My eyes widened when they fell on Ethan, my fiance. He was standing there, dressed in a black t-shirt, and a pair of brown pants, and his signature jacket was covering his broad shoulders. His dark brown curls were falling on his forehead, his green eyes staring at me with such intensity that I couldn't breathe. "Cat got your tongue?" Ethan asked me, his lips curling up in a smile, highlighting the anger in his green irises. I wanted to speak; I wanted to yell. I wanted to call Silas when Ethan grabbed my arm and started dragging me God knows where but I was paralyzed with fear and terror. Ethan was my biggest nightmare. And unlike other nightmares, this one was real and never-ending. It was like my tongue betrayed me. The words that were forming in my mind couldn't find a way to escape my mouth. I let out a choked cry when Ethan pushed me inside an empty room and turned to look at me. He was seething in anger. I cursed Silas for not allowing employees on his floor. There was no-o
The Silas who was beating Ethan mercilessly, kicking him in the ribs, was a completely different person than the Silas who was sitting in front of me, with a first-aid box in his hand, looking at me with tender eyes. He gently grabbed my hands and ran his rough fingers on my bruised arms, making me shiver. His eyes darkened when he saw the purple bruises on them. My heart almost skipped a beat when Silas lowered his face and pressed a kiss against my forearms. The red, sensitive skin burned under his lips. He was kissing my bruises. No matter how gross it sounded in my mind later on, it sent waves of pleasure and a rabble of butterflies inside my stomach at that moment. "Is it hurting?" He asked me, and I shook my head. It was hurting but somewhere I was finding it hard to feel the physical pain when Ethan had bruised me internally, traumatized me. "You don't need to hide your pain from me, Bella. I hope you know that. It's futile, honestly." He said softly, removing an ointment t
"You are brave and evil." Martin said, laughing loudly, dumping his empty glass of coke, and I shrugged my shoulders, squinting my eyes. "Why would you say that, Martin? You broke my heart. I am not evil." I said dramatically, placing my hand on the right side of my chest, and Martin arched an eyebrow up. "I just saw what you did, Miss Murphy. And is your heart on the right side of your chest?" He asked me, and I glared at him, placing my hands on my hips to intimidate him. "Shut up. I was born special. Now, go and ask him to change the song. Go. Be a good boy." I said, patting his head, and Martin scowled at me, swatting my head away. "I am your boyfriend's right hand, and best friend, Miss Murphy, not a dog. Stop patting me." He hissed, and I grinned at him, running after him to pet his head."Get lost, and ask them to change the song. I want to dance." I commanded him, and Martin sucked in a breath, shaking his head but went away, huffing. I screamed in excitement when Martin m
Alcohol, driving and I were never best friends. When I woke up the next morning, I regretted drinking to forget my problems. The pounding in my head was not helping my embarrassment at all. Holding my head, pulling my knees closer to my chest, I let out a painful groan. "So you are regretting drinking your Beer now?" I heard Silas speaking from the door frame. I looked up from my knees, lifting my head, regarding him with the most hostile gaze I could muster. He was dressed in a light pink shirt and gray pants. He walked inside the room, holding a tray in his hands. "Go away. It's too early for your torments." I muttered under my breath, and Silas smiled sarcastically at me, pulling the blanket off my body and handing me a glass of orange juice. "Have this, you'll feel better. Drinking on an empty stomach was not so wise, you see. Next time you wish to get drunk, eat something before drowning beer in your stomach." He said, and I scowled at him, rubbing my forehead. His eyes soft
"So your father forced you into this engagement?" Silas asked me, not beating around the bush once we were done eating our breakfast. I didn't know how to sugarcoat any of my father's deeds. I didn't know how to tell Silas I was not only forced into this engagement, I was forced to get abused. I didn't know how to put it to him without angering him that whatever he was thinking was just the surface of the ocean he had yet to discover. "He was indebted to Ethan. He had no money to offer, and Ethan kept threatening him." My words sounded pathetic to my own ears.The bitter aftertaste of my words made me feel hatred for my own self. I was trying to save my father from Silas' wrath. For what? I was trying to save him from Silas when he sold me to Ethan without a second thought. I was angry at myself for being weak. So weak. "So he sold you to that fucking bastard who thought it would be alright to raise his hand at you? Seriously, Bella? You're trying to justify your father's actions?"
