Maksim spat out blood. Poor maid. She would have to redo the cleaning. Pinching his nose to ease the bleeding, he grabbed the tissue box on the table and stuffed some of it up his nostrils. Papa drew closer, but Maksim stood his ground, ready for another attack. He should have expected the first.
“She was right,” Papa said, stabbing him in the chest with his finger. “You’re a bastard.”
“Papa.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“I. Don’t. Know her,” Maksim said.
The lines on Papa’s forehead deepened, a sign that this was a futile conversation. His father always believed the worst of him. Why should today be different? He had long accepted that fate. Gently pulling out the soiled tissue, he tossed it to the trashcan by the door and sank down on the table.
“One bastard is enough for the family,” Papa said. “You don’t know her, yet she&rsq
Revenge was a dish best served cold. Camilla didn’t agree. Revenge was a dish best served in the church with a fake pregnant test result and an astounding slap. To celebrate her successfully executed revenge, she was on a shopping spree today. The clothes she didn’t get the day Vanya interrupted her, she would get them today.Stomping out of her room with her purse swinging from her hand, she paused in front of Faye’s door. She wanted her best friend to join her on the spree. Faye was lively this week, but she wasn’t satisfied yet. Her friend loved movies, but they had watched nothing new this week.“I’m coming in,” she said, already opening the door. Her best friend was sprawled on the bed, her laptop and books open in front of her. The thought of being in the same position made her shudder. “Seriously? What’s all this? I don’t envy you.”Faye laughed. “I don’t envy me, ei
Vanya smirked, and Camilla inched closer to her door. That meant she had really seen him earlier. It wasn’t her imagination at the window. It was him.Was he stalking her? What did he want now? To take her new phone? She wasn’t releasing it.“I’m not giving you my phone,” she stated. Hitting the back of the driver’s seat, she told Alvin, “Why did you let this fool into my car? You should have at least called me.”“A fool?”“Look, Vance or Viper or Vagabond or Villain or whatever your name is,” Camilla started, turning to the man with a look akin to disgust. “I don’t have time for this.”“Your life stopped being yours the moment you walked into that church,” he replied. Camilla could only stare at him in shock because he had a lot of nerves breaking into her car. Smashing her phone wasn’t enough, and now, this? She retrieved her ph
Calvin would die if anything happened to his pregnant wife. They were lucky that she didn’t lose her pregnancy after that nasty incident with Hana’s father. She couldn’t take the risk. But she couldn’t go with him.“Van—” The glare he cut her made her shut up momentarily. “Let’s say I agree to your crazy offer. How long will this last?”“Until we get that child out of your womb. It’s mine, right? We slept together. How dare I choose to marry someone else?” he teased. Camilla’s blood froze in her veins. That… would be impossible because she wasn’t pregnant. She hadn’t even seen this man naked. “Be ready. I’ll come pick you up by 4 pm tomorrow. No luggage. Just you.”Vanya exited the car and shut the door. She didn’t relax, and when he opened her door, she was surprised one of her arteries didn’t burst. Too tensed to move
Camilla had to call her twin brother. She had contemplated leaving without telling Calvin, but it wouldn’t end well. She had to at least let him know now, so he could get her replacement for the series. He had a few days until production and rehearsals started. He might not understand it, but she was doing it for him. For Hana. For the rest of their family. They always joked that she was the least responsible McKenna. It was time to prove them wrong.The phone shook in her hand. She brought up his contact but delayed hitting the call button. Her bed, which usually brought her comfort, filled her with fear. She wouldn’t be able to sleep in this bed for as long as Vanya was after her. But he wouldn’t find her. She would run far, far away from him.Camilla was about to call him when a scream rang out from the living room. Her phone clattered to the floor, and her blood ran cold. Was Vanya in the house? No, he couldn’t be. It was a few hours until 4
The call ended before Camilla could plead her case. For a moment, all she could do was stare at her screen. Kenna Prime, KP, her brother’s streaming company, had been through a lot in its first year. The one thing that had remained a constant success was the series she starred in. Her social media popularity also contributed to it. More than that, she knew how upset people might be if they found out she had been replaced without good reason. But what else could she do? Vanya killed Alvin. He could kill Hana. She couldn’t let things get that far. That thought brought her back on track. She dabbed her cheeks dry and finished packing. All done, she went to Faye’s room. Her best friend was asleep, so she dropped a note on the table and stepped out after kissing her cheek. Time would tell if she ever saw her friend or this room again. Purse strapped over one hand, duffel bag over the other, she left the house. Doubts returned when she was in the elevator, but she didn’t l
Camilla ignored him. At least she tried to until questions rushed back to her. She needed answers to prepare herself for whatever this man would do to her.First, where was she going to stay? Would he expect her to cook? She couldn’t. Even if she could, she would never do that for him. What did being his wife entail? What if he assaulted her? If he could kill Alvin, an innocent, man, how much more someone like her who deliberately set out to hurt him?Calvin already loathed her existence. By extension of her love for her husband, Hana must be the same. Camilla had to do something fast, and the most important thing on that list was making sure he regretted the day he met her. She wouldn’t let him walk over her. She would give him hell.“How long is this supposed to last?” she asked. No response. She turned to him, her eyes set on the purse he placed on his lap. He was always seizing her things. “How long is this madness s
Camilla’s room was beautiful, but the best part? She didn’t have to share it with Vanya. It had been a few hours since the bastard dumped her in this room and locked her inside. The flight had stretched on forever. She had fallen asleep, waking up in this room, on the queen-sized bed with beddings that were as soft as clouds.Now fully awake, she was up on her feet, inspecting every item in the room. From the soft, cotton bedsheets, the bedside drawer, pink table and chair tucked into the corner, empty shelves, to the vanity. It all looked brand new, like they did it for her.The door opened, and Camilla backed away from the table with lightning speed. A short, round bellied woman in a black uniform entered. Camilla grabbed a pillow as the woman walked further into the room. Her face was free of makeup, and her hair knotted in a bun with a white headdress.“Down,” the lady said. “The pillow.”“Ex
Someone was holding Camilla. Not any random person. Alek. Wait, no, he wasn’t just holding her. She was on top of him. He must have caught her and lessened the brunt of her fall. Another person might have thanked him, but she was feeling far from grateful. Embarrassment burned her cheeks as she felt his very hard erection against her stomach. She tried to straighten up and make a run for it but hugged him immediately her reality dawned on her.She was naked.From her peripheral view, she spotted her towel on the rug. If she moved, he would see her. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, but she wouldn’t let him have that honour.“Are we going to spend all evening here?” Alek teased. His eyes carried a hint of amusement that bothered her. He might have had Ivan drop some money for Tina, but he was still an awful man. If she forgot anything, she couldn’t, she mustn’t forget he killed Alvin. “Dinner is waiting for us.”