His fingers hovered at her lips powerful, possessive, and utterly inescapable denying her the kiss.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… you don’t do this,” his voice rumbled deep, the words carrying a weight that was equal parts warning and command.
It was terrifying, magnetic, impossible to ignore.
Karen froze.
“Ah… I’m sorry,” she stammered, heat rising in her cheeks.
Fiona’s eyes widened, every muscle in her body taut, stunned by Manson’s sudden, unrelenting authority.
Manson stepped back, breaking Karen’s embrace, yet his hand lingered, cupping her chin with slow, deliberate possessiveness.
“Babe aren’t you done?” His voice was low, velvety, teasing, yet edged with danger.
“I don’t have much time to waste.”
Karen’s eyes shimmered, pleading.
“I’m done but you promised I’d spend the night with you.”
“Not today,” Manson replied, voice cutting off any hope with a casual finality.
Her hands lunged for his, gripping them with a desperate, trembling fervor.
“It’ll be impossible to get another chance with you!” she gasped, her voice quivering with need.
“Please just one hour, and I swear. I’ll take you to heaven.”
“Hahaha baby, you are so naughty,” Manson’s voice rumbled as his hands slid around her waist, firm and precise, drawing her closer.
“Mmmm… cousin, you really are such a bad boy,” Hazel interjected, her voice teasing, eyes flicking between them with playful mischief.
Fiona’s gaze snapped to him, sharp and accusing.
“Isn’t it a little alarming for a girlfriend to tolerate such reckless behavior?”
Manson’s eyes glinted, shifting lazily from Karen to Fiona and back again, each glance deliberate, like a predator savoring the hunt.
“Who is the girlfriend?” His voice was smooth, teasing, yet edged with something that made the air feel taut.
“Are you the girlfriend?”
Karen’s lips curved into a small, sly smile.
“No but I wish I were,” she breathed, her words carrying both playfulness and longing.
Manson’s smirk deepened, sharp and calculating.
“Oh, baby, you shouldn’t ask for what’s out of your reach, right?” His hands tightened around her waist, pressing just enough to make the intimacy undeniable.
Hazel and Fiona’s eyes couldn’t hide it every subtle movement, every teasing touch, radiated tension.
The room seemed smaller, heavier, charged with silent challenges and unspoken desire.
Every glance, every smirk, every word was a game, and Manson was playing to win.
At the same time, a Dior client advisor approached Manson with impeccable courtesy, her voice low and refined as she requested his card to process the purchases through the house’s exclusive billing system.
Manson moved with her to the counter, where the transaction was completed swiftly and without ceremony, luxury handled as a matter of routine rather than display.
Across the boutique, Karen’s eyes followed Fiona with barely concealed resentment, her stare sharp enough to cut through the polished calm of the room.
The tension lingered silent, heavy until Manson finally called them over, his voice breaking the moment like a blade drawn from its sheath.
The three women made their way toward Manson, heels whispering softly against the polished floor.
His gaze swept over them in a single, assessing glance and paused.
Only Fiona stood empty-handed, her arms bare, untouched by the evidence of indulgence.
A faint crease formed between his brows.
“Are the pieces in this boutique not to your liking?” he asked, his tone smooth yet edged with quiet curiosity as his eyes settled on her.
Fiona met his gaze without the slightest hesitation.
A composed, inscrutable smile touched her lips gracious in appearance, yet sharpened by restraint.
“I appreciate the consideration,” she said with measured poise, her tone impeccably controlled, “however, I must decline.”
“Your choice,” Manson replied, utterly unbothered. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
He slid an arm around Karen with effortless possession, then shifted his gaze from Fiona to Hazel, his expression turning cool and deliberate.
“Come to the house tomorrow after work,” he said evenly.
“There are matters we need to discuss.”
“Alright, Meaney,” Hazel answered, a teasing lilt in her voice.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
“I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Oh, cousin, you are mean,” Hazel shot back, her voice ringing with open exasperation.
Manson didn’t respond.
He turned away and walked off, his departure final and unceremonious never once sparing Fiona a backward glance.
“Arrgh—I fucking hate him,” Fiona snapped, fury ripping through her voice.
“I can’t wait to be completely done with this engagement nonsense.”
“Hey, calm down,” Hazel said quickly.
“He’s really not that bad.”
Fiona shot her a glare so sharp it felt like it could choke the words right out of Hazel’s throat.
“Ah babe, calm down, okay?” Hazel rushed, pressing her lips together before letting out an awkward sound.
“Manson can be a jerk sometimes, but if you actually get to know him—”
She stopped short, catching the dangerous flash of irritation blazing across Fiona’s face.
