“Why?” May asked while looking at the drink in Stone's hand. "Why do you want me to calm down? What are you going to do to me?"Stone studied May's pale face. She appeared very frightened, and that was making him utterly powerless. He placed the glass on the table and sighed."I won’t hurt you, May," Stone said. "You don't need to worry about that. I might not be a good person, but I'm not a rapist."May blinked her wide eyes but remained still."Listen." Stone pulled a chair beside May and seated himself in front of her. He then leaned forward and rested his hands on May's knees.Stone could see that May's gaze shifted to his hands in surprise, but she said nothing."I always keep my promises,” he continued. “I've told you that I won't let anyone hurt you again and I will try my best. This… what I ask you to do is the best I can do right now. You can trust me or not, but it doesn't change the reality of what's happening. The man who owns the hotel is someone very dangerous, and I'm s
"Did Jet tell you to bring a sedative?" Stone asked."Yes. It's in my bag.""Get it," Stone ordered while reaching for May and putting her onto his lap."Wait— W-what are you doing?" May squirmed, though it didn't take much effort for Stone to hold her in his lap."I'm sorry, May," he told her. "But Jacob needs to work on his tattoo."May's eyes widened as she saw Jacob approaching again with a syringe in hand."What? N-no," May pleaded, shifting her wild gaze towards Stone. "Stone, please let me go. Don't do this. Please.""It's just a sedative. It'll only make you sleep and not feel any pain. I promise you'll be safe with me. No one will hurt you while you're asleep."Stone tightened his grip and nodded toward Jacob."N-no," May cried as Jacob began to administer the injection. "Stone, please, let me go."Stone didn't answer. He just held her and waited until Jacob withdrew the hollow tip from her arm."S-Stone... I... I..." She was starting to feel numb. Her head felt light like it
May woke up from the same bad dream and found herself in an unfamiliar dark room."Is this Hotel Starlight?" That was the first thought in May's mind.Taking a deep breath and clutching the blanket covering her chest, her eyes darted around while her heart raced uncontrollably. When she realized she was alone in the bed, she felt a little relieved."Don't worry. You're safe here, May."A deep low voice echoed from the corner of the room, startling May. She squinted in the darkness and saw the silhouette of a man, sitting in one of the chairs in the room. Stone Black.The absence of sunlight from the slightly open curtains told May that it was still dark outside.May winced, her arms felt sore and her eyes still heavy from the effects of the drug being injected.Along with her regaining consciousness, May remembered everything that happened before she passed out. How she managed to escape. How a man named Stone then took her to his house and married her. How the man then injected her w
"Do you also have a place like Hotel Starlight?"Stone fell silent for a moment. When he finally answered, his voice sounded calm and slow as if he was carefully choosing his words."I know many mafia families involved in prostitution and trafficking of women. I've seen it many times even from the people I considered allies. I'm not a hypocrite, May. I admit that I could turn a blind eye to many things. I'm not what many would consider a good person, but I have never been a part of that world. I hate rapists and those who force women to do what they don't want. Yes, I do own some casinos and strip clubs because it's the easiest way to make money without too much hassle from the police, but I can tell you that the women working there, all choose to be there. I never force them to work for me, and they're free to leave and quit anytime they want."May thought about what Stone said, and although she felt that strip clubs were just one step below brothels, she knew there was a big differen
May didn’t dream at all this time. Her sleep was deep and peaceful. The first in a long time.The first thing she felt when she opened her eyes was Stone's steady heartbeat in her ears and something heavy pressing on her thigh.May was about to raise her head when Stone tightened his embrace and said, "That’s just Otis. He doesn't like sleeping alone."With sunlight beginning to seep in through the curtains, May suddenly remembered what she had done last night. She had just forced a complete stranger to hug her. Not just for a while, but until morning!With a blush of embarrassment, May lifted her head.Her face felt even hotter as she observed the face of the man she had just married.She was scared and panicked yesterday, so she hadn’t paid much attention to the man the night before, but now that the storm of dust had settled a bit, she couldn't ignore how handsome the man was.He had sharp blue eyes and black hair that made him look intimidating yet captivating. With a clean-shaven
"H-hello."Upon hearing May's greeting, everyone suddenly stopped talking and turned towards her.The woman behind the stove even immediately turned off the flame and smiled at May.Stone set down his coffee cup and stepped towards May with a smile.“Hello,” Stone replied while reaching May’s hand and guiding her inside. “Let me introduce you to everyone. You remember Angelo and Jet from last night, right?" Stone pointed to the two men who were now smiling at her."Yes," May forced herself to return their smiles while suppressing the pain in her lips. "Good morning.""Good morning, May," Jet replied, raising his fork while Angelo nodded.“That’s Molly,” Stone continued to the blonde woman next to Angelo.The woman placed her hand on Angelo’s shoulder before smiling and stepping closer."Hi, May," she greeted, extending her hand. " I keep this place clean and tidy. Nice to meet you.""Hi, Molly." May shook Molly's hand gently. "Nice to meet you too."As soon as May let go, the middle-a
The sound of the doorbell made both of them turn towards it."That must be the doctor I called," Stone said, leading May out of the bathroom. "I'll tell her to meet you here.""The doctor is a woman?" May asked, looking up."I thought you might be more comfortable with a female doctor."Before May could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around Stone's muscular body and hugged him."Thank you for thinking about everything, Stone," May whispered.Stone returned May's hug and kissed the woman's forehead before stepping back. He then extended his hand and brushed his thumb against May's cheek."Alright, I'll see you after the doctor finishes examining you," he said before turning and walking out.May waited in the room anxiously. When the sound of a knock finally came from the door, she had to force her lips to stop trembling to be able to answer."C-come in."The door opened, and a woman stepped in. She was tall and slender, with gray hair tied in a bun.The woman smiled at May before c
Stone said thank you and hung up the phone. As he put his phone back into his pocket, he walked towards the balcony."Sorry for taking so long," Stone said when he finally stood beside his wife. "My brother called."May turned and blinked, staring at Stone's face."I didn't know you had a brother.""He's my cousin, actually.""Oh?""His name is Shadow, but we all call him Zade.""Stone and Shadow?" May asked, raising her eyebrows. "Quite uncommon names.""Just wait until you hear Shadow's little brother's name. We call him Sev, but his real name is Savage. Savage Black."May laughed until her wide eyes narrowed, making it more difficult for Stone to look away."Stone, Shadow, and Savage," May repeated. "Truly a mafia family. Are you close to each other?""Yes. Zade and Sev are like my own brothers. Maybe I can invite them here sometime. I could introduce them to you.""Oh... you don't need to do that, Stone," May replied, shaking her head. "You can stop pretending this marriage is som