virtue. If they think we could strike at any moment, I want them to fester in that anxiety, waiting for the unknown.”I nod. Enzo isn’t someone who rushes into a situation like this, guns blazing, ready to kill. He takes his time planning an attack down to the finest details. Partly because he likes to keep his enemy on
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 23
AceI step forward, my eyes locked with hers. “Tell me what you want.”Paetyn blinks at me, those soft green eyes piercing through my soul. “You,” she murmurs, her voice as sweet as her scent.Fuck me.That one word would be my undoing.Everything about this woman is intoxicating and messes with my fucking head. All I want is to keep her locked up in this house so she will never have to leave me again or go home to the cheating fucker who doesn’t deserve her.Hell, I don’t deserve her, but I’m selfish enough to keep her.“Me?” I say, rolling the word around my mouth as I brush my chest against hers. She shudders, but holds my gaze. My hand grazes hers, the heat from her skin lighting a fire in my veins. “And what do you want me to do, little bird? Say the word and I’ll make it happen.”She swallows hard, strands of silver hair falling delicately around her soft features. Paetyn is the most beautiful woman I have ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Anytime another man looks in her
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 24
PaetynI’m greeted by harsh rays of moonlight shining through the open window above the bed when my eyes flutter open, heavy with sleep. Every muscle in my body is tense, my back aches and my limbs feel like a weight is keeping them pressed firmly against the mattress.I force myself into a seated position, dragging the thin black sheet up to my chest. My eyes sting as I rub the sleep from them, hoping it’ll make me feel more awake when in reality, I want to lie down and go back to sleep. I want to feel Ace’s arms wrapped around me, holding me close to his firm chest as he strokes my hair.Ace…My eyes widen as panic crashes through me, nearly knocking the wind out of my lungs.Ace!I nearly get whiplash from the ferocity of my head snapping to the left where my phone sits on the bedside table. With my heart in my throat, I snatch the device off the table. The screen beams to life, almost blinding me in the dark room.10:18 PM.My heart sinks to my toes at the notifications on the hom
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 25
Paetyn“Is that…?”Ace’s voice sounds like static in my ears as I blink at the screen, one, two, three times, trying to process what I’m seeing right now.My fiancé hired a mafia enforcer to kidnap me… Why? Why would he do something like that? It’s not adding up, but the evidence is staring me right in the face.“That motherfucker,” Ace seethes, his balled fists on his thighs turning white. “I knew he was fucking hiding something.”I’m snapped out of my daze when Ace stands, shoving the chair back so hard it crashes against the wall behind us. Before he can take a step, I wrap my hand around his wrist. His body is vibrating under my touch, and fury seeps into his ocean eyes, turning them darker than I have ever seen them.If I were to let him go, I have no doubt he would go after Liam. Maybe even kill him. But hurting Liam isn’t going to change what he did. With him being a politician, he has a lot of eyes on him. He’s a household name at this point, so if Ace were to do something, I
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 26
Paetyn’s POVFor someone who ended their engagement with their long-term fiance not even twenty minutes ago, I feel content with my decision. I’m sure that might sound odd to someone from the outside looking in, but if people knew Liam—the real him—and the kind of man he is, I would be getting praised for my decision. They would tell me I dodged a bullet, and I’m better off without him. And while I agree with them, the lingering anxiety of how drastically my life is going to change without him in it has my hands tightening around the steering wheel, and a lump forms in my throat. Did I make the right decision? I mean, the asshole conspired and paid to have me kidnapped by the same man whose house I’m driving to. If that doesn’t scream I don’t care about you then I don’t know what does. This whole time, I was a pawn in a game he constructed so that he could reach his goals. At no point did he stop to think what something as fucked up as having me kidnapped and held captive for a week
Huling Na-update : 2025-01-14Tempted by Sin Chapter 27
Ace’s POVThis is the second time I’ve watched that asshole Liam from my car. Unlike last time when I caught him sleeping with his secretary, he has done nothing but pace his office every five minutes, constantly checking his phone.I know a paranoid man when I see one, and this fucker has it written all over his face. My fingers rub against my black jeans as I form fists on my thighs. I’m sure he’s feeling the heat after what went down with Paetyn yesterday. She knows the details of the sick plan he created to push him up in the polls and bring more attention to his campaign, all at the expense of his fiancee. If the media were to find out about it, I have no doubt it would bring a shitstorm his way. Good. It’s what he deserves for doing what he did to my little bird. Liam passes by the window of his office. He’s been on the phone for what has to be the twentieth time since I started watching him when he arrived just before 9:00 A.M. I don’t know who he’s talking to, but it doesn
