Sierra’s POV I had expected Jordan to follow right behind me, I thought as I rushed into the room, he would follow me behind but I was wrong. Like I had said, Jordan doesn’t care about me. He never wanted me, I still don’t understand why he married me. With my face on the pillow and my tears wetting the pillow, I couldn’t help but wish I hadn’t met the man I now have to call my husband. Should I divorce him? Different thought clouded my mind as I wondered if I should just end things with him or fight for my marriage. I wouldn’t deny the fact that I have come to love the man I am now married to, but if Jordan is one that cannot stay with one woman, I don’t know how I can cope. My thoughts kept going north and south when my phone began to ring, raising my face up from the pillow, I sniffed as I reached for my phone. My sour mood worsened when I saw the caller. “What do you want?” I hissed the moment I answered the call “Hi Sierra, sorry to disturb you but I have been trying to call
Jordan’s POV I stared at her watching her every move, I began to miss the few days we spent with each other without the world’s interference. I wish things would go back to the way they were. But I know it couldn’t, she doesn’t even look like one that would take my word over Dominic’s and I’m trying so hard not to order her like I do with my subordinates. “I would fix it” I promised but she looked at me in disbelief, like she doesn’t believe a word I said. “How?” came her question. Her arms still crossed and her eyes shooting lasers at me. My face immediately turned serious as I recalled the accusation her sister was placing on me. Even after telling her that I wasn’t responsible for no such thing, she still didn’t believe me. “I’ll make sure to kill her,” came my reply that caught Sierra off guard. But why should it? This is why she needs to know the kind of man she got married to, I would kill. I will definitely kill. “Excuse me?” She asked, “You would kill my sister?” “To ta
Sierra's POV Jordan's a bastard. A man that doesn't keep to his foolish promises. I hate his stupid gorgeous eyes when he tells me something and I become so foolish to believe him. I regret ever believing him in the first place! I didn't want him to pick up the call, I tried to make him forget that his phone was ringing but whoever was calling just kept calling. The minute he picked the call and the expression on his face changed, I knew he would be leaving again. “I'll be back soon” he promised before finally walking out. It was foolish enough to believe him. I believed him even when I had asked him where he was going and he said Business. I should have known that his ‘Soon’ meant the next day. The man not only didn't come home last night but didn't even call to tell me he won't come home. I slept late and woke up extremely early so I don't miss when he walks into this room but he didn't come in. It's 10 am and he isn't back here. I wanted him to look me in the eyes and expl
Leila’s POV The air in my parents' restaurant kitchen felt heavy, as though it, scrubbing a pot like he was trying to erase something more than just grease. His shoulders were stiff, his jaw locked tight. It wasn’t about the dishes. It never was. My back pressed against the doorway, arms crossed like armor. I watched him through narrowed eyes, daring him to say something I could latch onto. Something I could twist. He finally turned, pointing at the stack of plates piled haphazardly next to the sink. “Dishes. Now,” he snapped, his voice carrying that hard, no-nonsense tone I knew too well. A bitter laugh bubbled up, but I swallowed it, letting the silence stretch instead. Finally, I pushed off the frame and stepped into the kitchen, the soles of my sneakers squeaking on the tile. I didn’t look at him. Not yet. My gaze zeroed in on the stack of plates like they were the problem. “Why don’t you ask Sierra to do them?” I bit out, the words cutting like glass. “Oh, wait. She’s too bus
Sierra's POV I stormed into the house hoping somehow to find Jordan at home but I was wrong again. He wasn't home and ater asking around, I was told he hasn't been back. I don't know if my anger for him should turn to fear. He wasn't home last night and from the way Leila acted, he didn't come to see her. When he answered that call, I could see the expression on his face, how he immediately switch to anger before he left me. I got into the room and went into the bathroom to freshen up, I remained at the bathtub recalling what had happened at the restaurant. I was too annoyed to even see father and mother. I was too upset with Leila and everyone. Then the words one of the guards had said when I asked why they had showed up when I asked him not to. Does Jordan care that much? Is his love for me real or was he just protecting his investment which is me? Shaking the thoughts off after a while, I came out of the bathroom and was dressing up when there was a knock on the door. My hea
Jordan's POV “Why are you covered in so much blood?” She asked, her eyes wide and her lips shaking. She had turned on the lights in the room, I could see the fear in her eyes as she looked from my head to my toes. I didn't want her to see me like this but I couldn't help but want to come home already. I wouldn't have minded if I wasn't married, but I am now. Someone was waiting for me at home and I had to come home as soon as I could. “I am fine, Sierra” “No, you are not! Look at you,” she asked, her eyes filled with tears. She didn't know whether to hold me or not. She had a look of disbelief on her face. “Sierra,” I tried to reach her cheek but she moved away. “Whose blood is this?” Her voice had suddenly changed. Without Sierra spitting the words out, I could see the fear in her eyes. She thought I had killed her sister? Would I even do that? “Sierra, it's not your sister’s blood, if that's what you're asking” I replied as I began to take off my clothes. She stood the
