Isla pov My mind went blank. My body went deadly still, frozen in place as Alaric’s lips pressed against mine. His kiss wasn’t soft or tender like Leon’s—it was rough, almost bruising, filled with a possessive intensity that left me breathless. A shiver ran down my spine, my hands trembling at my sides. I should have pushed him away, should have done something, but my body refused to move. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And yet… I couldn’t seem to pull away. My eyes fluttered closed before I could stop it, and my arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer. My back sinks into the soft couch as Alaric moves, climbing over me, and pinning me beneath him. My breath hitched as Alaric tilted my head to the side, his lips moving in sync with mine. His hand slid up my face and he cupped it, tracing his thumb softly across my skin. A gasp escaped me, and Alaric took full advantage, deepening the kiss, his tongue brushing against mine in a way that left me d
Isla pov “Let’s make a pact—if either of our partners ever cheats on us, we’ll make sure they burn in hell.” “Oh, Suhyeon,” Esther chuckled darkly, eyes glinting with mischief. “We don’t need to send them to hell.” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a whisper. “We’re going to bring hell to them.” I shook my head, forcing the memory away as I slammed my foot on the accelerator, weaving through traffic with reckless urgency. My heart pounded violently, my grip tightening around the steering wheel. Shit. Shit. Suhyeon and Esther were here—and they didn’t tell me. That could only mean one thing. Leon was in danger. As much as I hated that guy, I couldn’t ignore the fear creeping up my spine. This was Suhyeon and Esther we were talking about—the same girls who once sent a guy to the hospital just for making fun of my body after I rejected his advances back in university. The same girls who hacked my stalker’s laptop, sent his private browser history to his mother, and
Isla pov “Let him go,” I said as I stepped onto the rooftop, wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead while shooting a glare at the two women before me. Suhyeon and Esther leaned away from the railing, turning to face me with bright smiles. I froze for a moment, caught off guard. These were my best friends since college— the only people who had ever truly been there for me. I had met Suhyeon and Esther at Harvard. Back then, they were everything I wasn’t— gorgeous, confident, and fully aware of their own worth. Surprisingly, our first encounter happened outside the library. Someone had stolen my bag, and before I could even process what had happened, Suhyeon and Esther had already dashed off, chasing down the thief. Within minutes, they returned, handing my bag back like heroes while the thief was basically beaten up. I had once asked them, back when we grew closer, why they had done it. Their response had been, "That was a Hermès Himalaya Birkin—there was no way in hell w
Isla pov "You okay, Isla? You look like you're about to pass out. Maybe I should drive," Esther said from the backseat, lazily chewing on a piece of gum. Her gaze met mine through the rearview mirror, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she gripped her shovel tightly, her wide smile entirely too pleased. The grip on my steering wheel tightened as I glared at Esther, struggling to control my growing rage. She merely scoffed, lazily swirling her finger around her gum, looking totally unbothered. “Haha, why do I get the feeling you want to kill me right now, dear Isla?” “Because I do want to kill you,” I shot back without hesitation. Her smirk widened. “Too bad. Get in line—there are plenty ahead of you.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “You think I don’t know that?” “You—” Esther started, but Suhyeon cut her off. “You two should stop arguing already. It’s been a year since we last saw each other. Shouldn’t we be happy? Have a beautiful reunion instead of bickering?” she said, not even
Alaric pov "Do you think I should have gone further? That I should have fucked her right then and there?" I asked again, my thoughts spiraling. My eyes narrowed as I tilted my head to the side, staring at nothing in particular. Ever since she left yesterday, I'd been trying to piece together what went wrong. Was she mad about the kiss? Or was she upset that I didn’t take it further? Because for a moment, it felt like she wanted me to. My fingers paused mid-motion as my mind replayed the way her body had trembled beneath me, the soft, breathless moans that escaped her lips, and the way her eyes were clouded with lust. “She wanted me to go further. Little rose wanted me.” The corner of my lips curved into a smirk as the realization settled in. A low chuckle rumbled from my chest as I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk, my thumb grazing over my lips in thought. If she had just begged like a good girl— if she had whispered that she wanted to be touched, to be fucke
