Chapter Seven: Wolfe Brothers

Victor finally left, and for the first time in hours, I could breathe, a real, deep breath.

Andrew must have seen the relief wash over my face because he chuckled under his breath, like he knew I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I tried to smile, but the truth was, I wasn’t entirely okay. I was still a little pissed that Killian had left without a proper goodbye, and the bitterness of it soured my mood in a way I hated to admit.

I followed Andrew back to his suite, watching him unpack while my mind wandered places it shouldn’t, places that smelled like leather, whiskey, and forbidden touches.

It was just lust.

Just reckless desire.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

“You know,” Andrew said casually, tossing a shirt onto the bed, “if I didn’t know you better, I’d swear there’s something you’re not telling me about Victor’s brother and you.”

I froze for a fraction of a second.

Then I forced a laugh, too loud, too fake.

“Ooh, no,” I said, waving my hand. “We just met. He seems… different from Victor.”

I was desperately trying to sound convincing. Trying not to sound suspicious.

Andrew narrowed his eyes slightly, like he was studying me.

“Trust me, Victor’s the better one. His brother, yeah, the guy’s good-looking, but Victor is the sweet one.”

“You know him?” I asked too quickly, the impatience in my voice slipping through before I could stop it.

Andrew’s brow lifted. “Do you have a crush on him, Ivy?”

“No!” I practically shouted, my heart slamming against my ribs. “I mean… no. He just seems… mysterious.”

“Mysterious,” Andrew repeated with a small smirk. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

I pressed my lips together, trying to look casual while my pulse raced.

“Of course he’s mysterious. There’s barely anything about him online,” Andrew continued, shoving a few more clothes into drawers. “I did a background check on their family when I heard you were getting married to one of the Wolfe brothers.”

My stomach twisted.

“What did you find?” I asked, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

“If you’re worried about Victor, you’re fine,” Andrew assured me. “He’s the face of the company. Good grades. Good reputation. Solid business deals. Polished personality. No scandals. He’s the golden boy.”

“And Killian?” I asked, before I could stop myself.

Andrew paused, his expression shifting just slightly.

“Killian’s… different,” he said carefully. “Got himself into a lot of trouble as a teenager. They used to call him ‘the wicked bachelor.’ Always photographed with a different woman. Always in and out of some fight or scandal.”

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.

“He keeps a low profile these days,” Andrew went on, “but his lifestyle? Still wild. He doesn’t live with the family. He barely even stays in one place. Keeps to himself. Parties hard. Slips strippers and sex workers through his house like it’s a revolving door. If you ask me, Ivy, you’re lucky you didn’t end up with him.”

Lucky.

That word echoed in my head long after Andrew had finished speaking.

Lucky.

Was that what this was?

Because standing there, smiling and nodding along to my brother’s words, all I could think about was the way Killian’s mouth had felt on mine. The way his touch had set my body on fire. The way one night with him had already ruined me for anyone else, including Victor.

Lucky?

No.

I was cursed.

And the worst part was, some wicked, broken part of me didn’t even want to be saved.

But then another thought crept in, colder, sharper. What if I was just a fling? What if, for Killian, I was nothing more than a moment of pleasure, a reckless mistake he had already forgotten?

For a man like him, I was nothing.

“At least with Victor you have a chance at happiness,” Andrew said, not even knowing how deep his words cut. “At a good marriage. Not Killian… that man? There are things about him I can’t even bring myself to tell you.”

I smiled weakly, pretending his words didn’t gut me. But inside, a storm was already brewing.

Because I knew, without a doubt, whatever those secrets were, they were already pulling me deeper into Killian Wolfe’s dangerous world.

And somehow, I knew, no matter how dark it got,

nothing would ever stop me from wanting that man.