Leila's POV The waiting room of the hospital was a collage of monotony. Beige walls. Worn vinyl chairs. A vending machine humming faintly in the corner. My father sat across from me, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together like he was praying. The sight would’ve been laughable if it weren’t so unsettling. I hated the stillness, the waiting. It gave my thoughts too much room to breathe. They turned on me like feral animals, dragging me through every moment that had led here. The push. The stumble. That sound. My mother’s head against the pavement played on a loop in my mind, as loud and unforgiving as a gunshot. I glanced at my father. His eyes were fixed on the floor, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like his teeth might crack. He hadn’t said another word to me since we arrived. He didn’t need to. His silence was worse than any shouting could’ve been. I wanted to scream at him, to remind him that this wasn’t all on me. That maybe, just maybe, if he hadn’t treated me like
Jordan's Pov My heart skipped a beat when I heard the question Sierra asked. She cares, she really cares what happens to me. I don't have people around who care about me. Seeing someone genuinely care for me was foreign, it was strange and unique at the same time. “I… I…” I stuttered, I didn't know what to say, I didn't have anything to say. At that point, while I was fighting, I wasn't thinking if anyone would care how it goes at the end. I just wanted to win, be the last man standing. I didn't think that my death would cause someone to be a widow… The Don's position would be given to Dominic immediately, there is always a replacement for that but… A husband. Would Sierra replace me immediately when I die? Though, I didn't think I would have died. It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't return home. But there would have been someone worried if I didn't return home. “Shhhh, it was a rhetorical question,” she pressed her lips together but I knew better. It wasn't any rhetorical
Sierra’s POVA loud tap on my shoulder shook my body awake. My eyes snapped open, and before I could process where I was, panic rippled through me. My arms flailed, panting and heaving, the scream itself ripped from my throat.“Leave me alone! I don’t have the necklace! There is no key! Why are you after me?” My voice broke with fear, and I scrambled backward, flailing my arms blindly in defense.“Hey, hey! It’s me! It’s Amelia!”Her voice sliced through my hysteria like a knife, pulling me back from the trench of my fear. My thrashing slowed, and I blinked up at her, my sight blurred. Amelia knelt next to me, her face set and terrified, her hands ghosting above me as if she feared I’d shatter.My chest felt heavy, and I looked at her as if she were someone I didn’t know. The bathroom walls felt like they were closing in on me, the shiny tiles glistening under the fluorescent light. The realization crashed over me, I was not running. There weren’t any dark alleys, there weren’t any
Sierra’s POVHe took a shaky breath. “The guards, they’re not here to protect me.My blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"He opened his eyes again, piercing me with his stare. "They're here… for you."I looked at him, my mind spinning. "For me? But why?"“Because,” he said eventually, his voice growing fainter, “because you’re not who you think you are, Sierra.”I frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? Of course, I'm Sierra. I'm your wife."He shook his head slightly. "No," he whispered. "You're… you're not my wife. My wife … my real wife … died years ago.” My heart pounded in my chest. "What are you saying?" My voice trembled as I stuttered.“You’re … you’re an imposter,” he said as his eyes closed once more. “They’re here to take you … home.”"Back?" I whispered, my mind racing. "Back where?"He didn't answer. His breath shortened, and it became ragged. I moved in closer, straining to hear what he had to say.“The… the necklace,” he stammered, voice just a breath. "It's… t
Sierra’s POVMy mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood. I attempted to sit up again but this time I felt lighter, like my spirit was out of my body. Immediately, I felt my head making a weird noise, and another wave of nausea washed over me. I groaned, shutting my eyes against the whirling room. I needed to get up. I needed to find Jordan. But my body felt heavy, unyielding. I tried to call out for help, perhaps Amelia might hear me and come to my aid but it seemed like the muscles of my vocal cavity were limp.I remained on the floor, my body getting weaker by the second. The tile under my body was as cold as ice. It was as though it were the actual earth, the cold creeping up from underneath it like ice water and penetrating my skin, leeching into my bones and freezing me from the inside.Through a fog of pain and disorientation, I heard a faint knocking at the door. "Ma'am? Ma'am, are you alright?" It was one of the guards. His voice, muffled by the door, had an edge of conc
