Se connecterMeanwhile, at the bar booth.
Wes Brooks' phone vibrated, lighting up with my reply—photos and text included.His eyes widened. He slammed a hand on the slouched Ethan Knight."Ethan! She replied! She actually replied!"Ethan jolted like he'd been shocked with a cattle prod. He snapped his head up and snatched the phone out of Wes' hand.The screen's glow seared his eyes.Those two close-up shots of intertwined hands crashed into his bloodshot pupils—mI stared at Ethan's ashen, crumbling face and let out a low, cold laugh. I twisted the knife deeper. "Once you hated me for clinging to you. Now I’m clinging to your dad." "Does that feel good?" "Hearing me call him husband. Hearing him tell me to be good." "How does it feel to be my precious little stepson now?" "Ah!!!" He clamped his hands over his head and let out a savage, broken scream. Sobs tore out of his throat. Collapse. Absurdity. Crushing regret swallowed him whole. "Why…why him of all people…" Blood vessels burst in his bloodshot eyes. He looked wild, desperate. "How dare you…" "How dare the two of you?!" I looked down and smoothed my skirt, my tone lazy and cruel. "Why wouldn’t we dare?" "Your dad made the first move. He forced me to get the marriage license. He’s the one who made me call him husband." Something suddenly clicked in his head. His pupils shrank violent
Night.New York.The Imperial Palace Grand Ballroom.Lights blazed bright.Crystal chandeliers hung overhead like falling stars.The engagement party for the Knight and Voss families was in full swing.Every name that mattered in New York high society was in attendance.I didn't ride with Alexander.He'd left earlier to handle the arrangements.I arrived late. On purpose.I walked in alone, wearing an ice-blue couture gown.The fabric hugged my frame, scattered with tiny crystals that shimmered all the way to my ankles.With every step, I moved like moonlight spilling across the floor.My hair was loosely pinned up.An ice-blue diamond crescent hairpin gleamed against the dark strands.I swept my gaze calmly across the room.I took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray.I'd barely taken a sip when a figure suddenly blocked my path.Ethan Knight.Bloodshot eyes.Slightly ru
Afterward, the bedroom was filled with nothing but shallow, ragged breaths.I lay limp and sated in the tangled sheets, my throat raw and dry."Water."Alexander chuckled, pressed a kiss to my damp temple, and got up.His back was broad, his waist narrow, littered with fresh scratches.When he returned, he held two bottles of water.He twisted the cap off one and held it to my lips, carefully supporting the back of my neck as he let me drink slowly.The water soothed my throat, easing the hoarseness.I let out a soft sigh. A few strands of wet hair clung to my flushed cheeks.Alexander wiped a stray drop from the corner of my mouth, then glanced at the ruined sheets."I’ve got to change these. No way we’re sleeping on that."He moved toward the closet against the wall, like he already knew where everything was.My apartment wasn’t big, but it was warm, decorated in soft hues.The air smelled like the
My heart pounded like a drum against my ribs."Alexander. Coaching your son to eavesdrop? That's a new low, even for you."I gasped out the words, biting his jaw."Letting him hear it firsthand? That's what really cuts deep.""Knowing isn't enough. He needs to feel it. Understand what'completely out of the game'actually means."Alexander let out a low laugh, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, his voice dropping to a gravelly rasp.His palm dug into my waist.I sucked in a sharp breath.This man, when he went for the kill, didn't spare anyone. Not even his own blood.The hall outside went dead silent for a beat.Then the pounding on the door came back. Harder. More frantic."Who's in there?! Who the hell are you?!"Alexander chuckled darkly, kissing my sweat-damp temple."Tell him who I am."I bit down on his palm. When he flinched, I gasped out loud enough for the hall to hear."The bastard who owns me!"
At my words, Alexander didn't show the slightest displeasure. Instead, a flicker of amusement crossed his eyes, like he'd known I'd say exactly that.He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the entryway console table on either side of me, caging me completely within his space."I know. I rushed it."He admitted it readily, his voice low and smooth."Twenty-two. Your world just opened up. Endless prospects. You shouldn't be tied down by a marriage contract."Alexander seemed to read every hesitation I had. His thumb traced gently across my cheek, cutting off the words still forming on my lips."I'm ten years older. Asking you to marry me at this point probably sounds like I'm taking advantage of your inexperience, like I'm manipulating a young woman who doesn't know any better.""But sweetheart, this isn't some impulse on my part.""The Knights aren't an ordinary family. And the old man is no pushover.""If he can't get what he wants throu
I pushed open the heavy oak door of my penthouse and kicked my stilettos into the corner of the foyer. The motion-sensor lights hummed to life, washing the space in a warm, amber glow. One night. Two aggressive plays for my heart. And each one was more unhinged than the last. I was leaning over to reach for my slippers when my phone buzzed inside my clutch. I pulled it out and tossed my bag onto the console. The screen lit up. The name The Beast pulsed on the display. A sharp smile curved my lips as I swiped to answer. "Hey." "Home yet?"Alexander's voice came through the receiver, a deep, gravelly rumble. "Yeah, just walked in."I slipped into my slippers."Are you finally done for the night?" A beat of silence followed. "Yeah." Then the doorbell rang. I froze, phone still pressed to my ear, my gaze snapping toward the door. A low, dark chuckle echoed through the line. "Open the door." I walked quickly to
A lingering gloom hung over the White Mansion.Since the scandal at Nebula Hotel and the ten million ransom, the White family had been severely weakened. Chloe White stayed home all day, her former arrogance gone.Winnie Carter’s visit felt like an unwelcome intrusion."Chloe
Ethan's head spun. A vein bulged at his temple.She dared to call him that?He instinctively took it as a vicious insult, payback for the things he'd hurled at her back at the cove."Lisa!"His voice came out as a low growl. His fists clenched tight at his sides.He wante
Copying sutras?Last time, he’d done it with such ruthless focus because desire had burned inside him with no release.Copying scriptures had been the only way to force down the urge to pin her right on the pages and take her apart.But last night, she’d calmed that res
Every word I'd said hit Song right in the chest.She sucked in a sharp breath.Then she grinned, excitement flickering in her eyes."So we just sit tight? Watch her dig her own grave? Wait for her to show her hand?""Exactly."I leaned back in my chair."Winnie's the