I had to go to the company after my senior designer called me urgently. Surprisingly, Silas was not there. He didn't come to the office for an entire day. My mind was still replaying the phone conversation Silas had with someone when he was rubbing lotion on my knees. He was going somewhere to fight. And the idea of him being around the guns and goons frightened me. And the fact that Martin was not there to guard me didn't help my anxiety even a bit. If both of them were missing, something was serious.Pacing around the hall, my hair tied in a messy bun, dressed in one of the loose pajamas Silas brought for me, I was waiting for him to come home. He wasn't even receiving his phone. "Miss Murphy, have some coffee, please." The house help suggested, looking at me with her concern-filled gaze, and I shook my head, forcing out a smile. "No, thank you. Let Silas come." I replied softly, shifting my gaze back on the door. "You really love him, don't you?" She said after a while, and I
"You are not taking the sofa." Silas' voice was firm when he looked at me with dark eyes, ready to slice something or rather someone into half. I crossed my arms over my chest, tilting my face to have a good look at the man standing in front of me. He couldn't stand up properly and he was talking about sleeping on the sofa. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic ass. "So where do you want me to sleep, Sir?" I asked him sarcastically, and he glared at me. His upper lip twitched dangerously, his dark eyes pierced into my soul. "Bed. Take the bed, Bella. I'll sleep on the sofa." He said, grabbing the pillows from my hands, and I glared at him sharply. "I get it, Silas. Your honor would get handicapped if you let a woman sleep on the sofa. But you can shove your honor down your throat for one night and sleep on the bed." I said, and he shook his head adamantly. "Bella—" "Either you let me sleep on the sofa or I'm leaving you alone. Choice is yours." I said, looking at him with a smile tha
I couldn't sleep. The ideas Silas put in my mind were haunting me. It was hard, so hard to have Silas so close to me and still control myself. My heart was pounding against my chest. Sleeping in the same room as him was making me feel funny and intense emotions. I turned to my side, trying to get a comfortable position to sleep when I heard Silas whimpering. My eyes moved towards him, sitting upright in alarm. Silas was moving restlessly in his sleep. "Dad please don't leave me." He whimpered again, his voice low, shaky and barely coherent. But I heard him. My heart stopped beating for a second. I was so busy pitying myself that I failed to see how lonely Silas was. Now that he was crying in his nightmare, I realized I couldn't see his parents. His father was nowhere to be seen. He didn't even mention his father once. Neither did Mr. Kingsley, Silas' father came once to see me. And knowing how much the old man admired me, loved me like his own child, he would have come here to mee
"Now listen to me very carefully, Bella. You will not come out of here until Martin or I come to get you. Do you hear me. You and Felix will stay here together. And I mean it, Bella. You will not go against me this time." He said, kissing my forehead, and I looked at him with wide eyes. "You even sound like him." I whispered, touching his face, and Silas closed his eyes for a second. "You got drugged on a very wrong time, sweetheart. Felix stay with her and don't let her get out or do something stupid, please." I heard Silas' doppelganger say to the curly-haired boy, who nodded his head. But I could see traces of fear in his eyes as well."Are we playing hostages here?" I asked them, and Martin let out a sigh, turning around to look at his boyfriend. "Stay here until any of us come to get you. And take care of this one. Hm?" He said to his boyfriend, pressing the back of his neck in assurance and I felt it was cute. They both looked cute together. "Can I play the badass shooter pl
We were eating food when Silas' phone rang again. He let out a sigh and answered the call. I could see the frustration clear as day in his eyes when he spoke to the other person. With every passing moment, I could feel the faint music playing in the background getting distant. I was suddenly feeling very hot from inside. "Veronica got shot today." Silas said, and I looked at him. Veronica was one of the shooters Silas had, and the best he had. I felt bad for her. I had just met her twice or thrice. She was a very friendly and sweet person. I was feeling bad for her. But I couldn't stop the giggles that escaped my lips. And Silas' eyes narrowed slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. And when I tried narrowing my eyes like him, I saw him multiplying, and I giggled again. "There are two of you! Look, Silas one, and Silas two. And both of you are looking so... so cute." I said, pinching his cheeks, which somehow was not his cheeks but his nose. "Bella, are you okay?" He as
"Long time, no see, brother. I missed you." The painfully and cruelly familiar voice made me increase my grip on Silas' arms. My history with the man wasn't so pleasant. The man who was Silas' cousin, unfortunately. I remember my teenage years and childhood. He always loved to mock me. He loved it to bully me, remind me of the financially difference between our families and how I could never reach his level, which was true in some sense, I could never reach his level. He was a freaking low life. "Oh, little Murphy is also here. I see you are back to the town and back with my cousin." He said, smiling viciously at me. Before I could have reacted, Silas turned around to glare at him. It would be safe to admit that Silas and his cousin, Logan, hated each other with passion. Logan was obsessed with Silas for many reasons. And Logan's hatred for me ignited Silas' hatred for him. And that in turn made him hate me more. But Logan was evil. A power-centered man who cared about nothing but
