My Tough Armor

I, Calista Summers, have been in a secret relationship with Vernon Grayson, the boss of the biggest mafia organization in Merdico for five years.

To others, Vernon is the epitome of a perfect gentleman, cold yet aloof, attractive yet abstaining from women. With a net worth in the tens of billions, he holds a lot of power. He has also kept himself scandal-free since the start of time.

However, not many know that I am his only exception.

I am the team captain of the cheerleading squad at Duke City College. I am known to be brave, straightforward, and passionate about everything.

Vernon is a whole decade older than I am. He is mature and dangerous, but those are the exact qualities that draw me to him every time.

He always lets me rest my head in his lap while in the back of his limited-edition Rolls-Royce, kisses every inch of my body before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, and takes my breath away in hidden toilet cubicles at major public charity galas.

And every time, he's so gentle with me that I keep mistaking his doting on me as his love for me. Yet, he can also get cruel and merciless with me, making me beg and whine at his mercy.

As for me, I was really falling for him because Vernon never lets any other woman get close to him. He chooses me every single time, and I believe that's what true love is.

However, things change when his first love, Samara Horton, returns from Urop.

Vernon starts showing me his cold, aloof side that leaves no room for argument. He stops being gentle with me, his mask falls away to reveal his true colors, and he no longer treats me as his equal who shares his world.

At that moment, I finally realize that I am nothing more than a dirty secret he needs to keep hidden from the rest of the world. I am but a pawn that he can easily cast away at his convenience.

I choose to put an end to our secret relationship altogether.

I leave, taking nothing of his with me except for the baby in my womb.

The baby is his heir, but he doesn't even know that he exists.

Today was my last date ever with Vernon Grayson.

As usual, he hugged me from the back after we did the deed and gently nipped my earlobe with his lips. His fingers traced over every inch of my exposed skin beneath him.

His voice was low and sultry as he referred to me by my nickname.

"Callie…"

I felt like I was about to fall for him once again when I heard him. I dearly wanted to believe that this was true love.

I used to think that a person would have to be very deeply in love with someone else for them to be so gentle and patient with them in bed. I also firmly believed that his self-control