Aria and Alex separated in the parking lot. Aria headed towards the river while Alex headed towards the dense settlements opposite her way.Aria walked cheerfully. She was with Zia and two fierce-looking men who were walking behind her along the art market along the river. The gentle breeze made the atmosphere fresher.Aria smiled happily, she looked here and there, many small stalls selling knick-knacks and food, vegetables, groceries, and much more."Wow..." Aria breathed in the fresh air as much as she could. She saw the wide black river and the most distinctive thing was the floating market on it.A floating market is a market on so many boats on a river, where sellers place their goods on long boats and buyers will come in with a boat too. The goods sold on the floating market are dominated by vegetables. And Aria really liked this view. Unique and beautiful.This place was getting busier. It was before but she could see that it had a wider variety of merchandise compared to when
“What do you think Alex would like to eat? Aria asked them while they were looking at the busy river.They boarded one of the boats and began to approach some full of vegetables, fruit, and fish on it. The cooking ingredients were complete, making it easy for Aria to find the ingredients she wanted.“I think Master will love to eat anything that you give him.” Zia smiled. Aria giggled, “Really? Then can I cook it myself?”“Of course, or if you feel tired, you can give this to the chef.” Zia answered her.Aria grinned happily when she heard it. Cooking dinner on the ship? Wow! She can't wait!While they were shopping, she occasionally took photos with the new phone Alex had just given her, she also took several videos and planned to edit them later.Aria remembered her grandmother and immediately called the hospital, but they said that she was still fast asleep, so they would contact her when Grandma woke up.“Don’t worry, Mam. Mrs. Dunne will get the best treatment and will recover so
Alex sat on the edge of the bed, right next to Aria. His gaze didn’t leave her face. Her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady. In her weak state, Alex realized that Aria looked so small, so thin, so fragile. She looked like she will broken in slightest touch.His nose flared as he sucked in the air, holding his rage. His aura felt cold and scary."There are no fatal injuries on Madam's body, there are some bruises on her neck and hands but they will heal soon. She should eat lots of nutritious food and take vitamins, everything will be fine.” Dira, a young, female doctor finished examining Aria. She did her work nervously and fearfully. She was afraid of making a single mistake.She was on her shift in the Emergency Room, when some men in black leather jacket and scary face were on her way, and asked her to come with them. They told her that Alexander Grissham needed her present. She was panic, but couldn't resist. If she stepped back Alexander's men would have shot her on the s
"Alex… Where are we?"Alex helped his wife sit and lean back on the soft pillow he had set up for her.“Our house,” Alex answered while fixing several strands of messy hair on her beautiful face which still looked a little pale.He then gave her a glass of water. Aria took two sips and sighed in relief when it refreshed her dry throat.Once again, she looked around. Now there were only the two of them in this room, three people she had seen earlier were gone. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw that this was a different bedroom."You're lying." Aria turned to him. Alex didn’t say anything, stroking her cheek and feeling her soft skin. Aria closed her eyes, trying to remember what happened before she was once again lying on a strange bed.The incident flashed in her mind. She was on the Knive River, after shopping on the floating market, she wanted to go after Alex but then attacked by a scary man who had blood all over his body and his face was covered in wounds. Then Alex... Alex, spl
Aria's eyes widened. What? Another island?! She wanted to ask further but a young girl with a maid uniform welcomed them into the dining room, so she decided to ask him later.It was a large spacious room, furniture from ceramics was everywhere, every single one of them she believed was expensive. A long, luxurious dining table that was quite wide, with a special grilling area in the middle that was integrated with the table.Alex put her back on her feet when she saw two other women wearing similar uniforms walk out of the dining room after finishing their work. Seeing them made others remember something."Alex, where is Zia...?" She felt her stomach twisted as memories of Zia, Casper, and Dani now started to haunt her. She focused on herself and Alex, making the world feel centered on just the two of them.They were injured because of her, she bit her lips. She felt so selfish.But her husband completely ignored her question. Alex was silent as if Aria's voice couldn't reach his ear
Karl saw everything and his small sincere smile didn't go unnoticed by Alex. He then cleared his throat nervously and continued his work.Aria ate two small pieces of grilled meat, three medium-sized grilled shrimp, and a few pieces of lettuce. She was munching on a piece of cucumber when Alex handed her a sushi and Aria shook her head."I'm full." She said in a small voice.Alex looked at her in disbelief. “You eat like a bird.” He commented in his deep voice. Aria laughed to cover herself who was actually nauseous. “I'm really full.” She said it again.She looked around her to see if she could go to a toilet or washroom. Aria pinched her own thigh as her chest felt a little tight.It looked like the pain came back. She had experienced pain in her stomach for a while now. She remembered it had been around for a month or two now. It was constant pain, like someone just stabbed her, and punched her in her stomach. It also came with nausea. Sometimes it's there, sometimes not. But she n
