Novel-novel oleh Queenquil

Chapter 21SelenaI rushed through the front door, my heart already pounding with a bad feeling I couldn’t shake.“Evan!” I called out, heading straight for the living room.Evan appeared from the kitchen, looking completely unbothered. “Hey, you’re home early—”“The dress,” I said, cutting him off. “Where is it? Did you pick it up from Chelsea’s place?”“Yeah, I picked it up hours ago,” Evan said, frowning. “Someone called me and said you dismissed early and needed it brought home urgently, so I went and got it.”My blood ran cold. “I never called you, Evan.”Evan’s face went blank. “What?”“I never told you to pick it up early,” I said slowly, watching the realization dawn on his face. “Someone called you pretending to be me.”Evan’s mouth fell open. “I… I thought it sounded a bit off but I just assumed it was bad reception and…” He looked genuinely horrified. “Selena, I’m so sorry, I never thought it was actually Serena….”“Where is she?” I asked, already heading for the stairs.“

Chapter 20Selena“What exactly are you planning, Serena?” I asked, crossing my arms and staring at my sister.Serena rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her new extensions casually. “I’m not planning anything, and I just wanted a new look, so mind your business.”“You copied my exact hair length the day before the Gala,” I said flatly. “That’s not a coincidence and you know it.”“You’re so paranoid,” Serena said, waving me off with a dismissive hand. “Not everything is about you, Selena, and maybe I just wanted to look good for once.”“You always look good,” I shot back. “So why now? Why today of all days?”Serena just smiled and picked up her phone, effectively ending the conversation.Before I could push further, Evan appeared in the doorway looking exhausted. “Can you two please just stop for one night? I’m begging you, and my nerves are completely destroyed from all this constant fighting.”I looked at his tired face and felt a pang of guilt, and I turned and walked upsta

Chapter 19Selena“Don’t worry about it,” Lucien said quietly, his voice still rough from our kiss as he looked down at the shattered portrait. “I’ve gotten over that phase of my life, but I kept the picture for memory.”His words should have reassured me, but I could see the conflict in his eyes, the way his jaw clenched as he stared at the image of his late wife.I knew he wanted more of me—I could feel it in the tension radiating from his body, could see it in the way his hands clenched at his sides like he was stopping himself from reaching for me again.But before either of us could say anything else, there was a knock at the door.“Alpha Lucien?” Rowan’s voice came from the other side.Lucien stepped away from me quickly, putting distance between us, and straightened his clothes. “Come in.”Rowan entered, holding a folder and looking professional as always. “Alpha, it’s time to prepare for the meeting.”“What meeting?” I asked, curious.Rowan didn’t give details, just looked at

Chapter 18LucienI dismissed the thought of Damon and his threats, returning to my chambers for the night.But sleep didn’t come easily.Instead, I lay in bed imagining Selena in all kinds of revealing clothes I could think of—tight dresses that hugged every curve, low-cut tops that showed off her cleavage, short skirts that exposed those long legs, sheer fabrics that left little to the imagination.I pictured her in the dress I’d given her for the Gala, imagined slowly unzipping it and watching it fall to the floor, imagined what she’d be wearing underneath.My hand moved down my body as the fantasies grew more vivid and intense, and I stroked myself while thinking about all the ways I wanted to touch her and taste her and claim her.The next morning, I came down to breakfast still distracted by thoughts of Selena, and I found Damon already sitting at the table with a smug expression on his face.“I’ve decided I won’t be around for the Gala,” Damon announced casually, cutting into h

Chapter 17LucienI loved the sight before me.Ever since that video had leaked, I’d been fantasizing about Selena constantly, replaying those images in my mind at the most inconvenient times, and now seeing her like this—flustered, exposed, trying to cover herself—she was even more seductive in person than she’d been on that screen.The torn fabric revealed smooth skin, and I had to grip the steering wheel tighter to keep myself from reaching over and touching her, from running my hand along that bare thigh and seeing how far she’d let me go.I forced myself to focus on the road and keep driving, but my wolf was howling inside me, demanding I pull over and claim what we both wanted.Finally, we reached her house, and I pulled up to the curb.Selena gathered her things and reached for the door handle, still trying awkwardly to hold the torn fabric of her skirt together.“Wait,” I said, reaching into the backseat.I’d been planning to give this to her tomorrow at the office, but now se

Chapter 16SelenaI wanted to go back and forth with Serena, wanted to throw her threats back in her face and watch her squirm, but I was too excited to argue and too happy to let her ruin my mood.I brushed her off with a dismissive wave and headed upstairs to my room, and once I was alone, I placed the invitation carefully on my nightstand where I could see it.The Annual Dignitary Gala, and I was going as Alpha Lucien’s plus one.I couldn’t stop smiling as I got ready for bed, and for the first time in weeks, I had a good night’s sleep with no nightmares and no anxiety, just dreams of what was to come.The next morning, I woke up early and got ready for work with extra care, choosing a professional but flattering outfit and making sure my hair and makeup were perfect.When I came downstairs, I stopped in my tracks at what I saw in the living room.Serena was standing there with a stylist an actual professional stylist with a rack of expensive dresses and a makeup kit spread out on

