RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "What do you think you are doing," she asked as I stalked toward her. Her throat moved as she swallowed nervously, and my gaze dropped to her slender neck before moving back to her expressive wide eyes. She drew her hands up, her dainty fingers forming into fists. "Don't come any closer or I am going to punch you in the face. I'm really going to do it" she warned, her hands trembling a little.She looked so comical that I couldn't help a chuckle escaping my lips. She stared at me incredulously, her hazel eyes wide as saucers. "Do you think I am joking" I put my hands up in the air in mock surrender "Oh, I can tell you are very serious. It's just the whole paste on your face didn't give you the intimidating look you were going for."Her lips pursed angrily and I grinned because she looked like a pufferfish. The smile on my face seemed to aggravate her further and she swung at me. I caught her hand midair and she gaped at me, the pulse at her neck thumping wildly.
HAZEL STYLES POV Riven was crazy and so was the way he switched in an instant. One minute, he was smooth and charming, and the next, he was cold as ice. I didn't know how to react to the change.His words about my art still rang in my head. I didn't know how much I needed to hear that until he said it. My heart had taken a fucking nosedive, and up till now, I still couldn't breathe through the exhilaration of hearing that my art was good.But he was a bad person, and I just couldn't forget those words he said at that scene of the accident fifteen years ago. Did he know it was me? The girl he left to die. If he knew and apologized, would I be able to forgive him? Would he deserve it? My head was messed up. This was all Liam's fault. That bastard. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have crossed paths with Riven, and this wouldn't be happening right now. When this was all over, I was going to fucking hunt him down for what he did to me.His finger grazed my chin, and I flinched hard, my
HAZEL STYLES POV I felt trapped under his gaze. Was he really going to kiss me? Was I going to let him? He took a step closer, his piercing eyes making my heart beat frantically in my chest. "Riven," I called on a breath, my hand coming up to push at his chest, but he didn't budge. Why was he so ridiculously strong, or was it just me who didn't push hard enough? "Interesting" he murmured as his finger grazed my chin. "Do you really not want a kiss, Hazel?" He asked and I sucked in a breath. "Your eyes tell me you're conflicted, so why don't you just leave it all to me? Let me decide, Hazel. Let me give you what you want" He was so close, his warm breath danced across my face making my heart stutter. My gaze dropped to his chest, the proximity messing with my head. I flexed my hand against his skin, the rhythm of his heartbeat against my palm almost matching mine.He sucked in a breath and my gaze jerked up to his. There was a fire burning in their pits and it was consuming.His
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "I apologize, Victor. We were negligent and that led to you losing a lot of money, but rest assured, we will make sure to compensate with more than that which you have lost" The old man grimaced, the lines on his face deepening and making him look much uglier than before. I knew the words he was about to utter were going to piss me off, so I steeled myself."And why should I wait around to be compensated when I can take the matter into my own hands and find some other supplier? A more reliable supplier. Do you know what this means for my business? Do you know how much I am losing because of this" he got out, the anger in his voice palpable. I let out a sigh and raked my fingers through my hair. His narcotics order had been hijacked so I was sure he was beyond pissed, but he needed to watch his mouth.It was aggravating to listen to him whine, but Victor Vex was a major client and one of Father's close allies. Losing him wasn't going to be good for business. "Br
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "And you're so sure Hazel is going to fall for you" I grinned then turned to leave. "You can't go back just yet. Father wants to have dinner together tonight" I groaned. "Why?"Ethan shrugged. "How would I know? Maybe he heard about what happened with Victor's package, or maybe he just wants to have dinner""Does he have to do this every other night, though? If he has something to say, why does he not just use the goddamn phone he's always carrying around"Ethan gave me a tired smile as he walked past me. "Stop whining like a little boy, even though that's what you are"I grinned and bumped his shoulder. "Just because you're a year older than me doesn't mean I won't punch you in the face, Ethan""Like you did over Keira when Father made you the second in command and she commemorated it by letting me bend her over. You gave me a scar too," he said, pointing to where I'd slashed his face with a dagger. The scar was barely visible. That was because I hadn't cut as
HAZEL STYLES POV "Are you still getting creepy messages from that number?" Lena asked as we strolled through the clothing aisle. "Oh my, these dresses are gorgeous" "They are, aren't they?" I said as I felt the texture of a particular ivory-colored dress. "And no, I haven't gotten another message" Lena stopped in front of me. "You don't have to worry so much about it then. It was borderline stalkerish but since they already stopped, maybe they decided they were creepy after sending you that message" "I hope so. I really can't deal with any more problems. Riven is already plenty enough" Lena grinned. "True, but he's a hot problem," she said, adding a wink, and I shook my head."I see you've forgotten just how hard he tied you up the last time" Lena giggled. "I didn't forget, but since he's so generously offered you such a good deal, I think we should forgive him" "I still don't know his motive tho""I think he likes you and that's why he's doing all these. You said he told you h
