Andrey. She's beautiful, especially when she furrows her brows and pouts her lips. I seem to make her do that quite often—I tend to annoy her more than I should.Hazel's personality reminds me of my mother's, a unique blend of stubbornness and an easy-going nature. She possesses that uncanny ability to intentionally annoy people and then make amends for her mistakes with a disarming charm. It strikes me how much Hazel is like my mother in that sense, always willing to make up for her errors.I love Hazel, and I'm convinced that she would love me in return. The challenge lies in being patient and allowing time to work its magic. I can't put a precise timeline on how long I can wait, but every time I think of her, the desire to be with her intensifies. It's agonizing to not have her by my side, where I can protect her.The only way to win Hazel over now is to show her that Chris isn't as perfect as she believes. My thorough investigation revealed that he had a significant secret—he was
Hazel.My head felt like it was on the verge of splitting in two. Just one look at me, and you'd see how drained I was, having hardly slept last night.After the party Chris took me to and then abandoned me, I returned home, and he followed me, which led to a huge fight. He accused me of cheating when he had taken me to the party and left me to go hook up with someone else. He even had the audacity to claim that a random lady kissing his neck had been a mistake.The lipstick on his lips and all over his face were mistake too, I suppose?I didn't want to delve into it further. I wanted to keep my focus on my work schedule for the day. Ann was attending to a client, leaving me to deal with Amanda's paperwork. I tried to concentrate, but my mind kept drifting back to the man my boyfriend accused me of cheating with.It was both funny and irritating. Funny that I had been willing to follow Andrey without even knowing where he was taking me. Irritating that I had been so willing to follow
Andrey. The plan was unfolding exactly as I had expected. Today was going to be a straightforward win, and I didn't need to fight hard for it; in fact, I could execute it right from the comforts of my office.I've held the position of CEO at Sandro's Industries for seven years, and never before had I felt so confident in a negotiation. It was about Hazel, and Chris. In a way, it felt like buying her, even though we had an unspoken agreement with her."So, you're willing to let go of Hazel for fifteen grand?" I questioned him, savoring the sound of him agreeing to my offer. I couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt on Hazel's behalf. She didn't deserve someone like Chris, and making this deal almost felt like I was buying her freedom.Chris shrugged indifferently, which irked me. The way he treated Hazel infuriated me. The way he diminished her value made me want to take drastic measures.I swallowed my resentment and nodded, gesturing for one of my associates to fetch the agree
Hazel. My throat was sore, likely from the effort of keeping my tears and pain locked up within my chest. Everything hurt. I wanted to scream, to let it all out, but I couldn't do it right now. I was on my way back to the office with Amanda. My emotions were all over the place, but Amanda seemed utterly indifferent to my existence. She was immersed in her tablet, typing away, completely ignoring my unrest. I didn't blame her; in fact, I appreciated the silence between us. I had no desire to answer any questions right now because I knew if anyone asked what was wrong, I'd break down in tears."Isn't Andrey interesting?" Amanda suddenly asked, breaking the silence.His name on her lips caused a sharp pang in my chest. I swallowed hard and tried to regain my composure. I didn't understand why she was bringing up her devilish nephew. I didn't want to engage in this conversation because he is the reason I am feeling this way right now."He's something," I replied, keeping my response brie
Andrey. “You deserve what she did to you because you’re a weak ass.”The words slice through me like a knife, but I keep a stoic expression. My attention is solely on the beaten and battered man before me, his body covered in sweat and blood, gasping for air. The sight of a grown man reduced to this state fills me with a perverse satisfaction.I deliver a powerful blow, my fist connecting with his jaw, causing him to groan in pain. He's resilient, which is precisely why he's one of the best at what he does. But he crossed a line, a line that I cannot tolerate.“You’re fucking wasting your time, man,” Jayden spoke again when I didn’t answer his pathetic insult. Amid the insults hurled at me by Jayden, I continue my assault, unflinching, focused on my task. His job was simple: protect Hazel. But he failed. Two nights ago, she walked home alone and was mugged by some men. She's physically okay, but I can't forgive myself for allowing her to experience such fear when I was still alive. S
Hazel.I might have had a valid reason to despise Andrey Leonardo in the beginning, but after meeting him, after he came between me and Chris, and after he made his aunt suspect me and pick on me at work, I now had considerable purpose to vastly hate him—even more so now that he just left my apartment, leaving me with a ball of desire in my stomach.I swallowed the bile clogging my throat as I stared at the cheque he just wrote me. I hadn't looked at it yet, but the zeros were enough to tell me it was a life-changing amount of money.Stupid of him to think I'd use the money, though.I'd rather have maniacs chasing me than take money from Andrey Leonardo. He's so full of himself, yet he's nothing to me—just a man who stirs up something in me that I can't ignore. He's undeniably attractive, with those glassy brown eyes that tempt me whenever they bore into mine.I clenched my stomach, trying to get a grip on myself. I'd promised myself to never entertain the thought of being with this m
Andrey. I should be pleased to know Hazel has something for me now but I feel terrified of how she'd think of me when my Zia mentioned I was getting married which I had no idea. Amanda loves playing with fire. I'll give her the show—adding fuel to the blazing fire until it burns her to ashes. The flicker of anger and betrayal I saw in Hazel's eyes worries me to confront her again. She must be thinking I'm such a dick to ask her to be my lover when I'm getting married. I don't even know who the bride is but I know that I'm not getting married! It's just some bullshit fabricated by Amanda to get to Hazel because she knows there's something between us. There isn't anything between us in Hazel's point of view but she's what I desire. I look at her as one of my top priorities and my responsibility. It fucking burns me to be away from her for the whole night which is why I sometimes spend half the night parked by her apartment just to feel closer to her. Psychotic act, Jayden said. C
Hazel.Everything just seems to irritate me right now, and I'm pointing the finger at Andrey Leonardo for putting me in this foul mood. I'm ticked off, and though I know the reasons behind it, I'm choosing to sidestep the truth because facing it means admitting too much to myself. I'm just not ready for that kind of confrontation with my conscience.But darn it, I can't stop replaying how Andrey almost treated me like his mistress or whatever he wanted when he knew he was about to tie the knot. It's crystal clear now – he wanted me for sex. I should've seen it coming, the way he was so patient with me; to him, the wait probably seemed worth it. "Asshole," I mutter under my breath."Who?" my mother chimes in, oblivious to my internal mayhem. I roll my eyes as she bustles around the room, packing for a sudden trip she's decided to take. I try not to read too much into it, but there's this nagging feeling that she's trying to escape something."Mom?" I call out, and she shoots me a look,