LOGINWARNING: R–RATED SCENE 18+; STEAMY SCENE AHEAD.Roman didn’t answer. His gaze drifted to her lips before returning to her eyes. His thumb traced the curve of her jaw with reverence, afraid that if he looked away for even a second, she might disappear.“Evelyn.” He muttered under his breath. “I can’t lose you.”She opened her mouth to speak, but he rested a finger against her lips before a single word could escape.“Don’t.” His eyes searched hers in desperation. “Just let me hold you tonight. Let me know you’re still with me.”Evelyn could hear the crack in his voice. “Roman…”He kissed her before she could finish. Every touch of his lips felt like a silent confession, as if he was pouring everything he couldn’t bring himself to say into that single kiss.Evelyn’s fingers slipped into his hair, grounding her self in the kisses.When he finally drew back, he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “Tell me you’re mine.”“Roman—”“Please.”She cupped his face, her palms war
The voices downstairs grew louder as Evelyn and Lena made their way down the staircase.A security guard stood at the entrance with one arm raised, trying to block the man before him. Another lingered behind him, looking completely at a loss.Standing in the middle of the commotion was Roman.His coat was wrinkled, his usually immaculate hair was in disarray, and the exhaustion on his face was impossible to ignore. Dark shadows rested beneath his eyes, making him look as though he hadn’t slept in days.Evelyn slowed to a stop. “Roman?”The moment he heard her voice, he brushed past the security guard without another glance and crossed the room in long, hurried strides.Before Evelyn could react, he pulled her into his embrace.His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her with a desperation that caught her completely off guard. His face disappeared into her hair as he drew a deep, uneven breath, as though having her in his arms was enough to steady him.Evelyn stood there in
The darkness was thick and suffocating.Roman stood in the middle of a white cold room. The smell of antiseptic burned his nostrils.A woman sat on a metal chair in the center, crying. Her hands were bound, with her dark hair spilling all over her face."Please… help me…" her voice echoed off the walls. "I'm in pain…"Roman tried to move, but his feet wouldn't obey. "My daughter…"He heard his own voice, strong and clear. "She's disrupting the process."He wasn't saying it, but it was his voice.A man stepped out of the shadows. Roman couldn't see his face, he only saw the outline of his frame. "Catherine, I own you. You can't escape from me. You're mine forever."The woman lifted her head.Roman saw her face clearly for the first time. Catherine Hayes stared at him through tears."Evelyn…" she whispered. "My Evelyn…" her eyes locked onto Roman. "You knew."Roman tried to speak, but no words came out."You knew and you did nothing." Her voice cracked. "You let me die. You killed ME!”
Roman lifted the lid.Nestled inside the faded velvet lining lay a deep red ruby pendant. Even under the bedroom’s warm lighting, the gemstone seemed to trap every strand of light, glowing like a dying ember hidden beneath ash.Everything inside him stopped.He reached toward it almost unconsciously, his fingertips brushing across the cold surface before lifting it from the box.“…No.”The faint smile on his face vanished. ‘It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.’Roman remained rooted to the spot. The pendant suspended between his fingers as countless memories crashed through his mind.Every choice he had made. Every secret he had buried. Everything he had convinced himself was safely locked away.His breathing grew uneven. “How… how did this end up here?”His thoughts scattered in every direction.Unable to trust his own eyes, he lowered his gaze to the ruby once more, turning it over carefully. The familiar weight, the tiny imperfection near its edge, the pale gold chain woven through
Roman leaned back in his study chair, the glow from several monitors washing over his tired face. His gold-rimmed glasses rested low on his nose, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled above his elbows, and the top two buttons had long since been undone.Theon’s voice flowed through the laptop speakers.“If we reduce the compound ratio by zero point three percent, the binding agent should stabilize. The original formula was far too volatile.”Roman jotted down a few notes.“I came to the same conclusion. But the temperature threshold has to come down as well. The original lab had a controlled environment. We can’t recreate those conditions.”“We’ll compensate somewhere else.” Theon scribbled across the page in front of him. “I’ll run another trial with the revised formula and send everything over.”Roman closed his notebook. “Do that. We’re getting close.”The discussion continued for several more minutes as they compared data, challenged each other’s assumptions, and pieced together fr
Jessica stared at Evelyn, completely caught off guard.Her mouth opened, then closed again. The answer seemed to reach her lips before disappearing just as quickly.Then Evelyn's phone rang, shattering the silence. She glanced at the screen. It was Roman. “I’m sorry.”She rose from her seat and stepped into the hallway to answer it.Roman called to check whether they had arrived safely, how Noah was doing, whether the villa was comfortable, and if she had eaten. Evelyn answered each question, but part of her mind remained inside the drawing room, replaying Jessica’s reaction over and over.When she returned a few minutes later, Noah’s cries greeted her before she crossed the doorway.The nanny Jessica had assigned was pacing with him in her arms while Lena stood nearby, pulling ridiculous faces and puffing out her cheeks in a desperate attempt to distract him.Noah was having none of it.His tiny face had turned bright red, and his cries only grew louder.Evelyn laughed despite herse
Evelyn blinked hard, swallowing as she slowly shifted to the other side of the bed."Erhm... nothing."Roman dropped the towel he'd been using to dry his hair and immediately caught her ankle, keeping her still. In one swift motion, he yanked her back toward him."Ah—" she let out a soft yelp, feel
Roman held Richard's hand tight, crushing it with relentless pressure. A dark, menacing aura emanated from him, his intense eyes locked on Richard in a deadly stare.Richard couldn't even grasp the features of the person crushing his hand—the pain was too overwhelming. He trembled, his body instant
Evelyn felt the stinging pain on her cheek the moment she stepped inside the mansion.Mrs. Chen, who had followed her in, immediately noticed the red, swollen mark on her face and gasped. "Young Miss, your father was too harsh on you.""He's not my father," Evelyn retorted sharply.Not wanting to up
Maya looked at her dad dumbfounded. "Dad, what are you talking about?""Honey, what's going on?" Claire asked, equally confused.Richard slowly walked to a chair and collapsed into it heavily. "The accident... it was far worse than we realized. The only reason we walked away without a scratch was..







