My eyes fluttered open, only to immediately shut again as a dull, throbbing headache overwhelmed my senses, making me groan from the pain. “Fucking hell,” I muttered under my breath, my hands instinctively clutching my head, hoping it would somehow stop the pain. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. If anything, the pain only intensified, pounding against my temples like a relentless drumbeat. And the worst part? My entire body ached. Everywhere. “What happened? How much did I drink last night?” I muttered, asking no one in particular as I opened my eyes, trying to take in my surroundings. But without my glasses, I could barely make anything out. One thing was clear, though—I wasn’t in my room, and I couldn't remember anything, not even where I was. I sighed and reached out for my glasses, hoping I hadn’t broken them. But instead of the familiar frame I expected to feel, my hands brushed something else—something hard, like a human body. I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat as I blin
Where do you go when you're at your lowest? When you have no one by your side? Or maybe when you've just run away from your own wedding?For me, the answer was simple. The only place that made sense—the one spot where you could drown your sorrows in alcohol, cry your heart out, and let the music blast away the thoughts clawing at your mind.A club. Not just any club, mind you—one of the most exclusive in New York, owned by none other than the infamous and dangerous business man, Alaric Voss.My father’s friend.To be honest, I wasn’t even sure why I had come here. There were plenty of clubs in the city, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that, deep down, I wanted to see him. To see someone familiar, someone who could offer me even the slightest sense of comfort. My ruthless father was practically out of the picture, so maybe, in some twisted way, I sought out his annoying friend instead.“More, pour me everything you have. Since all I have is fucking money, I’ll drink ev
Two days had passed since the whole incident, and I had been trying nonstop to push it all behind me, to forget it. But, as expected, it was easier said than done. Every time I woke up, it was the first thing on my mind. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it—whether I was happy that I’d lost my virginity to Alaric, or if I was more upset that I couldn’t remember a single detail of it.It was driving me insane.“I heard about your wedding, poor sister. I can’t believe Leon really cheated on you. I can’t even imagine what you must’ve felt that day. Such a pity I couldn’t attend,” my older step-sister, Isolde,’s voice sliced through the silence, dragging me back to the present.I blinked, finding her seated in front of me with that all-too-sympathetic smile of hers. Her wavy blond hair cascaded softly over her shoulders as she watched me, her smile just subtle enough to feel condescending.“Oh, right, I heard about it too. Haha, I heard you walked out of the venue, that’s prett
I froze in place as I stared at the shattered glass on the ground, my heartbeat so loud I could swear I heard its echoes in my ears.This wasn’t the first time my father had done something like this. He was a man who commanded respect—and demanded it too—but what truly shocked me was that he had thrown the glass simply because I said I didn’t want to work at Alaric’s company.My legs went weak, and before I could collapse, I grabbed onto the nearest seat, breathing through my nose as a wave of nausea crashed over me all at once.I wanted to throw up. I wanted to cry.“Look at me!” Father yelled again. I shut my eyes, my body instinctively stiffening as I took a sharp breath before forcing myself to turn toward him. I knew if I didn’t, he would only grow angrier.The moment our eyes met, I froze, my grip tightening on the seat. His gaze burned with anger and hatred, his breathing slightly erratic as he glared at me—without a single trace of love.There was never any love to begin with.
