Vera Stanford is bold, brilliant, and beautiful but her boyfriend only sees her size. Years of emotional abuse culminate in one humiliating night that sends her stumbling into the arms of a dangerous stranger. Michael Robb isn't just any man. He's a mafia king, feared and respected, in town on business when he saves a curvy goddess from the brink of danger and temptation. One steamy night of passion leaves a mark neither of them can forget. But when Vera disappears without a name, Michael is left with only a memory and her earrings. Weeks later, fate delivers her back into his world... as his personal assistant. She's pregnant. He's possessive. And neither of them is ready for the storm about to come.
Chapter 1 A Shattered Reflection
Vera Stanford stared at herself in the mirror, tracing the mascara-streaked path on her cheek with trembling fingers. Her curly hair framed her round face like a wild halo, her brown eyes glassy and puffy from crying. She had dressed in the wine-red lace bodysuit Edward once said he liked back when he still pretended to love her. Now she felt like a fool standing in their dimly lit apartment, humiliated and discarded like an old shirt he no longer wanted to wear.
From the other room, the sound of moaning bounced off the walls, growing louder by the second. Vera's heart clenched. Edward wasn't even trying to hide it. He had brought the woman home with him thin, busty, legs for days. A stripper, he had said. A real woman. The words had landed like a slap, but it was his smug grin, the way he looked her in the eyes as he walked into their bedroom with another woman, that broke her.
"You just don't do it for me anymore, Vera," he had said earlier that evening, his voice laced with disdain. "I'm a man with needs, and you... you're not exactly centerfold material, are you?"
She had swallowed her pride, tears burning behind her lashes. For years, she had been loyal loving him through his selfishness, his absences, his endless criticisms. She had hoped he'd change. She thought her love would be enough. But now, with the sound of bedsprings creaking and that woman's high-pitched giggle echoing through her home, Vera realized she had never been enough for him.
The humiliation was suffocating.
Her chest tightened as she grabbed her coat and purse, not knowing where she was going, only knowing she had to get out. She couldn't breathe in that apartment a second longer. The city lights blurred behind her tears as she stepped into the night. Cold air kissed her skin, but it was nothing compared to the icy numbness inside her.
The cab ride was a blur. She didn't even remember telling the driver where to go, but somehow, she ended up in front of a high-end nightclub on the city's elite strip. "The Crimson Room", the sign read in glowing red script. It pulsed with life and danger somewhere people went to forget. Somewhere she could drown the memory of Edward in loud music and liquor.
Vera walked in, head high despite the ache in her chest. The bass hit her in the stomach, lights flashing overhead like electric dreams. She made her way to the bar and ordered the strongest thing they had. One drink turned into two, then three. The room spun deliciously. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel the weight of being Vera Stanford's unloved, unappreciated girlfriend. She was just a woman trying to forget.
But the illusion didn't last long.
A man sidled up beside her, his cologne thick and his eyes predatory. He was older, wealthy by the looks of his watch and shoes, but slimy in the way he grinned at her like she was prey. She tried to brush him off, but he didn't take the hint. His hand grazed her thigh.
"I said no," she slurred, trying to stand, but her legs wobbled beneath her.
He grabbed her arm tightly. "Come on, sweetheart. You've been eyeing me all night-don't play hard to get now."
Her breath caught, panic setting in, but before she could scream or fight back, a shadow fell over them.
"Let go of her," a low, commanding voice growled.
The man froze.
Vera blinked up through blurred vision and saw him broad-shouldered, dressed in all black, his presence like a storm wrapped in silk. The man who had touched her backed away immediately, muttering an apology before vanishing into the crowd.
Vera stared.
The stranger's eyes met her dark, unreadable, powerful. His jaw was sharp, his hair slightly tousled, and his tailored coat hugged a body built from dominance. But it was his energy that pulled her in, that made her feel like she could collapse into him and be protected.
"You shouldn't be here alone," he said, his voice like smoke and thunder.
Vera wanted to say something but the alcohol hit her in a final wave and everything went black.
Chapter 1 A Shattered Reflection
21/04/2025
Chapter 2 The Stranger's Bed
21/04/2025
Chapter 3 The Night She Chose Desire
22/04/2025
Chapter 4 The Earrings She Left Behind
22/04/2025
Chapter 5 Two Pink Lines
24/04/2025
Chapter 6 CEO and the Secret
24/04/2025
Chapter 7 Hidden Heartbeats
24/04/2025
Chapter 8 The Almost Reveal
Today at 21:51
Chapter 9 The Confrontation
Today at 21:54
Chapter 10 The Kiss That Breaks Everything
Today at 21:57
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