I woke up hungry and craving for pizza that floated around in my head. I opened my eyes and groaned but then drew in a surprised breath as I felt the wrap of a burly arm around my stomach. It followed the calm, warm breath that blew against my neck. Sebastian held me so tightly in his peaceful sleep, something he didn't do five years ago. We even had to sleep with a bolster separating my sleeping area from his. Even so, I still need clarification as to why he didn't just tell me to sleep in another instead of sleeping in his room. That's what I'm still curious about because he's so weird. I'll ask him about it later. I looked up at the clock that showed four in the morning and sighed in relief that it wasn't the middle of the night. If I wake up at that hour I should sleep again and wait for the morning. I untied Sebastian's arms slowly so he wouldn't wake up and then sat up slowly. My body was fit enough that my head wasn't spinning when I woke up. The bed moving, I looked back a

Sebastian. The morning air was cold on my skin. A strong wind whistles as it blows through the tall trees on this mountainside. The sun was just beginning to rise on this glorious Friday. My heart is pounding with adrenaline. Anticipation. The sound of his shout is like music to my ears. A glimmer of hope called out, telling me I was close to my destination. But even though I loved his voice, I didn't need it. I knew where he was because I set a trap. A week ago, my father called me to his headquarters in New York and told me to go hunting. But this wasn't the kind of hunting where you hang your kill on the wall as a trophy to impress others. No, this was the kind you let wild animals eat and then leave to rot after you've trapped the prey. I came into the clearing and saw a man named Piero lying on the ground. He looked up as I approached with my two men. His lips snarled, and saliva ran down his chin like a rabid dog. It seemed fitting that he was being tied up. "You!" Spit cam

"Let me take you back to Sebastian's arms," Kennan's exaggerated words made me glare. "Or do you want to hug me instead?" he grinned playfully. "Do you want to die?" I retorted sharply and walked back through the hallway to the ballroom. He walked beside me, strangely carefree and very relaxed. It seemed to be because of his pleasant personality. "Do you want to know the story of how you left Sebastian five years ago? It's fascinating." He offered. I shook my head. "No, thank you. I don't want you to tell me anything from five years ago." "Why?" he sounded disappointed. "Nothing," I replied, snorting. "Nothing matters anymore." I looked forward to where Sebastian was talking to the man I recognized as Kenneth, his best friend. His eyes immediately found me, even though we were at a distance. He looked at me with worry, as well as annoyance... I didn't want to know. I looked at Kennan and spoke, "Thanks for that. I'll make sure to come to Ivory." He smiled. "Glad to help you, mad

Sebastian: flashback."You can't marry her just because of Papa's offer," Sierra said lowly, her eyes looking at me seriously. "There's a woman's life that will suffer. I'm sure you'll be fine with it, but her? She'll be tormented being stuck with you." She continued.I snorted. "I can't refuse."Sierra scoffed. "You couldn't or didn't want to because the offer he made sounded tempting to your ears?" she quipped. "I never knew you were this power-hungry." "Maybe you don't know anything about me," I retorted, biting every word out of my mouth to get her to stop advising me. "I am indeed power-hungry. Can you leave now? Because I'm sick of you."Undeterred, she rolled her eyes. Like the Sanchez, Sierra was never afraid of anything. The danger, all the obstacles, grandfather's anger, father's anger—none of it ever bothered her. Like me, she can be smarter to counter threats. She won't be fragile. So, what can I expect her to do? Well, she'll leave happily when she's had her fill of maki

I don't know what I'm doing right now. Adrift in the uncertainty of my life, I didn't want to live my life continuously in the shadow of being my grandfather's tool to rise to power, being Sebastian's doll. My status as Ace's mother didn't strengthen me. It only oppressed me the same way it had five years ago. The difference now was that Sebastian used his soft and romantic tricks to trap me. I don't know why he bothered to pretend like that. I'm sure I wouldn't be fragile if he treated me like he did five years ago.I walked out of the hospital. Beside me was Sebastian, who hadn't let go of my waist. He hugged me so possessively. Earlier, we had to argue about him urging me to use a wheelchair when I didn't want to. It's not my legs that hurt. Only my head was injured, but it's fully healed. I won that argument by looking at him flatly for a few seconds. Sebastian couldn't argue with me. Instead, he was like this. His one hand had never moved from my waist since we walked out of the