Alaric's pov. "Don’t you want me? I may be a virgin, but I give the best blowjob. Just sit back and let me take care of you—I promise to make you cum, daddy~" “Alaric? Alaric, are you even listening to me?” Adam’s frustrated voice on the other line cut through my thoughts, snapping me out of my daze for the third time today. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as the corner of my lips curled into a smirk. Ignoring the persistent ache in my pants, I leaned back in my chair, fingers tapping idly against the hard surface of my desk. Shifting slightly, I adjusted my position and lifted the phone higher, pretending to focus—when, in reality, my mind was still stuck on that sinful little voice. “Yes, I’m listening,” I drawled, my tone low and laced with boredom. “You were saying something about how evil I am, right? Please, go on. I’d love to hear more about how I’m the devil’s reincarnation.” Adam paused at my words before scoffing dramatically, then suddenly screamed, “I
Isla’s pov.Awkwardness.That was the only way to describe what was happening right now. Not only was it awkward, but it was also silent—so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The only sound filling the room was the slight tapping of Alaric's fingers against the desk—each thump making my chest tighten in anxiety.I swallowed nervously for what felt like the hundredth time since stepping into his office, my eyes darting everywhere except at the ridiculously gorgeous man in front of me. Yet, despite my attempts to avoid him, my gaze kept betraying me—always finding its way back to Alaric Voss.You see, Alaric Voss wasn’t just a wealthy man. He wasn’t just a powerful figure who carried the blood of the esteemed Voss family—the wealthiest family in the US. No, his fame extended beyond that.It was his sex appeal.You couldn’t imagine the sexiest man alive and then picture Alaric differently. Why? Because Alaric was the sexiest man alive. And don’t just take my word for it—it was offici
Isla’s pov. “This is your new office, and I’ve printed out Mr. Voss’s schedule for you,” Liam, Alaric's other secretary, announced as he dropped what looked like an entire book onto the desk with a heavy thud. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Eyes wide, I turned to Liam, half-expecting him to burst into laughter and tell me it was all a joke. But instead, he simply flipped the book open with a practiced ease and pointed to a page. “If you go to page 24, you’ll find the CEO likes and dislikes,” he said matter-of-factly. “For example, here, it details exactly how Mr. Voss likes his coffee—black and bland, no sugar.” My eyes flickered to the line he was indicating, and sure enough, in bold letters, it read: Mr. Voss likes his coffee black and bland. No sugar and absolutely no milk. Please take note of this. I stared at the words in disbelief. What the actual hell? He didn’t really expect me to read and memorize all of this, right? “And here,” Liam continued, completely unfa
Isla’s pov. The hum of the coffee machine and the hushed whispers around me were the only sounds filling the break room as I prepared Alaric's coffee. "Did you hear? She's the boss’s new secretary—the daughter of the Ashford Corporation," one of the employees whispered, not doing a great job of keeping her voice down. "Really? Wait... you mean the one from that viral video? The one whose fiancé cheated, and the wedding got called off?" "Oh my God, yes! That’s her—Isla Ashford. Is she really working as the boss’s secretary? That’s pretty sad. What a pity... She’s going to suffer like the others." I gulped nervously, a shiver running down my spine as I tried to concentrate on the words in front of me while preparing Alaric’s coffee. But it was kind of hard to focus when people around me were whispering about how I was now working for the devil. Their words, not mine. Taking a deep breath, I narrowed my eyes at the book, trying to read the precise steps for making Alaric’s coffee
Isla’s pov. “This is your new office, and I’ve printed out Mr. Voss’s schedule for you,” Liam, Alaric's other secretary, announced as he dropped what looked like an entire book onto the desk with a heavy thud. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Eyes wide, I turned to Liam, half-expecting him to burst into laughter and tell me it was all a joke. But instead, he simply flipped the book open with a practiced ease and pointed to a page. “If you go to page 24, you’ll find the CEO likes and dislikes,” he said matter-of-factly. “For example, here, it details exactly how Mr. Voss likes his coffee—black and bland, no sugar.” My eyes flickered to the line he was indicating, and sure enough, in bold letters, it read: Mr. Voss likes his coffee black and bland. No sugar and absolutely no milk. Please take note of this. I stared at the words in disbelief. What the actual hell? He didn’t really expect me to read and memorize all of this, right? “And here,” Liam continued, completely unfa
Isla’s pov.Awkwardness.That was the only way to describe what was happening right now. Not only was it awkward, but it was also silent—so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The only sound filling the room was the slight tapping of Alaric's fingers against the desk—each thump making my chest tighten in anxiety.I swallowed nervously for what felt like the hundredth time since stepping into his office, my eyes darting everywhere except at the ridiculously gorgeous man in front of me. Yet, despite my attempts to avoid him, my gaze kept betraying me—always finding its way back to Alaric Voss.You see, Alaric Voss wasn’t just a wealthy man. He wasn’t just a powerful figure who carried the blood of the esteemed Voss family—the wealthiest family in the US. No, his fame extended beyond that.It was his sex appeal.You couldn’t imagine the sexiest man alive and then picture Alaric differently. Why? Because Alaric was the sexiest man alive. And don’t just take my word for it—it was offici