“…Right. I’ll just stop there.”
“Better,” Fiona snarled, the word dripping with barely restrained rage.
“Come here, girl. Let me drive you home, alright?” Hazel said softly, already reaching for her.
Hours earlier, Fallyn had called Alexander, her voice tight and urgent, each word carrying a spark of intrigue rather than worry.
She told him that Fiona had gone out with Hazel and might not return anytime soon.
Fiona, after all, never vanished without a trace, never left without saying where she was headed.
That old, meticulous habit made her sudden absence harmless, leaving them unshaken, their minds curiously unbothered by her disappearance.
Fallyn had already been seated in the car with Alexander for over two hours, while they spent the time together in quiet companionship.
Alexander shifted in his seat, his gaze locked on Fiona, but something in the calm precision of her expression made him hesitate.
She leaned back slightly, eyes glinting with quiet amusement, every movement deliberate as if measuring his reactions like a chessboard.
“You know,” Fallyn said softly, her voice a silky thread, “I could make you say anything right now if I wanted.” She paused, letting the weight of her words settle, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips.
Alexander’s throat went dry, and he swallowed hard.
“I… I—”
“Shh,” Fallyn interrupted, tilting her head, her eyes sharp and calculating.
“I want honesty, not hesitation. Look at me, Lexy. Really look.”
“You look incredible in those shorts,” he admitted at last, his voice low and earnest, the words sharper than he had intended.
“I’ve never, I didn’t expect—”
Fallyn’s smirk deepened, faint and lethal.
“Didn’t expect what?” she murmured, leaning just slightly closer, so that his words seemed to hang between them like fragile glass.
Alexander swallowed again, heart pounding.
“That you’d command this much attention. That you’d make me feel” His voice faltered, caught somewhere between awe and desire.
“Good boy,” Fiona whispered, almost a sigh, letting her words settle like a shadow.
Instantly, Alexander leaned in, intent on kissing her, his hands lifting to draw her closer but Fallyn’s palms flew to his chest, stopping him cold.
“Can you make Fiona fall deeper for you?” Fallyn asked quietly.
Alexander blinked.
“Uh, why?”
“Entangle her with you,” she murmured, her lips hovering dangerously close to his.
“Encase her heart in your love, and do not let her slip beyond your reach.”
His expression tightened.
“But she’s about to get engaged. Why should I continue this relationship when I’ve already been thinking of ending it so you could have me to yourself?”
Without warning, Fallyn shoved him hard in the chest.
“What bloody engagement?” she snapped.
“She was forced into it. There’s no love in that relationship, none.”
Her strength dissolved as quickly as it came.
Tears welled up, then spilled freely down her cheeks.
“I don’t want my sister to keep suffering,” she cried, wiping at her face with trembling hands.
“I don’t want her trapped in a loveless, unhappy life.”
Alexander’s breath faltered as he saw the raw pain in Fallyn’s eyes.
His heart clenched, tight and aching, as the weight of it hit him all at once.
“You’re the only one who has ever truly made her happy,” she whispered.
“And if that’s what it takes, I don’t mind sharing you with her.”
Silence fell over the car, thick and taut.
Outside, the night continued unbothered, but inside, the air crackled electric, dangerous, and entirely under Fallyn’s control.
Just then, they arrived at Fiona’s place.
She turned to Hazel, a soft, grateful smile brushing her lips, yet her eyes held a quiet resolve.
“Thank you, Hazel,” she murmured, her voice almost a whisper.
“I’ll see you at StarTalents Media on Tuesday.”
“Alright baby” Hazel replied
The two friends embraced tightly, lingering in the warmth of the moment before pulling away and exchanging their goodbyes.
Fiona stepped down from the car, watching as Hazel drove off, the tail lights fading into the distance.
Just as she turned toward the house, her steps faltered, her gaze locking onto a familiar car parked across the lane.
It sat there, engine humming low, silent waiting.
Like a dark sentinel in the fading light.
Inside, Fallyn and Alexander remained close, the air between them heavy and unspoken.
“Okay… I’ll do it for you,” Alexander murmured, his voice dipping, eyes darkening with intent.
His hands closed gently around hers, thumbs brushing over her skin in a slow, deliberate caress.
“But when are you coming to see me again? It’s been too long.”
“Soon,” Fallyn replied softly.
Alexander leaned in slowly, his gaze fixed on Fallyn’s lips as the distance between them melted away, his breath brushing softly against hers, just a whisper away from claiming her kiss.
Knock.
Both their heads snapped toward the glass.
And outside someone was already watching.