CHAPTER 6 : ZADE 🫦

— Same day

[Raven’s POV]

Leo was impatient—pacing the entire room, restless, lost in thought. Suddenly, he stopped and came straight to me.

“You see what I’m talking about, right?” he said. “This game is rigged in our favor. Our tunnel wasn’t as slimy as the other couples’.”

His eyes widened suddenly.

“It’s like they want to keep us here. We can’t do anything to get eliminated.”

I sighed and stood up, placing both hands on his shoulders, staring deep into his eyes.

“Stop this anxiety, Leo. At least it’s in our favor. We’re meant to win this anyway…”

He shook his head. “It’s a trap, Raven. What if the game gets messy later on? What if they completely flip everything?”

“Pull yourself together, Leo. No one is flipping anything. I’m beginning to get offended by your behavior. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He looked away immediately.

“No.”

“Then calm down. Since there’s nothing to hide, let’s go with the flow. We’re already set to win—and we will—whether the game master brings in our exes or completely flips the script.”

“But how… how do they know we were trying to get eliminated?”

I gave a painful grin and tapped the microphone clipped to his neck.

“What the—” He stiffened.

I shrugged. “Uh-huh. Now enough talking. Let’s go with the flow. We’re already doing so well. I mean, I didn’t expect you to react that much to my touch.”

I teased.

“Well… good thing you now know I don’t hate you.”

“I see.”

The mechanical sound chimed again.

[SYSTEM]

— Players, assemble at the common room for your prize and tasks.

I winked at Leo.

“Let’s go. We’ve got a prize to claim…”

He followed reluctantly, dragging his feet against the pebble floor.

We arrived at the common room and stood beside each other alongside the eight other couples.

[SYSTEM]

— It’s time for the couples who failed the first day’s activity to perform their punishment task.

— Mia & Charles, Stacy & John, Greg & Anna—please step forward.

The couples, wearing sad expressions, stepped into the center of the room.

[SYSTEM]

— You are to perform a humiliation punishment that will test your capabilities, love, and physical strength.

— Are you ready?

They nodded—some enthusiastically, some nervously.

[SYSTEM]

— [PAST ATTACHMENTS LOADING…]

— Bring in the Ex’s.

Tension surged through the room at the mention of exes. This was what they were here for—to test the couples’ strength and devotion.

One after the other, six exes walked in. The men wore black tank tops, the women summer dresses.

[SYSTEM]

— Stand beside your Ex and await instructions.

— Couples, in the spinning box in front of you, dip your hand in to choose a random ball containing a task you’ll perform with your Ex.

— Only one partner may choose. Decide among yourselves.

Bickering broke out immediately. Charles didn’t look pleased at all—distrust had settled between him and Mia.

After some banter and disagreement, each couple finally chose one person to pick a ball.

• Staring deep into your ex’s eyes for 60 seconds

• Reenacting a harmless intimate memory with your ex

• Your ex selects what you wear for the next game

My stomach churned. The game was cruel—and worse, each partner had to watch.

I could feel bonds breaking… and new ones forming.

That was the reality of this place. Test love until something snapped. With tasks like these, someone was bound to break.

It was all too cruel.

[SYSTEM]

— Congratulations, players. You have successfully advanced to the next round with a bonus point of 30% each.

I rolled my eyes.

[SYSTEM]

— Now, the players who won today’s match—step forward.

— Eve & Spencer, Betty & Finn, Claire & Maxton, Fiona & Ken, and finally… our championship winners—Raven & Leo Hart.

I gripped Leo’s hand, forcing a smile as we stepped into the center of the common area.

[SYSTEM]

— Congratulations on winning APHROXIS’s first game. You will each receive a special box.

Masked assistants walked in, handing us gold boxes.

[SYSTEM]

— Inside, you’ll find a map directing you to the section of the estate where your dinner date will be held.

— Matching luxurious outfits and accessories you get to keep.

— And finally, your access card.

— Once again, congratulations.

*******

“Are we really doing this?” Leo asked.

Funny how the tables had turned. A few days ago, I was the hesitant one. Now it was him.

I didn’t answer—just focused on fixing his tie as we prepared for our dinner date.

“You know,” I said, “we haven’t really had a proper date since we got married.”

“That’s because we’ve been too busy gaming,” he replied. “What do you say—after all this drama, we go on a real one?”

“If we make it out of here,” I said flatly, “it’s because we won—and then we’re getting divorced. So don’t get your hopes up.”

Leo smiled painfully.

“Shall we?” He offered his hand.

I took it.

We stepped out of the suite into the common area, where assistants waited to guide us.

Then the dreaded mechanical sound chimed again.

[SYSTEM]

— Introducing the final set of Exes.

— Exes, you may now join APHROXIS.

I watched in horror as another group of exes entered the mansion, luggage in hand, smiles wide.

My heart nearly stopped when I saw him.

Zade.

My heart spun wildly, like a faulty machine. I dropped Leo’s hand immediately and turned away.

It raced so fast I thought I might collapse.

Why would Zade come here—knowing it could cost us everything?

“Rave?” a deep voice called.

His voice—thick, velvet, familiar. And he used my favorite pet name.

The sound of it alone sent a hot, liquid rush straight between my thighs. My panties were suddenly damp, embarrassingly so, the fabric clinging as my body betrayed me in seconds.

I turned sharply—and collided with his chest.

Solid. Towering. All six-foot-seven inches of hard, coiled muscle wrapped in the scent I still dreamed about: cedar, smoke, and raw masculinity.

He caught me instantly.

Strong hands clamped around my waist, fingers digging in just enough to bruise in the best way, pulling me flush against him so there was no space left to hide. My breasts crushed against the wall of his chest; I could feel the thunder of his heartbeat matching mine.

Our eyes locked.

His brown eyes—dark, molten, starving—drenched me whole. They dragged down my body like a physical touch, lingering on my mouth, my throat, the rapid rise and fall of my chest, before snapping back up to pin me in place.

Heat bloomed low in my belly. My nipples tightened painfully against the thin fabric of my dress. I was suddenly hyper-aware of every inch where we touched: his thumbs brushing the sensitive skin just above my hips, the hard ridge of him pressing shamelessly against my stomach through his pants, the way his breath fanned hot across my lips.

He hadn’t said another word.

He didn’t need to.

I should have pushed him away.

Instead, my fingers curled into the front of his shirt—traitorous, greedy—anchoring myself to the only man who ever made me feel like I was already coming undone just by being looked at.

Zade’s mouth curved into the slowest, most dangerous smile I’d ever seen.

“Miss me, baby?” he murmured, voice so low it vibrated straight through my core.

I couldn’t answer.

I was too busy trying not to moan.