mention of previous sexual assault

KIMBERLY

been the world's most powerful weapon.

People who had access to information would be able to hold it over the subject with such force, it was paralyzing. Knowledge gave people power, and with that power, they could do anything.

It was fitting for me to be here, wearing an outfit resembling the one I wore on my eighteenth birthday, ready to finally use the information I was subconsciously storing for years.

I should've known sooner.

Ever since our phone call with Addison, I had been mentally chastising myself for not remembering the power I had over him sooner, the power he practically handed to me.

"Are you ready?" Jace asked.

I haven't told anyone about what I knew yet. I was waiting for the right moment. And Jace trusted me enough to let me keep this to myself for now.

The second I got off the call, I contacted one of my connections who owed me.

Was it the most legal connection? Not really. But sometimes, you need to play dirty against those who played dirty first.

If fighting fire with fire makes their world burn, I had no problems doing it.

"Yep," I lied. It was a loaded question. A part of me was still holding onto the memories of the powerless girl I was. The one who kept her mouth shut because she was told to.

It didn't matter that I had the folder with all the blackmail I could get on him. I was still scared.

"Venus," Jace called out. "Don't lie to me. If there's anyone who could scare a man shitless, it's you. And I'll be by your side the entire time."

I didn't respond. I mean what could I possibly say to that. Instead, I hugged him, pouring every ounce of gratitude in me onto him.

It was overwhelming how much I felt for him. Spending so long repressing it, only made it explode brighter.

Using his hand for support, I let him guide me into the meeting room where everyone was sitting, waiting to start the emergency meeting I called last night. The board members were around the table, some with confused expressions and others with indifference.

Dad and Alex, now being board members, were also there, giving me a supportive smile. I told them about the subject of the meeting beforehand, but that was it.

I knew their hearts would break if they found out what happened.

"Thank you for joining us for this impromptu meeting," I started, taking a seat. "As some of you may suspect, there is a traitor within our company who has been feeding information about our moves to Laurent."

Murmurs started around the room as people started guessing who it was and why they'd do that.

"I'm assuming you suspect it's one of us," Dr. Adebayo stated rather than asking.

I gave a half-hearted nod. "Well, I wouldn't be here, saying something, if it was merely me suspecting. I am here because I have vital information about their identity."

"Then who is it?" Andrew Nguyen—one of the board members from Kingston Industries—asked frantically.

"I'm getting to it," I whined. "God, doesn't anyone have an appreciation for theatrics?"

Jace chuckled next to me, shaking his head. "Kimberly," he trailed off in a half-hearted warning tone.

"Fine," I caved before turning to my victim. "Markus Farrell, I suggest you fess up and keep the sparse remnants of your dignity alive."

Everyone's eyes shot over to the man in question who sat there, gaping like a fish. "How dare you? Do you know what you're accusing me of, girl?" He seethed, turning the same shade of red as my outfit.

"Watch how you speak to my daughter, Markus," Dad warned. "You're on thin ice." I shot him a grateful look.

"Watch myself? I'm the one being accused of betraying a company I've been loyal to for over twenty years by a drug addict," Markus retorted. "Who knows what she still has in her system? It hasn't been that long since she was off doing who knows what."

Bingo.

I would be incriminating myself with the next part, but I didn't mind. The sake of the company was more important. "Considering no media outlets reported my relapse, the only conclusion I could come to is you stalking me, creep. But, given your history, that wouldn't be too far off."

I slid the manila folder to him, watching his face blanch as he read the contents. "How..."

Farrell was blubbering like an idiot, looking at me with rage in his eyes.

"I wouldn't test me, Markus," I replied coolly. "As of nine in the morning, that file has been sent to a friend of mine who happens to be a journalist at one of the top news companies in America. Being the gracious person I am, I'm still giving you the option of being escorted out of here with your dignity intact."

Right on cue, two police officers walked in, ready to take him away from here.

"You don't know who you're messing with," he seethed.

I feigned fear. "Oh my god, I'm so scared."

He made a move to lunge at me, but before he could reach, a powerful arm pushed him away. "I don't care whoever the fuck is here, touch my wife, and it'll be the last thing you do."

Markus directed his anger at Jace. "Why would you defend that drug-using whore?" The word brought back the memories that led to this moment, temporarily freezing up my body. "Everyone in this room knows the marriage is fake."

He had a point. We could keep up the pretense of being a strong, loving couple to the public, but here, we didn't have the same effectivity.

"Read my lips," Jace seethed. "You say shit like that about my wife, and I will cut your fucking tongue."

I placed my arm on Jace's, silently telling him to stand back so he doesn't do something he'll regret.

