เข้าสู่ระบบLiora's PovThe sleek luxury sedan purred to a smooth halt at the foot of a sprawling marble staircase.Outside the heavily tinted glass, the world exploded into a blinding frenzy of flashing camera lights and shouting voices.Dozens of high-society journalists and paparazzi lined the red carpet, their lenses pressed against the security barriers."Stay close to me," Adrian muttered, his voice a low, freezing rumble as he unlatched his seat belt and pushed his door open.He stepped out into the cool night air, his towering frame immediately drawing a wave of aggressive shouts from the media.Before I could even adjust to the noise, Adrian reached back into the vehicle, his leather-gloved hand firmly grasping my trembling fingers.I stepped out onto the gravel, the liquid black silk mini-dress instantly clinging dangerously tight to my hips, leaving almost the entire length of my bare legs exposed under the harsh camera bulbs."Mr. Hawthorne! Look over here!" a reporter screamed, shovi
Liora's Pov We stepped out of the parlor and began the long walk down the grand portrait hall toward the main foyer. A row of senior scullery maids and kitchen assistants were lining the corridor, carrying fresh linens and silver polish for the evening rounds. As we walked past them, the heavy, rhythmic thud of Adrian's boots echoing off the walls, a sudden, suffocating silence dropped over the hallway. "Who is that woman with the young master?" a junior maid whispered from the pantry entrance, her eyes wide with a sudden, sharp look of intense recognition. "I don't know, she looks like an international supermodel from the Paris line," another cook muttered, completely, entirely failing to recognize my face beneath the heavy makeup and expensive couture. "Look at her posture... she looks absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen her in the estate before." "Is she a foreign princess?" a laundry worker whispered, her jaw dropping as she watched the liquid black silk ripple against my l
Liora's Pov "Put it on and don’t argue with me," Adrian said, his voice dropping into a freezing, low register as he thrust a heavy garment bag into my chest. He stood by the arched wardrobe doors, his charcoal-grey suit pristine, but his jaw was clenched so hard the muscles in his face strove against his skin. "We have an elite function at the northern estate tonight. You are coming with me." I clutched the heavy plastic bag against my simple gray maid uniform, my fingers trembling. "Sir... I don't belong at an elite party. I am just a wardrobe assistant. Can't I just stay here and look after the house?" "I don't remember asking for your opinion on my schedule, Liora," Adrian snapped, his sharp eyes narrowing into cold slits as he stepped closer, his towering shadow completely blotting out the light from the master wing windows. "You are my legal paper wife, and if the media portals print a single photograph of you hiding in the basement while I attend a high-society event, it cr
Liora's PovThe slow cadence shattered in an instant. A sudden, violent surge of raw aggression took over his movements. Adrian’s mouth parted, and his tongue slid past my teeth, deepening the interaction with a desperate, feverish hunger that completely obliterated my ability to think. We were suddenly exchanging spit, our breaths mingling into a ragged, frantic rhythm that filled the quiet bedroom with the slick, heavy sound of an unbridled physical connection.The taste of the rich, smoky bourbon on his tongue swirled into my senses, mixing with the clean flavor of the peppermint from my shower until my mind went completely blank with a dangerous, intoxicating lightheadedness.I was entirely lost in the suffocating rush of sensory heat pouring from his body, my fingers twisting blindly into the white silk of his unbuttoned shirt. He was kissing me as if he wanted to consume me, as if he wanted to tear the very breath from my lungs, his tongue moving possessively against mine until
Liora's PovThe clock in the main hallway was just striking the final note of ten o'clock when the heavy brass handle of the master suite door rattled.I froze instantly, a sudden jolt of pure panic paralyzing my limbs as I stood near the edge of the massive king-sized bed.I had just stepped out of the adjoining marble bathroom, and the thick, warm steam from my shower was still clinging to my damp skin.I hadn't even had the chance to reach for the ivory satin nightgown resting on the armchair; I was still wrapped entirely in a single, plush white bath towel that I had frantically tucked over my chest, my dark curls dripping wet over my bare shoulders.The door swung back with a sharp, heavy motion, and Adrian stepped into the room.The air in the suite vanished the exact millisecond his towering frame entered the threshold. He had just returned from the exclusive club, his charcoal suit jacket gone, his white silk shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, and his dark hair completel
Adrian's PovI stared at him, my mouth opening to speak, but the sheer shock of the question made the words completely die in my throat. My face burned with a sudden, suffocating heat as my mind violently flashed back to thag previous night—the smell of vanilla and lavender on her skin, the liquid ivory satin of her nightgown, and the way my lips had traced a path of erratic heat down her jawline while she lay frozen beneath my weight."Are you completely insane?" I whispered, my tone dropping into a deathly low register. "Why the hell would I do something like that?""It’s a standard sensory progression test, Adrian," Liam explained clinically, though his playboy smirk was rapidly creeping back onto his lips."A kiss involves the highest concentration of neural pathways and sensory receptors. If your system responds to her skin, a kiss would provide the ultimate diagnostic confirmation on whether your erectile dysfunction is going to be cured or if it's just a localized reaction.""I







