“That child is mine. And so are you,” he commanded, his viper-green eyes pinning her in place.

Grace couldn’t believe that he—Carlos Benjamin, her new CEO and eight years her junior—was the father of her unborn baby.

“You can go back to that deadbeat you call a husband, or you can come with me and have everything.”

=====

For the last five years of her marriage, Grace Preston, 32, believed she was broken. She couldn’t have a child, and her deadbeat husband, Charles, never let her forget it, calling her useless while she worked tirelessly to fund his failed acting career. He didn’t just break her spirit; he shattered her trust by cheating on her with her own sister.

Heartbroken, Grace fled to her office late one night, seeking solace at the bottom of a bottle. She wasn’t alone. A beautiful, blond-haired man was there, nursing his own wounds.

He never told her his name, but he offered her a night of oblivion. Fueled by whiskey and a desperate need for revenge, she gave in to her darkest desires, pulling the willing stranger into her web.

In her drunken haze, she thought, “If my husband can have his fun, then so can I.”

She never worried about protection, convinced she was barren. Until a month later, when a positive pregnancy test trembled in her hands. Grace Preston, the ‘barren’ wife, was pregnant.

In a single night, the stranger gave her what Charles couldn’t in five years.
Now Carlos has made his claim, pulling her into a world of immense power and lethal secrets. Will Grace escape her toxic marriage only to be trapped in this captivating young billionaire’s golden cage? Or is trading one prison for another a mistake that will cost her more than just her heart?


"This should be simple enough," I said, brimming with self-assurance.


I peeled off my jacket, messed up my perfectly styled hair, and pushed up my sleeves to reveal the serpent inked on my forearm.


These moves were all part of my act—projecting that carefree, unthreatening bad boy image. A persona I'd perfected around family, friends, and especially women who caught my eye.


I snatched several pizza boxes from beside me and instructed Andrew, "Wait here while I go check on her. That crazy bitch better not have done anything to Grace or the baby."


I stepped out of the car and made my way directly to Grace's building.


Through the rearview mirror, Andrew watched me walk away, muttering, "Wonder if you'll stick to your plan, boss. Something tells me you're the one who's gonna get torched."


Chapter 36 - Chapter 36 The Serpent At Her Door