The plane’s gentle descent woke Claudine. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her head turned to see Hades beside her still holding unto her body like she was going to escape mid air.“Hades.. Hadeson!” she nudged him gentle, trying to wriggle herself off him, but he didn’t even stir.Then she leaned down to whisper into his face, but it was unsuccessful because he caught her lips into a kiss.“Heyyyy..” he drawled, eyes closed, pressing his weight further into hers, his beards tingling her face, as he kept nibbling on her bottom lips as well as taking away all the left over common sense she was managing.“The plane is landing!” Claudine giggled against the dangerous works of his mouth. “Let me go!” she groaned.“Okay okay.. just wait a minute, I want to..”Before he could complete the sentence she freed herself off him and fled to the jet’s lounge area. Her legs were already so damn weak from his touchFuck this isn’t good.No. No. No. Fuck! Claudine screamed into her hands
Her mind reeled and screamed. His father. A best friend. Vanished. The Vancouvers hadn’t just made someone vanish, they had wiped away her entire family, the Kalashnikovs! She was supposed to be dead! If they had won, she wouldn’t even be here.And he’s here acting sad, talking about his pain? Fury, cold and absolute, surged through her. “There’s no forgiving,” her mind raged, echoing a Russian saying she knew well: “Прощения нет. Только возмездие.” (There is no forgiveness. Only retribution.) She would not rest or give up until she saw the Vancouver name vanish, and then her family, the Kalashnikovs, would get back the respect that had been stolen from them for over two decades.There was no forgiving this.Hades watched her, sensing her sudden stiffness. “You’re a feisty one, Zaya,” he observed, a hint of something unreadable in his eyes. “Always so... passionate.” He leaned back, the moment of vulnerability passing, replaced by his usual dominant aura. “Speaking of passions, I hav
- CHAPTER 68Claudine stared out the window, watching the clouds drift by, soft white cotton against an endless blue. Below, the world was a distant, hazy map, they were off to a location she had no idea about. Seated like a queen. Well, a queen without a crown and a queen with a terrible fear of heights.The cabin was a masterpiece of silent luxury: cream leather, polished dark wood, soft lighting that made everything feel expensive and slightly unreal.A hidden panel slid open, revealing an array of top-shelf liquor and crystal glasses. Hades sat across from her, his presence a heavy weight she couldn’t ignore. She felt like a bug under a microscope, constantly scrutinized. This isn’t a vacation, her mind grumbled, a familiar, irritable voice. It’s a very fancy prison cell, just with better snacks. And a very attentive, very dangerous warden. Her heart gave a little thump, a nervous beat she tried to ignore.Hades, sensing her discomfort, leaned back, a faint, knowing smirk playing
A month had passed since the London court case, a strange blur of adapting to Hades’s suffocating presence and her own simmering rage. Life had found a weird rhythm. Claudine still spent her days at Mr. Greenwood’s new orphanage, elbow-deep in legal paperwork. It was a stark difference from the fancy estate, and she actually found some calm going over adoption papers and property deeds.“Honestly, Claud,” Svetlana said, pushing a stray hair from her face, a tiny ink smudge on her cheek. Svetlana, a quiet but sharp nurse, had become like a sister. “Sometimes I think these contracts are tougher than patching up a broken bone. Who knew taking care of kids needed so much... tiny writing?”Claudine gave a small laugh, leaning back in her creaky office chair. “Welcome to my world, Svetlana. It’s all about the small print. And trust me, if you miss a single dot, someone always gets dotted.” She paused, thinking of Hades and his threats. “Though I bet even here, some of these adoption forms p
A June Evening~Claudine felt Hades watching her. It was a constant, burning stare that followed her across rooms, during meals, even when she was just trying to read in the quiet study. It wasn’t just raw desire anymore.There was something else in his eyes, something close to… an assessment. It made her deeply uneasy. Her mission, her revenge, was supposed to be clear, cold, and calculated. But he was making it harder.He was making her feel things she didn’t want to feel, things that tangled her resolve. And to top it off, her period had started, making her feel irritable, moody, and even more on edge than usual. Every little thing grated on her nerves, including his unrelenting presence.This nice Hades was far more disturbing than the cold, ruthless one. At least the cold one was predictable.She walked into the almost empty lounge where Hades was nursing a drink, his dark eyes already fixed on her. “You’re staring again,” she said, her voice dry, a little sharper than she intend
6:05pmThe lounge area in his london safe house, usually Hades’s sanctuary of cold calculations, felt unsettled.He stood by the massive desk, a glass of dark whiskey in his hand, the Scottish content swirling as restlessly as his thoughts. The court victory over Mayor Thorne was satisfying, yes, but it was wifey who truly held his attention.Her sharp mind, her unexpected fire in court, her fierce defense of his interests—it all impressed him. And fuck! Her curves in those suits. It also rattled him. He was a king who built his empire on suspicion, never trust. But with his wife, something was shifting. He found himself liking her presence, the way she challenged him without breaking, the raw spark she ignited in him. A deep, undeniable possessiveness stirred.His secure phone buzzed, a sharp sound cutting through the quiet. It was Detective Marshal, the private investigator he’d hired long ago for two crucial missions: one, to dig into Claudine’s past, the ghost of “Mia”; and two,