FLASH MARRIAGE; CHARMED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE CEO-Chapter 365: Every Man For Himself 1

Desmond sat alone in the dim corner of his bedroom, head bowed, and fingers trembling as they tangled in his messy hair.

His eyes were bloodshot and heavy as he stared blankly at the floor, wishing he could go back in time and rewrite his wrong.

His shoulders hunched, as though his guilt of his infidelity had grown teeth and was now gnawing into his bones.

The silence around him was deafening, filled only by the weight of his own breath and the echoes of his children angry voices.

"If only I could make things right. If only I never chose to betray you. If only I never let greed control me. I’m so sorry...." He wept bitterly whispering apologies to no one.

Harriet had long left the house with the kids after giving him a bitter taste of her anger and madness.

But before she left, she gave him an ultimatum.

He had the option of either betraying Matt and ending his toxic relationship with the evil gang or kissing their marriage and kids goodbye.

Desmond knew he couldn’t live without Harriet or his kids. He would do anything to earn their forgiveness and start life afresh if need be.

However, betraying Matt was unthinkable. It was like going after his own shadow.

Matt was a mindless brute, driven by instinct and devoid of mercy or reason. He had enough arsenal and manpower to extinguish an entire family.

Going against him was tantamount to suicide.

’How on Earth does Harriet want me to go against my vicious brother?’ Desmond lamented. ’I have been his accomplice for decades. I may not have spilled blood but I have given my approval.’

"What do I do?" Regret curled in Desmond’s gut, crippling his heart and drowning his soul.

The vibrating sound of his ringing phone forced him to snap his head upwards. He looked at the screen, his expression instantly turning grim at the sight of the flashing caller’s name. He hesitated briefly and decided to take the call.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Regina’s enraged voice echoed from the other end. "You must really have some nerves, Desmond, to ask that stupid question after what you and your wife did to us."

"Oh.. spare me the unnecessary bullshit and just go straight to the point. I have enough demons to battle already. I do not need to add you as one of them." Desmond barked, fury already burning at the disturbance.

"What!"

"You heard me." Desmond’s deep, ragged breaths seethed with barely contained rage. "If you had played your part well in calling your sister to order, none of this would have happened. Now because of you and your cursed sister, my wife has left me with our kids. I hope you are happy now."

A deep, twisted laugh rumbled from the other end like thunder from the pit of something vile.

"Oh Desmond, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into. Your wife has just made the costliest mistake of her life. But I won’t waste my breath explaining. Just tell me where the wretched b*tch have taken my sister to."

"Did you just call my wife a wretched b*tch?" Desmond slowly rose from the floor, his scrunched face, a mask of fury– like a beast ready to strike.

"You heard me right. Now tell me where my sister is or I swear, I will rain on you and your miserable family like the holocaust." Regina threatened, screaming at the top of her voice.

Desmond’s left fist clenched, and his gaze turned bloodshot. His nostrils flared, and steam seemed to puff out from both his ears like an electric kettle on heat.

"Now you listen very carefully, you miserable whore, you have just crossed the line. You just made a terrible mistake by underestimating me."

Desmond pointed menacingly as if Regina were standing before him.

"The next time you call my wife or kids names, I will hunt you down and strangle you with my bare hands. As for your wretched sister, I do not give a crap where she is. She wanted to be known. Now, let her deal with the consequences of her actions. And one more thing, do not ever call my number again, you filth." He ended the call, seething.

"I think it’s time to make a decision." Desmond glared at his phone blankly for a few seconds and decided it was time to change the narrative of his story.

-

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According to the old saying, hell has no fury like a scorned woman.

Pearl thought she could easily take another woman’s husband without facing any consequences.

After all, Regina did it and succeeded. Why couldn’t she?

But unfortunately for her, she picked on the wrong tigress.

Not only did Harriet’s thugs ravage her like a public toilet, but they also tortured her and left her for dead in an old uncompleted building in a strange neighbourhood.

If it hadn’t been for a kind, homeless man, who found her the following day, lying naked and bruised on the cold concrete floor, she would have died.

After clothing her and attending to her bruises, the homeless man offered her sanctuary and his food.

But with limited resources, he could only afford some mild aspirin, which only scratched the surface of her pain.

Now seated on the rough and unplastered floor of the uncompleted building, eating cold, stale pizza and listening to the homeless man’s pathetic story, Pearl wallowed in self pity.

Her mind was ravaged by guilt and tormented by memories of her actions.

"Please, Onyx, where can I get a cell phone. I need to make an urgent call. I’m sure my sister must be looking for me right now." Pearl pleaded amid tears, unable to swallow any more bites from the horrible-tasting pizza.

"But you are not strong enough to walk, Pearl. Your body is still covered with bruises and cigarette burns. I do not have a cell phone and a pay phone is over five miles away. Moreover, it will soon be sundown, and this neighbourhood is very dangerous at night."

"Why don’t you help me make the call? I promise I will pay you handsomely. You can use the money to start living afresh and rent a decent accommodation away from this place."

"But what about you and the men who did this to you?" Onyx asked, staring at her pitifully. "If you go back, won’t they come after you again?"

"They won’t. I promise. Just help me go out and call my sister. I need proper medication and warm food." Pearl groaned with each movement.

"Okay. Give me your sister’s number." Onyx stood up, searching through his pocket for some coins.

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