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132: The Bitterness
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2024-10-29 19:42:56"What is wrong with that man?"
All of her frustration came pouring out as soon as she made it to the confines of Ethan's car. She didn't even wait for him to settle into the driver's seat.
"If only I knew." Ethan let out a sigh as he turned on the ignition.
"What happened back there for him to be acting out like this, Ethan? You better have an explanation for me." It was one of the reasons she wanted Ethan to come pick her up. The drive would give them the perfect excuse to get to talking about the matter without making it to the headlines.
"I wish I knew, Ayla." Ethan shook his head as he pulled the car out of the driveway. "Boss seemed a little lost a day after we arrived at the hotel, but I thought it must be the workload getting to him. I mean, the deal wasn't an easy one to secure and it meant a lot for the company and its future."
"So, you are tellin
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[Two days later.]"And where might you be going?"Ayla's feet were brought to a halt at the sudden interruption by her uncalled guest, Selene. She barely glanced in her direction and chose to shrug it off. "What does it have to do with you?" She muttered before continuing with her walk down the entrance hall, dragging her suitcase along.But her words and actions weren't enough to ward off the evil that was trailing behind, closer than what Ayla would have preferred."From the looks of it, you are all prepared to leave for good. Finally." Selene didn't bother to hide how pleased she was seeing the events unfold before her."Keep on dreaming, woman. I am only going away for a couple of days." Ayla couldn't help the scoff which left her throat. Giving Selene the satisfaction of winning this round was the last thing she would want.
The Heartless Bride 134: An Escape (II)
"What does that woman think of herself!" Ayla yelled on top of her lungs, enjoying the little freedom she has managed to earn for herself for a couple of days. Her eyes jumped from one thing to another around the room as she tried her best to gather her thoughts. "How would I know about that?" Katherine's voice echoed through the room, coming out of Ayla's phone as it rested in the middle of the queen sized bed. Ayla had left the call on speaker so that she wouldn't end up tossing her phone to the ground in anger. "In that case please tell me that you have an explanation for your brother's behaviour?" No matter how hard she was trying to divert her attention to the case study, her thoughts would end up straying down the very path she wanted to avoid. "I wish I did, Ayla. I am still in shock after you told me how that little piece of sh*t has been roaming around the mansion as if she owned the plac
The Heartless Bride 135: Time for Some Revenge (I)
Showing her ID card to the bouncer at the entrance, Ayla pushed her wrist in his direction, allowing him to stamp it. It was the first time that she was using the entrance meant for the public instead of just walking straight inside. Well, that was one of the perks she got to enjoy for being with someone as powerful as Claude. That, and the fact that he knew the owner of the place.Brushing off her though, Ayla stepped inside the place which seemed to be much more crowded than the last time she was here. Her eyes roamed around the place as she searched for a certain someone. According to the text she had received from Ethan earlier in the day, Claude was meeting a new investor here. She couldn't help but wonder why he would do that in a club, especially at this hour."Excuse me. Hey." She greeted the bartender as soon as she settled down on one of the empty barstools."What can I get you, Ma'am?" He replied t
The Heartless Bride 136: Time for Some Revenge (II)
Half an hour and five drinks later, Ayla was starting to feel a little tipsy. Though she still hadn't given up on getting to meet Claude."Asher…" Her partially slurred words came out of her stretched lips as she stared back at Asher with her doe eyes. "Pretty please." She pursed her lips together as she hoped to work her innocent charm on the man who was standing across the bar."Why would you want to ruin a business meeting for him?" Asher shook his head and leaned over the bar. "That's not going to do you any good.""B-but, I only want to see him. I haven't come across face to face with him in days. Quite literally." She mumbled it out before burying her face in her palms. "I miss him… like a lot." Her muffled words came out like a sad plea."Did the two of you fight?" Asher could not hold back his curiosity. "You better be honest with me, girl, if you want me to sp
The Heartless Bride 137: Time for Some Revenge (III)
Her eyes were glued to the booth on her right as Ayla relaxed her back against the comfortable back of the couch. A sheer layer of fabric serving as a partition was what separated the two booths. There was a strong urge to jump into the man's arms, but she resisted it with every ounce of willpower she could muster up. Some things were better saved for later. More than that, it wouldn't be a good look on her to do so when her husband was in the company of another man.Sighing to herself, she downed another shot before pouring herself another. The bitter tang the drink left behind was enough to overcome her sorrows, temporarily. What she craved for, and what could actually provide her with some real comfort was something else. It was the touch of her man that she was craving. Never in her life had Ayla imagined falling for another man like this. Not after what happened to her the last time.Her train of thoughts were interrupted by
The Heartless Bride 138: Time for Some Revenge (IV)
"Enough about me? What brought you here?" Ayla narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. "We clearly haven't met before, and I highly doubt that you had the time to come down here and entertai a complete stranger." She tilted her head to the side as she waited for his answer. "Why would you say that?" James replied to her before taking a sip of his drink. "Call it a hunch." The corner of her lips turned up into a smile. "That and the fact that no one has come up to us and asked you to leave." It did take her a couple of seconds but she was able to put two and two together. There was no way that Asher would leave her unsupervised given her situation. If a man was able to come and sit next to her, it would only mean one thing: Asher knew about it. Or better, he knew the man. James stared down at her and only smiled. "You are one smart cookie." "Blame it on the alcohol." Ayl
The Heartless Bride 139: Time for Some Revenge ( V)
"Ayla?" James spoke up as he tried to get her attention only to be ignored by the woman. "You alright?" He knew that it was really dumb of him to be asking this when looked like she was on the edge of breaking down any second now. Sitting up straight, he followed her line of sight. As soon as his eyes landed on Claude's brooding figure, everything began to click in place for him. Of course, the sudden shift in her mood had to do something with the man behind her worries. "Ayla?" He brought his attention back to the sullen lady and made another attempt to get her to smile a little. James reached out to pay her on the shoulder, hoping that this time he would be successful in bringing her out of her thoughts. A small appreciative smile crept up on his lips when her eyes flicked back to his face. "Hey? Where did you go there for a minute?" He knew the answer already, but wanted her to speak aloud about it.
