Lydia drew a sharp breath at the sight of the man who had intruded on her space and immediately felt a new wave of fear. Surprise had her in a chokehold because she didn't anticipate this visit even though she should have. Was he here before she stepped out of the bathroom minutes ago to change, or did he come after? If he came in after, why didn't she hear the door open and the footstep that followed? And if he came before, did that mean he saw her nakedness? The thought of being seen by him sent an alarm through her head, and she felt uncomfortable.She had seen different sides of him today but never faced any of those in a physically vulnerable place. Vulnerable because this was the first time since meeting him that she was truly alone, and this man who terrified the very essence of her being stood feet away, staring at her like a lion stares at its prey before it devours them. She was no more than a prey with strength as frail as a worm."What are you doing in my room?" she demand
FlashbackA loud bang came on Jayden's prison cell, and he shook and pulled himself onto his elbow to see what the noise was about for an early morning. He found Finley Trump, the warder, standing before his cell, opening it up."Get up; you have a visitor." He said with a nonchalant tone."Who has a visitor?" Jayden's cellmate, Viktor Wade, asked from the lower bunk where he stayed.Finley glared at him for even asking. "You know who has a visitor because no one is coming for your ass." He replied harshly.Jayden didn't need to be told twice before he climbed off the bed and over to Finley, who put the cuffs on his wrist. He turned to Viktor, who seemed affected by the warder's harsh response and gave him an apologetic look before leaving."Who is waiting for me, sir?" Jayden asked, his curiosity getting the better of him."You will see when you get there," Finley replied grumpily, and from there on, they walked in silence.As they entered the visitor's room, Jayden found Rosie Queen
Jayden stopped at the desk of the secretary named Mandy Owens, and he smiled at her charmingly. The red-haired woman in a blue bodycon dress behind the counter stared up at him curiously, waiting for him to speak.“You are the most elegant secretary I have ever seen, and I’ve seen secretaries,” he said, staring at her in fascination.She blushed. “What do you want?”“I want to see your boss.” He whispered in a seductive tone.She bit her lips. “She’s currently in a meeting, but if you drop your name, I can put you on a schedule,” she suggested.His eyes darted towards the office, which belonged to Rosie. It had a privacy glass wall, and he couldn’t make out anything inside, so he turned to Mandy. “I don’t want to schedule an appointment. You see, I am an old friend of Rosie, and I came here to surprise her, so if I can wait for her to finish with her meeting?” he raised a suggestive brow at her.She chewed her bottom lip, thinking his words through before speaking. “Without an appoint
There are three hundred and fifty-one days more to go. It had been two weeks since Lydia's unfortunate imprisonment called marriage to Jayden White, the devil himself. She had stood at the window every day, every day watching to see if Jayden would return, but every day in the last thirteen had ended with no sign of him. His absence would have brought her peace if she didn't know he planned to destroy her.The days had been slow, the clock counted down at a slower pace, and yesterday had gone down the slowest, which drove her insane. Jayden White had left thirteen days ago after their fight and hadn't come back, and everyone working in the house had continued as if nothing was wrong. It seemed they were already used to his absence. The penthouse had always represented glamour and wealth, but in Lydia's reality, it was a prison.She had consoled herself by thinking about the one-million-dollar compensation, which she broke down to $2739 per day and $114 per hour. She kept her mind on t
"Lydia. Where are you?" Kevin Mars called out, stepping into the bedroom and not finding her. "Lydia, where are you?" Kevin Mars worked at a dairy farm seven hours drive from home, having dropped out of high school a year prior, so he left early and got back sometimes after a twelve-hour shift. Since he was barely home now, their parents, Claris and Michael, had turned their abuse on her and disciplined her when they felt like it, and sometimes it didn't make sense. Whenever Kevin was leaving, Lydia would ask him to take her along, but he told her it was work and here was better. Here wasn't better, and Lydia didn't understand why he would say that. "Under here," she replied, pulling up from under the bed so he could see her. His hazel eyes narrowed at her in confusion. "Why are you staying there?" "Mom says she will whip me when she gets home for being a naughty girl this morning. She wanted me to have cucumber, but I always feel sick whenever I go to school after eating cucumber.
The drive to the Lockwood grand hall, where this year's business people submit took 36 minutes, and they arrived at 7:40 p.m. Lydia didn't know if this meant they were early or late, but she found other attendees entering the hall and assumed they were early. Adam opened the door of the Rolls Royce, and Lydia found Jayden not only out of the car but standing before her with his hand stretched to help her out. She reluctantly gave him his hand and felt the charge run through her as they touched, but she brushed the feeling away, and if Jayden felt anything, he didn't behave like he did. Her legs touched the ground, and without giving her a second to adjust, Jayden closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. Lydia immediately trembled, unable to play off or ignore the effect of his closeness and touch anymore. "Are you okay?" Jayden asked. She glanced up and found his intense gaze on her. Lydia looked away and cleared her throat to ease the awkwardness. "I'm
Jayden held Lydia close as they stepped into the meet and greet hall where the drinks would be served and they would get to speak and interact with other guests. He noticed Lydia hadn't spoken since his grand announcement. He had expected her silence, and her discomfort gave him great pleasure. "Jayden Lee White," Oliver Plane, Jayden's friend, said as he approached them. He had a look that showed he was more than surprised to only have heard the news now. "Not only are you the ground-breaking business owner of the year, you are also married. The surprise just keeps increasing!" Jayden smiled, "Oliver," and stretched his hand to Oliver, who reluctantly took it. They shook hands before pulling away. Oliver's attention moved to Lydia and then back to Jayden. "So married, uh?" "Yes, this is Lydia White, my wife." Jayden introduced him, pulling Lydia closer and feeling her subtle rebellion. Lydia shook hands with Oliver, and the two introduced themselves to each other. "You got marr
Lydia emptied the glass of wine Jayden had handed her a few minutes ago into her mouth as she watched him disappear into the hallway to the bathroom. She wished she could say she felt better in his absence, but she didn't. She felt out of place and knew she didn't belong here. If only leaving was an option she could take, she would have; sadly, it wasn't.Learning that Jayden White was in the real estate business surprised Lydia because whenever she had thought about him in the last weeks, she didn't see him as having an everyday business. A mafia or drug lord would have been accepted, not real estate. Perhaps she was harsh in her judgment, but he wasn't a decent man, so she expected his business to portray that part of him. She had been in the real estate business for more than three years, working with Jakob Investment, the leading real estate company in the country, and knew little about White Estate. She should have known more; her ignorance of simple things now annoyed her. She