We could hear soft songs playing when we reached the venue. Sound of people laughing and guitar playing filled my ears when we stepped down the car. I had never been to a campfire event before. "Silas, Miss Murphy." I heard familiar voice of Martin from behind us and a smile formed on my face as I watched him and his boyfriend, Felix standing there. Felix looked at us shyly, waving his right hand at us, but didn't move from his place. He was standing close to Martin. I had met him once but still he looked shy as the first time we met. But then I realized it was not because of me that Felix was feeling shy. It was the intimidating aura of Silas Kingsley that was making Felix shy. "Hello, Felix. How are you? And how is your sister now?" I asked him softly, and Felix shrugged his shoulders, his fingers tugging on the hem of the hoodie he was wearing. "She is doing..... better now. Yeah, better. Thank you for your help that day, Miss Murphy." Felix replied to me, and I shook my head,
Martin smirked at us as he walked inside Silas' cabin royally, with a teasing smile plastered on his face. While I was embarrassed, and feeling shy, because I knew that Martin knows what were to doing inside the locked doors. But unlike me, Silas looked annoyed and ready to kill his best-friend. "Did I interrupt anything?" Martin asked, making him comfortable on the chair and Silas glared at him. "Oh, you did. Couldn't you have waited for a couple of minutes when you found the cabin was locked from inside?" Silas said, rubbing his forehead, and Martin burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Aw man, look at you, looking pissed off just because you couldn't get laid—""Oh my God! Shut up, Martin." I mumbled against my palms as I buried my face in them, and Martin flashed us an unapologetic smile, rolling his shoulders back, almost looking proud of himself. "Okay, okay, no need to glare at me, Silas. I will shut up. I just came here because Felix wanted to go out to be a part of a cam
"Mr. Kingsley is calling you inside his cabin with the new project file." Silas' secretary said to me, and I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead. Getting up from my desk, I smiled at his secretary. "Thank you, I will go and see him. Is there anything else he asked me to bring?" I asked her, and she shook her head, typing something on her phone. "Oh, nothing else. And please be quick. His mood is not very pleasant." She quickly added, flashing me a sympathetic smile and I curbed down my urge to roll my eyes. He was always in his brooding personality outside his bedroom. Nodding my head, I grabbed the file he asked me to get, even though I knew he didn't want the file. My heels clicked against the floor as I started walking. I knocked on his door thrice before opening it and walking inside. And there he was. Sitting behind the table, dressed in one of his business suits, clinging to his body. I swallowed down the emotions that formed inside me when I looked at him and smiled profess
"Did Ethan ever touch you, Bella?" Silas asked me, gently caressing the side of my naked waist. I shivered under his feathery touch. But his words made my heart pound for several reasons. I licked my lips, letting out a shuddered breath when he moved down to kiss my belly, just above the navel. I fisted the sheets under my body, closing my eyes. Shaking my head, I forced my eyes open to look at him. "Why? Does it change anything between us, Silas?" I asked him, my voice came out stronger than I thought it would come out. And his fingers stopped tracing my body. My skin lost the touch of his lips. But then his lips curled up in a smile as he inched closer to me. His eyes bored into mine, intensely. His fingers curled under my chin, lifting my face, forcing me to look into his dark eyes. I gulped when he leaned closer to me. His clothed body touching my almost naked ones. The soft fabric of his shirt caressed my skin, making me tremble under him. "It will. I will kiss every part of
Silas povEven after I was done with him, Ethan had no ounce of regret or fear in his eyes. If anything, he was looking at me with a smile. A smile that was mocking me, telling me how I failed to induce fear inside him. I wanted to beat him more, I wanted to beat him until his body couldn't take it, but I wouldn't have seen fear in his eyes. He was about to pass out from the pain. Martin pulled me back when I was about to lose my control. "Control yourself, Silas. You'll kill him." Martin hissed at me, and I closed my eyes to calm myself down. True, I needed to control myself. I can't kill him now. I won't kill him until he regrets everything he did to my Bella. I won't kill him until he begs on his knees for mercy. "Call the doctor. Make sure they treat them. I need them fine to deal with them again. I will make sure they regret everything. Every fucking thing, Martin." I said, and Martin nodded his head, looking at Ethan and Peter. "Don't worry, they will recover beautifully to b
Silas pov"Why don't you catch some sleep, or watch something? I need to take care of something. I'll be late." I said, looking at Bella, who looked at me with her brown eyes. The warmest and most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen. The eyes that held warmth of dark coffee, the eyes that hold the love of universe. I never found anyone's eyes as fascinating as her eyes. Like whiskey, her eyes holds intoxication, ready to inebriate me. Make me lose my sanity. But isn't that what she does always? Make me insane? Kissing her forehead, I walked out of the room. I had to take care of something. Someone. Or rather some psychopaths. Buttoning up my shirt, I rolled the sleeves of my shirt, tucking my favorite gun in the waistband of my pants before kicking open the dungeons. Everybody bowed slightly as I walked past them. I was livid. Anger, rage, hatred, they were all way too small words to describe what I was feeling from within. They dared to hurt my Bella. My girl. The girl I treasu