ログインIrina arrived like she owned the afternoon. The elevator chimed mid-afternoon, and I heard Maria’s surprised greeting from the kitchen. I was on the couch with a book I wasn’t reading, legs tucked under me, when Irina stepped into the living room. Charcoal coat draped over one arm, dark hair swept up, that same razor-sharp elegance she carried everywhere. She looked like she could cut glass with a smile. “Aurora,” she said, voice smooth as good whiskey. “I was in the area, thought I’d drop by.” I set the book down slowly. “You don’t strike me as the type who just drops by.” Her smile curved. “Smart girl. I don’t. But some conversations deserve to happen in private.” Maria hovered near the doorway, uncertain. I gave her a small nod. “We’re fine, Maria. Thanks.” The older woman disappeared into the kitchen without another word. Smart as always. Irina dropped her coat over the back of an armchair and settled onto the couch across from me like she belonged there. She crossed her le
Matteo found me in the library the next afternoon. I was curled up in the big leather chair by the window, pretending to read the same page for the third time. The sun was coming in low and golden, catching dust in the air. My mind was still replaying the way Nico had gone completely still in that meeting room, the flush on his neck, the way Carlo had narrowed his eyes like he could smell something off but couldn’t name it. The door clicked shut behind Matteo. I looked up. He stood there for a second, hands in his pockets, just watching me. Not angry, not even annoyed. Just... assessing. Like I was a new map he was trying to read. “You did something yesterday,” he said quietly. No hello. Straight to it. I closed the book and set it on the small table beside me. “Yeah, I did.” He crossed the room slowly and dropped into the chair across from me. The same one he’d sat in when we talked about the bond before. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, dark eyes steady on my face. “Du
I waited until the meeting was already underway. The conference room had that one-way glass wall on the east side. From the hallway you could see straight in, but they couldn’t see out. Perfect. I stood just far enough back that I blended with the shadows, arms crossed, heart beating steady but fast. Nico sat at the head of the long table, Carlo across from him, two other guys I didn’t recognize taking notes. Papers spread out, coffee cups half empty, normal business shit on the surface. I’d been practicing the bond for days now,small pushes. Little teases. But today I wanted to see how far I could really go,how much control I actually had. Nico looked calm from the outside. Crisp shirt, sleeves rolled once, that focused expression he wore when money or power was on the line. But I felt him through the bond... cool, sharp, completely in control. Exactly where I needed him. I closed my eyes for half a second, steadying myself. Then I sent it. Not a brush, not a flicker but a fu
The fight started over nothing and everything at the same time. It was late. The penthouse lights were dimmed low, the kind of quiet that usually felt comfortable now. I was in the kitchen pouring a glass of water I didn’t really want when Nico walked in from his office. His shoulders were tight, the way they got when something from work was still chewing on him. He came up behind me, hands sliding around my waist like they belonged there. They did, most nights. But tonight his touch felt too heavy and too sure. “You’ve been off since Jake left,” he said, voice low against my ear. “Talk to me.” I tensed. Just a little. Enough that he felt it through the bond. “I’m fine, just tired.” He didn’t let go. If anything, his grip tightened. “You keep saying that. But I feel you pulling back, every day a little more.” I set the glass down harder than I meant to. Water sloshed over the rim. “Maybe I need space sometimes, Nico. Not everything has to be about you knowing exactly what’s in m
Jake arrived on Friday afternoon with a backpack slung over one shoulder and the same wary look in his eyes that Dad used to get when something didn’t add up. He was fourteen now, taller than I remembered, gangly in that way teenagers get right before they fill out. When he stepped out of the elevator into the penthouse, his eyes went wide for half a second before he shut it down. “Damn, Aurora,” he said, trying to sound casual. “This is... something.” I pulled him into a hug that lasted too long. “You made it. Come on, I’ll show you around.” I performed the hell out of it. This was my little brother, the one who used to fall asleep on my floor doing homework while I hacked quietly in the corner. The one who still called me when Mom worked doubles and the power flickered. I couldn’t let him see the cracks. Not the bond humming under my skin, not the secrets sitting heavy in my chest, not the way I sometimes woke up between two men who might be connected to everything I’d los
I waited until the penthouse went dark. Nico had been especially possessive all evening... pulling me into his lap during a movie, hand between my thighs under the blanket while Matteo pretended not to notice. The weekend at the lodge had changed the temperature between all three of us, and Nico was making damn sure I felt it every single day since we got back. When he finally fell asleep, arm heavy across my waist, I slipped out from under it like I’d been practicing. The laptop felt heavier than usual when I pulled it out from under the bed. My hands were steady as I set up in the bathroom, door locked, sitting on the cold tile floor with my back against the tub. Headphones in, VPN bouncing through too many countries to count. I logged into the dead-drop and found the new file waiting. Second piece. My contact had come through again. The file was bigger this time... less fragmented, more dangerous. Payment logs, internal memos. A scanned contract page with signatures that made
Nico came back at noon. I knew because the entire penthouse seemed to tighten the moment he walked in... staff moving a little faster, voices dropping, the air itself feeling heavier. I was in the library pretending to read a book I hadn’t turned a page of when I heard his voice in the hallway, lo
I woke up alone in the middle of the enormous bed, sheets tangled around my waist, morning light cutting cold and white through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My body ached. Not just a little soreness...deep, throbbing reminders between my legs, on my hips where fingers had gripped too hard, on my
Nobody moved for what felt like forever. Matteo kept walking toward us, slow and quiet, like he owned the air in the room. I stood there clutching the front of my half-undone dress, heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. “Okay,” I managed, my voice shaking more than I wanted. “Some
Aurora's POV The dress is too tight. That’s the first thing I notice when I look in the mirror... how the white fabric clings to my breasts and hips like it was made to show everyone exactly what they bought. My hands won’t stop shaking. I press them flat against my thighs and suck in a breath th