Alex took Aria to a tall glass door on their left. It was still closed, but she could hear the waves from behind it.Alex opened it for her and the sound of waves hitting the rock was clear. She breathed in the salty, fresh air, the night wind instantly hitting her face gently.It was a balcony. It leads them directly to a breathtaking beach view. The clear night sky with bright moonlight illuminating the surface of the sea made it look like a sea of twinkling crystals.So, more precisely, they were on a cliff with a beautiful, long beach under it.“Wow….” Aria smiled widely, “This mansion is on a cliff?” It was not a question, she was just too amazed by the view.He nodded and put his arms around his wife’s small waist. The two of them stood side by side in front of the sturdy balcony railing, preventing anything and anyone from falling straight onto the cliffs.“How beautiful…” Aria looked ahead, her eyes swallowing everything she could see. The vast ocean, crashing waves leaving w
Panic rushed back within her. She took steps closer to the maid, and her hands reacted quickly to pull up her blouse, covering herself, since Alex managed to unbutton it. She quickly took her phone and didn’t forget to say thank you.The young girl with the black and white maid uniform nods her head once. Looking at Aria with a slightly annoyed gaze.Aria immediately checked her screen. And indeed, there were five missed calls and they were all from the hospital. Her blood rushed, the image of Grandma being ill entered her mind and it added even more to her panic, she didn't want anything to happen to her grandmother.She typed quickly on her screen, calling back her Grandma’s room number. She stood facing the ocean, leaning against the balcony railing., tapping her feet impatiently."What else?" Alex asked in a threatening tone towards the maid, making the young woman immediately shiver in fear, she shook her head quickly.“Sorry Master Alexander. I will go now." She bowed and left i
Hi! Whalien52 is here! First of all, I want to convey my biggest gratitude to all of you my dear readers. Thank you so much, for reading this book until the end, even though it took so long for me to finally finish it. And I am sorry. I know some of you are upset because I suddenly disappeared and took a long time to finish this book. But let me tell you, I was upset with myself too. Not a single day I felt fail and anxious that I didn't finish this as quickly as possible. But being an author part-time and doing other jobs at the same time made me almost not sleep a single wink in a day. But here we are, finally at the end of this book :) Once again thank you so much! Writing is my world and no matter how busy I am, I will always write stories from my unlimited imagination and a beautiful world hidden inside my head :D (I am working hard to finish my other book and write new ones now, so, stay tuned!)Guys, please be happy, healthy, and safe out there. See you at my other books! By
“Himaa!!!” Saoirse screamed in excitement when she saw her beloved pet sitting casually under the stairs.“Himaa!! I miss you, Mommy and Daddy said you could come with us wherever we go now!.” She hugged the big cat's neck tightly.Aria's attention was now diverted to her daughter who was hugging a large, white-striped tiger, that sat lazily on the floor. Saoirse looked so small compared to her pet.Alex found the tiger roaming alone in the forest just behind the mansion when she was only as size as a regular cat. Baby Hima was lost and parted from her family. Turned out that her mother died from a gunshot wound. Alex guessed that they were running from illegal hunters and ended up on his property.He took her home and immediately became the star of their attention. After just hours Alex brought her home, and Aria gave birth to Saoirse.Noah named her Hima, and she became more like a sister to them than a pet. Saoirse often did her makeup and put some cute ribbon on her, and Hima woul
“Why don’t we go back to the mansion and live there? We can play with Nana and I miss Hima...”A five-year-old girl, with chubby, blushing cheeks, said with a pout while folding her arms across her chest. Her eyes were squinted because of the glare of the hot sun shining on the seawater, her small red lips pouted making her even more adorable. Her older brother, who was five years older than her, pinched her cheeks.“Don’t you like the beach?” He asked his little sis who suddenly sat down beside him after playing sandcastle not far from the sunbed where her big brother was.“Hmp! I like it! But I miss Nana and Hima…” She started to sound like she was about to cry. Her brother tried to comfort him, even though it was the hardest thing for him to do because Noah wasn’t an expressive person, just like his father.“Saoirse, you know Nana is very old and it is impossible for her to travel far.” He said softly while stroking his sister’s long, soft hair, “How about I tell Mom to bring Hima