Huling Na-update : 2025-01-15Tempted by Sin Chapter 28
Paetyn’s POVIt was a long day, to say the least. My mind was a jumbled mess of everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours, making it hard to concentrate on my clients. No matter how hard I tried to push everything to the back of my mind, I would find myself getting lost in thought whenever a client was speaking or when I was on my lunch break. I hate that Liam has somehow forced his way into the corner of my mind, despite my breaking off our engagement. Every time I picture his face, or remind myself about how he put my life on the line for his own gain, I get the urge to punch his stupid face. He deserves it. It’s easier said than done to move on from what happened, but I’m optimistic that, with a little bit of time, I can put this whole thing behind me. At least, I hope so. I expect to see Ace when I walk through the front door of his house. Now that I know what he does with his spare time, I’m not sure what his schedule looks like. I mean, being an enforcer for
Huling Na-update : 2025-01-16
Pinakabagong kabanata
Tempted by Sin Chapter 45: Bloodied and Beaten
Ace’s POVA scream pierces through the air, sharp and painful. Any normal person would cringe at the sound or be filled with such fear it would make their knees wobble like a newborn fawn. But I’m not a normal person. Never claimed to be. I’m the fucking devil. I squat in front of the man chained to the roof of the basement in the Gambino mansion. His trembling arms are attached to the hook on the low ceiling by a thick metal clasp. He hangs there helplessly, leaving the rest of his body exposed to me to do with as I please. My gaze rakes over the sweat and blood clinging to his pale skin. Bruises and gashes paint his body like the finest piece of artwork, thanks to my fists. Electricity thrums through my veins at the sight of this kid, not much older than nineteen if I had to guess. I should feel some ounce of remorse for punishing someone who is nowhere near mature enough to understand his actions. And some part of me wants to feel that because he doesn’t know any better. But I d
Tempted by Sin That Damn Alley
Paetyn’s POVI’m concerned about Ace. Last week, I noticed he had busted knuckles that were split and beginning to bruise around the torn skin. When I asked what happened to him, he gave me that same straight-faced look I always get when I asked questions about his job. I know he is an enforcer and has to hurt people, but it doesn’t make me any less worried about him when he leaves in the morning. Not knowing if he’s out on the streets in danger sends me into a spiral more often than not. I know he’s a man capable of looking after himself, but it still doesn’t ease the tension in my chest. He won’t tell me the details of his job, and I don’t expect him to, but sometimes I think I would be better off knowing to help me relax a little more. But until that day comes—if ever—I will have to get used to worrying about my boyfriend. Boyfriend. It’s an odd feeling thinking of him as that. Who would’ve known that Ace, my kidnapper and stalker, would become my boyfriend? Certainly not me, bu
Tempted by Sin Chapter 43
Ace’s POVEnzo was adamant about this shakedown going smoothly. He doesn’t want a single thing to go wrong. The goal is to get the message across to the Bonanno crew and their leader, Antonio, that we’re not to be messed with. If they don’t back off, Enzo will have no problem coming at them full force with me at his side. And unfortunately for them, I like getting my hands dirty. All the made men in the group stand around me, black hoods covering their heads, concealing their identities. Enzo ensured they were equipped with every weapon under the sun that’ll be useful in protecting them if shit goes south. I’d like to think I have this under control. After all, Enzo trusted me to do this, so I’m going to do it right. “Does everyone remember the plan?” My voice is quiet but deep in an attempt to not be detected where we stand in the shadows of the quarry. The full moon is our only source of light, which works in our favor for staying hidden. “The Bonanno crew have a gun shipment comi
Tempted by Sin Chapter 42
Ace’s POVIt took every ounce of self control I possessed to not kill Patrick Aster with my bare hands. The smug look on his face when he told Paetyn to publicly name herself as an obsessed ex-fiancee to save Liam’s ass, and in return she’ll recieve one million dollars, had me seeing red. If Paetyn wasn’t standing in front of me, I would have lunged for the motherfucker. As much as I wanted to paint my hands red with his blood for having the audacity to speak to my girl that way, I reigned in my temper and allowed her to make her own decisions. Plus, I got far too much enjoyment out of seeing his face when I answered as her boyfriend. I’m sure Pat will have a swell time informing his son of that development. Paetyn trails me as we walk the small pathway to the front door of our house. Her presence behind me is all-consuming, like a wildfire licking at my back, ready to devour me. Every inch of her is ingrained in my mind—there isn’t a thing I don’t know about this woman or what she
