Chapter 126

Chapter 126 “I... I’m a masochist. My pleasure comes from pain, so whenever we have sex, I tell him to do this to make me feel good.”

Silence fell over the room. Zeke stood frozen, so shocked that words escaped him. Millie’s face was filled with shame, but was it because she was lying—or because she was telling the truth?

Francis stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Millie his mocking gaze never leaving Zeke.

“Are you satisfied now? Feel good about yourself, making her confess something she’s ashamed of?” he sneered.

The grating sound of Francis’s voice snapped Zeke out of his shock, and he spat, “You’re a fucking liar! I saw those bruises myself. They weren’t playful bruises. Millie would never ask for something like that.”

Francis scoffed, his voice laced with contempt. “Apart from the fact that our bedroom business is none of yours, you didn’t hear it from me–you heard it from her. She’s into rough and kinky stuff when we’re intimate. Didn’t you see how hard it was for her to admit it? Why keep humiliating her?”

Zeke was still not convinced, turning to Millie with pleading eyes. “Millie, you don’t have to be scared to expose this bastard. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to-”

“What do you want me to say, Zeke?” Millie cut him off, her frustration spilling into her voice. “Haven’t you done enough?”

“See?” Francis grinned smugly, pulling Millie closer and kissing her forehead, leaving a smear of blood where his lips had touched. “Look what you’ve done. You made my girl cry.”

He brought a hand up to Millie’s face, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Babe, I know how much your kinks embarrass you but I want to tell you again that it doesn’t matter to me. I love you all the same and will always do so. Don’t mind this idiot.”

Zeke clenched his fists, feeling conflicted. He wanted to believe he was right–that Millie was only trying to protect this creep. But if she was telling the truth, then it meant he had humiliated her in front of everyone, all for something that should have remained private.

He took a step closer. “Millie, I-”

“Go,” she whispered, her voice shaky but clear as she wiped the tears from her face. “Please, just go, Zeke.” His heart heavy, Zeke nodded awkwardly before turning and walking out of the bar, his mind reeling. Could he have been wrong? And if not, why would someone like Millie stay with a guy like Francis?

စာအ The next day, in her office, Luisa was on the phone. “Please keep an eye on logistics. We need to ensure we’re working with the most reputable transport company. No delays or inefficiencies will be tolerated. Okay, thank you.”

She hung up and sighed. The day had barely begun, and she already felt exhausted.

A knock came at the door before her secretary entered. “Luisa, someone’s here to see you.”

Luisa frowned. “I told you I couldn’t take any appointments today, Mary. What’s this about?”

“I know, and I told him, but he said you might change your mind if I gave you his name.”

“Who is it?”

Chapter 126 +25 BONUS B “It’s me,” a familiar voice called as Alden peeked his head into the office behind the secretary.

“Alden...” Luisa breathed, her stomach flipping like it always did when she saw him. She turned to her secretary.” I’ll see him.”

Nodding, the secretary left as Alden stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He wore a charcoal grey suit, tailored to perfection, accentuating his lean, muscular frame. (1)

Luisa stood up, warning the butterflies in her stomach to stop behaviour like idiots, but it wasn’t much help Alden, why are you here?” she asked, doing her best to sound casual, though her voice wavered. How could one man be so attractive?

“We need to talk. It’s important,” he said, his tone serious Luisa’s heart fluttered, a mix of hope and apprehension rising. She smiled, “Oh? What about?”

He paused, his eyes dropping to the floor for just a second before meeting hers again. “It’s about Clark.”

The butterflies in Luisa’s stomach vanished, replaced by a sinking feeling in her chest.

“You mean Thalassa,” she said, trying to mask the bitterness in her voice. Why had she allowed herself to think he was here for any other reason other than to do Kris’s bidding? She should have known better.

“I’m sorry, but I’m very busy today as my secretary told you.” she said, her voice colder than she intended.

She turned back toward her desk, pretending to organize her papers to hide the tremble in her hands.

Alden cursed Kris silently, hating that he was forced to do this. He’d known how disappointed Luisa would be. She would think he was only using her–again. But since Thalassa had blocked all ways by which Kris could speak to her, this was the only alternative.

“I know,” he said, his voice softening. “And I’m sorry for interrupting your work. But this is important.”

“If you’re here to rehash whatever Kris said about Clark the other day, don’t bother. I already know everything. It was pathetic, using Clark’s painful past to discredit him,” she snapped. “And I can’t believe you’re defending Kris, even after what he did to our collection. It was mine too, you know.”

“Luisa, I can vouch with my life Kris had nothing to do with that sabotage.”

“You’re his friend,” Luisa shot back, her voice cold.

Alden winced, feeling a sharp pang in his chest. Did she really think he’d lie to her? “Yes, I am his friend, and that’s why I know he would never do something like that. He’d never hurt Thalassa. It would be like hurting himself. That’s how much he loves her.”

Luisa let out a bitter laugh, turning her back on him to face the window. “Please don’t talk to me about his love when all he’s done is hurt her.”

Alden sighed, realizing this was going to be even harder than he’d anticipated.