LOGINThe door locked with a soft 'click'. I was still sitting on the sofa, the shame from the incident with Riana fresh in my mind.Gabriel didn't look at me immediately. He walked to his desk and placed his phone down."Gabriel?" I said.He turned. His face was no longer the cold CEO's mask. It was the face of a roused Alpha. Without a word, his hand went to his tie, loosening it with a single fluid motion and tossing it onto a chair. Then, his deft fingers began undoing the buttons of his shirt, one by one, revealing the defined lines of his abdomen and a chest marked with old scars.I gaped, my heart pounding in my throat. "What are you doing?"He didn't answer. He just advanced, his steps silent and menacing like a predator's. The late afternoon light streaming from the window behind him cast a large, dominating silhouette that filled the room."Gabriel, please..." I pleaded, scooting back until my back pressed against the soft cushions of the sofa. "Not... not here."He finally stoppe
I was straightening my slightly disheveled shirt when suddenly, a shadow moved in the slightly open door. I immediately froze in shock.A woman in a neat business suit, likely Gabriel's personal assistant, stood frozen there. Her eyes were wide, her face pale. In her hands was a stack of files.Riana. She was one of the few people in this company I had seen a few times at official events, years ago. In her eyes, I was now and forever Sera, Gabriel's stepdaughter.I froze, the blood seemingly draining from my face. It felt like being doused with ice water."This isn't what it looks like," I said, my voice hoarse and unconvincing, sounding utterly foolish even to my own ears.She immediately lowered her head, her gaze quickly dropping to the floor, trying to erase the expression of shock and perhaps a hint of disgust that had been on her face moments before."My apologies, Mr. Gabriel. I only intended to place the quarterly reports on your desk," she said in a flat, professional tone, t
The next day, the decision to go with Gabriel to his workplace felt like the only logical choice. The alternative was to spend the day alone in his luxurious apartment that felt like a marble-clad prison, obsessing over David, my uncle, and all the threats out there. At least, amidst the bustle of his business, I could be a distraction for myself.Gabriel didn't speak much during the drive. He wore a gray three-piece suit that seemed custom-made to perfectly cloak every line of his muscular frame. His hair, usually slightly messy, was now neatly styled, adding to his formidable and impenetrable aura.Sitting beside him in the nearly silent car, I secretly observed him. A certain power radiated from him, a kind of gravitational field that drew me, and seemingly everyone around him, in and made us wary. He was handsome, of course. That was an indisputable fact.The car glided smoothly into a private basement area of a magnificent skyscraper. As the door opened, Gabriel's aura completely
After that, I got a message from David. My phone vibrated on the bedside table.David: Hey, wanna meet up tonight? Coffee or drinks? How about it?I was so startled. I was still lying in Gabriel's embrace, his warm skin against mine, his breath just beginning to even out. Unconsciously, my body tensed.Gabriel felt it immediately. "What's wrong?" he murmured, his voice still hoarse and heavy, but already alert.He lifted his head, his sharp eyes catching my changed expression. Without asking, he took the phone from my stiff grip. I saw his jaw harden as he read the message."Who is he?" he asked, his voice flat and dangerous."David. Just a friend. You know him.""There's no such thing as 'just' a friend," he cut in coldly. He tossed my phone back onto the sheets as if it were disgusting. "You're not going."My anger, always easily ignited by his possessiveness, flared. "He's just a normal friend who wants to meet up!""Quiet." He sat up, his large body blocking the light from the win
Gabriel did not waste any time. After throwing the box into the trash, he turned around."Let's go now.""What do you mean?""I won't take the risk. If he could send this item to this house again, it means he knows where you live."Without giving me any room to protest, Gabriel took my jacket, grabbed my bag, and pulled me out of the house. His car was already running, as if he had anticipated everything.Not a single word was spoken during the drive. Only the roar of the engine and the sound of our own breaths could be heard. I knew Gabriel was thinking intensely. His eyes stared straight at the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel as if he wanted to break it.We arrived at his apartment, a tall building with layered security systems. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Gabriel pulled me inside the unit at the far end and locked the door twice before turning to face me."You're staying here again," Gabriel said."Why does it have to be here?" I finally asked.I stepped slowl
The door slammed open. Gabriel’s breath was heavy as he entered, his strides long and decisive like a storm that left no room for words.“I told you not to touch anything.”I stood in the corner of the room, my fingers still gripping my phone. “I did not touch it. I only read the card that was tucked inside.”Gabriel walked to the dining table and his eyes went straight to the black box. His sharp gaze darkened, as if something far deeper than anger stirred inside him. He stepped closer and picked up the box with a glove he produced from his jacket pocket.The moment he untied the black ribbon, the air in the room seemed to stop.Inside—there was only a small object, an old silver necklace with a tarnished pendant. Yet beneath its simplicity I saw something piercing: the symbol of my clan, a mark once held only by my family.I froze. “That—”“Where did this come from?”“It was sent with the card. There was writing, but no name.”Gabriel stared at the piece for a long time. The look in