Before the officers could take Markus away, I leaned forward the whisper in his ear. "I'm not the helpless girl you thought I was. I want you to remember that when I become the one to send you to jail for all your crimes."

His throat was bobbing, indicating he knew what I was talking about.

The adrenaline was surging through me, reminding me I needed to get out of there before the overwhelming experience and memories rendered me useless.

Without another word, I bolted out of there, the sounds of people calling out to me being drowned out by the pounding in my ears.

I left Jace's office door open as I took deep breaths, leaning against his desk. His loud footsteps hit the ground as he got closer to me, pulling me into a hug.

"Hey," he soothed. "You did it."

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I know."

"Is everything okay?" In your arms, how could they not be?

I nodded again. "Yeah, just overwhelmed. Why is it that you can be underwhelmed and overwhelmed, but you can't ever just be whelmed?"

He shook against me in silent laughter. "There's my Venus."

"Kimmy," Alex's soft voice called out behind Jace, causing me to open my eyes to see the audience. I pulled away when I saw our dads standing there with a soft smile on their faces. "You did great."

"Thank you." I smiled. "The folder was the main character though. She did all the work."

"What was in it?" Dad asked, settling on the couch.

"Uhh... just evidence of them meeting together privately, financial records of the money Farrell accepted, and..." I trailed off, not wanting to say the last part to the suspecting eyes.

Jace crossed his arms. "And what?"

Telling them would finally give me closure about the events on the night of my birthday, but I was still scared about how they would react.

"Promise you guys won't overreact," I asked them with raised brows.

Jace shot me a look. "I promise I won't react disproportionately to the situation."

Good enough...

"Testimonies," I admitted. "From young girls that both Gregory Laurent and Farrell sexually assaulted... including mine."

"What?" Jace asked dangerously as Dad shot up from the couch.

I gave them both 'calm down' looks. "It's how I figured out their partnership. At my eighteenth birthday party, Farrell forced himself onto me, putting his hand up my skirt. I fought him off, and he called me 'a feisty whore who craves attention'. When I threatened him, he told me that no one would believe a girl like me."

"A couple hours later, I was cornered by Greg Laurent. He repeated—almost verbatim—what Farrell said. I should've figured it out then, but there was too much going on in my head. He was almost successful with it before Mar"—I stopped myself—"before he was stopped." I continued, despite the shakiness in my breath. "Apparently, a lot of other girls were also assaulted by them."

"They're dead men walking," Jace seethed, heading for the door being followed by Dad.

"Slow your roll, testosterone junkies," I lamely joked, grabbing onto my husband's arm. "This is the best type of revenge I could get on them. I don't need you two to go all macho-man on them."

"They deserve worse," Dad argued.

"I knew they were fucking disgusting," Alex muttered, curling his hands into fists.

He cursed for me? I mean, it wasn't for me, but the fact that he cursed touched me more than it probably should have.

"I finally got my closure by myself," I explained. "Seeing them rot in jail is going to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. My only regret is not exposing them sooner."

It was true. Finally telling Dad about what happened gave me a strange sense of serenity. At the time, he was the person I was scared of telling the most in case there was truth behind their words. But seeing how much he cared was endearing.

Overwhelmed, I pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry I never made you feel comfortable enough to tell me," Dad whispered into my hair.

I wrapped my arms around him even tighter. "It wasn't your fault. But thank you. Thank you for listening to me and believing me."

♕♕♕

A few days have passed since the meeting. In the time since, the article about Markus and Gregory was published and the two of them have been under intense public scrutiny.

More evidence and material was being gathered for a trial against them. It was difficult since a lot of it was covered up with money, but the sexual assault and murder allegations weren't going to be taken lightly.

Every time they popped up on the news, I'd let out a maniacal laugh causing Jace to look at me like I was a possessed woman.

But I couldn't help it. I was glad that I played a part in this.

I had just finished my shower, slipping on a fluffy bathrobe while waiting for my hair to dry. Alex, Effie, Gigi, and Ana were coming over for dinner tonight for a more intimate dinner to establish a better relationship between them and Jace.

I decided to keep things simple with the white dress that was laying on my bed and my natural hair.

The smell of Jace's cooking filled the air as I made my way downstairs, a slight bounce to my step. I couldn't help the fact that I was feeling happy without the use of an artificial substance.

It was foreign but welcoming.

"Whatcha' making?" I came up behind Jace, trying to peer over his broad shoulders.

He turned his head, smiling at my smile. "Pasta. It was the first thing Ma ever taught me to make so it made sense to make it for tonight."

"Are you nervous?" I asked, leaning against the counter next to the stove.