HAZEL STYLES POV My gaze locked on those of Liam and he smirked, his smile stretching as he pulled the girl at his side closer, his hand splayed on her waist possessively. "Hi, Hazel. Fancy running into you here. Wait, don't tell me you're having one of your shopping episodes or did you miss me and decided to relieve old memories" "You mean those horrible shitty memories you ugly ass..." "Lena," I called warningly, and she glared at me. "He's the one being a dick" Lena pouted, her brows dipping in a frown."It's fine. I don't care, and you shouldn't either," I said, then took a deep breath. "We should go, or we are going to be late," I said, deciding to ignore him. I had been good to him but I could see that didn't mean shit to him. He wanted to hurt me. It was plain and simple. I was not going to give him the satisfaction."You don't have to be in a hurry to leave Hazel; you're just going to go back to your little prison, right, or to your therapist... You'll probably have a dr
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV ‘Help me’Those two words lurked in my mind, Hazel's blood-drenched face flickering in my memory.I could still remember the fear that had crept Into her eyes when she saw me through the car window, yet she'd still asked for me to save her.Witnessing the death of Styles and his family had been satisfying, especially after what they did to my family through Julian, but then I'd locked eyes with Hazel and she'd reached for me to save her.Even back then, she'd had a vicious hold on me that I was unable to shake no matter how hard I tried. Walking away despite her plea had made me feel as if I was suffocating, and the feeling only intensified with each step I took. In the end, I had to dash for the burning car like a maniac to rescue her.Despite the bad blood between the Styles and the Blackwood, to me, Hazel had always been innocent. Too bad it had to come to this. She was Julian's weakness, and I was going to exploit it to get my revenge.Did she remember me? I
HAZEL STYLES POV I jerked my wrist from his hold when I noticed that we were a few distance away from the atelier Riven turned to face me, his brows furrowing as he stared at me with a skeptical look on his face. "What the hell was that about? You can't just fire them..." "Oh, I can," he said, cutting me off. "My first thought was actually to put a bullet in their head, but I didn't bring my gun today and that's why they only got fired."I stared at him, not knowing what to feel. He was always so cold and did and said things that would make a normal person squeamish. Was that because he lacked empathy? Or because the only feeling he knew where the opposite of good. And if it was so when he said he liked me, was that really what he felt, or was it something more dark and evil?"I don't need you to defend or stand up for me. I can do it myself" I said and walked away from him, my chest burning in anger when I heard him coming after me.Increasing my speed, I maneuvered through the
HAZEL STYLES POV "What do you mean by that?" I asked, and Ethan smirked."Exactly what it means. You got an opportunity that most of them have been dying for, so of course they hate you. We only get the best of the best in Umbra art, Hazel. To them, you are just a nobody who got to paint the centerpiece of the exhibition because you're in a relationship with Riven.""I don't have a relationship with Riven," I cut in because I didn't want any misunderstanding."That's what you think but to them, they already concluded that you're getting all these opportunities because you're with him. It also doesn't help that You are not well-known in the art circle. I doubt a lot of people even know that you are Julian's sister" I was dumbfounded. Was that really the case? If it was, it would be awful. Just how hard would I have to work to have them acknowledge that I was any good? "You don't have to look so sad, Hazel. Take my word for it; you are a wonderful artist. Riven showed me some of your
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "Why are you here Julian?" I asked as I stepped toward him. "I am pretty busy, so try to make it quick" Just the sight of him made the urge to smash something burn hot in my chest. If I stuck a knife in his throat, would he sputter like a fish? The urge to test it out made my finger itch."You look like shit," he said as his gaze dropped to my hand, his eyes fixating on my healing knuckles. "Do you still get your rage episodes" I met his gaze, knowing that all he could see was the neutral expression I had on my face, but deep down, I was seething with anger. I was still very pissed and remembering how Hazel ignored my very existence because of him didn't help at all.She'd also been hostile today. Was it him? Did he fill her head with lies already? Julian was always good with making up stories about people if it got him his way. What could he have told her?"I want to see Hazel. Your guards won't let me in" "That's because they are following my orders. I told t
