The next morning greeted Alex with a sense of dread. He jolted upright, his heart racing, drenched in sweat. Beads of moisture clung to his face, and his breathing came in rapid, shallow gasps, as though he had just run a marathon. His chest heaved with each breath, his body on high alert from the remnants of the nightmare that had gripped him.The duvet, soaked through with sweat, clung to him like it had been caught in a torrential downpour. He wiped his face with trembling hands, trying to calm his racing thoughts. "Thank God, it was just a dream," he thought, still shaken. But the vividness of it lingered like a bad omen.In the dream, he had been strangled—by someone who looked exactly like him. The eerie twin had worn a cruel expression, his hands tightening around Alex’s throat, choking the life out of him. Behind this doppelganger, a shadowy figure emerged—a man who looked like his father. His father had been walking out of a blazing fire, wearing ancient-looking robes, his fa
Right after paying the hospital bills, Nancy and Juliet were determined to get to the bottom of this. They exchanged worried glances, the weight of the situation hanging heavily between them. "Who was involved in a fight with Jackson?" Nancy asked, her voice tense, her calm cracking with each word. Every moment of uncertainty made her anxiety grow. This wasn't just a random attack. Someone had deliberately crossed a line."Who would dare beat up our future son-in-law?" Juliet added, her anxiety morphing into frustration. She felt the pressure building inside her. Jackson was supposed to be part of the family soon—this was personal. The more they thought about it, the angrier they became.Without wasting time, they rushed to the car, barely speaking. The silence between them was thick, filled with the fear of what they might discover. Nancy’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her mind raced with questions, each one darker than the last. Could t
Alex saw all this, but it was what he had expected beforehand. He wasn’t talking to a doll who blindly believed everything he said. Anastasia was strong-willed, with her own thoughts and reasoning, and it would take more than words to convince her.If the roles were reversed and someone had told him about a ring capable of making someone rich and giving them mysterious powers, he wouldn’t have believed it either.But Alex was prepared. His mind was set on showing Anastasia the truth. That’s why he had driven to this secluded road.Suddenly, he opened his car door and stepped out. When he did this, he looked back at Anastasia, who sat silently beside him, eyes filled with doubt. “Please come out and see for yourself,” he said gently.Anastasia hesitated for a moment, her heart beating faster as she wondered what he was about to show her. Without saying a word, she stepped out of the car. They stood together in front of Alex’s Ferrari, the cool air settling around them like a silent wit
Outside the hotel, Anastasia froze, her eyes widening in disbelief as she saw the car Alex had opened for her. The cars she’d known Alex to drive were hers. But now, here was a sleek, yellow Ferrari, the kind of car that screamed wealth, its engine purring with authority.Her heart pounded in her chest. Alex had always been humble, his life modest. Yet, this car—this display of opulence—made her uneasy, as if the ground beneath her feet was slipping away.Alex gave her a soft, encouraging smile and gestured toward the open door. "Get in."For a moment, she hesitated. Her mind raced, trying to piece together the truth. How had she missed this side of him? Anastasia already knew Alex wasn’t as poor as she or her family had believed, but this—a Ferrari—was another level. Her chest tightened, the edges of doubt creeping into her mind.Still, she slipped into the passenger seat, her movements stiff with suspicion. As Alex started the engine, her thoughts churned, unable to stay silent."As
At this moment, Jackson stood there in nothing but his boxer briefs, the outline of his aroused d**k disturbingly clear.He turned away from the glass wall, his eyes locking onto Anastasia with a smirk that sent a chill down her spine. “I’ve always loved your body and your voice. I’ve been watching you for a long time, and today, the universe made sure we’d end up together. Even if our families never unite, I won’t regret this.”The smirk stayed on his face, but Anastasia’s heart raced. Her eyes widened, her breath hitching as she tried to process what was happening. Suddenly, she shot out of bed, her body shaking as she grabbed the blanket and darted for the door, her fingers trembling as they fumbled with the handle.“Hehe,” Jackson chuckled, the sound cold and filled with wicked amusement.“Don’t waste your energy. You really think I didn’t lock the door and keep the key?” His voice was dark as he lifted his hand, the key dangling from his fingers, mocking her.Anastasia’s stomach
Throughout the evening and into the night, Alex searched for Anastasia everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. He checked her apartment, his heart racing with each passing moment, then craned his neck to glimpse the Stewart family villa from a distance. He even waited down the street, hoping to catch sight of her if she happened to drive by. But despite his efforts, everything proved futile.In the same vein, he dialed her phone time and time again. “This number you are trying to call is busy. Please try again later,” was all he heard in response, each message piercing through his anxiety like a knife.Defeated, Alex decided to head home and go to bed, resolved to continue the search for her in the morning.The next morning, Alex jolted awake suddenly, panting heavily as if he had just finished a grueling relay race. He was drenched in sweat from head to toe, a sense of terror gripping him as if he had just seen a monster in his dreams.“It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream,” he
As Anastasia fled the office and into the elevator, she quickly pressed the buttons, desperate to escape. When she arrived downstairs, she rushed to her car, got in, and drove off, tears welling in her eyes.Meanwhile, just as she fled, Alex stood frozen, unsure of what to do. He knew he had broken Anastasia’s trust by not telling her the truth from the start. But he couldn’t lose her now. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he wouldn’t let her slip away.He quickly ran after her.“Anastasia! Ana!”“Wait! Please wait!” he shouted, but Anastasia ignored him. Defiant, she slammed the elevator button, willing it to close faster.***Alex had been Anastasia's first love, her first boyfriend. She had never been with anyone else, and this betrayal hit her harder than she could handle. The memory of his lies haunted her, each one a fresh wound. Tears filled her eyes as she gripped the steering wheel, her heart aching.“He kept lying to me, playing me for a fool!” she mu
Hearing Nancy’s question, Alex simply smirked, the corners of his lips curving upward in silent amusement. There was no need to explain himself to the Stewarts. They had formed their opinions about him long ago, and nothing he could say now would change that. Besides, it didn’t matter to him. What they thought, their judgmental whispers, their scrutinizing eyes—all of it rolled off him like rain off a slicked surface.Instead, he turned his attention to Anastasia, his expression softening when their eyes met. A quiet resolve settled over him. With a subtle nod, he signaled it was time to go.Without a word, they rose from the dinner table, leaving behind the clinking of cutlery and the murmurs of disbelief that followed them. The stares, heavy and piercing, didn’t faze Alex in the slightest. To him, the world outside those walls held far more weight than the suffocating judgment within them.Nancy’s mouth fell open in sheer disbelief. She blinked rapidly, trying to process what had ju
The next morning, Alex woke up from a bad dream, panting heavily like a dog that had just finished a race.Realizing it was only a dream, he noticed he had been sweating all night. He got out of bed, hoping that what he had seen wouldn’t come to pass.In the dream, a man he had never seen before had tried to kill him. Just as the man was about to strangle him, Alex jolted awake.He went into the bathroom, refreshed himself, and prepared an omelet for breakfast.As he finished prepping, his phone buzzed with a single ring. It wasn’t a call but a text. When he checked, he saw the name "Anastasia" appear in his thoughts.Then, he opened the message.“Good morning, love. As much as I hate to tell you this, I have to. Please come to my family villa ASAP. They want to see you.”Reading the text, Alex knew it was going to be another hectic morning at the Stewarts' villa. No doubt, Anastasia’s grandmother and family wanted him to back off from their daughter.He sighed, ate his breakfast, the