Sierra’s POVWhen I got to the entrance of the mansion, which was my home, the wrought iron gates, normally a welcoming beacon, now leered at me. Two huge figures in black tactical gear I had never seen loomed as sentinels. Their faces, hard and impenetrable, were lit by the bright glare of the porch light. Before now, I hadn’t seen such a uniform on them, let alone the fierceness of their faces coupled with the air and authority that sat boldly on their faces.There was something about how they conducted themselves. They had a kind of inflexible formality that spoke to something far more than just routine security.I began to wonder how they managed to get to my doorstep at a time like this. A twist of discomfort pulled tight in my gut. This wasn’t right. This was my house, but it felt like it wasn’t my house.I tiptoed up, pretending to be nonchalant. My heart thudded against the cage of my ribs like a bird on the prowl for exit. “Evening,” I shouted, attempting to make my tone ch
Sierra’s POVI got talking with Amelia as we drove, I wasn’t very sure if she would stop by at her house first or head straight to mine. She had been the one assisting me with picking Luca up from school.In fact, Luca now had a handful of his things in her home that he need not come over to pick anything up if he needed to crash there. I was more than grateful that I had Amelia in my life at a challenging time like this. I couldn’t thank her enough.For some reason, I decided to sit in the passenger seat as Amelia drove. From time to time, Amelia would always check up on me asking if I was okay or needed anything and I would respond that I was fine.It kept happening for close to four times till I told her to just focus on driving that I would and can take care of myself. Little did I know that I had set myself up for a lot of untold troubles.I reached into my bag and picked up my phone to call Jordan and see if he was faring well. Of course, I knew that I had just left the hospital
Author’s POVCarlos took another swirl of whiskey and tilted the glass until the amber liquid gleamed in the dim light, and then he took a slow sip. He said this with a smirk that never left his face as he looked Lorenzo up and down, glancing between amusement and contempt.“Jordan was attacked,” he said, finally, gauging Lorenzo’s reaction. Lorenzo stiffened for an instant, but he held his surprise in check. “Attacked?” he echoed.Carlos laughed and pounded his glass on the desk. “Oh, yes. Right in his hospital bed. Imagine that. The mighty Jordan, the vulnerable, the helpless, with a needle in his neck.”Lorenzo’s brows furrowed. “Somebody tried to kill him in the hospital?”Carlos nodded. “When it was all functioning, it was beautifully orchestrated, well, almost. Someone got past his guards. Slipped right into his ward.” He sighed dramatically and shook his head. “Such a shame they failed.”Lorenzo exhaled, rubbing his jaw as he registered the news. Jordan was never supposed to be
Author’s POVLorenzo faced Carlos Moretti and his face was still bruised from the battle he had escaped from. His normally crisp suit was crumpled, evidence of a rough night he had just endured. He squared his shoulders, took a sharp breath and started his report.“It was a fucking mess, boss,” he confessed, bitterness rolling heavy across his tongue. “Everything was in place but the element of surprise was on our side,” he sipped from the glass of wine in his hands and took his time to puff out a smoke before he went ahead to continue his report.“The plan was tight. But Ethan …” He said the name like it was dripping acid on his tongue. “He fought like a motherfucking animal. I mean, I didn’t see that coming…”Carlos perched behind his grand mahogany desk, the low light of the chandelier throwing menacing shadows over his sharp features. The glass of whiskey in his hand was swirling, a sign of his unblinking expression, but the small glint of disappointment that took up residence in
Jordan’s POVThe thought of being confined to a three-week bed rest brought with it some crippling effects that had me reeling over in thoughts upon thoughts. I couldn’t yet bring myself to accept the imagery that it evoked in my mind's eye.I knew how much stress that would be for Sierra, her eyes were already sunken in from staying awake for too long on end. She had refused to admit it to my face but I knew from her looks that she needed rest.Not the kind that the hospital is willing to offer me right now but the Kind that gives her liberty to wake, sleep and eat at any time she wants. I didn't want to ask about work. I remember that she planned on resuming work after we returned from the vacation but here she is sacrificing her work to keep me company and ensure that I got myself by all means. More and more thoughts kept strolling into my heart till I returned to the bed-rest issue.“Bed rest? Three weeks lying here, doing nothing at all,” I murmured grudgingly. It sounded worse
Jordan’s POVI was awake, alive and breathing. That should’ve been enough but lying here in this hospital bed, as my body slowly, starts to retake its strength, my mind was miles ahead straight to the mine and to the discovery of the vein of crystals that had made everything different.As soon as I realized what we’d come across, I knew it was precious. No more than rare. It was the sort of discovery that could change the entire operation’s trajectory. We had been mining that region for years, but nothing like this had ever come up before and now, when we were so close to something amazing, I was in a fucking hospital bed. I clenched my jaw.Ethan could handle it. I trusted him with my life, and more than that, I trusted him with the business. He had been around long enough to know how I would react to everything, and if there was a time to save his face, this was it. I had no doubt that he would deliver. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t eager to return myself.“Jordan,” Sierras said,