The Ghost Lords Bride

I'm Leaving

POV: Kesley

“Here’s your payment, Jess. Leave now, or stay back and face his wrath when he finds out you chickened out. Your choice,” I told her. Johns panic was evident.

“Mrs. Jonas, but… The car will arrive any minute to take her to the ghost Lord. If she leaves, how will I explain...” I looked up, my eyes sharp.

“Didn’t my husband tell me to ‘serve’ Leonardo Blackstone well?

I’m merely fulfilling his request.” Leo opened his mouth to object but decided against it, choosing silence. He had been sent by my father years ago to assist Zach with the family “business.” His loyalty lay strictly with the family code, leaving him uninvolved in his boss’s tumultuous personal life.

“You keep forgetting that I am Kesley Cross and your loyalty lies with me, Johnny, and not him. Trust me, I won’t make this complicated. I’m just stirring awake from a long slumber...” I extended my hand.

“Hand me the contract. Once the girl is gone, I’ll take her place.” I told him. He handed over the document without a word. I skimmed the terms quickly. Meeting Leo tonight: three million. Successfully bedding him: an extra five million. If I bore his child: ten million. And if I managed to become Mrs. Leonardo Blackstone… I would gain ten percent phantom equity in the entire Jonas family empire.

My fingers clenched the paper in a vice grip. Just few weeks ago, I had swallowed my pride, playfully asking Zach for a simple handbag I liked. He wasn’t home, but I called him just to ask for this bag. He had scolded me for being wasteful and lazy. He said the company was facing some financial crisis and there was no money for silly things like handbags.

“The heat on our shipments is intense, and all our money is tied up. A few hundred grand isn’t just pocket change, babe. Just be patient; we’ll sort it next time.” He told me. I guess the moment he turned away, he sneered to his friends over drinks,

“Women are so shortsighted. All they do is reach out their hands and beg.” He mush have had such a good laugh at my expense. He spends millions of our money on his mistresses, and I couldn’t be allowed to have one stupid handbag?

“Add the divorce agreement to this before I sign.” I told him.

“The divorce agreement?

What divorce agreement?” he asked, shocked.

“Oh, come on, Johnny, I’m not stupid. This marriage has been a prison for him too, and he’s always threatened me with a divorce. Are you saying all the while he threatened me with a divorce, he never actually prepared and filed a divorce agreement?” I asked him, reading his reaction.

“No... I mean, Yes... But...”

“No buts... He cheated, and we had a prenup before marriage, remember?

I’m leaving him, John, and I’m taking everything that belongs to me. Now send him the damn contract to sign!”

“No, Please think about this carefully Mrs Jonas, he’ll never let you take the...”

“The what?” I asked him, glaring daggers at him. He wanted to argue more, but the look on my face suggests otherwise. So he sighed weakly and tapped on his device, merging both documents.

“Before you do this, I want you to know that Mr Zachary Jonas is a very dangerous man and you won’t want him as an enemy. Are you sure about this?” he tried one last time. Without hesitation, I signed the contract, ignoring John’s face that showed concern.

“Mrs. Jonas, this contract… it requires the Boss’s personal signature to be valid. If he doesn’t approve it, I can’t assist you...”

“Call him,” I commanded, my voice oddly unwavering. He hesitated, try6to talk me out of this. But I’m determined to meet the ghost Lord tonight. So he dialed Zach’s number. Anxiety carried over in the silence as my heart thumped loudly. Five years together; denying any vestiges of affection would be a lie. I even foolishly hoped that seeing my name on the document might evoke some regret in him, that he would abandon Nora and rush back to stop me.

But he didn’t...

His husky voice crackled through the line, “Damn it, do you really need a signature right now? Are you that clueless, of what use are you to me?

You and everyone related to the Cross empire are useless to me. I’ll have the boys break your legs for being so senseless!” he rasped over the phone. Johnny took a deep breath, explaining,

“Boss, the contract involves a large asset transfer, and the ghost Lord won’t give us a second chance if we fail tonight. You have to sign it personally.” He said.

“The car is already at the intersection. The delivery must happen tonight.” He added, not mentioning me or Jess. Zach swore, the sounds of a woman’s flirtatious giggle in the background mingling with his curse words. Moments later, his ostentatious signature popped up on the electronic contract.

“Done yet?

All this fuss for something trivial! A piece of merchandise thinks she can climb up to the ghost Lord?

