LOGIN[Elena's POV]"That's good to know." Aris just offered a polite, deeply knowing smile, picked up his leather bag, and walked out to his sports car.Noah tossed the expensive art book onto the console table. He stepped into my space, backing me up until my spine hit the cool plaster wall.His long fingers gripped my hips, pressing into my skin through the thin cotton of my shirt.The sharp scent of burnt gunpowder and cold mint washed over my face. His breathing was a low, measured rasp against the quiet hum of the house.The heat radiating off his solid body completely suffocated the cool air in the hallway."What exactly did you say to Marco to keep him from putting a bullet in your head?" Noah asked.I looked up into his dark, furious eyes. "I told him the truth."Noah's thumbs dug harder into my hips. "Which is?""I told him I'm using you," I said evenly. "I told him I'm with you for your money, your resources, and your art connections. I made sure he understood I don't care about
[Elena's POV]I stood frozen. The two massive Velgrave guards lay completely still by the shattered doorframe."Mr. Marlowe..." My lips were trembling but I couldn't show weakness in front of him."So, are these your last words?" Marco said in a calm tone. Before I was about to say something to save my life..."Elena!"Footsteps slapped hard against the hardwood floor.Nicole sprinted out, dragging my mother by the hand.Nicole's face was chalk-white, but her right hand gripped a heavy, cast-iron fireplace poker. She shoved me backward, stepping directly between me and the Boss of the Marlowe family.The heavy iron poker shook violently in her grip."Don't take another step!" Nicole yelled, her voice pitching high in a terrified, fierce rush."I swear to God, I don't care who you are! If you touch her, Noah Marlowe is going to ruin you! He is obsessed with her! She's a genius with a massive career ahead of her. You lay a finger on her, and I will destroy your life on the internet! I w
[Elena's POV]He didn't bother taking off his tailored trousers. He just unzipped them. The sharp, metallic rasp echoed loudly in the quiet guest bedroom.Noah stepped right between my spread knees. His large hands clamped down on my bare thighs, pinning my hips flush against the mattress.I was already trembling, slick and painfully empty from the video call."Noah," I gasped, my chest heaving.He didn't give me a single second to adjust. He gripped my waist and drove his hips forward, sinking his thick, hard length completely inside me in one single, ruthless thrust.The sudden fullness hit my highly sensitized nerves like a lightning strike.My back arched completely off the bed. I didn't even have to work for it. The climax ripped through me instantly. My internal muscles clamped down hard around him, crushing him. I threw my head back, a loud scream building in my throat.Noah’s large hand slammed over my mouth, trapping the sound against his palm."Quiet," he growled right again
[Elena's POV]"I missed your smell," I admitted, my face flushing hot.Noah let out a low, rough groan. He leaned closer to his phone camera.The physical distance between us was annoying, but the sheer intensity of his stare made it feel like he was right there in the bed with me."Unbutton it," Noah commanded softly.My breath hitched. "Noah, Nicole is sleeping next door.""I don't care," Noah whispered. The authority in his tone left no room for argument. "I have spent the last seventy-two hours dealing with blood and traitors. I need to see my woman. Unbutton the shirt, Elena. Now."My hands actually shook.I slowly reached up and unfastened the top button. Then the next. I pulled the dark fabric apart and slipped it completely off my shoulders. The cool night air of the guest bedroom hit my bare skin. I lay back against the pillows, totally exposed to the glowing screen of the phone.Noah's eyes dropped. I watched his throat work as he swallowed hard."Touch your breasts," he ord
[Elena's POV]My lungs stopped working.I stared at the bloody image of Adrian tied to the metal chair. Ten minutes. Jake was going to execute my brother in ten minutes if I didn't show up."Elena?" Dr. Aris Shawn stepped closer, his smile faltering. He noticed my paper-white face. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to pass out."I shoved the phone into my pocket. I didn't have time to explain mafia politics to a civilian cardiologist."Dr. Shawn, you drove here, right?" I asked frantically, grabbing his forearm. "I need you to take me to the city. Right now. It is a life-or-death emergency."Aris blinked, totally caught off guard. "I... yes, of course. My car is outside."I sprinted past him toward the front door. I threw it open and rushed out onto the porch.I didn't make it three steps.Two massive Velgrave guards instantly stepped in front of me. They moved with terrifying speed, blocking the wooden stairs completely. They unclipped the holsters of their heavy pistols,
[Elena's POV]All the color instantly drained from my mother's face. Her hand dropped from my wrist. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and her knees buckled.Noah caught her effortlessly before she hit the wooden deck. He lowered her gently to the stone, pressing two fingers to her neck to check her pulse."Nicole, get the nurses!" I yelled in pure panic, dropping to my knees.I turned around and shoved Noah's chest hard."Are you completely insane?!" I screamed at him. "She is recovering from heart surgery! You do not tell a mother her husband died and her son shot her daughter in the same breath!"Noah actually looked taken aback. Not defensive, just genuinely baffled.He looked at me the way he did when the rules of normal human interaction turned out to be completely different from what he studied."I was practicing honesty," Noah defended himself calmly. "I thought the relevant information should come first.""You are a literal sociopath!""I will remember that for next time,"
Elena's POVThe clang of the dog food can and the maid's Italian still rang in my ears."I'm not a dog, even if I was sold to him." Pet or not, I was still human.But the more I repeated it, the hollower it sounded.I pushed the can aside and sat on the floor, knees drawn tight to my chest. The air
Elena's POVThe world didn't explode into pain the way I'd expected. There was no harsh, bone-crunching impact, no white-hot lightning of agony.Instead, I landed in the warm and solid arms, a human-sized cushion of heat. For a beat, the wind had left my lungs, then the shiver moved through me and
Elena's POVI was awoken by the sunlight that still managed to slip through the curtains. I stirred awake, feeling every inch of my body aching as though I'd run a marathon.My head throbbed in pain with the bit of sleep I had and too many memories I didn't want to replay.The bedsheet was tangled
Elena's POV"Give it a try!" Noah's voice was low, smooth, and deceptively calm, yet the way his eyes lingered on me made my stomach clench. Sharp, measuring, almost predatory, but beneath that, a slow-burning heat that set my nerves alight.I closed my eyes, my trembling hand sliding along the sil







