LOGINLucien’s POVAnd I had done that. I had given him this perfect, joyful night. But I wasn't a part of it. I was just a ghost in the machine, a voyeur watching from the shadows. I had thrown him the party of a lifetime, but in doing so, I had never felt more alone. I had given him everything he wanted, but I had forgotten to give him the one thing I secretly craved: me.The smile on North's face was a beacon in the sea of people. It was the kind of smile that could light up a room. For a moment, I allowed myself to feel a flicker of pride. I had done this. I had made him this happy.But then, a new figure emerged from the crowd. The light in my world flickered and died. He was tall, unnaturally so, with a jawline that could cut glass. He moved with the easy confidence of someone who knew he was being watched. He was a model. I could tell from the way he held himself.This was Sean. The name North had mentioned once, dismissing him as a "talking stage." A talking stage that had somehow
Lucien’s POVThe silence in the penthouse was a physical presence, a thick, suffocating blanket that settled over everything the moment the door clicked shut behind North. The urge to call him was a frantic, desperate thing, a bird beating against the inside of my ribs. I wanted to hear his voice, to take back the ugly words I had thrown at him like stones. But I couldn't.I just sat there, staring at my phone, the screen dark and mocking. It felt like I was the only one investing in this relationship. I was the one flying across the world, cutting meetings short, rearranging my entire life just to be in the same room as him. And what did I get in return? A casual mention of an off day, as if my presence was an afterthought, a minor detail in a life that was already full.Frustration, hot and sour, churned in my gut. Our four-month anniversary was just around the corner. I had been thinking about it for weeks, imagining a quiet weekend at a private villa, just the two of us. But then
Lucien’s POVI found myself checking my phone every five minutes, re-reading our last text exchange. The silence on his end was deafening.I felt a hollow ache in my chest, a craving for his presence that was almost physical. I was Lucien Crowe, a man who commanded armies and bent markets to his will, and I was pining over a law student like a lovesick teenager.On the third day, I couldn't take it anymore. I cut my meetings short, booked the jet on a red-eye flight, and was back in the city by morning. I went straight to the penthouse, my heart pounding in my chest.I found him in the kitchen, making coffee, wearing one of my shirts. He looked up as I walked in, his eyes widening in surprise."You're back early," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow."I didn't say a word. I crossed the room in three strides, cupped his face in my hands, and kissed him, a deep, desperate kiss that was all the things I couldn't say. I was po
Lucien’s POVBut my silence wasn't a surrender; it was a retreat. I avoided them both until our father, tired of the tension, sat us down and "made us settle." Jericho got the girl. I got the reputation of being the cold-hearted heir who couldn't be bothered to fight for his own girlfriend.I was always the outstanding one, the heir apparent. Jericho was my shadow, but a shadow that learned how to manipulate the light. He knew from a young age that he was adopted, and he used that card like a master. It was his excuse, his weapon, his shield. "You don't understand," he would tell our parents. "You're not adopted, you don't know what it's like." And they would fold, showering him with the affection he so expertly demanded.I stood on the deck, the past and present blurring into one. My mother's broken voice, Jericho's smug face, the memory of being trapped in a life I didn't want. It was all the same story. A story of being forced into a role, of being misunderstood. But not with Nor
Lucien’s POV The soft click of the suite door closing behind me felt final. North was a warm, sated memory in my bed, but the cold reality of my world was waiting. I had told him he could bring his friends, a concession that felt both magnanimous and foolish. It was a brief lapse, a moment of softness I couldn't afford. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I stepped back onto the main deck of the larger yacht. It was my head of security, his voice tight. "Mr. Crowe. We have a situation. Manchester made a move." My blood ran cold. "What kind of move?" "Within an hour of leaving your party, his people initiated a hostile takeover bid for a key supplier in our aerospace division. It's a clear, targeted attack. He's trying to disrupt the Starlight Project." The Starlight Project was my baby, the culmination of a decade of work, the venture that would solidify Crowe Enterprises as the undisputed leader in commercial spaceflight. Jericho wasn't just crashing my party; he was trying to burn
Lucien’s POVThe cat ears were slightly askew, and the long, black tail, attached to the plug inside him, swayed gently as he shifted his weight. He looked up at me, his eyes hazy with bourbon and a blatant, unashamed lust. He was a masterpiece of submission, and the anger still simmering in my veins from my encounter with Jericho found its perfect target."Look at you," I said, my voice a low, appreciative purr that vibrated through the room and straight to my groin. "All dressed up for me. Did you have a good time at my party?"The alcohol had clearly untethered his inhibitions. He began to crawl toward me, the movement fluid and sinuous. "It was enlightening," he murmured, his voice husky. He reached out, his fingers grazing the expensive fabric of my trousers. "But the party's just starting, isn't it?"His touch was a spark to my temper. I shot my hand out, my grip like iron around his wrist, stopping him cold. "Not so fast," I chided, my voice losing its softness and taking on a
North’s POVAs I reached our gate, the scent hit me.Garlic sizzling in oil. Fish sauce was blooming in the heat. Fresh basil torn by hand. Jasmine rice was steaming.Pad kra pao.She only made that when she wanted everyone at the table.I slipped inside and dodged Winter’s questions about where I’
Lucien’s POVAnd one single day without him.That was all it took to send my patience to hell.It was absurd.Completely irrational.Yet the more I tried to focus on my work, the more my mind drifted back to the same thought.North.I was supposed to travel three days ago.A scheduled trip to Dubai
Lucien’s POVThis was raw, hungry, a claiming that matched the desperation building inside me. My hands moved of their own accord, one tangling in his hair, the other sliding down his back to cup his ass, pulling him flush against me.He responded instantly, his body molding to mine, his tongue del
North’s POVI wished he hadn't seen that stamp, because it seemed to unleash something in him. He had me yelling "Yes, daddy" all night, my voice raw, my body a vessel for his relentless desire, the words a bitter reminder of exactly what I was to him.*Maybe telling him I couldn’t sleep because o