Alaric's pov. "Don’t you want me? I may be a virgin, but I give the best blowjob. Just sit back and let me take care of you—I promise to make you cum, daddy~" “Alaric? Alaric, are you even listening to me?” Adam’s frustrated voice on the other line cut through my thoughts, snapping me out of my daze for the third time today. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as the corner of my lips curled into a smirk. Ignoring the persistent ache in my pants, I leaned back in my chair, fingers tapping idly against the hard surface of my desk. Shifting slightly, I adjusted my position and lifted the phone higher, pretending to focus—when, in reality, my mind was still stuck on that sinful little voice. “Yes, I’m listening,” I drawled, my tone low and laced with boredom. “You were saying something about how evil I am, right? Please, go on. I’d love to hear more about how I’m the devil’s reincarnation.” Adam paused at my words before scoffing dramatically, then suddenly screamed, “I
I froze in place as I stared at the shattered glass on the ground, my heartbeat so loud I could swear I heard its echoes in my ears.This wasn’t the first time my father had done something like this. He was a man who commanded respect—and demanded it too—but what truly shocked me was that he had thrown the glass simply because I said I didn’t want to work at Alaric’s company.My legs went weak, and before I could collapse, I grabbed onto the nearest seat, breathing through my nose as a wave of nausea crashed over me all at once.I wanted to throw up. I wanted to cry.“Look at me!” Father yelled again. I shut my eyes, my body instinctively stiffening as I took a sharp breath before forcing myself to turn toward him. I knew if I didn’t, he would only grow angrier.The moment our eyes met, I froze, my grip tightening on the seat. His gaze burned with anger and hatred, his breathing slightly erratic as he glared at me—without a single trace of love.There was never any love to begin with.
Two days had passed since the whole incident, and I had been trying nonstop to push it all behind me, to forget it. But, as expected, it was easier said than done. Every time I woke up, it was the first thing on my mind. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it—whether I was happy that I’d lost my virginity to Alaric, or if I was more upset that I couldn’t remember a single detail of it.It was driving me insane.“I heard about your wedding, poor sister. I can’t believe Leon really cheated on you. I can’t even imagine what you must’ve felt that day. Such a pity I couldn’t attend,” my older step-sister, Isolde,’s voice sliced through the silence, dragging me back to the present.I blinked, finding her seated in front of me with that all-too-sympathetic smile of hers. Her wavy blond hair cascaded softly over her shoulders as she watched me, her smile just subtle enough to feel condescending.“Oh, right, I heard about it too. Haha, I heard you walked out of the venue, that’s prett
Where do you go when you're at your lowest? When you have no one by your side? Or maybe when you've just run away from your own wedding?For me, the answer was simple. The only place that made sense—the one spot where you could drown your sorrows in alcohol, cry your heart out, and let the music blast away the thoughts clawing at your mind.A club. Not just any club, mind you—one of the most exclusive in New York, owned by none other than the infamous and dangerous business man, Alaric Voss.My father’s friend.To be honest, I wasn’t even sure why I had come here. There were plenty of clubs in the city, but perhaps it had something to do with the fact that, deep down, I wanted to see him. To see someone familiar, someone who could offer me even the slightest sense of comfort. My ruthless father was practically out of the picture, so maybe, in some twisted way, I sought out his annoying friend instead.“More, pour me everything you have. Since all I have is fucking money, I’ll drink ev
My eyes fluttered open, only to immediately shut again as a dull, throbbing headache overwhelmed my senses, making me groan from the pain. “Fucking hell,” I muttered under my breath, my hands instinctively clutching my head, hoping it would somehow stop the pain. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. If anything, the pain only intensified, pounding against my temples like a relentless drumbeat. And the worst part? My entire body ached. Everywhere. “What happened? How much did I drink last night?” I muttered, asking no one in particular as I opened my eyes, trying to take in my surroundings. But without my glasses, I could barely make anything out. One thing was clear, though—I wasn’t in my room, and I couldn't remember anything, not even where I was. I sighed and reached out for my glasses, hoping I hadn’t broken them. But instead of the familiar frame I expected to feel, my hands brushed something else—something hard, like a human body. I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat as I blin