ADONIS’S POV
My eyes remained trained on the other side of the dining table, as I waited to hear Estelle’s light footsteps as she came down for breakfast. Thirty minutes passed. She never came. I sent Marie to get Estelle down, but when she came down with a concerned look on her face, I knew she hadn’t succeeded. “She refused to listen to me, or even open her door, sir.” She was still mad at me, that I could tell. Last night was something beyond my control. Whenever I was bent on punishing, it took a lot to get myself to stop, and the way she had looked at me with those alluring eyes wasn’t helping. Inflicting pain and dominating power was my way of getting pleasure. Seeing her on her knees in front of me had raked something in my mind, and stirred something so deep and dark within me. I couldn’t stop, I was so enchanted by her in that state, and now I hurt her. She hated me for that now. But deep down, she had loved it; I could see it in her eyes. There was a way to make her punishment pleasurable for both of us. “Keep this,” I told Marie, as I gestured to my plate, “I’ll come down to eat when she’s ready.” She nodded her head and took the dishes into the kitchen. I walked up the stairs and when I stood in front of her door, I knocked. No answer. I knocked again, then glanced at my watch which read the time 9 am. There was no way she was still asleep. “Open the door, Estelle,” I paused, trying to hear any signs of movement from her room. There was nothing. My face scrunched up into a scowl as my patience wore very thin, “Or I’ll come in myself.” Still no response. I turned the door knob but it didn’t open, then reached for a spare key in my pocket and unlocked the door. When I walked in, there was no sign of her, but my gaze immediately settled on her wide-open windows. Fuck! I stormed towards the windows and looked outside, but there was no sign of her outside or in her room. My heart raced as thoughts filled my mind. She couldn’t have run away. She wouldn't dare “Estelle! Where the hell are you?” My tone was loud and had an edge to it that surprised me. I rummaged through the room, checked the shelves, under the bed; every damn corner. Just when I was about to check the bathroom, she stepped out. She hummed a tune as she dried her hair with her towel, not noticing me as she closed her eyes. My eyes widened and my breath hitched. She stood in front of me, entirely naked. I wanted to tear my gaze away from her but I couldn't fight it. She was glorious and beautiful, every fucking inch of her. She had ample firm breasts that sat so nicely with hard rosy nipples. Her waist was narrow, with long sexy legs that I would let wrap around my neck. The slit between her legs had not a speck of hair. A scar in her chest area caught my attention. How had she gotten that? At that moment, her eyes opened. She gasped and then dashed back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. “What are you doing in my room? What the hell is your problem?” she yelled at me from the bathroom. “You didn't come down for breakfast. I didn’t think you’d be naked,” my voice came out strained. I couldn’t get the image of her naked out of my mind. It was those kinds of images that stuck in your memory for eternity. “I’ll be down soon, now get out.” “Wrap a towel and come talk to me,” or better yet, come out naked. There was a long pause before she spoke up, “Why would I want to talk to you, after what you did to me last night?” “You can't ignore me forever. Let's talk it out.” There was a brief moment of silence until she came out, with a towel wrapped around her body, unfortunately. She looked beautiful with her flushed cheeks, and her green eyes shooting daggers at me. “Get dressed, I want to take you somewhere,” I said, watching her intently, “I’ll be downstairs waiting.” After leaving, she came downstairs a few minutes later, wearing a pair of jeans and a vest that accentuated her breasts. As we had breakfast in silence, I couldn't stop staring at her. When we were out, I led her down to the stables where I keep my herd. When she saw the horses, her eyes lit up. She took the lead, petting each of all seven of my horses. “They’re all so beautiful,” she smiled genuinely as if forgetting she was mad at me in the first place. Her gaze shifted and I saw what had caught her attention; the eighth horse. The eighth horse was a mare, with a coat as dark as the night, and a white long mane that complimented her dark coat. I moved closer, speaking beside her, “Her name is Xena. She’s the oldest and strongest horse here.” “Xena. The name suits her perfectly,,” I watched as she stretched out her hand, and caressed Xena’s face who warmed up to her touch, neighing approvingly. Xena was the hardest horse in my stable to get under control. She was wild, powerful, and intimidated the others but somehow, she took a liking to Estelle. They were both similar; Powerful but underneath that whole duress, they craved an emotional connection. “She’s yours,” I didn’t need to ask if she rode horses, I already knew she did. I knew a lot about Estelle, that she didn’t even know herself. Her head whipped back to look at me, her eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed in surprise, “What?” “Whatever is mine is yours.” Her mouth opened, like she wanted to say something, but then kept quiet, and muttered a