Isla pov I wanted to die. No pun intended. I stared into space—my eyes empty, my body weak and sore, and let's not forget the nasty headache threatening to split my skull open. "I hate Esther and Suhyeon," I muttered under my breath, closing my eyes for a brief moment before forcing myself to sit up straighter. With a tired sigh, I reached for my bag, pulled out a pill, and swallowed it down with a gulp of water, hoping it would do something to dull the pain. What did I do last night? Who on earth gets drunk when they have work the next day? No, I couldn’t blame myself—this wasn’t my fault. Yesterday, after Esther and Suhyeon told me they were staying in the country for a month, I had desperately tried to convince them to leave. I reminded them how busy they were back in their own countries, hoping they’d take the hint. But instead, they turned the tables on me, insisting we go to a club and "let loose" for the night. They had said: "Isla, if you really let loose tonight,
Isla pov “Just go inside, delete the video from his phone, and run back out. You can do this, Isla. You can do this,” I whispered under my breath, my grip tightening around the tray as my hands trembled. My eyes were fixed onto the imposing black door of Alaric’s office, and I swallowed hard. After a solid two-minute breakdown which mostly consisted of me tugging at my hair and cursing at my own stupidity, I had desperately tried to delete the video from my end. But apparently, once a video is sent, it stays sent. Seriously, who came up with that ridiculous rule? Now, my only option was to get into Alaric’s office, somehow get my hands on his phone, and delete the video before he had the chance to see it. If he hadn’t already. It was a nearly impossible plan, but I had no choice especially after humiliating myself in that video, admitting that Alaric was the hottest man alive and that I had slept with him. And knowing Alaric, with that infuriating smirk of his, he would never l
Isla pov I must have misheard him because Alaric didn’t just tell me to call him daddy. Was he insane? Call him daddy? I know the contract had explicitly stated that I had to address him that way whenever we were alone, but to be honest, I thought he was joking and I never took it seriously. Then again, I should have known better. This was Alaric Voss— unpredictable and insane. I blinked at Alaric, my palms turning sweaty as we both stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Neither of us spoke, and in the tense silence, I could hear the pounding of my own heartbeat. My heat throbbed almost painfully as I felt his bulge pressed against me, the urge to lean closer and rub against it was nearly unbearable. “W-what are you saying? You should stop playing around,” I whispered breathlessly, pushing my glasses higher in a feeble attempt to maintain composure despite the undeniable fact that I was perched on my boss’s desk with barely any space between us. “Playin
Isla pov Why should I acknowledge someone who never wanted me? Someone who never cared? Someone who, since the day I was born, never showed me an ounce of love— why should I call that kind of man my father? I remember it clearly. I was just seven the first time he laid a hand on me. A small, clueless child who had never even seen a picture of her mother because, according to him, I didn’t deserve to. My mother had died giving birth to me, and for that, he blamed me entirely. He said I was the reason she was gone, so he hid every picture of her away in his room, keeping her memory out of my reach. It was my birthday that day. But like every other year, my father wasn’t home. Even as a child, I understood why. My birthday was also the day my mother died. That was why I was never allowed to celebrate it. No cake. No candles. No presents. No birthday wishes. I wasn’t allowed to celebrate my birthday like other kids. He said it was the day I was supposed to repent— a day
Isla pov The ringing. It was all I could hear. It drowned everything else out, made my vision blur— made me nauseous. I’ll deal with that bastard for touching you earlier. That was what had been written on the back of the picture I found yesterday after coming back from the club. And the man who had died... was the same man from that night, the owner of the car who had demanded compensation. The video- was from the club that night, the one Isolde had used to threaten me, he had it. No, something told me he was the one who had taken it. But what truly sent a shiver down my spine was the word ‘little rose’. It was what Alaric always called me, but never in public. So, seeing someone else use that name… it made me wonder just how long this person had been watching me. What was going on? Was this a stalker? It couldn't be my family, something deep inside me told me it wasn’t. A shaky breath escaped my lips as I shut my eyes, unable to look at the photo on the TV any longer.