EMILY’S POV Inside my office, I sat at my desk staring blankly at my computer screen without seeing anything on it. The words blurred together into meaningless shapes as my mind kept replaying the scene from earlier over and over again. The man I’d slept with. Not once but twice. The man I’d argued with in meetings, the man I’d corrected and assigned tasks to like he was just another junior analyst. The man whose hands had been on my waist just yesterday, whose lips had been on mine, whose fingers had made me come apart in a hotel bathroom. That man was the CEO of the entire company. The CEO. Jace Callahan. How had I not known? How had no one known? And more importantly, what the hell was going to happen now? My stomach churned with a mixture of humiliation and dread. I couldn’t even bring myself to leave my office since the scene in the main workspace this morning. Every time I thought about walking out there and facing all those employees who’d witnessed everything, I

EMILY’S POV I grabbed Jace’s arm and pulled him slightly aside, dropping my voice to an urgent whisper. “Shut the fuck up. What are you doing? We’re both going to lose our jobs if you keep this up.” But Jace didn’t even look at me. His eyes remained fixed on Miranda with an intensity that made the air feel heavy. Miranda let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Oh, I see what this is. You must think because you have a pretty face you can sleep your way around here just like Emily did. Is that it? Did she promise you something in exchange for defending her?” Jace’s jaw tightened and when he spoke, his voice was dangerously calm. “That’s rich coming from you, Miranda. I think you’re confusing me with someone else. Someone who showed up at my office uninvited last night and threw herself at me despite being told no.” Miranda’s face went scarlet and several people around us exchanged shocked glances. “Consider yourself fired,” Jace said flatly. “Effective immediately.” The murmurs

CHAPTER SIX EMILY’S POV I woke up to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar curtains and an immediate, pounding headache that made me wince. My body felt heavy and sore in places that made heat creep up my neck as I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I was naked. Completely naked. I turned my head carefully on the pillow and my breath caught in my throat. Jace lay beside me, his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm, one arm thrown across his forehead as he slept. The sheet was pulled low on his hips, exposing the defined muscles of his abdomen. And then the memories came rushing back like a tidal wave crashing over me. The hotel room after we’d left the gala. His hands sliding up my dress as he pressed me against the door. The way I’d dropped to my knees and take his cock in my mouth while he groaned my name and tangled his fingers in my hair. How he’d laid me on the bed afterward and buried his face between my legs until I was begging, actually begging him fo

CHAPTER FIVE JACE’S POV I leaned back in my office chair, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension that had been building there all afternoon. The Callahan reports were finally done, formatted and ready for Monday’s presentation. I glanced at my watch and realized most of the office had already cleared out, everyone rushing home to get ready for tonight’s gala. I should have left an hour ago myself. I was about to shut down my computer when I heard a knock at my door. I looked up, expecting maybe the janitor or security doing their rounds, but instead Miranda stood in my doorway wearing a dress that left very little to the imagination and a smile that made my stomach turn. “Ma’am,” I said carefully, keeping my tone professional. “What are you doing here? Everyone’s supposed to be getting ready for the party.” She stepped inside without invitation, her heels clicking against the floor as she closed the door behind her. “I could ask you the same thing. Still working while

CHAPTER FOUR EMILY’S POV "Careful!" he mumbled with one hand on my hip as the other gripped my arm and his voice barely above a whisper. Well-tailored suit. Tie slightly loosened and eyes that felt like a storm just waiting for a reason to break out. I stood still in the hallway, short on words to say. Wondering how the next minute I'd wanted to have him fired and the next I was wrapped in the arms of the one man I dreaded. "You like pushing buttons, don't you?" I snapped pulling away from his grip. Trying to build a wall between us. "If I'm starting to push yours, making you feel afraid, then yes," he responded. And for a second it felt like he'd read the words in my head. I hated that word. Afraid… It made my spine stiffen and for some reason it made my pride flare. "I'm not moved by you Jace!" His smile instantly turned wicked. "You should be!" Our eyes locked, and the space between us wasn't space at all— it felt more like a war zone. Charged and hot. Ann

CHAPTER THREE EMILY’S POV I arrived fifteen minutes early for the phase two project briefing, as instructed. Not because I was excited to see Jace again, but because I needed to be in control before Jace walked in like he owned gravity. And as expected, he walked in looking like he’d just stepped off a goddamn runway with that smug smile and perfectly rolled sleeves. Punctual. Immaculate. And annoyingly smug. With all that, I knew he was going to be in trouble. “Morning partner!” he called out, pulling out a chair right next to me. “Save it!” I said flatly as I clicked open my laptop, pulling out the updated project board. “You’re taking on segmentation, backend analytics, the predictive funnel stimulations, and data source verification.” Jace tilted his head. “Thought we had templates for that.” “Well, you’re the one who challenged the demographic data last meeting. Let’s see what you can do.” He leaned back slightly. So I’m redoing the ske