HAZEL STYLES POV Riven's gaze didn't waver, and his eyes tracked every little move I made. Feeling nervous, I shifted further into the door. Could he really see my pulse? Maybe he could, but what I was really worried about was if he could also hear just how fast my heart was beating since he was standing so close.I had to remind myself that I couldn't let him get underneath my skin. I was aware that I liked him more than I wished to, but ultimately, it would be my decision to give in to my feelings or not. And aside from what happened in the past, he was also a typical playboy, probably why he was so confident that he could get whoever he set his eyes on. Letting out a short exhale, I crossed my arms and matched his stare. "My pulse can beat for a lot of reasons Riven, it could be because I am terrified of you or I am angry that you are invading my space like this even though I've said countless of times how it makes me feel"His brows dipped, his lips pressing into a thin line. "H
JULIAN STYLES POV I wanted to fucking murder Riven. The road blurred in front of me, the rage that welled up in my chest suffocating until I couldn't drag in even a molecule of air. My grip tightened on the steering wheel. "How could this bloody happen?" I roared, stepping on the accelerator, but the speed of the car and the roaring of the engine did nothing to assuage the fire that burned hot in my chest."How dare you come after me, you bastard. I'll make you regret it, I swear it" I yelled as I sped through the night.Hazel. Hazel. Hazel. Her name was a wail in my head. I had told her about what that bastard did to us, and she didn't listen to a word I said.It was all Riven's fault, if he hadn't shown his face to her and then used his ridiculous offer to pull her in, all this mess wouldn't be happening.There was no way he truly loved her art and I'd be damned if I let him have her after holding myself back for all these years. He was doing this to get back at me and I should ha
HAZEL STYLES POV I shouldn't have bothered with trying to avoid Riven because the first person I saw as I stepped into the studio was none other than him, and shirtless at that I stared eyes wide as I took in his broad shoulders and the dark ink that covered his muscled back like wings and tapered down his well-defined waistline. The intricate design was beautiful and it just made him look all the more seductive without him even trying.Lena was right, he was hot. Everything about him was perfect.What the hell was he even doing here? When he said I would be painting for the exhibition, I didn't think we would be running into each other this early in the game. Wasn't he Mafia? Didn't they have a lot of things to do?I watched him as he spoke, his full lips drawing my attention. Memories of the kiss from the night before flashed in my head, and with it, the sensations I'd felt. It was like I was being kissed all over again. My lips tingled, and I raised my hand to my lips, my thumb t
HAZEL STYLES POV His gasp of surprise made me realize what I had said. We've fought over the years and never had I told him to his face that he wasn't my family. Julian stared at me, his eyes darkening as they filled up with tears. Was he going to cry? There was no way my word had really hurt him. Was this another tactic that he was going to use to guilt trip me?Sighing as the quietness lingered while he just stared at me, I let my gaze drop. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." "No, you meant to say it," he said, cutting me off. "I have to say this is a surprise though. Maybe I am delusional, but I was certain even if I didn't treat you like my family, you were always going to see me as your brother. I was so sure you would never say those words to me".I gave a bitter laugh and then glanced up at him. "You were so sure, despite the way you treated me. You made me feel worthless, Julian. You made me feel like I was responsible for all of our family misfortune and now you are shocked tha
HAZEL STYLES POV Riven's family were monsters. But I'd always known that. I'd known just what sought of people they were since the night of the accident. Just the look in Riven's eyes as he stared at me that night had convinced me that he wasn't all that human. His mother's eyes had been dead, too. But It made me wonder just what had happened to make them so cold that even witnessing something so tragic didn't faze them at all. It made me wonder just how much they went through until they became like that.And then I'd hoped that maybe, deep down, there were still some traces of humanity in them. I'd asked for help with that thought in my head. I'd held Riven's gaze and begged him to save me. He didn't. And I spent fifteen years hating him for it. Then our paths crossed, and he was even more terrifying up close. He was a maniac, but every time we interacted, despite acting like a psycho, he didn't hurt me with his words or actions- except for the one time he'd bit my neck. He had t
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "Where is she?" Ethan asked, as soon as I stepped back into the hall. "Did Julian take his sister away? Your shirt is a bit out of order. Can I assume there was a bit of a scuffle? Is that a bruise on your face" "Fuck off Ethan, I am not in the mood for your shit""Look at that temper and yet you say that all you want to do is use Hazel... Too bad you were rejected before you could even start"My jaw ticked, the blood lust in my veins all-consuming. I clenched my fist, ready to unleash every bit of anger when someone tugged on my shirt."Riven. Oh my god, I've been wanting to talk to you all night," a soft voice chirped. My gaze snapped to hers.She froze, the smile on her lips slipping away. She slowly let go of my suit, her hands trembling in the process. "Oh, um, did I catch you at a bad time? It's just that you said you were going to call me, and I've been patiently waiting, but it's been a whole year, and then I got an invite for this party, so I ..." I in