Keep dreaming! If you can’t finalize this tonight, just toss her to the boys for some fun. Don’t expect a penny!” he ordered. The last remnants of my illusion shattered. My name was clear on the contract, yet he hadn’t given it a single thought. He couldn’t even recognise my name and signature on the document. I’m pretty sure he has no idea what he just signed. I tapped send, signed the divorce papers, and sent them to John for confirmation and verification.

“Tell him to sign this one too,” I instructed, smiling to myself. Zach would soon find out that he’s not the only one who can plot and play games. John did as he was told. On the other end of the line, Zach’s cursing grew louder. Again, without even glancing at the document, he furiously scrawled his signature. A woman’s delicate, startled cry drifted faintly through the speaker:

“Zakie... be gentle... ah... I’m going to fall...” I squeezed my palm tightly, struggling not to curse and yell at that b***h, Nora. Damien’s voice was husky with lust,

“Guide it in yourself and sit down. Take it all!” he groaned in Pleasure, and just like that, the call was abruptly cut off, just like my marriage to him. My mind remained a blank slate until Johnny left the room and returned with a man he introduced as Keith. He pressed a burner into my hand and whispered to me,

“Call me anytime, and I’ll is there. And no matter what you do, keep the kids away from Zach and Nora. They will hurt your kids to get to you.” He advised, squeezing my hand softly. I smiled and nodded, and I also squeezed a cheque into his hand,

“If he blames you for this or if he tries to punish you for my mistakes. Leave and never look back.” I told him sternly. But he shook his head and said,

“Ill take whatever he brings my way, I’ll be here for you, I’ll keep an eye out for you, watch your back, just like I promised your father.” He said, a sad smile playing on his face.

“I’m happy you are taking this step, Ma’am Kesley. There is so much I wanted to tell you, so much you needed to know. But all that can wait... For now...” he said, refusing to let me go. I nodded and slowly pulled my hand away, walking away from six years of my life.

Six years we have been together, from courting to falling in love and our five years of marriage. I had never once checked Zach’s phone. I had never thought to stalk him or track his movements. Now that we were suddenly divorced, I couldn’t quite process it. I trusted him, loved him wholeheartedly, even when he treated me like s**t. It wasn’t until I felt a chill on my cheek that I realized I was crying. I wept as Keith led me from the club to a Rolls Royce with tinted glass and a customised plate number.

“Get in,” Keith told me as he opened the car door, shoving me in roughly. I got in and I was bit with a familiar scent. It’s a rare combination of sunshine and lavender, a scent I have never perceived on anyone in this city, except him...

He recoiled in shock the moment I got into the car, and he stared at me with curiosity and shock, as if he was seeing a ghost. Wait, ghost... Is he the ghost Lord?

Maybe he is the called the ghost Lord because he looks at people like someone that had just seen a ghost. I stretched my hand to formerly say hello, but he recoiled the moment our hands touched and he squeezed his eyes shut firmly, his hands folded firmly, too firm. I felt embarrassed, and I retracted my hand, sitting still before I’m thrown out of the car on my first day. He stayed that way for so long, even when the car zoomed off into the busy streets, he still didn’t speak to me.

“You’re the one Zach sent?” his deep voice resonated from in front of me after a few minutes. I lifted my head and peeked in his direction, avoiding close contact with him.

“Yes, I’m Kesley.” I said shyly.

“A... Ar... Are you the ghost Lord?” I asked him carefully, trying no to annoy him.

“Do I look like a ghost Lord?” he asked me, his face softening a bit as a small smile crept up his cheeks.

“What do you know about the ghost Lord?” he asked in a hoarse tone, the same way Zach had spoken to Nora a few minutes ago. The only difference is that Zack was f*****g Nora. But this cold stranger is just sitting here, talking to me. Then why is his voice so hoarse, and why is he sweating so much even with the car AC?

“I know that he is scary and mean, and he can destroy Zachary Jonas.” I responded, my mind drifting to the bastard I called husband.

“If you think he is cold and mean... Then they did you agree to come, were you forced to be here, is that bastard trafficking humans too?” he asked again, sounding different this time. He sounded mean, so mean.

“I have no Idea what he does, but I bet he’s trafficking humans too. He’s a f*****g i***t, but he didn’t force me to be here. I chose to do this, I want to be here, it’s my decision to be with the ghost Lord.” I confessed.

“Why?

Are you not scared you might get hurt?”