The Heartless Bride 140: The Reunion (I)
A couple of songs later, Ayla was too tired to even stand up straight. Her feet were ready to buck under her weight any second now. But the simple joy she was feeling in the moment was something she didn't want to give up on. Not yet at least."I thought you didn't dance." James leaned forward and spoke next to her ear. His hands were waving through the air as he followed into her steps, allowing her to take the lead."I can surprise myself at times." Ayla mumbled out a reply, her words mixing with the music. "You aren't half bad yourself." She added as her lips broke into a smile so wide that her cheeks began to ache."Asher would disagree with you on…" James trailed off as he felt his phone buzzing inside his jeans' pocket. He hurriedly took it out and frowned seeing the caller ID. "I have to take this one. Don't run away." With one warning, he jogged away from the dance floor, leaving Ayla to hersel
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The Heartless Bride 191: Desires (II)*
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] Claude sucked onto the soft spot as his finger moved inside her, earning her moans in return which were not less than a siren's call for him, luring him to continue. He felt her insides tightening around his finger as he moved it relentlessly. He knew that she was close to finding her release and deliberately slowed down his movements. Ayla could feel her orgasm building up, inching closer to the edge. She let out a frustrated groan when Claude slowed down his movements. "D-don't st-op." She managed to say in between her gasps for air. "Oh! I am not planning to, my love, not tonight." Claude murmured against her skin and moved his lips to her cleavage, biting and sucking on her fair, smooth skin. "This might hurt a bit." He said as he inserted
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[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "You don't think that it makes me unworthy of you?" She managed to mutter out as she held Claude's gaze. "You must have hit your brain if that's what's going through your brain." Claude scoffed as he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. This time she didn't push him away but responded with the same passion. It wasn't until both of them ran out of their breaths did they pull back. "Do you understand now how much you mean to me?" Claude flicked her forehead as if he was reprimanding a small child. "I do… you mean no less to me." She smiled for the first time today and it was enough for Claude to know that everything was going to be just fine. All she needed was a little time and his love. "I love you." Claude mumbled
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[The following chapter includes mention of sexual assault. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Let me tell you a story, kitten." He pushed himself off the wall, dusting his coat in the process. Gavin walked to the other side of the room to pick a chair and dragged it to the centre of the room. He settled down on it so that he was facing Ayla. "What story?" Despite the fact that she was scared for her life, she didn't show it on her face. She knew that she had to put up a brave front until Claude could reach her. He would realize sooner or later that she was missing. With a smile, Gavin began. "My father and a friend of his started a business together. The kind which was to grow into a big one over time. But the old man got played by his so-called friend. My father spent everything we had or owned on his dream. When our family w
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"Because it looks like I interrupted something important."Her frown was the only thing which Claude could see but the helplessness which filled her eyes was enough of a giveaway for him. She was feeling guilty for interrupting their meeting. Well, it was more of a tour now. The actual meeting had already been wrapped up a while ago. It was what had Claude believing that her interruption was not going to have any repercussions. Even if there were any, he didn't care."It's fine. Don't worry." Claude rubbed his hand up and down her back to calm her down. Turning his attention to the group, he began. "Apologies for the interruption everyone, but let me introduce you all to my girlfriend." He was smart enough to not announce her name to the team. Though he wondered where Ayla was going with the secrecy."I am sure she must have a name." It was Mr. D'Souza who spoke up. There was a small smile playing acros