He paused for a second, contemplating. "I don't think so." He huffed. "This is my first time having dinner with only them since the first time Alex introduced us."

"How did that go?"

"Terribly," he snorted. "I was still so angry about everything. We just sat there in silence for an hour."

"If only I was there," I teased, booping his nose. "You're lucky I'm here this time."

He raised his brows playfully. "More like ill-fated." Jace's tone became sincere as he turned the stove off and faced me. "Is everything okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

His arms trapped me against the counter as he leaned in closer. His eyes were focused on the smile gracing my face as he bit his bottom lip. Surprisingly, there wasn't any arousal swirling between us. It was something different... lighter.

Jace and I were so used to this burning passion when it came to each other, but lately, it's been more of a deep hearth... stable and welcoming. It felt like coming home.

"You just look more... radiant," he whispered.

I wasn't one to easily blush, but when Jace looked at me like that... said stuff like that, my body felt like it was on fire.

"Be careful, or you might start saying that I'm the goddess rather than the planet."

He chuckled deeply and a part of me wished it was easy to bottle up sounds and play them forever. I was really falling hard and fast and I couldn't be more terrified.

Maybe... I could try. Try to be better for him.

"Get over yourself," he joked. "Hubris is the downfall of man"—I punched his arm—"Do you want to try some of the sauce?"

I nodded, watching as he dipped his finger in the sauce and brought it up to my lips. Keeping eye contact with him, I sucked in his finger, reveling in the way he was staring back. Like I really was the goddess, in his eyes.

His thumb came up to rub my lip, pulling it down and studying the way it moved and how soft it was. He was now impossibly close, his nose touching mine as his breath glazed over my lips.

They were a hair away from touching, when I said, "Wait."

Jace immediately pulled back, dismay clouding his eyes.

Did he actually think I was rejecting it?

I escaped from the safety of his arms, running upstairs like I was competing in the Olympics. The second I reached my vanity, I pulled out my lipstick, praying that years of experience would help me put it on rushed.

Thank God.

Even faster, I bolted downstairs, practically sliding down. His back was turned to me when I entered, but I immediately grabbed him by the shirt, turning him around and pulling him down by his neck. "You wanted red, remember?"

I didn't give him a second to respond, only doing the thing I spent way too much time thinking about lately.

With urgency, I placed my lips on his.

Just like there were moments you'd do everything in your power to forget, there were also moments where you'd do everything in your power to remember forever.

Kissing Jace falls into the latter.

He was momentarily stunned before reciprocating, wrapping his large arms across my back, enveloping me in the warm tranquility that was his aura. He didn't waste time in using his lips to travel across mine, mapping out every millimeter of the soft skin.

There was nothing tentative about how we were breathing each other in, it was months of pent-up frustration and tension turning into a battle for control and domination. And he wasn't going to give in.

Jace nipped at my lower lip... hard. The surprise of it had me gasping for air, letting Jace conveniently slip his tongue. The groan he let out sent waves of satisfaction through my nerves, letting me know that even if he had control, I was the one making it worthwhile.

It wasn't a battle between our tongues. Given the clashing of our personalities, it was easy to suspect that it would be. There was a gracefulness to how his tongue moved against mine, teasing me while still holding some of the control.

His arms pulled me incredibly close, the heat of his body overtaking the comfort of the robe. He hoisted me up, holding me up with one arm as the other wrapped my legs around his waist.

Through it all, our lips didn't move once. The need for oxygen was at the back of our minds as we became each other's source of air, syncing our breaths and heartbeats so we wouldn't have to pull away.

It's been so long since I've kissed someone, but I don't think I could ever go back from this.

I might just be addicted to kissing him.

My back reached a hard structure as Jace took his arm off my ass and moved it to trail down my thighs. In the time that my laps have been wrapped against him, the robe slipped off, exposing my freshly-moisturized skin and he was taking full advantage of that.

Suddenly, Jace pulled back, taking his warmth with him. The dizzying scent of him was fading, and I looked down at him to ask why, only to be stunned by the sight.

Jace was looking up at me with childlike stupefaction, a smile that can only be described as giddy gracing his face. The irresistibility of it had me smiling in the same manner.

"What's wrong?" I asked, breaking the silence he created.

"I feel like my heart's going to explode," he whispered. "I'm losing my mind, and it's your fault."

"Well, if it's my fault," I leaned in, breathing the words against his lips, "let me help you find it."

But I didn't want to help him find it.

If losing his sanity meant he was here with me, I'd happily keep it away.

***

why is writing kissing scenes so hard?

also, i wanna throw hands at the asshole duo.

as expected, there's more to come. (i'm so evil. like sign me up for therapy already.)

love, zia.