silent, ‘thank you’ as she turned back to Xena. “Follow me,” I ordered and she obeyed, following behind me as I led her to the garden. When we got there, the gardener was busy tending to the field. “Morning, Mr and Mrs Sandoval,” Jean greeted, and when his eyes scanned Estelle for too long, I sent him a glaring warning. “Excuse us,” I instructed and he left. The only flower I grew in my garden was the Black Dahlia flower. I started growing them five years ago when I first met Estelle because I needed a physical essence of her. The flower symbolizes beauty, betrayal, mystery, and power; everything that defines her. She lowered to the ground, and touched one flower, “I’ve never seen anything like it.” “It’s a Black Dahlia.” “It’s breathtaking.” Just like you, I wanted to say. She got up and crossed her arms across her chest, “Don’t think giving me a horse and showing me your garden is going to make me forget.” “I didn't bring you here to make you forget, Estelle.” “Then what?” “So we can have a common ground. I'm not going to take down my rules because I hurt you.” Her brows furrowed, “So if I break them, you'll punish me again.” “Yes,” I didn't hesitate. Her mouth opened and then shook her head as she turned around to walk away. I stopped her by grabbing her arm and pulling her back to me. “Let go of me,” she snapped, “You’re sick.” “Don’t pretend you didn't enjoy it as much as I did.” “Yeah, until you almost literally killed me.” she struggled to release my grasp on her. “That can't kill you.” “Not unless I'm asthmatic.” I doubled back. Asthmatic? How had I not known that? I gathered myself and stopped her before she walked away, “I didn't know. I wouldn't want to hurt you, it was beyond my control,” she listened attentively, “Whenever I punish you and I’m starting to hurt you, I just need you to say a word, and I’ll stop everything.” She paused, appearing lost in her thoughts, then mumbled to herself, as if surprised she was agreeing to this twisted fantasy of mine, “What word?” “Mercy.” Because she’s at my mercy and I'm at hers. “And if I say that word and you don’t stop, I won’t take back my word on biting you.” “Understood.” She smiled softly as we held each other’s gazes, causing heat to settle in my groin. I liked seeing her smile, and I needed to see it often. “Adonis! There you are!” a feminine voice yelled, startling us. When I looked away to see who it was, I audibly groaned. I had no idea she was coming today, but that was what she was fond of; taking me by surprise. When she got closer, she ran into me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she hugged me tightly. When she pulled back, her gaze shifted to Estelle, whose expression was that of utter confusion. Genna blurted out rashly, “And who might you be?”ESTELLE’S POVWatching the way this woman acted around Adonis, it was pretty obvious that they were close. She was really pretty with dark shoulder-length curly hair, wide brown eyes, and a babylike face.A wave of jealousy surged through me as I watched their interaction, my heart twisting every second of it. When she noticed me, her eyes held no judgment or intimidation, just a curious gleam.I opened my mouth, about to answer her question, but Adonis cut in.“She’s Estelle, my wife.”The woman’s eyes widened and she gasped dramatically, her gaze flicking from Adonis to me. Slowly, her shocked expression softened into an excited one.“Finally, Mr. Lonely gets a wife,” she shrieked and pulled me into a hug like we were old-time friends. When she pulled back, she said with a smile, “I’m Genna, Adonis’s cousin.”“Oh.”Relief washed over me like a waterfall. No wonder she was so free with Adonis— she was family.“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” Adonis said, shoving his hands into
Chapter 1“You’re pathetic. You can’t even give my son an heir.”My mother-in-law’s harsh words echoed through my mind as I held the pregnancy test strip in my shaky hands.For the first time in two years, it showed two lines.A series of emotions flooded through me, but my happiness was over the skyscraper’s roof. After two years of marriage, after all the emotional abuse from my mother-in-law, I finally conceived.I was finally having a child for Eric.Leaving the office for home to rest and wait for Eric to return, I was dying to tell him the thrilling news in person.Seated in my car, as my chauffeur; Trevor drove, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Eric.[I have good news. I can’t wait to tell you.]After waiting for minutes in silence, I glanced at my phone and my heart sank when I saw he hadn’t replied to my text yet.He never took this long to reply unless it was business, which wasn't because he went to meet his friend at the bar, leaving me at the office to finish his
Helpless on the ground, my body shook violently as I cried.“She's so pathetic. Just look at her,” Barbara’s voice echoed.I managed to get back to my feet and gazed at the man I called husband.“I thought you loved me. How long has this been going on?” the words came out of my mouth and I winced at how miserable I sounded.“I never did Estelle. I've been using you all these while.”Each word was a blow to my heart and it felt like a thousand needles had been pierced into me. It hurt so bad that I couldn't breathe properly.Of course, he never did. How stupid I had been. All the bad treatment, his bad attitude. His red flags had been waving around from the beginning, but love blinded me so much that I missed it.My tears were starting to cloud my vision, and I blinked them away, letting them stream down my cheeks.I remembered the reason I got into this marriage in the first place. We did it so we could strengthen both our companies by merging. I was the market genius, and Eric had th