Tempted by Sin Chapter 41
Paetyn’s POVThe Aster mansion sends chills down my spine. Every dinner I ate with them consisted of Liam and Pat talking about politics while Angie smiled and nodded along as if it were the most riveting of topics. I was always bored out of my mind because not only am I not interested in politics, but they hardly ever included me in their conversation. All they cared about was their precious son. The same son who had me kidnapped and held hostage as a trick for his campaign.I never thought I’d be back here after I ended the engagement with Liam, but now, here I stand, staring down the barrel of the gun. My muscles itch, desperate for me to turn around and hightail it back to the comfort of Ace’s house where I know I’m safe. Here… anything can happen. No one is truly safe in the presence of Patrick Aster.“Pae, are you okay?” Ace’s hand rests on my shoulder, his chest brushing my back. I lean into the warmth of his hand, soaking in the comfort his gentle touch brings me. “If you
Tempted by Sin Chapter 40
Paetyn’s POVMy legs ache as I pace the bedroom, hands clasped firmly behind my back. The skin on my bottom lip is raw from the amount of times I’ve dragged my teeth over it, thoughts lost on the phone call I received this afternoon. Pat Aster wants to meet with me. Why? Why now after weeks of this back and forth with Liam? I’m sure he’s looking to squash this fire before it grows into an inferno, but how does he think this will go? Intimidate me until I roll over and pretend this never happened? He’s delusional if he thinks I’m going to allow his son to get away with what he did to me. Liam deserves every ounce of bad karma coming his way. It would be in my best interest to tell him to shove his meeting where the sun doesn’t shine because he doesn’t deserve a second of my town. But on the other hand, curiosity is pushing me toward needing to know what Pat’s intentions are. If I don’t show up on Monday, I may never know what he wants, and that worries me more than actually meetin
Tempted by Sin Chapter 39
Ace’s POVVoices echo through my mind like an incessant pounding of a drum, grating on every last nerve. I grit my teeth to avoid telling everyone to shut up so I can think. It doesn’t help that we’re crammed into the formal dining room in Enzo’s mansion, waiting for him to arrive. My nails dig painfully into my palms, my fists pressed to my thighs. The wooden chair creak beneath my weight as I lean back, staring at the deep mahogany table I’m sure must’ve cost a fortune. Glasses of whiskey litter the vast space, consumed at different paces by the men occupying every seat. They’re men I’ve known for many years and respect, but right now, I want to get lost in my thoughts about a certain silver-haired woman. Walking the streets of New York City with Paetyn a few days ago was unexpected, and, dare I say, relaxing–eventually. The moment we stepped out of my house, her hand wrapped in mine, tension lined every muscle in my body. Even through lunch, I couldn’t help but feel as though som
Tempted by Sin Chapter 38
Paetyn’s POV“Thank you for coming in today, Ben.” I push open the door to my office and move to the side, locking my gaze on the man not much older than me rising from his seat on the couch. “I have you scheduled for two weeks from today for your next session.”Ben rubs the back of his neck, unable to meet my eyes as he steps past me into the hallway. “Thank you, Miss Jones.” His large frame turns in the hallway, brown eyes lifting from the ground to meet mine. “I needed this.”I smile. “I’m glad to hear that. You’re making great progress with your anxiety and depression, so keep up with the techniques we spoke about today, and then we can discuss how they’ve helped in our next session.”Ben nods. “Of course. I’ll see you in two weeks.”My grip on the handle tightens, and I lift my hand in a wave. “Take care, Ben.” My client turns and walks down the hallway, disappearing into the foyer.I exhale a sharp breath and run a hand down the side of my face, exhaustion settling into my bones
Tempted by Sin Chapter 37
Paetyn’s POV“I really shouldn’t have had that extra pizza slice.” A soft groan escapes my parted lips as I rub my stomach, regretting my recent choices. “You said you were hungry,” Ace points out, his arm brushing mine as we wander through Central Park. His hand tightens around my fingers, as if he’s claiming me for everyone to see. “I was only doing what you asked of me.”“I know,” I whine, tilting my head back with a pout turning down my lips. “But I wish you had told me no or dragged me past the food stand. It feels like my stomach is creating the largest food baby known to mankind.”Ace snorts a laugh. “Pae, you’re being dramatic.”“I don’t know that I am,” I murmur, returning my gaze forward. Central Park has to be the most stunning place during winter. Frost and snow cover the grass lining the walkway, and the benches require a mini snow plougher to rid them of the thick snow. Footprints from hundreds of people span the width of the walkway, telling a story of eager tourists
