Nobela ni Bert

The tension before the meeting with Richard Meridian was electric.Sera spent the morning in her home office, issuing commands like a general preparing for battle. Cassian watched her from the doorway, arms crossed, admiring the way power looked on her. But beneath the strategy, the hunger between them had only grown sharper since last night.At 10:30 a.m., with two hours until the meeting, Sera finally looked up from her desk.“Come here,” she ordered.Cassian crossed the room in three strides. The moment he reached her, she stood, grabbed his tie, and yanked him down into a bruising kiss. Her tongue invaded his mouth with raw demand.“Lock the door,” she breathed against his lips.He did.When he turned back, Sera had already pushed her pencil skirt up to her hips and perched on the edge of her desk. She wore no panties.“On your knees. Make me come fast and hard. I need to be relaxed before I face that snake.”Cassian dropped instantly. He spread her thighs wide and buried his face

The silence in the penthouse was deafening.Cassian stood frozen near the grand piano where they had just made love, while Sera stared at her phone like it had become a live grenade.“Meridian wants to meet tomorrow at noon,” she said, voice eerily calm. “He claims he has the original uncut security footage from that night. The one that shows you snapping the man’s neck. He says he’s willing to destroy it… if I agree to end our arrangement and bring Laurent Innovations into a full partnership with Meridian Tech instead.”Cassian’s hands curled into fists. “That bastard.”Sera finally looked up. Her green eyes were stormy. “This is exactly what I was afraid of when I married you six years ago. Your past was always going to come back to bite us.”She walked to the bar cart and poured herself a glass of whiskey, downing half of it in one go.Cassian moved behind her, placing his hands on her waist. “Sera… look at me.”She turned slowly. The vulnerability from earlier was gone, replaced b

The next five days fell into a dangerous rhythm.By day, they were the picture of a powerful power couple — attending meetings, signing documents, and presenting a united front to save Vale Dynamics. By night, Sera used Cassian’s body like a drug she both craved and resented.And Cassian let her.He was starting to live for the moments when her control cracked and he saw the real woman beneath the ice.Day 7 of the ContractA crisis meeting had been called at Laurent Innovations at 7 a.m. Meridian Tech had leaked documents suggesting serious financial irregularities at Vale Dynamics. The damage was spreading fast.Cassian stood beside Sera at the head of the table, watching her dominate the room. She looked flawless in a tailored navy pantsuit, hair in a sleek ponytail, voice sharp as a blade.“We counter hard today,” she said. “Full transparency report from our side. And we announce the strategic partnership between Laurent Innovations and Vale Dynamics by end of day.”One of her exe

The tension in the conference room at Laurent Innovations was thick enough to choke on.Cassian sat to Sera’s right at the head of the table, playing the role of supportive husband while her executive team and lawyers dissected the proposed merger. Every few minutes, someone glanced nervously between them, sensing the undercurrent of something far more personal than business.Meridian Tech had made a new aggressive move overnight — a public statement hinting at “serious concerns” about Vale Dynamics’ stability and “questionable past practices.” The stock was bleeding.Sera remained calm and commanding, but Cassian could see the tightness in her jaw.“We move forward with the capital infusion within forty-eight hours,” she announced, voice steel. “But only after Cassian signs the revised governance terms. Vale Dynamics will operate as a subsidiary of Laurent Innovations for the duration of the agreement.”Cassian’s fingers tightened around his pen. She was stripping him of control piec

The ride home from the gala was silent except for the low hum of the Maybach’s engine and the rain pattering against the windows.Sera sat with her legs crossed, staring out at the dark city lights. Her elegant updo was slightly ruined from their encounter in the lounge, and Cassian could still smell himself on her skin. The thought made his blood heat all over again.She didn’t look at him once during the thirty-minute drive.When they arrived at the estate, she stepped out of the car without waiting for him and headed straight for the master bedroom. Cassian followed, loosening his bow tie as he climbed the stairs.The moment the bedroom door closed behind them, the mask dropped.“Get in the shower,” Sera ordered, already slipping out of her gown. It pooled at her feet like liquid ink, leaving her in nothing but black lace heels. “You’re still covered in the night. I want you clean before I use you again.”Cassian’s jaw flexed, but he obeyed.The shower was massive — black marble an

Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom like a reluctant witness.Cassian stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Sound, shirtless, wearing only black sweatpants. Sleep had been almost nonexistent. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sera’s face as she came around him last night — head thrown back, lips parted, green eyes blazing with triumph and pleasure.He hated how much he wanted more.The door opened behind him. He didn’t turn immediately.“Breakfast is ready downstairs,” Sera said coolly. “We have a charity gala appearance tonight. I expect you to look the part of a devoted husband. Try not to disappoint me.”Only then did he face her.She wore a white silk slip that barely reached mid-thigh, her auburn hair still tousled from sleep. She looked dangerously soft and impossibly powerful at the same time.“You enjoyed last night,” he said, voice low.“I enjoyed watching you on your knees.” She stepped closer, eyes tracing the hard lin