The billionaire's pearl

chapter 8

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KIERAN 'S POV

The penthouse was shrouded in suffocating silence, the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of a city he had conquered—yet today, it mocked me. I clenched my jaw, my reflection in the glass sneering back at me like an enemy. I looked like a man who had it all: the power, the money, the fear of his enemies. But right now, I felt like a weak, impulsive fool.

I slammed his fist against the glass, but the reinforced windows didn't even crack.

"Damn it!" I growled under my breath, pacing like a caged animal.

The woman—her scent still lingered on my skin, in my car, on my clothes. A stranger. A nobody. And I, the untouchable Kieran Delmonico, had let my guard down, allowed a crack to open in my perfectly fortified armor.

I should not have asked her to have a drink with me, but I stupidly did it, all because that man frustrated me.

I had woken up earlier before she did, but I just sat there, watching her sleep, tracing her lips with my eyes like some lovesick teenager, I still can't get her off my mind, her body was more than anything I had ever tasted, not to even talk about me being her first.

Pathetic.

I yanked my tie loose, throwing it across the room. my phone vibrated with reminders—meetings, calls, decisions. All critical. All expecting the ruthless, sharp Kieran Delmonico.

But I canceled them all.

One by one.

I needed to suffer today. I had to get her body off my mind, Because if I don't punish myself, it can happen again. And I couldn't afford that. I couldn't let weakness seep into my bones. Not again.

I've been sitting on my bed for a while thinking about a lot of ways to punish myself, I finally moved. Picking up my phone, my voice was low, grating.

"Marco," I barked.

"Boss."

"My car. I want it cleaned. Then torch it. I don’t want it in my sight again."

There was a pause on the other end. Marco knew better than to ask questions.

"Yes, sir."

I tossed the phone aside, breathing heavily, hands digging into my hair. The memories of her—her soft voice, the innocence in her eyes—kept haunting me. I clenched my fists tighter, nails biting into my palms until they ached.

By the time Marco returned hours later, I was done training and back on track, I had already freshened up and was back to my normal self

"Sir." Marco stood still, holding a small, delicate object in his large hand. "We found this under the seat."

It was a necklace.

Silver. Simple. Worn.

I stared at it as if it was a weapon. my first instinct was to throw it into the fire along with the car. But something... stopped me. my hand hovered in the air before I finally snatched it from Marco.

I turned it over, studying it. It wasn’t expensive. Not the kind of thing a woman would wear to seduce a billionaire. Which meant it was personal. Sentimental, and she wasn't sent.

Important.

"Sir what should we do," Marco said carefully.

I gritted my teeth.

"you can leave," I snapped.

Marco obeyed, leaving me alone once again.

I sat there, the necklace dangling from my fingers. I hated himself for what I was about to do. But the obsession had already sunk its claws into me.

I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

And now… I had something to find her.

I opened my private laptop, typing commands into a restricted database.

"If you want to play with fire, Kieran," I muttered bitterly to myself, "then let’s burn together."

The ruthless man inside me grinned darkly. She thought she walked away from me.

She was hell wrong.

_ _ _

The cab came to a halt with a soft jolt, its tires crunching against the gravel driveway. Maddie stared blankly out the window, her heart pounding like a drumbeat she couldn’t escape. The faint glow of the porch light flickered through the shadows, casting a halo around her best friend’s house. She had always found comfort here, always knew she could let go, but today was different. Today, she wasn’t the girl she once was.

She stepped out of the car with shaky legs, the weight of the night pressing heavily against her chest. She didn’t even bother to glance back at the cab as it drove off. The cold air bit at her skin, but it couldn’t numb the turmoil inside.

Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorbell. The familiar chime echoed through the air, followed by the sound of footsteps. A moment later, the door opened to reveal the woman who had been her rock through everything: Tasha.

Tasha's eyes widened at the sight of Maddie. She took in the brokenness in her posture, the tear-streaked face, and the way her clothes clung to her as if she had been wearing them for days.

“maddie?” Claire’s voice was soft but full of concern. “What happened? You look... you look like you’ve been through hell.”

"Did anything happen at the hotel" Tash asked

Maddie couldn’t answer right away. The words felt trapped in her throat, and her breath hitched with every sob that broke free. She stepped forward, and Tasha opened the door wider, instinctively pulling her into a warm embrace.

“What’s going on?” Tasha asked again, her voice now edged with worry. She guided Maddie into the living room, settling her on the couch as she crouched in front of her, her eyes filled with concern. “You’re scaring me, Maddie.”

Maddie sat there, her face buried in her hands as her body shook with silent sobs. Tasha didn’t push her, though. She just sat next to her, rubbing her back gently, waiting for her to speak. Maddie’s tears soaked through the fabric of Tasha’s shirt, but she didn’t care. She just wanted her best friend to be okay.

It felt like an eternity before Maddie finally pulled her hands away from her face, her eyes swollen and red. She took a deep breath, but the words felt impossible. How could she tell her best friend that she had slept with a stranger in a car, a stranger who had no name to her, whose face she could barely remember? How could she say it out loud, when everything inside her felt so broken?

Tasha gently cupped her cheek. “Maddie, whatever it is... you can tell me. You don’t have to carry this alone.”

And that was when it came crashing out.

“I slept with him,” Maddie whispered through the sobs. “A stranger. In a car.”

Tasha froze, her face pale as she processed the words. She stared at Maddie for a moment, as if trying to piece together the fragmented story in front of her.

“maddie... what?” Tasha’s voice was barely above a whisper, a combination of shock and disbelief. “Why? You’ve never... I mean, you would never—”

Maddie nodded, her tears flowing freely again. “I know. I don’t know what happened. It’s just... it felt like I had no control. I... I thought it would be a way to forget for a moment, but it was worse. I feel like... like I’ve lost myself.”

Tasha’s heart broke for her. She had always been the one to protect Maddie, to help her through every challenge, but this—this was something she hadn’t seen coming.

“Sweetheart,” Tasha whispered softly, pulling Maddie into her arms again. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. But you can’t punish yourself. You’re still you, Maddie. Don’t let this mistake define you.”

Maddie cried harder, her body trembling against tasha’s. “But I can’t... I can’t look at myself. I don’t know what to do. I’ve failed. I’ve ruined everything.”

“Listen to me,” Tasha said firmly, pulling back just enough to look her in the eye. “You didn’t ruin anything. You made a mistake, yes. But you’re not a failure. You’re not broken, Maddie. You’ll heal from this. I’m here for you.”

Amelia wiped at her eyes, her gaze still clouded with shame. “I just... I don’t want my sister to see me like this. I can’t let her know. I don’t want her to think less of me.”

Claire gave her a gentle smile, though her eyes were full of sympathy. “You don’t have to go back today. I won’t let you. You can stay here as long as you need to. I’ll go over to your mom’s friend’s house and check if your sister can stay there for now till you feel better. I’ll make sure she’s safe and comfortable, and she won’t know anything about this. We’ll take care of everything, okay?”

Maddie nodded, relief flooding through her as she realized she wasn’t alone. Tasha wasn’t going to leave her to handle this by herself.

“Thank you,” maddy whispered, her voice breaking. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Tasha said with a soft, reassuring smile. “You’ll get through this. And I’ll be right here, every step of the way.”

The two sat there in the silence of the room, the weight of the night still hanging over them, but somehow, Maddie felt a little lighter. She wasn’t alone. And for the first time in what felt like forever, maybe things would be okay.