Isla pov “You make me want to rip your eyes out.” That was what Alaric had said and just like that, the entire room turned tense within seconds. I could feel it in the air, see it on everyone’s faces, the shock, the disbelief. All eyes were on Alaric, who stared coldly at Isolde with that same emotionless gaze, and Isolde… she looked like she couldn’t breathe. Fear flickered in her eyes as she stared back at him in both shock and confusion. D–Did he really just say that? Did I hear him right? No one moved or said a word in that moment, and I blinked, glancing around to make sure I hadn’t misheard but the expressions on everyone’s faces confirmed I hadn’t imagined it. James and my father had deep frowns etched into their faces as they stared at Alaric. Kieran looked equally stunned, his mouth hanging open, while Liam— well, Liam was just Liam. His face remained unreadable, blank as ever. Either he was used to hearing such things from Alaric, or he was simply someone who n
Isla pov I couldn’t move. My eyes were glued to the three people in front of me, and instinctively, my hands clenched into fists as I took in their expressions. As usual, my father looked at me with that same empty gaze— cold and unreadable. But I still caught the slight disapproving frown that formed the second he saw me and a second later, he looked away, as if I were nothing more than a stranger. Kieran, on the other hand, stood there with a bright smile plastered on his face, waving enthusiastically at me. His other hand rested casually in his pocket, his posture relaxed, like this was just another normal day. And then there was Isolde. She stood beside him, dressed in a short pink skirt and a white blouse with the top few buttons undone. Her brown hair cascaded down her waist, and her makeup— flawless, perfectly highlighted her already striking features. She looked beautiful. The corner of her lips curled into a smirk as our eyes met. I caught the glint in her eyes just b
Isla pov “It will be fun.” That was what Alaric had said back in his office, and now, as I walked behind him, I couldn’t help but stare at his back, my brows slightly furrowed in confusion. Why exactly did he want me to come with him to this meeting? I mean, it wasn’t like it was unheard of for me to attend— after all, I was his secretary. But still, Liam had told me when I started last week that he usually accompanied Alaric to all his meetings, and that since I was new, I should focus on paperwork instead. I shook my head and drew in a sharp breath, trying not to think about the wicked glint in his eyes when he’d said it. As soon as I looked up, I noticed the staff instantly bowing their heads the moment they saw Alaric. They quickly scurried away like the devil himself was hot on their heels. Another thing I couldn’t ignore, none of them, especially the women, dared to look Alaric in the face, and if they did, they never held his gaze for long. It was as though doing so
Alaric pov Lust— use it to mask your pain. Laughter— use it to hide your emotions. Always smile to conceal your nightmares. Let no one see the scars on your wrists, the demons you carry inside. Let them never know how weak you really are. Because weakness is a disease. “But how do you feel about wrapping those pretty lips around my dick instead?” I murmured, a slow smirk curving my lips as I felt her stiffen, my breath grazing her ear. Her skin flushed a deep shade of red in an instant. She gasped softly when my hand moved to her neck, gently brushing her hair back, while the other hand trailed down to her shirt, swiftly undoing the first button, then the second. Without hesitation, I tugged the shirt back slightly, revealing just her shoulder to me. The moment I saw it, I ran my tongue over my teeth, the urge to sink them into her flesh and leave my mark there nearly overwhelming but instead, I leaned in and whispered under my breath. “Hm? Do you want to, little rose?” I mu
Isla pov What just happened? One second I was about to fall, and the next, I was perched on Alaric's lap, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he held me close— so close that for a moment, I froze, inhaling sharply. My entire body went rigid as Alaric leaned in, resting his head against my shoulder, keeping me there like he had no intention of letting go. I could hear my heartbeat, its echoes pounding in my ears like drums as Alaric's hands tightened around my waist. And for some reason, despite him not even doing anything— just his touch, just this position, was enough to make heat pool between my legs. I bit down on my bottom lip, my face turning a deep shade of red as I tried to think straight. “A-Alaric, what are you doing—” I began, but my words caught in my throat as he leaned in, his nose brushing the crook of my neck and then... He sniffed me. Yes. He sniffed my neck, taking in a deep breath before his body visibly relaxed. His breathing, which had been un
Isla pov As soon as I stepped into my office, I placed my bag on the desk and pulled out the bank card, a small smile tugging at my lips as I shook my head, remembering the scene from earlier. Suhyeon and Esther had always been there for me, ever since the day we met. Through thick and thin, they made sure I was okay— even back in college. Suhyeon had taken on the role of the mother I never had, something my stepmother never even attempted. And Esther… she was like the troublesome sister I had always wished for. And I wasn’t talking about the Isolde kind of troublesome. That thought made me pause, I wondered how they were all doing back home. Not that it mattered anymore. I’d run away, blocked them all, cut every tie. I didn’t want to see them or hear from them again. “Time to get to work,” I muttered under my breath with a small smile, slipping the bank card back into my bag and reaching to turn on the laptop. But before I could, a knock at the door froze me in place.
Isla pov Little rose, I’m sorry for scaring you like that. I was just a little upset you met with another man at the club today. I hope you weren’t injured and don’t worry, I’ll deal with that bastard for touching you earlier. Have a good night! The words from last night kept echoing in my head, and I couldn't help but grip the fork in my hand tighter as I stared blankly at the plate in front of me. My mind was a mess, desperately trying to process everything. ’Little rose.’ That was Alaric’s nickname for me. He was the only one who ever called me that. The only one I’d ever heard say it and I liked it when he did. But last night, for the first time, the word made me feel uneasy. It left a sick feeling in my stomach, and I hadn’t been able to sleep properly since. And the picture, it was truly terrifying, especially knowing it had been taken just a week ago. It made me wonder how long this person had been following me to capture such a moment. Was this some kind of sick