6 months later.“What’s taking him so long?” I muttered to myself as I glanced at the large clock hanging on the wall. For an hour, I'd been waiting in the lobby. Clutching my Hermes bag tightly, I approached the receptionist again, noticing her growing annoyance. I couldn't blame her; it was my third time coming up to her."He'll be here soon. Please be patient, Miss Corsetti," she said before I could speak. With a sigh, I retreated to my seat.My phone beeped, diverting my attention. It was a text from both Amelia and my best friend, Jade. Funny how they both messaged at the same time.[How's the interview going?]Even funnier that they both asked the same question.Deciding to reply after the interview, I tucked my phone back into my bag when a shadow fell over me, signaling someone's approach.“Miss Corsetti,” I looked up at the receptionist, “Mr Sandoval is waiting for you in his office.”My heart momentarily skipped a bit, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the interview or
“Are you sure you’re making the right choice?” Amelia asked me for the 100th time.Sighing, I applied the brightest red lipstick I had, packed my luscious raven hair in a bun, and then let it down, indecisive.“In a bun, or laid down?” I asked her, completely ignoring her question. I watched her reaction from the mirror, noticing how her shoulders dropped and her facial features creased in worry.“Laid down makes you look like a sexy boss,” she said, smiling softly and I couldn't agree more. I let my wavy hair down and applied a dark eyeshadow that complimented my emerald green eyes.When I was done with the makeup, I walked up to the bed where she sat and pulled her into a tight hug.“I have to do this, Amelia, or I’ll never live in peace with myself.”“Maybe you’ll get peace if you move on from this.”But that was the thing; I couldn’t move on even if I wanted to. Eric didn’t just break my heart, ruin my life, and take almost everything from me. He left me with a burden… one that w
A few hours after signing the contract and heading back home, the movers showed up at my doorstep. I directed them to my room before telling them what to move and what to leave behind, and as I watched them move my things into the van, my mind raced with negative thoughts. A part of me wanted to run away from all of this, but the other part stood her ground. There was no going back now. I already signed the contract, and Adonis didn’t seem like the kind of person to change his mind. As I leaned against the door frame, a glistering light flashed in my eye, and when I looked down, I realized it came from the diamond ring sitting nicely on my finger. Running my fingers across its magnificent structure, I found my heart beating fast as I recalled the way he wore the ring on me. I could almost feel his fingers caressing mine again. “I’m coming with you.” Amelia’s voice jolted me from my not-so-pure thoughts, and I followed her gaze as it landed on my ring. “He already got you
ADONIS’S POV As soon as I stepped into the mansion, I knew she was already here. She had an aura about her that was impossible to miss, commanding attention wherever she went. When she entered a room, everyone noticed, and when she left, her absence was always felt. “Good evening,” Marie greeted me as I handed her my blazer, “Mrs Sandoval has already arrived.” I loved the fact that she bore my name, “Where is she?” “In her room. Dinner is prepared and the table is set for both of you.” “We’ll be there shortly,” I dismissed her before ascending the stairs. Normally, I would head straight to my room but this time, I turned towards hers. Her room wasn’t far from mine, making sure it was close to mine, just across the hall. On reaching the door, I knocked lightly, and when I got no response, I pushed it open and walked in uninvited. The moment I sighted her, something stirred within me. She lay on the bed in a fetal position, resembling a curled-up cat. She didn’t seem to notice I w
ESTELLE’S POVI sat in front of the dresser, staring into the mirror as I applied my makeup. I was going for a confident, powerful look tonight, perfect for tonight’s event. Attending an event my ex-husband who tried to murder you, would be present wasn’t a wise decision, and could be traumatic. Yet here I was, eager to attend.Once, I loved Eric but not anymore. All I felt for him was a searing hatred that could lit a forest. My primary reason for going to this event was to flaunt to Eric that I was alive, thriving, sexier than ever, and married to his half-brother.A sadistic smile tugged on my lips as I imagined what the look on his face would be when he saw me. It’d be priceless.Just as I was going for a dark shade of pink lipstick, I recalled Adonis’s rule. Dropping the lipstick, I went for the deepest red shade and smudged it on my lips. It was ridiculous; the rules and the whole punishment thing, but deep down, I found myself wanting to impress him.Why was that? I had no ide