Celine Winston, not for the first time in the last twenty four hours, was going completely hysterical..“Ok, I was there. I was actually the main victim in all that happened last night. We just need to go to the police and tell them. I remember everything.” Her movement was feverish as she paced about the room. “Vaughn and his bloody buster of a friend ambushed me in the alley. He pulled out a gun and threatened me with it. You showed up out of the shadows to defend me, which I’m grateful for. You went into Jackie Chan mode. Moving with a speed that betrayed every law of physics I still remember from high school, you collected the gun from Vaughn and superkicked him into next year. His friend came at you screaming murder but you knocked him out with strategic strikes all over his body. They were fine, but unconscious. I made sure of that before you drove us away in your Tesla that costs as much as some third world countries. Then you decided to pass out on the wheel and I had to bring
Williams Herringbone had never been so confused in his entire life. No, never had he been both irked and excited by anyone to this extent. This strange woman was doing exactly that. Celine, the Natasha lookalike of all people. He had kissed her. He had moved towards her as if being controlled by an invisible force and given in to that primal urge to know what her full red lips felt like…what her sharp tongue tasted like. He wanted to kiss her again. Dear God, he wanted to kiss every inch of her pale skin. Suck on her delicate neck and run his fingers down the center of her chest. Sitting beside her on the bed in such a secluded room had sent the wrong message to his groin, making him go hard. That was why he had fled the room the moment he made the call. But why? Why did she make him feel this way? He knew nothing about who she truly was. He didn’t even know she existed until yesterday morning. What could be making him loose control in front of her? She simply looked like his first
Celine felt helpless. Not for the first time in her life, she hated the turn her fate was taking but had no way to change or control it. It was five years ago happening all over again. Five years ago, she had had to flee and hide herself for a crime she never committed because everyone kept pointing the accusing finger at her without a thought about her own wellbeing.They…those she called friends and family had wanted nothing to do with her and abandoned her when she needed then most. Granted, she had made some mistakes and terrible choices. But she was also human. Humans deserved some compassion no matter the situation because they were fickle creatures. No one had ever thought twice before hurting her with their words and actions. From her mother, to her brother and down to her best friends.Now here she was, in a strange man’s tinted glassed range rover, driving away from Frostone City, the place she had called home for the past five years. She was tucked into the back seat, hidde
Celine had lived a wealthy and privileged life before things went bad after the accident. She had worn the best clothes, gone to the most expensive schools and visited exquisite resorts for holidays. Yes, she came from a wealthy background. But compared to the Herringbones, she might as well had been nothing.That was the cause of her anxiety. What would they think of her? Williams had not had time to inform them about her arrival at the house, so she didn’t know what kind of reception she was going to receive. The Herringbones were in for a surprise, that was for sure.Sticking close to Williams, she had to keep her lips tight together to prevent herself from gawking at the things she saw. From the golden statues flanking the sides of the vast hallway to the priceless paintings on the wall. Old money, she had to remind herself. Williams grandfather had been one of the pioneers of the country and had founded the Diamond Empire that his grandson inherited. Nothing was beyond the reach
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Williams? You’ve been all over the news since last night and you only just show up now? That’s not good press for the company.” Ferdinand thundered the moment Williams took a seat at the table.It was a small oak table that could sit five, and presently all the seats were taken. Champagne flutes were already filled with rich wine, meaning that the meeting had already been going on for a while.Williams took this all in quietly, his eyes passing from one face to another. None of them looked particularly happy to see him.“I’m talking to you, young man. You can’t just disappear like that and show up without an explanation. That is incompetent behavior the company would not—”“It is my company.” Williams stated.Ferdinand gave him a look of unbelief. “What did you say?”“The company belongs to me, father. I of all people know the worth of the Diamond Empire and will never do anything to jeopardize it.”Ferdinand let out a breath and glanced to the person
“Uhmm…we are not going up the stairs, are we?” Celine had to ask. The twin marble stairs rose up before her like an endless rise to places she would never reach. Intimidating was the word to describe them.Ricco gave her an amused look. “Sure we are. That’s where Sir Williams’s wing of the estate is.”Unease settled into Celine’s stomach. She’d felt anxious ever since her encounter with Alicia, Williams’s fiancé and the queen of the castle in her own right.Ricco observed her face before understanding dawned over his own.“You must’ve met Alicia Darlings already.”Celine blushed. “I didn’t mean to go snooping around. I was simply looking for you after Williams dismissed me. Speaking of Alicia, she didn’t seem particularly happy to see me, and I understand that. I don’t want any other confrontation between us.”“Relax, Miss Celine. You are a guest of Sir Williams and you have as much right to be here as anyone else.”“It’s just that I don’t want to cause any misunderstanding between th
Williams made it all the way up the stairs to his wing of the estate before he stopped.Celine was somewhere up there, and he couldn’t face her in such a vulnerable state. The last time he had let his emotions get the better of him, he had planted a kiss on her lips. A kiss he couldn’t forget. He also couldn’t stop thinking of the way she’d felt between his body and the wall. Perfect. Alluring. Dangerous.He needed to keep a clear head around her. No love or lust something was needed. No emotions required except the desire to know her secret, to unravel her. He knew she was hiding something. The look on her face when he had asked her about her true identity was proof enough. He also had to know what her relationship was with Natasha.That was the chief reason why he had brought her to this estate. Nothing more or less. It wasn’t because he felt sorry for her. Certainly not because of the heat she ignited in his body whenever he saw her. He needed her safe until he had dug up everythin
Alicia stared away from his face as she tried to compose herself. Tried to regain her confidence, but Williams was not letting her off easy. “I’ve known you for almost a year now and we’ve been engaged for a couple of months. In all this time we have had no intimacy of any kind. We never spoke about being exclusive during our courtship but having sex with my older half brother is something I can’t tolerate.” Alicia shrugged. “It was just that one time—” “That one time at the hotels, his house, the estate, the club, the beach house…those one time?” “Did you pay someone to follow me and keep tabs of my actions?” “No, I didn’t have to do that. The two of you were not so secretive about your affair. People saw you together. People talk about such things.” Her face hardened. “Alright, we have been sleeping together for some time. And so what? It was just sex between us. Nothing emotional or deep.” “His wife and daughter would disagree to that, Alicia.” “I never seduced him. He appro