Chapter 36

‎"Clean up and leave," he said, his voice still hoarse from the sex they just had together. There was no emotion in his tone, just a tired finality. Without another glance in her direction, he turned and made his way to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

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‎Inside, he moved toward the bathtub with a slow, deliberate pace. The silence was thick, broken only by the sound of running water as he filled the tub. He lowered himself into it, letting the warm water envelop his aching muscles, his head resting just above the surface. He stayed like that for a while, fifteen minutes, eyes closed, breathing steady, letting the tension in his body melt away.

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‎Eventually, he stirred. Rising from the water, he drained the tub and turned on the shower. The cascade of water was brisk, cleansing. He scrubbed away the grime and sweat of the day, and the night, until he felt somewhat human again.

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‎Once finished, he reached for a clean white towel hanging nearby. He wrapped it around his waist with a practiced motion, the steam still lingering in the air as he stepped out of the bathroom.

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‎Back in his room, he spotted his phone, tossed carelessly across the bed earlier, in the heat of sex. He walked over, picked it up, and quickly typed in his password. The screen unlocked with a soft click.

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‎He went straight to the gallery, pulling up the pictures his detective had sent. His eyes scanned each image with surprise evidence on his face.

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‎As he stared at the photo his detective had sent when he was fucking, the pictures glowing on the screen of his phone, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. The image showed his brother, Edward, standing beside a woman. A beautiful woman. For a moment, his brows drew together in confusion.

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‎"Is this not Caroline?" he murmured under his breath, leaning forward slightly as if getting closer would reveal the truth. "Are they together now?"

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‎The question felt absurd even as he said it. He knew better. Caroline had been relentlessly pursuing Edward since last year, throwing herself at him with carefully planned encounters and veiled flirtations. But Edward, cold, distant, emotionally locked behind walls no one seemed able to breach, had rejected her at every turn. He'd never shown the slightest interest.

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‎Still, the woman in the photo looked almost exactly like Caroline. Same elegant figure, same graceful posture. At a glance, it was easy to mistake one for the other. But as he kept staring, something shifted. A detail, small but crucial, snapped into focus.

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‎"She's not Caroline," he muttered again, this time with more certainty. His eyes narrowed, now examining rather than reacting. The differences were subtle but undeniable. Caroline had golden sleek hair and warm brown eyes, while this woman’s hair was a sleek, inky black, her eyes the color of a stormy ocean, intense, distant, magnetic.

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‎It didn’t make sense. How could someone resemble Caroline so closely and yet be so fundamentally different?

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‎The resemblance had startled him, but now it brought him an odd sense of relief. It wasn’t her. That meant Edward hadn't given in. He hadn't suddenly fallen for Caroline’s manipulation. No, this was someone else entirely. And that, in itself, was intriguing.

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‎His attention drifted back to the image, this time focusing on his brother. The way Edward stood, posture relaxed, eyes soft, mouth curved in a near-smile as he opened the car door for her, it was a look he’d never seen from him before. There was affection there, possibly more.

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‎So, it had finally happened. Edward had fallen for someone.

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‎The day he’d been waiting for had come at last.

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‎A slow, knowing smile curled across his lips as he whispered to himself, voice laced with satisfaction and quiet menace:

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‎"You're my next target."

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‎As Edward pulled up to Claire’s apartment building, the hum of the engine faded into silence. He shifted into park, letting out a quiet breath as he glanced at the woman beside him. Claire had just finished unbuckling her seatbelt, her movements sharp and irritated.

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‎Before she could open the door, he pressed a button on the console. The car gave a soft click as the doors locked. She froze, turning slowly to glare at him.

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‎“Won’t you invite me in?” Edward asked with a half-smirk, cocking his head as if genuinely curious. He met her furious gaze with maddening calm, even as she yanked at the door handle in frustration.

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‎“What the hell are you doing?” she snapped, her voice rising in disbelief. He'd been testing her patience all evening, poking at her boundaries with that infuriating charm of his. But tonight, she’d had enough. She was ready to let him have it.

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‎Edward’s grin widened. “You look like you want to devour me,” he said, eyes twinkling. “It’s terrifying, honestly.”

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‎Claire rolled her eyes, heat rising in her cheeks, not from embarrassment, but from the way his words toyed with her. He was always like this, unfiltered, teasing, cold and far too observant.

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‎“I don’t want to devour you,” she shot back with a smirk. “There are plenty of other guys out there. Good ones. Handsome. Tasty.”

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‎Her voice was honeyed with sarcasm, but the glint in her eye contradict his now defiant and and angry.