تسجيل الدخولDominic Adrian waves his hand. “By all means. I’ll wait.”We step into the bathroom and close the door.“You have to take this deal,” Seraphina says immediately.“I’m not giving him my company.”“It’s not your company anymore! He already owns most of it. You said so yourself.”“It’s the principle.”“The principle?” Her voice rises. “The principle is going to get you killed! Volkov doesn’t care about your pride, Dominic. He cares about his five million dollars.”“I’ll find another way.”“What other way? We have no money. No assets. No options. This is it. This is the only way out.”“You don’t understand—”“No, you don’t understand.” She grabs my arms. “That company is already gone. Whether you sign it over to Adrian or let it collapse completely, it’s not yours anymore. It hasn’t been yours since Elena orchestrated its destruction. So stop clinging to a corpse and take the deal that saves your life.”“It’s all I have left.”“You have me.” Her eyes are fierce. “I’m what yo
DominicWe’re back at the hotel. I don’t remember the walk from the bank. Don’t remember getting into the elevator or unlocking the door. Just suddenly we’re here, in this expensive room we can’t afford, staring at each other like survivors of a bombing.Seraphina sits on the edge of the bed, still in her professional bank outfit, mascara smudged under her eyes from crying. She hasn’t said a word since we left.“We need to figure out what to do,” I say finally.“What is there to do?” Her voice is hollow. “She took everything. You heard the bank. We have no legal recourse. No way to prove fraud. Nothing.”“There has to be something.”“There isn’t.” She looks up at me, and the defeat in her eyes is worse than any anger. “We’re done, Dominic. She won. Completely.”I pull out my phone. Check the balance on my one remaining credit card. Three hundred and forty-seven dollars left before it maxes out. In my wallet, maybe two hundred in cash.Less than six hundred dollars between us a
SeraphinaThe Zürcher Privatbank lobby is exactly as I remember it from when I was younger. Dad always brought me here with him when he came for transactions. All marble and dark wood, hushed and reverent like a cathedral. A place where money is treated with the respect some people reserve for religion.The receptionist looks up as we enter. Young, impeccably dressed, professional smile already in place.“Good afternoon. How may I help you?”“Seraphina Castellano,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “I have an appointment at two o’clock.”She checks her computer, and something flickers across her face. Confusion? Concern? It’s gone too quickly for me to read.“Of course, Ms. Castellano. Please have a seat. Herr Bachmann will be with you shortly.”We sit in leather chairs that probably cost more than most people’s cars. Dominic’s leg is bouncing slightly—the only tell that he’s as nervous as I am.“It’s going to be fine,” I whisper.“I know.”But neither of us sounds convinced.
Dominic I set a steady rhythm, the water cascading over us, her nails digging into my shoulders. She feels perfect. Always perfect.“Harder,” she demands. “I want to feel you for the rest of the day.”I give her what she wants. Pound into her against the tile, water making everything slick and hot. Her head falls back and I bite her neck, mark her, need everyone to know she’s mine.“That’s it,” she gasps. “Don’t stop. Don’t fucking stop.”The water is scalding now, pounding against my back like it’s trying to match the rhythm I’ve set inside her. I pull out almost completely, letting her feel the thick head of my cock drag slowly along every sensitive inch of her walls before I slam back in, harder than before, deeper, the wet slap of our bodies loud even over the hiss of the shower. She arches violently, breasts pressing into my chest, nipples hard little points scraping against my skin.“Again,” she pants, voice wrecked and greedy. “Don’t you fucking dare stop.”I don’t.
DominicI wake up to sunlight streaming through the balcony doors and Seraphina still asleep beside me.She’s on her stomach, sheet tangled around her waist, hair spread across the pillow like spun gold. One arm is tucked under her head, the other stretched toward me like even in sleep she’s reaching.I don’t move. Don’t want to break this moment.For the first time in months, I can breathe. No creditors calling. No Volkov hanging over my head. No Elena’s voice in my ear telling me everything I’ve lost.Just this. Just her. Just the morning light and the sound of boats on the lake below.She stirs, eyes opening slowly. When she sees me watching, she smiles.“Morning.”“Morning.” I brush hair back from her face. “Sleep well?”“Better than I have in months.” She stretches, the sheet slipping lower, and I force myself to look at her face instead. “What time is it?”“Early. Seven maybe.”“The bank doesn’t open until nine.” She rolls onto her side, propping her head on her hand.
SeraphinaThe Alps appear through the airplane window like a promise.I press my forehead against the cool glass and let myself remember. I was five the first time I saw these mountains. Elena was already a teenager—fifteen, seeming impossibly grown-up to me then. Our mother held my small hand and said in her soft Swedish accent, “Look, my darling. We’re almost home.”Not home, technically. We lived in Boston. But Switzerland was where Mom’s heart belonged. Where she’d met our father at a gold conference in Zurich. Where they brought us every summer until the accident took them both when I was sixteen.“You okay?” Dominic’s voice pulls me back.“I’m fine.” I take his hand. “Just remembering. My mother was Swedish. My father dealt in gold and understood Swiss banking better than anyone. We spent every summer here.”“Elena too?”The name stings. “Elena too. Though she was so much older—practically an adult by the time I was old enough to remember these trips. She’d watch me while







