"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
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
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
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
"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
"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.
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
Days… He didn't get to see her face for days and now she was standing right before him with nothing but a couple of feet's distance between them. And Claude wanted nothing more than to run to her and wrap his arms around her. He was dying to feel her body pressed against his own. "You alright?" It took him a couple of seconds to regain his composure. "He didn't hurt, did he?" He took two steps in her direction before forcing himself to stay put. Claude knew that he wouldn't be able to hold himself back if he was to get any closer. The distance between them was most likely the only thing that was allowing him to have some control over his actions. "Ayla? I am asking you something." He spoke up again when she continued staring back at him instead of providing him with an answer. "Y-yeah. I am fine." Her voice trembled a little but she didn't allow her nervousness to peek throu
"What's wrong with me wanting to talk to my wife?"Ayla stared back at him, utterly baffled. The corner of her lip turned upwards as she tore her gaze away, shaking her head as she muttered more to herself."So, now I am your wife." She scoffed as she turned her face around to stare at him. "Are you sure that you aren't a little too late to be calling me your wife? I mean, you sure had your priorities set right a couple of days ago when you showed up unannounced with a woman on your arm while your wife was under the same roof.""She wasn't on my arm. Not literally." Claude shook his head as his lips twitched ever so slightly. "She was just sitting next to me when you made an appearance.""She came with you. Unannounced." Ayla retorted."We only shared a ride together, not a seat." Claude shrugged his shoulders as he brought his one foot to rest against the wall.
[Three years later…]"Breathe in… breathe out…" Ayla was mumbling to herself as she tried to calm down her jittery nerves.She was standing before a floor length mirror, her eyes focused on her own reflection as her dress glinted under the warm lighting of her new room. Bringing her palms to the front of the dress, she ran them down in attempts to smoothen down the nonexisting creases. She couldn't help the worrying thoughts resonating at the back of her mind, her frown only deepening. But before she could delve down further, a knock at the door brought her out."Is anyone inside?"The voice was so familiar to her that a sigh of relief left her lips unconsciously."It's just me in here." Ayla breathed out as a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had sent everyone out including the make-up artist and her team once they had
[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
[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
[The following chapter includes mention of self harm. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Ayla?" Claude knocked at the door as he glanced at the clock. "Are you done, love?" He made sure that he was loud enough for his voice to go through the thick door. It had already been an hour. But she hadn't come out yet. Claude was starting to get worried. "Ayla?" He called out her name again only to be met with the same reply—silence. Though he could hear the water running constantly, he wasn't able to hear her voice. "Ayla?" He tried it one more time before making his way to the other side of the room. Claude searched through a drawer and then moved to another one. If only he could remember where he kept it. "Found it." He mumbled under his breath as soon as his eyes landed on a golden key. It was the master key
"Take your hands off her!"Ayla's eyes flickered to the owner of the voice and a long sigh of relief left her trembling lips."Claude…"In between the chaos, Claude could only see her lips moving before her eyes rolled up and she fainted."Ayla!" He didn't waste another second and rushed to her, not paying any attention to the culprit. He would have plenty of time for him later. At the moment, the only thing which mattered to her was the wellbeing of his girl.With hurried steps, Claude walked to where she was and started to untie the ropes which were holding her in place."How the hell are you here? Where are my men?" Gavin kept babbling but even then, Claude paid him no attention. He was so busy sheeting with rage that he didn't bother paying attention to anything else. Not the men, who were dressed in black from head to
[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
[Three weeks later…]With a jump in her step, Ayla made her way to her favourite store. Things were going great with Claude finally. Everything in her life seemed to be on track. Well, almost everything.Though Claude and her were spending more and more time together with each passing day as if they were in a relationship. They kind of were, but the man never asked her to be his girlfriend despite the fact that's how he had been introducing her to everyone who saw them together.There was one other thing which was bugging her at the back of her mind. Because of peer pressure about them dating—if it could be called that—the two of them inadvertently started using black masks whenever they were in public. Neither of the two wanted to let others throw in their unwanted opinions about their relationship. Though somewhere deep inside her heart, she wanted the whole world to know that Claud
"So…"Ayla dragged it out as she turned around to stare at the man who was still standing by the doors."Mr. D'Souza?""Call me Gavin, please." He still has the same charming smile playing across his face as he walked further into the room"Umm… I am pretty sure I can not do that." Ayla let out a nervous chuckle. There was something ominous about the way he stared back at her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was sure that it wasn't only her mind playing with her. Something about him had shifted since the moment they walked in."Oh, please. Claude and I may not be the best of friends, but we are on our way there. It would mean a lot to me if you'd call me without any formalities." He paused before adding after a while. "Only when it's us… three."'What the f*ck!'Ala
"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