ASHLEYA seemingly unending ache throbbed heavily at the side of my head as the gate to the villa was pulled open. I sniffed, driving towards the parking lot where I pulled over in the available space. I felt so exhausted. My limbs were so tired. My eyes hurt so badly. I couldn't even bring myself to cry anymore if I wanted to. All it brought was an unending amount of pain. It felt as though shards of glass were pricking my eyes and I found it so hard to close it because doing that only worsened the ache.My head dropped limply on the steering wheel and the engine went off. I exhaled, detaching my head from the wheel to retrieve my keys from the ignition. And then, I got out of the car.My legs wobbled heavily when they connected with the surface of the ground, but I didn't allow that to deter me. I willed myself to move forward.Stepping into the house, every wave of tiredness that consumed me dissipated into thin air. It completely vanished, replaced with a sense of eeriness and ut

JAXONI tap the tip of the burning cigarette against the ashtray after taking a few drags from it. I toyed with it against the edge of the tray but the sudden wave of anger that washed over me didn't give me a chance to relish in the satisfaction I got from it, because I was already picking up the tray and throwing it against the wall.The small object made a crashing sound against the floor, adding to the list of the destroyed objects littered across the dark room, whose source of light was the rays of moonlight that filtered directly into the room, through the windows. It cast a dim glow on the disorganised space of my study. I walked away from the desk, squeezing my eyes shut and then, I dragged in a breath, puffing it out slowly. It felt as if a surge of volcano erupted within me and I was struggling to keep it at bay.Knowing every nook and cranny of my study gave me the upper hand, coupled with the moonlight's reflection in the room. I strode to the bar, crushing every broken b

JAXON"So, you mean to–" I chuckled, raking my fingers through my hair in frustration. I chuckled again. And again. And again. I was infuriated, but at the same time, I found the whole situation amusing. My workers knew the kind of person they worked with, yet they found new ways to aggravate me. It was as if they derived some sort of sick pleasure from watching me dish out punishments to them.He shifted on his feet, looking down at his feet. His composure was beginning to falter. His trembling gave him away.The air in the boardroom grew hotter by the second. It was thick with deafening silence, the temperature fluctuating now and then. With the tension that accompanied the loud silence, I was so sure I would hear a pin drop. They sat in their seats like statues, unable to utter a word. No one wanted to be the scapegoat, but with the way my anger was escalating, one of them was bound to go back home without his body intact."You mean to tell me that our sales have gotten this bad

JAXON"Arden--Arden...""I think someone's following me.""Please, pick your call!"Her voice echoed in my head, incessantly. It was pointless trying to shut it out because it only emerged stronger than before. It haunted me. It destroyed me. It shattered me. It consumed me.The fear and distress that oozed off those words crushed my soul. It didn't help the guilt that overwhelmed me. If I hadn't been such an asshole. Such a stubborn prick, I would have been able to save her from him. From Micah. That bastard. He's going to wish he had never laid his hands on her when I find him. The fucking coward couldn't come directly for me. He just had to get to me through the woman I love.The thought of what she must be going through in his hands aggravated my punches. It got more aggressive and I wouldn't stop ramming it against the punching bag that was swinging backwards, due to the weight of my hard punches.It never got the chance to stay back in balance before I sent it flying backwards

JAXON"Jaxon,""Jaxon,""Jax—""I can hear you!" I snapped.I stopped pacing and spared Aunt Caroline a glance. Her eyes were soft with assurance but it didn't do anything to quell my restlessness. It only left me more perturbed than I was."Jaxon, have your seat for goodness sake," she implored me. My stone-cold gaze seemed to have given me away that I wasn't about to listen to her, so she took a step forward, grabbing my arm.My eyes stung with unshed tears, thickening the lump that settled in my throat. It was hard trying to keep my tears at bay, and at some point, I gave up on trying. I allowed it to stream down my face effortlessly."She's–" I breathed shakily. "She's in there because of me!" The quiver in my voice overpowered its octave."My wife is fighting for her life and it's all because of me!" I yelled at her, snatching my hands away from her grip."Do you think yelling and pacing down the halls of the hospital would change the situation?" Maria's harsh tone had me whiskin