Chapter 1
Note: The inner thoughts of people other than the protagonist are expressed in '' marks.
I slid a 1.5-million-dollar check across the table to Jackson Vance.
"We're breaking up," I said. "Consider this compensation for all the years you spent with me."
Jackson leisurely wiped his fingertips, not even bothering to look up at me.
Then he suddenly smiled.
It was a faint smile, yet it looked horrible.
He finally looked up at me, his eyes deep and unfathomable. "What's your stunt this time, Alison?"
*****
I was doomed.
He started smiling.
Having read the original novel a hundred times, I knew better than anyone. Jackson Vance, that lunatic, the more pissed he got, the softer his smile looked.
'OMG! He's not about to off me right here, is he? That's not how the story is supposed to go.'
On the outside, I looked totally unfazed, but inside, I was freaking out like a headless chicken.
If I didn't break things off with Jackson before the female lead came back, I'd end up as her stand-in, dumped in the ocean and forgotten. No way was I letting that happen.
That ridiculously handsome face in front of me looked like a death warrant.
I forced myself to stay upright, but my voice was shaky as hell.
"No stunt, Jackson. I've had enough," I said. "Honestly, what else do you have besides that pretty face and all that money? You're too dull."
'Yep, I'm a total gold-digging, two-timing bitch. Come on, hate me and kick me out.'
Jackson picked up the check with his long fingers, his touch cool and almost icy.
He didn't even bother looking at the check. His gaze stayed fixed on my face, like he was studying some intriguing artwork.
"Have enough?" Jackson echoed, his voice lifting at the end, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Dull?"
I nodded so hard that my neck was about to snap right off.
'Yes, I'm dull as hell. You are even worse. Our life together is way too boring. Let me go, and you can chase after your soon-returning dream girl.'
Jackson's smirk grew wider.
He rose to his feet, his 6'2" frame radiating an intense, almost suffocating presence, and began walking toward me step by step.
The air felt like it had vanished, leaving the room suffocatingly empty.
I was so tense that I could barely breathe. My back pressed against the cold sofa, trapped with nowhere left to run.
'What is he gonna do? Strangle me? Or drag me out? If I'd known things would get this intense, I should've gone with something subtler, like slipping some laxatives into his food.'
While my mind was racing, Jackson came to a halt right in front of me.
He leaned down, his shadow completely swallowing me up.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for whatever was coming.
But the violence I was expecting never came.
Instead, something cold pressed against my lips.
It was his fingertip.
He gently rubbed my lips with his fingertip, his voice deep and lingering, like the kind of whisper only lovers would share.
"Alison, your lips are trembling," he murmured. "Are you afraid of me?"
I snapped my eyes open, meeting his deep gaze.
There was no anger there, only a thick, almost smothering... pampering?
'Yup. I'm scared out of my mind. You are the maniacal villain who can crush bones with your bare hands and not even blink, okay?'
"I-I'm excited," I blurted out, scrambling for an excuse. "I'm so thrilled I'm finally getting away from you."
Jackson let out a low laugh, the sound vibrating right through me.
Without warning, he ripped the check to shreds right before my eyes.
The pieces drifted down like a tragic snowstorm.
My heart broke right along with it.
It was 1.5 million dollars!
"Sweetheart, this little move to grab my attention is pretty adorable," Jackson teased. "But I like it better when you're straightforward."
'Huh? Grab your attention? I'm literally trying to break up with you.'
I was completely lost.
Was this psycho's brain wired differently or what?
The next second, he gently lifted my chin.
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.
It wasn't wild or rough. It was gentle and soothing, his lips softly tracing mine, as if he was trying to calm me down.
I was completely petrified, standing there like a statue.
'Did I walk into the wrong scene? Shouldn't he be sending me flying with a slap and screaming "You crazy woman" right about now?'
When the kiss ended, he leaned his forehead against mine, our breaths tangled together.
"1.5 million isn't nearly enough," he murmured.
His warm breath washed over my face, his voice hypnotic and dangerously alluring. "Sweetheart, you're worth so much more than that."
He straightened up, pulled out his phone, and tapped away with a casual air.
My phone immediately chimed with a message.[Your account received a deposit of $3,000,000.00 at 14:30, January 5th. Current balance: $3,000,052.14.]
Three million?
I stared at the string of zeros, my eyes practically popping out of my head.
'Wait... What is this? Is he doubling the breakup fee? Is he trying to kick me out for good?'
A flicker of hope sparked in my chest.
Jackson seemed to read my mind. He ruffled my hair, his tone sweetly indulgent. "This is your allowance for the month.
"Don't mess around with those push-and-pull games anymore, alright?"
"Tell me what you want. If you want it and I have it, it's yours."
He grabbed his suit jacket, then dropped a soft kiss on my forehead.
"I've got a big meeting tonight. Carter will drive you home," he said. "Bye, sweetheart."
He turned and walked out, leaving me alone in a storm of shredded checks and a three-million-dollar bank alert, my brain completely scrambled.
What was going on?
Tried to dump him, and instead he stuffed three million in my account? How did that even make sense?
'This lunatic is seriously off.'