Chapter 6 BRIANNA’S POV His fork fell and he lowered to pick it up. At that moment, I stole a glance around the room tastefully decorated with a sense of timeless beauty as evident in the ivory-coloured walls, beautiful paintings and artworks that adorned it, hoping and at the same time knowing I won’t see any recorder I suspected him to be hiding somewhere. Sitting up, his lips spread to a warm, awkward smile as a cover-up for his clumsiness and I faked back a smile. There was something rather…different about him. The thickness of his beard gave him an intimidating aura. Yet he appeared warm, clean, gentle, almost unlike his fellows but it’s been just a few hours knowing him. I couldn’t be so sure. And I promised never to let my guard down. Not now and perhaps not ever, after replaying all I went through with Hermes in his hellhole of a castle. He dug his fork into the dessert and swallowed a chunk. He was eating twice as fast as me, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t care. I was okay w
CHAPTER 7BRIANNA’S POV “So you come into my castle as nothing more than a slave my husband had bought out of mercy,” I stood, glued to the ground as the Luna walked around me. Like a razor, her eyes prickled my being and her voice sounded somewhat jealous, angry, proud and above all territorial. At that moment, there was no difference between her and a tigress waiting to feast on the flesh of her prey. “Wear an exquisite gown befitting only for a Luna like me and still go ahead to have dinner with my husband,” she stressed the last word. Oh goodness! I have stepped into another hell of a castle as I thought so. Crossed paths with the double ganger of Hermes’s sister. Only this time, it was only her alone, without Hermes. But I couldn’t be so certain. I was used to things taking dangerous turns in my life and wouldn’t be surprised if Sebastian turned out like Hermes. But deep down, I kept praying and hoping he wouldn’t. I tried to talk but the words knotted in my throat. The knotted
CHAPTER 8 SEBASTIAN’S POV When I saw her stumble into the room in that exquisite gown I had sent for her, my breath sucked itself in. She was even looking more beautiful than I expected. The gown clung so perfectly to her body like it was specially made for her, revealing her jutting breasts, and those slender yet curvy hips that tapered perfectly to her supple thighs and long legs. I could have sworn she looked like a mermaid. An enchanting mermaid with legs. I had kept that gown for Catherine to surprise her on our wedding anniversary which was a few months away. But damn!! After seeing it on Brianna's body, seeing the way it fitted her better than it would have on Catherine, seeing the way the shiny metal discs on the dress danced with joy on her body, I decided to leave it all for her. She seemed reserved and nervous throughout the dinner but I found it rather amusing. We got talking. She wouldn’t reveal much but the little I learnt was her name which was Brianna. I loved the
Chapter 9 SEBASTIAN’S POV It was dawn. Soft, golden light poured in from the open windows, casting a warm glow that bounced around the corners and textured surfaces of my castle. A mug of brewing coffee and a plate of crackers sat on the table in front of me. I took momentary sips and bites as I glanced through the pages of a local newspaper. I had woken up earlier than usual, due to obvious reasons. Catherine sat at the end of the table, her coffee mug in her face with fingers curled tightly around it. I could feel her glaring at me from the corners of the mug. She was still wearing that red seductive nightwear from last night but draped it with a blanket that looked like a long scarf which she let fall off her shoulders, settling on the inside of her elbow that held it in place. It was very obvious she was still brooding over last night’s incident but I cared less. I wondered if she was expecting some sort of apology or makeup sex from me. It was true I had never resisted her
Chapter 10 BRIANNA’S POV My nerves got the best of me as I paced to and fro like a pendulum in my chamber. I looked out the window now and then, wishing for bad weather. But the more I looked, the nicer the weather got and the faster afternoon was drifting to evening. Walking away from the window to my bed, I let out an inward groan. I just wished there was a way I could escape the dinner party. Escape everything but sadly, there wasn’t. There was a knock on the door. I made sure to double-lock it after the scenario with Sebastian earlier this morning. Drawing out a long breath, I gathered myself up and went to open the door only to meet the expressionless face of the maid who had brought the blue sequin dress I used yesterday. She was carrying yet another box to my surprise. “The king has ordered me to get you ready for the cocktail party,” she walked in without my consent and I was a bit annoyed. I closed the door and turned, only for her to toss a dress over to me. “Put that o
Chapter 11BRIANNA'S POV “You look so beautiful,” his vibrant eyes ravaged me, and assessed me, almost undressing me. Those were Hermes’s words the first day he met me at the local store. That fateful day, I blushed till my cheeks ached and my face reddened to the colour of blood. I shrugged it off as I nervously stood, pretending like I didn’t hear him. When an Alpha king calls his slave beautiful, then there is a hidden agenda. What were his plans? Why was he taking me to this party? Even though his wife wasn’t around like the maid assumed, he could surely go alone. “I have prepared her as you told me to, my lord,” the maid lowered to a respectful bow. “Thank you,” Sebastian said as his gaze returned to me and I flickered mine away to avoid meeting his. “You did a great job.” The maid smiled as she made her way to the door. That was the first time I was seeing her smile. But I could easily tell it was unnatural and hard for her. Sebastian strutted to me, his gait majestic, gra
