ログインThe private elevator hummed upward, and the second the doors slid open into Ivan’s penthouse, his hand was already at the small of my back—hot, possessive, steering me inside like I belonged to him. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the glittering Manhattan skyline, but I couldn’t focus on anything except the way my pulse hammered in my throat. I’d teased him for weeks. Tonight he was cashing in every filthy promise he’d ever growled against my ear.“You’ve teased me long enough,” he rasped, lips brushing the shell of my ear, voice low and rough like gravel wrapped in velvet. “Tonight I keep my promise. I’m going to fuck you, ruin you—edge you, break you, fill every hole until you’re a senseless, dripping mess who can’t even think straight.”Heat flooded between my thighs so fast my knees nearly buckled. Before I could answer, he spun me and slammed my back against the cool glass. His mouth crashed down on mine, claiming, devouring, tongue fucking my mouth the way I already knew he plan
~ DRUSCILLA ~Strong arms suddenly locked around my waist from behind, pulling me against a hard chest before I could even scream.“It’s me, Dru,” his deep voice rumbled against my ear, low and rough, stopping my heart mid-beat.I froze.“Tell me, Cillia… where the hell did I go wrong?” Ivan asked, turning me around so I had no choice but to face him.His eyes—those stormy gray eyes I used to drown in—looked wrecked. He’d lost weight. His cheekbones were sharper, his face leaner, like he hadn’t eaten properly in days. The sight of him like that twisted something deep in my chest.Don’t you dare soften, Druscilla. You’re mad at him. Stay mad.“Please, baby… talk to me,” he groaned, his voice cracking just a little. “Why are you avoiding me?”“I’m not avoiding you,” I snapped, my voice rising before I could stop it. “I don’t want to see you anymore. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want a goddamn thing to do with you!”The words flew out loud and ugly on that empty street. Ivan’s ha
~ IVANOV ~It has been one week, four days, twenty four hours and thirty two minutes since I last saw her.Yeah. I counted.Every damn second.Druscilla has not picked up a single call. Not one reply. Not even a dry, cold text to tell me to get lost.Nothing.And that is what is eating me alive.“Calm down, boss,” Pedro said, leaning back like this was nothing. “Maybe she’s just busy with work or something.”I turned my head slowly and shot him a look so sharp it could cut skin.He straightened instantly.“She can’t be that busy,” I said, my voice low but tight, like something was about to snap. “Not to the point where she ignores me completely.”My chest felt heavy. Like someone had their hand wrapped around my heart, squeezing. Not enough to kill me. Just enough to make every breath hurt.“I know her,” I continued, dragging my hand through my hair, pacing the room like a caged animal. “She doesn’t go a single day without talking to me. Not one. And now she just disappears? No explan
~ IVANOV ~I pushed back from the seat, the legs scraping faintly against the polished floor, and strode toward the door. Something felt off.I yanked it open in one sharp motion.The hallway stretched out in silence. Empty. Cold. No footsteps. No shadow. No one.But I heard something. I know I did.My brows pulled together as I scanned the corridor one more time, slower this time, like I could force someone to appear just by looking hard enough.Nothing.A low breath slipped out of me before I turned and walked back inside.Isaac was still sitting there, staring at me like an idiot. His face twisted, confusion and fear tangled together like he didn’t know which one to settle on.I dropped back into the chair across from him, relaxed, like I hadn’t just gone on edge a second ago.“Why were you checking outside?” Isaac asked, his voice tight. “Are you planning to kill me?”His eyes were wide. Too wide. The kind of fear that makes a man look smaller than he is.I let out a short chuckle
~ DRUSCILLA ~“You mean you really want to open a Mexican restaurant?”I lifted another taco from the plate, took a bite, and let out a soft, satisfied hum as the flavors melted on my tongue. My eyes widened a little.“Wow… this is really good,” I said, glancing at him with a smile. “I didn’t know you could cook like this.”Ivan leaned closer, his fingers brushing the corner of my mouth. He wiped away a smear of sauce, slow and deliberate. The touch sent a sharp shiver down my spine.“I can be anything you want me to be,” he murmured.His gaze dropped to my lips. Heavy. Intent. Like he was already imagining how I’d taste.My breath hitched.I leaned in first, my hand settling on his shoulder, fingers curling slightly into the fabric of his shirt. Our noses brushed. Warm. Intimate. Familiar.And then our lips met.No hesitation.No thinking.Just heat.I kissed him hard, pouring everything into it. Weeks of comfort. Safety. Something dangerously close to love.He kissed me back just as
~ DRUSCILLA ~ I was sprawled across my bed, laptop balanced on my thighs, half-working, half-distracted, when Patricia started pounding on my door like she was trying to break it off its hinges. My jaw tightened. “What the hell is it?” I shouted, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice. “Open the door, Druscilla.” Her voice came sharp, impatient. “I need to talk to you.” I groaned under my breath. Seriously? After everything I heard from Isaac that morning, I had chosen to ignore her. No confrontation, no drama. I came home, kept to myself, and planned to sleep it off. But Patricia was not the type to take silence as an answer. I glanced toward the empty hallway, wishing Lani was home. She would have shut this down in seconds. But no. Night shift. Perfect. Dragging in a slow breath, I pushed myself off the bed, walked to the door, and yanked it open. Patricia didn’t wait for an invitation. She stormed in like a gust of chaos. “Why did you do that?” she snapped,