When they reached the third floor of the building, the first thing Aria saw was a hallway with purplish lighting that seemed to be dimmed. This floor was much quieter although she could still hear the sound of music from the rooms that lined each side of the hallway.She and Alex entered one of the rooms. Inside, Aria was thankful that the music wasn't deafening. Instead, it was just the soft strains of the instruments that made her quite relieved.The room was bright and quite spacious. Soft velvet sofas surrounded the sides of the room and teak tables were in front of them. From the design, this was clearly for special guests because all the furniture was luxurious and expensive.“Master Grissham! My Lady!”A man with a beautiful woman quickly stood up and bowed to them. Aria rolled her eyes when she saw how messed up the woman’s dress was. She could almost see her nipples behind that dress. It seemed that they just did naughty things before she and Alex came in.Aria looked at Alex
Alexander wrapped his hands around his wife's waist and gently rubbed her. He sat her down on his lap, facing him, with both of her legs beside his. He licked and sucked her lips, domineering her in this kiss. Telling her how much he wanted her now.Aria, being so little in his arms, felt breathless. She tried to push him away but she was nothing compared to his strength.“Alex…hmmpph!” Aria hit his chest lightly, telling the big, burly man to let go, she couldn’t breathe anymore.When Alex finally parted their lips, he didn’t completely let her go. His lips moved to her chin and neck, kissing her soft skin, repeatedly squeezing her buttocks gently, caressing every inch of her he could reach.“Hh.. Alex… not here…” Aria held back his naughty muscular hand, but her husband’s strength was beyond her control.Alex seemed not to hear her, he remained like a hungry beast. When his hand had reached the inside of her thighs and was stroking what was between them, Aria firmly pushed his hand
“I thought he was just…sick…” Aria whispered to her husband beside her. They had now arrived at a mental hospital in the city. Aria stared at the man sitting across them with frown eyebrows. He seemed to be sorting and checking imaginary documents in front of him.“Hmm… this is okay, it could be our project for next year…” He muttered seriously, opening the invisible pages in his hands.“This is also good, but it needs improvement. I also need to know how much the budget is…” He continued, still with a serious expression.Giovanni sat like he was working like usual, wearing a patient's uniform and a pair of toy glasses that a nurse had given him. He asked her for a pair of glasses and said he couldn't work without them.Apparently, Giovanni thought the nurse was his personal assistant.“Sir, Madam, he is not communicative. He will continue to be like this until it is his time to sleep,” said a nurse who accompanied them in the visiting room.Aria looks at Giovanni Wellbert, the former
Aria, Alexander, and Grandma sat at the dining table in the main dining room of the Grissham Mansion. Even though there were only the three of them, but the room was full of warmth. Alex's cold and intimidating aura was defeated by the warmth that Aria brought to the house. He is a man with an intimidating aura, his tall figure, and bulky, tatted body could make anyone scared. But when it comes to his wife, he could only obey her.Like right now. He had to be home in time because Aria had already cooked for dinner.Alexander certainly didn't want to miss out on his wife's cooking.“Here, eat it, I planted it, especially for your herbal medicine.” Grandma took a single, green leaf from a bowl that Aria had noticed since earlier. She was confused earlier because she didn’t cook that one. Aria immediately frowned when she recognized it.“Grandma….” She immediately complained.“It’s been boiled and given a little spice, it won’t be too bitter.”Aria doubted which papaya leaves were not bi
With his head leaning on the couch, Alexander stared at the high ceiling. In his mind, he saw his mother's sunken face, she looked exhausted and weak. Even though on her body there were no more bruises and wounds like back then, but her weak and sad gaze made him worried. She was sick. And he had to take her away from there.He took a deep breath before continuing, “Those missions, all my work facing the dangerous and tricky situation made me stronger. One day I completed a dangerous mission and the reward was a big deal. After almost seven years I became a slave for my father and tried to get the old Grissham's recognition so that they would treat me and my mother well. I finally gave up. I returned with victory and hoped that my mother and I could go far away from that hell. Starting a new life, a normal one….”But Aria could already guess that what Alex had planned at that time did not go as expected. And she was hardly ready to hear the rest.“I came home after almost three weeks
This time, Aria was silent and Alexander was the one who spoke. Although sometimes there was a pause for a few seconds, Aria patiently waited for her husband to tell the story of his past and family. She understood that Alexander was not as fluent as she was when telling a story. It's just the way he is, Aria thought. Because Alex was a man with a few words and now tried to tell and explain to her about the wounds that he actually wanted to keep hidden forever.They were still in the VVIP room in the hospital. Aria had changed her clothes, she was wearing a short, peach skirt and a simple oversized shirt with the same color as her white shoes. She liked her outfit today and people wouldn't believe her if she said that Alex was the one who chose it for her.Meanwhile, her husband was wearing his signature black t-shirt and trousers. She sat sideways on Alex's thighs, and his husband's hand kept stroking hers. He looked troubled in the first minutes. He opened his mouth but then closed