Chapter 12 BRIANNA’S POV I never wanted to come to this auction in the first place. Sebastian made me. I had a bad feeling about the whole thing and now, that bad feeling was playing out before me. “If Sebastian doesn’t know the value of a pretty slave like you, I very much do,” while still holding me in such proximity to him, he smirked and leered at me like he did on the day of the auction. I knew that look. That smirk. It only meant one thing and that thing was what I hated the most. Hermes was a champion at it. But thank goodness we were in a public place. “Please let me go,” I cried out, struggling so hard to free myself from his grip. I could already feel the pain slowly kicking in my elbow. “I promise to leave at once.” He only looked at me and bubbled out a scorn. Just being so close to this harasser prickled my every being. At that moment, I was ready to do anything to get away from him. To get away from all this. “Come here,” his hands slid from my elbow to my wrist as
Chapter 13BRIANNA’S POVI thought Sebastian forgot about me. I thought he abandoned me. Thought he left me to relive my dark past in the hands of the cold-blooded brute kneeling behind me. But to my surprise, he came to my rescue.His eyes popped out in shock on seeing what his fellow Alpha ruler was about to do to me. His nostrils flared and his hands clenched in rage.“Come on, Sebastian,” the brute withdrew from me and stood up to face him. “Don’t be so greedy. If you want, we could share her tonight,” his lips curled up to his ears in a sinful smirk.Without thinking twice, Sebastian rushed at him and thudded his smirking face with a heavy blow that sent him colliding into a full-length mirror by the side of the room and sprawling on the floor.I lay frozen on the bed, tears blurring my vision and my body trembling in shock and fear when Sebastian suddenly scooped me into his arms and carried me out of the room.The usual me would have declined but I was so broken I saw myself sna
CHAPTER 19“W…what do you mean she didn’t make it?...” My voice quivered as I tried to keep it steady. My breath was heavy, coming in short quick gasps that hurt my chest. “S…she’s dead, Lily,” the doctor hesitated before breaking the news with a heavy sigh. “She couldn’t be operated on due to lack of completion of the payment. Her body has been transferred to the morgue. I’m sorry. I did my best. I really did. You need to come now to identify her body and make necessary arrangements…” The weight of his revelation bore down heavily on me like a ton of rocks, crushing me to a pulp. I didn’t know for how long I stayed mute, feeling an acute sense of loss wash over me. My mother. My sweet mother…the only family I had left was gone. I won’t get to see her again. This was all my fault. If only I had gathered the payment and made it to the hospital in time, I could have saved her. She’ll still be breathing by now. Terrible regrets assailed me as hot painful tears burned their way down m
BRIANNA’S POV The pungent smell of drugs and antiseptics came streaming into my nose. Irritated, I grimaced, shaking my head to ward off the smell. My eyes forcefully slid open to find myself in an unfamiliar environment flooded with bright almost blinding lights with the walls painted white too. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was in a hospital, the beeping of the heart monitor and other medical machines I was hooked to the only sounds heard in the room. I groaned in discomfort, breathing out heavily as I tried to gently sit up on the bed. I felt so disoriented like I just woke up from a terrible coma. I tried to recall the events that led to me being here when the door suddenly pushed open and Sebastian stormed in. “Doctor! She’s awake,” he shouted, appearing relieved and overwhelmed with joy. He crouched in front of me, looking at me and touching me like I was made of glass. He was extremely concerned. “Are you okay?” He asked not waiting for me to answer before a
CHAPTER 152 SEBASTIAN’S POV Hermes started moving stealthily towards the car, forcing Brianna along with him, his eyes fixed on us without wavering. Brianna looked at us with a helpless gaze, silently pleading for us to help her. I felt really bad. My body burned with restlessness and the urge to do something. Anything. I can’t just stay back and watch Hermes take her away. I can’t afford to lose her again. I can’t bear living a minute of my life again without seeing her. I didn’t know if there was someone inside the SUV to drive them. I couldn’t see clearly. But Hermes was moving into the passenger’s seat with her. That meant someone was there or maybe he’ll climb into the driver’s seat after he got in. But whatever the case was, I didn’t want him to take her away again. I looked at Dylan in a silent, urgent plea. “We have to do something. We can’t just stay back and let him take her away again…” “I’m sorry Sebastian,” Dylan sighed in pessimism. “But there is nothing
