MasukMusic blasted through the club, bass thick enough to vibrate through his teeth. Light swept across the room in shifting colors, blue, then purple, then red, catching on glasses and skin and the haze of pheromones that hung thick enough to taste. Bodies moved against each other on the floor, drinks passed hand to hand at the bar. Alex's gaze swept the room, slow and deliberate, until it found Courtney, sitting near the edge of the floor, a drink loose in her hand. And across from her, Liam. He had been to clubs like this more times than he could count. But every other time, he had come here for something …a distraction, a body, a few hours lost in bliss. Tonight was different. Tonight he wasn't here to have fun. He was here for Liam. Alex's mouth curved into a slow smile. He started toward them, weaving through the crowd, the bass swallowing the sound of his footsteps but not the intent on his face. "Courtney." He came to a stop in front of them. Courtney tilted her head up, sur
The Stones Mansion.The moment Mr. Adams' car drove off, Vivian was already moving. Her heels struck the marble floor in short, urgent clicks that echoed down the hall. She didn't bother knocking. The study door swung open under her hand."Honey," she said quietly. "what happened?"Wilson stood with his back to her, shoulders rigid, one hand braced against the edge of his desk like it owed him money."He knows." Wilson's voice was flat.Vivian crossed the room and stopped in front of him, searching his face. "Honey, what are you saying?"He still wouldn't look at her. His jaw worked once, twice, before he finally turned, and the look in his eyes made her breath catch. It was anger unlike the kind she had ever seen on him before."William." He said the name like it cost him an arm. "He knows everything about the money."Vivian went still. What? How did that bastard know? "But how!""That night. After the wedding." Wilson's hands curled into fists at his sides. "He was outside our room.
William walked through the corridor to the dining area, but no one was there. Where did Sir Jacob go? Then he heard a maid’s voice behind him. "Mr Adams is waiting in the car." Thank goodness. He wanted to get out of here. William stepped outside. Alex and Vivian were waiting at the corner, but he didn't look at them. Jacob was already seated in the car, engine running, eyes on his phone. William got in. The door had barely shut before the car pulled away. In the side mirror, Vivian turned and hurried back inside. Alex stayed a second longer, watching the car go, then followed her. "What took you so long?" "Nothing." William said quietly. Jacob turned to look at him. His eyes lingered on him for a second too long, he didn't believe it. But before he could press, he saw it, the redness along his chin. He reached over and gripped William's face, tilting it toward the light. The temperature in the car seemed to drop a degree. A strong pheromone crashed into William befor
Wilson stepped away, took a deep breath, and regained his composure. “I don't have time for this.” He sneered. “Alex told me he saw you with a black card.” He turned toward William. “Is that true?” “Yes.” “Did Mr. Adams give it to you?” Of course he did. Did he think it had fallen from heaven? William kept his face blank, though his fingers curled against his palm, nails digging into his skin. “Yes.” Wilson held his chin, studying William the way he might study a product he had misjudged. “ I never thought Sir Jacob could give that to you.”A glint flickered in his eyes. “You aren't that useless after all.” The words landed exactly where they were meant to. William had heard a variations of them in his whole life, and his stomach still folded in on itself like it always did. But this time it didn't suffocate him. He breathed through it slowly. “I want you to give me fifty million. It wouldn't be so hard to do. If Mr Adams could give you a black card, getting Fifty million
This dinner couldn't be more enjoyable for William. Every bite tasted better than the last, not because of the food, but because of the stiff, thorny expressions worn by the three people sitting across from him. William glanced at his dad, then Alex, then Vivian, taking his time over each face like he was reading a picture book. He picked up his glass, swirled it once, and took a loud, deliberate sip just to watch Wilson's jaw tighten at the sound of it. He had never been happier to be eating beside Sir Jacob. These three would finally know what it felt like to choke down a meal in Sir Jacob's presence. May you all have terrible indigestion, he thought, and reached for another bite. Jacob watched him from the corner of his eye, the faint, goofy satisfaction William wasn't bothering to hide, the way he chewed a little too slowly, savoring it. Jacob's mouth didn't move, but something gleamed behind his eyes, there and gone, like a match struck and blown out before it caught. H
The curtains stayed drawn. Alex hadn't opened them in days. He told himself it was the headache, but the truth was simpler, he couldn't stand watching the world move on without him, especially not with William moving on in it. He lay half-sprawled across the bed, black eyes fixed on nothing. Days of this. Cooped up like a fugitive in his own home. The thought made something tight and ugly curl in his chest. He’d nothing but time to imagine what he would do to William. Simple pain wouldn't be enough. He wanted something that would hollow him out, body and soul, until that infuriating, quiet mask of his shattered completely. Something that would erase the little confidence he had gotten. His jaw tightened. None of this was how it was supposed to go. The marriage was meant to be Williams punishment, a life sentence wrapped in a wedding ring. Instead, William was happy. Thriving. That was wrong. He bit down on his thumbnail until it stung. An unwelcome thought surfaced. Did Mr A
A ray of sunlight slipped through the gap in the velvet curtains, stirring William from his comfortable sleep. He turned away, burying his face into the plush pillow. Knock. Knock. He jolted upright immediately. “I'm awake!” he called, dragging a hand through his messy black hair with a sigh. “I
The hall was beautifully decorated, a shining chandelier illuminated the space with a warm glow. The guests seated at the table looked so elegant and composed. William felt so overwhelmed and out of place. He held his third glass of wine tightly, his cheeks turning red. “Don't you think you've d
This is the most awkward dinner William has ever experienced. It wasn’t unpleasant, it was just terribly out of place. Every bite he took felt heavy, settling uneasily in his stomach as nerves wrecked inside him. "Is the food not to your liking, Sir William." Matthew politely asked from the side
Sunlight pierced through the open velvet curtains and stirred William back to consciousness. He sprawled on the bed like a dried-up starfish, every muscle screaming in protest. “That bastard.” he cursed, carefully pushing himself up while holding his back. It felt like a truck ran over his body







