LOGINHe didn't let Jessa leave his side no matter what Emma said or threatened.He wasn't afraid—he was used to Emma. It wasn't the first time she had driven away women she saw with him.Emma is just being Emma. A spoiled, rotten b*tch. And her tantrums wouldn't work on him.He was more hard-headed than she was.He wondered why Emma was even there. As far as he knew, the Arcegas were business rivals of the ones hosting the charity ball—but it seemed Emma didn't care. Even with the media taking constant photos of them.Their attention shifted when the emcee spoke on stage. The auction was about to begin. Each guest was given a placard with a number.Jessa nudged him, then tiptoed and whispered in his ear. Her warm breath on his ear gave him a ticklish sensation."Can I bid too?" she asked with a smile. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, and that only added to the arousal he was already feeling.He couldn't stop her from taking the drink Percy had offered. Damn his cousin—he hadn't le
She suddenly felt small when they arrived at the charity ball. Prominent businessmen and celebrities were there. She even spotted a socialite she had just read about in the newspaper earlier that day.She knew not everyone in attendance was there purely for charity—some were clearly there to attract potential investors.Many people greeted and tried to talk to Xyrius, but he simply waved them off with a raised hand. A number of women were also staring at him, full of admiration.From what she knew, Xyrius had already been helping his father run their business since high school. The Smiths were in the wine business, based on what she'd heard on campus.Even before she had met Xyrius in person, she already knew how wealthy he was. Would he really be part of the elite group that included the Sandovals and the Altierra family if he weren't from a billionaire clan?The three families seemed to be in constant competition for wealth. At present, the Altierras were at the top, while the Sando
She was wearing a black cocktail dress. The neckline was plunging, and the back was low-cut, exposing her smooth back. It also had a high slit on the right thigh, revealing her long legs with every movement. Thankfully, she inherited that from her mother, who was also long-legged.She styled her hair in a messy bun with full bangs. Her makeup was simple, paired with dark matte lipstick.She smiled at herself in the mirror, satisfied.To be honest, she missed dressing up like this. She also really wanted to attend parties.A part of her envied those who could enjoy life without having to worry about anything.She grabbed her silver clutch bag just as she heard the doorbell ring.She went downstairs and found Xyrius in the living room, with his back turned to her. When he sensed her presence, he immediately turned to look.His lips parted slightly when he saw her, and she could clearly see the admiration in his eyes."Shall we go?" she asked, snapping him out of his daze.He blinked sev
She woke up with her whole body aching. It felt like she had been in a fight. Her eyes felt heavy too. And really, who wouldn't feel sore after being used all night?That beast Xyrius really took full advantage of her body. If she hadn't complained, he wouldn't have stopped. It was like he never got tired.He was no longer beside her. She looked at her alarm clock — it was almost noon. The sunlight pouring through her bedroom window was harsh on her eyes. Her stomach was already growling, but she still didn't want to get up, so she buried her face in the pillow again and planned to go back to sleep — until the door to her room opened.She sat up abruptly. She saw Xyrius standing in the doorway holding a tray with food."You haven't left yet?" she asked irritably.The man scowled and stepped closer to her. He was wearing only jeans, the button still undone, making the bulge in front very noticeable. He had no shirt or shoes on."This is my house. Why would I leave my own home?""Hey, w
She had just finished cleaning the floor. She was still annoyed because of Xyrius. Annoyed and afraid. Xyrius was well-known at school, and she was afraid he'd spread the story of how they met.Of all the people in the world, why did Xyrius have to be her customer?She rinsed the rag she had used, threw away the plastic cups, got another cup of noodles, carefully poured in hot water, and sat at the table."You are not done yet?" said Xyrius—again—she could only roll her eyes. Why was he still here? She ignored him.She just removed the lid of the cup noodles and stirred its contents."I am talking to you!" he shouted again."What do you even want?" she asked him wearily. She was exhausted from everything that had happened all day. She just wanted to eat, shower, and sleep because she still had work tomorrow.He walked over to her and grabbed the cup noodles."Why are you eating this trash?" he said with a furrowed brow. "You'll get sick eating this!" His jaw clenched in anger.She sna
"Your friend is already stable. You should go home too, hija, so you can get some rest," said Tita Melody, Mina's stepmother.She looked at Mina again. Her friend was still unconscious, but the doctor said she was already stable. It was a panic attack—that's what caused her to have difficulty breathing and lose consciousness.She couldn't bring herself to tell the couple what really happened, so she just let the Dean explain it to them.After all, she didn't even know exactly what Kenobi had said to Mina that triggered the panic attack."I'll get going now, Tita, Tito," she said to the De'Marco couple."Alright, take care, okay?" said Tita Melody."Thank you."She walked over to Mina and gave her a kiss. Then she turned to Tita Melody and Tito Horacio to give them a respectful cheek-to-cheek farewell.She was startled to see Kristoff standing at the door with his arms crossed. He straightened up immediately upon seeing her."How is she?" he asked."She's okay now. Aren't you going in?
It was already late when she finally got home. She had to spend extra hours at the library just to use a computer for her thesis since her laptop had broken down, and she couldn't afford to get it fixed yet.As she approached their house, her heart pounded at the sight of two black vans parked outs
Xyrius Dale Smith. The absolute worst person to mess with. The most arrogant, insufferable, and notorious bully in the entire university. He had no limits. No one was safe from his pranks—not even the professors. There were rumors that some teachers had resigned because of him, and there was ev
Jessa had barely reached the staircase when she caught a whiff of something burning. Thick black smoke was already seeping out from the kitchen door. Her heart pounded in her chest. Without thinking twice, she bolted down the stairs and ran toward the kitchen, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Fi
Jessa turned her head towards the floor-to-ceiling glass window beside her. From there, she could see the vast ocean, the waves crashing onto the shore, and the breathtaking blend of orange and crimson hues from the setting sun. Birds soared freely across the sky.It's calming and beautiful.But sh