CHAPTER 151 SEBASTIAN’S POV Dylan managed to gather all the association’s security troops in time. With an armoured truck, we burst in through the gates of his castle, taking the occupants mostly his guards by surprise. They didn’t expect us, especially by this time, at dusk. Dressed in bulletproof vests, we jumped down the trucks and shot several times in the air to frighten Hermes’s guards and force their surrender. The order from Dylan was to arrest, not to shoot. But I wanted to kill them all, most especially Hermes. Dylan knew I’d find it hard to adhere to his commands so he refused to give me a gun. Having arrived with five armoured trucks – three for the association’s troops and the other two for Hermes and his guards that will be arrested, we were almost thrice the number of Hermes’s guards. And the fact we came unexpectedly, they weren’t prepared at all. Looking around the place, I couldn’t see Hermes or Brianna. Where the hell was that bastard and where has he t
CHAPTER 150 BRIANNA’S POV I grimaced bitterly, looking away in irritation. “Let me go! I’m going nowhere with you…” But it fell on deaf ears as he started dragging me along with him to the castle’s exit as though I was some children’s toy. His grip was so tight I feared I might fracture my wrist if I tried to break free. “You killed her…” I swallowed with difficulty, tears falling out my eyes as the brutal scenario of how he killed his sister came rushing to my mind. “She was worried about you…she was only trying to help yet you murdered her in cold blood. You’re selfish! You have no heart! You’re a monster ….!! How can you murder your sister like that?!! You’ll never win me over… As long as I live, I’ll continue to hate you…” Exhaling loudly in frustration, he stopped and turned to me, the anger and rage in his eyes hot enough to burn me to ashes. I stopped talking and froze in fear, my breath fluttering in my chest. “Maybe it’s time I gagged that little hole of yours
CHAPTER 149 SEBASTIAN’S POV “What?....what is it?” I asked in desperate curiosity, eager to know the contents of the letter that left him in such a devastated state. “It’s from Hermes’s sister, Hera,” he uttered, rebuffed as he momentarily looked at the me and letter. “What did she say?” My curiosity peaked as I took a step closer to him. He looked into the letter. “She says that Hermes kidnapped a pregnant slave named Brianna Campbell and…” “That’s her!” I pointed out almost hysterically, interrupting him. “She is the one. Do you believe me now? Or are you going to doubt this one too?” I cocked a furious brow, a clear indication I was angry with his nonchalant attitude towards this matter. Even though this letter would help prove to Dylan and the rest of the committee that I wasn’t lying, I couldn’t fathom how it came to be. Why would Hera write and send it, implicating her brother? Hera and I weren’t very much acquitted. But merely seeing her was enough to tell an
CHAPTER 148BRIANNA’S POVPanic began to trickle in. “What…what’s the problem?” I asked her, my voice fragile and shaking “It’s always left unlocked since no one knows about it…I don’t know who could have locked it!” She exclaimed in frustration.My heart started thumping against my chest, the little hope I had crushing to pieces. Hermes was only a few distance behind us. If we don’t find a way to make it out any moment from now, he’ll definitely catch up with us. And I was already tired, hungry, and thirsty. I have held it for long. I didn’t know how much longer I could endure.“Come on,” she said as she took my wrist. “We can still make out before Hermes…”However, her words knotted in her throat the moment Hermes walked into the room.His eyes were dark and devilish, and his features hardened to a lethal frown as he glared at us. Tightly curled around his fingers was a pocket knife. He looked like he was ready to draw blood.I swallowed a lump that hurt my throat and thudded down
CHAPTER 147BRIANNA’S POV“What…?” The shock of what I heard threw me off balance to the extent that reality seemed to shatter. Did she just mention I was sold off to Hermes by a woman? Not just any woman but the one close to me? Close enough to be a relative?“What woman are you talking of?” Desperation and suspense clutched me as I walked to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.From the way she kept glancing around, struggling to recall, it was clear her memory was hazy. “Uhmm…. It’s been a long time so…I can’t really remember. The little I could see was she had curly shoulder-length hair and wore a floral dress…She looked like those types of women who’ll go the extra mile to look beautiful…I’m sorry but that’s all I can remember. I wish I could do better…”She didn’t finish talking when I left her shoulders and suddenly walked away from her. Shock siphoned blood from my body. I was too way to dazed even think or blink. Those descriptions matched Aunt Gigi’s perfectly. She had cur
CHAPTER 146SEBASTIAN’S POVMy face scrunched out of shape in rage as I scowled at him. I felt like throwing him a punch that would knock him back to his senses. Just how the flying fuck did he think I was lying over something this serious? The lives of my twin babies and the love of my life were on the line here, yet he’s telling me to seek therapy?!With all rage tearing me apart on the inside, I wanted to say something to him. Something that’ll cut through his scepticism and make him understand the gravity of the situation. Something harsh that’ll make him understand just how angry I am. But Khan, who was also in the office with us, stepped in to intervene, sensing the escalating tension.“My boss is telling the truth,” he said, keeping a calm demeanour as he explained. “The castle was attacked, and all my colleagues and the maids were killed. Not to mention my boss’s slave was taken hostage. They were all gunshot wounds, and with the way the operation was carried out, we’re convi