LOGINWhen Bailey Lockett’s life hits rock bottom, her cheating boyfriend leaves her, and her mother suffers from advanced kidney failure. Desperate for money to pay for immediate surgery, Bailey accepts a $10 million contract marriage from Raven Crest, the cold, ruthless billionaire CEO of Crest Holdings. Raven offers a luxurious seaside villa, total protection, and access to a compatible kidney donor for her mother. To the world, Raven is her wealthy savior. But behind his calm, powerful exterior, Raven carries a crushing dark secret: eight years ago, a hit-and-run involving his inner circle killed Bailey’s father, leaving him burdened with silent guilt. What Raven doesn't know is that Bailey isn't a helpless victim. Behind her quiet smile, Bailey is a brilliant dark-web operative connected to a powerful underground network. She knew Raven was watching her, and she purposely let him find her, using his marriage offer as the ultimate cover to save her mother and uncover the truth about her father’s death. As fake proximity turns into real, dangerous passion, leaked evidence surfaces, pointing to Raven as her father's killer. Caught between her growing love for the man holding her close and her duty to avenge her family, Bailey must uncover the real enemy before their secrets destroy them both.
View MoreChapter 1
Bailey's POV
The air inside the dark hallway smelled like stale rain and cheap air freshener.
I stood before apartment 4B, holding hot dumplings and a birthday cake bought with my last thirty dollars. My feet throbbed after a long twelve-hour shift, but I just wanted to see Gabriel’s face.
For three years, Gabriel was my sanctuary while my mom was dying of kidney failure and my sister needed tuition. He was the only person I trusted.
I unlocked the door.
"Gabriel?" I called softly, stepping inside. "I brought the…”
The words caught in my throat.
The living room was chaotic, with red high heels near the sofa. From behind the bedroom door, I heard whispers, low laughter, and heavy breathing.
I didn't scream or cry. A cold, heavy numbness settled over my chest, the exact same feeling I had when police reported my dad's death years ago.
Quietly, I walked toward the bedroom, my light footsteps silent on the wooden floor. I pushed the heavy bedroom door open wide, stepping quietly past the dimly lit threshold as my heart pounded wildly against my ribs in the heavy dark silence of the messy home entrance.
Gabriel sat half-naked on the plush leather couch, his broad shoulders gleaming under the dim ambient light. Straddling his lap was chloe my roommate in a sheer, crimson silk gown that barely clung to her frame. Gabriel’s hands were wrapped possessively around her slim waist, pulling her flush against his chest.
“Come on, baby... feel me,” she purred, her voice dripping with soft, dangerous venom. “I’m the only one who can actually satisfy you. Not your perfect, boring little girlfriend.”
A dark, low chuckle rumbled in Gabriel’s throat a sound I had never heard from him before. It sent an icy shiver down my spine. Without a word, he reached for his discarded necktie on the armrest, wrapping the black silk over her eyes and tying it behind her head. He lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her toward the mattress in the adjoining room.
He pinned her down, hovering over her as she dragged him closer by his shirt collar. Their breaths mingled hot, shallow, and heavy with cheap whiskey before their lips crashed together in a bruised, desperate kiss. Her manicured nails dug into his bare back, scraping down his skin and leaving thin pink tracks in their wake.
Gabriel pulled back just long enough to shed his trousers, leaving him in only his black boxers. In one swift, fluid motion, he hooked his fingers into the shoulder straps of her nightgown, tearing it down to her waist. Her hands reached behind her back to unhook her bra, tossing it onto the floor.
He leaned down, his tongue trailing a slow, burning path from the swell of her hip up across her ribs, lingering over the exposed curve of her breasts. She let out a sharp, breathless moan, arching her back off the sheets as his mouth clamped over her nipple, sucking firmly while his hands pinned her wrists above her head.
When she wriggled out of her silk panties, Gabriel stripped away his boxers, discarding the last barrier between them. He grabbed her by the hips, pulling her roughly to the edge of the mattress, and spread her legs wide.
He didn't wait his d*ck pushed through her clit as she gasped, her fingers clutching the bedsheets as he established a fast, rhythmic pace. Sweat beaded along Gabriel’s hairline, dripping from his chin onto her chest as the sound of skin hitting skin filled the quiet apartment.
“Oh God… yes… yes… she whimpered, her body shuddering under his weight.
Gabriel chuckled again, that same sinister, unfamiliar sound. He pulled out, gripped her hips, and flipped her onto her hands and knees. Coming up behind her, his hands clamped onto her waist as his cock went inside her clit from behind, his palms striking her thighs with heavy, rhythmic thuds.
“You like this, don’t you?” Gabriel growled into the shell of her ear, his voice rough and stripped of any tenderness. “You dirty little slut.”
“I love it...” she gasped out, her head buried in the pillows as her body rocked with every hit. “Harder... feel me more before your sweet little girlfriend comes looking for you...”
“Gabriel...” she began to chant, her voice rising, broken by heavy gasps. “Gabriel... faster... Oh so good… so good… oh…”
Suddenly, Gabriel pulled out completely, leaving her trembling on the damp sheets. He shifted back onto his knees, his chest heaving as his hand wrapped around his c*ck stroking himself in steady, deliberate motions as he looked down at her.
“Lie down back,” he commanded softly.
She rolled over immediately, her eyes still blindfolded by his tie, her skin flushed and glistening with sweat. Gabriel leaned down between her thighs, parting her with his hands, and pressed his mouth directly against her clit. A loud, sharp gasp tore from her throat as he started licking her p*ssy, his fingers reaching up to knead her breasts in time with every slick, heavy stroke until her moans filled every corner of the room.
“Gabriel,” I said. My voice wasn't loud, but he heard.
Gabriel froze, turning with wide, panicked eyes. Chloe gasped, pulling a bedsheet over her chest, but I ignored her.
“Bailey!” Gabriel scrambled up, pulling his jeans on. "Wait, listen! I was drunk!”
“Save it,” I said, placing the food and cake on the living room table.
Gabriel rushed out, grabbing my wrist. “Don't leave! I made a mistake! I’m stressed! Your mother’s medical bills... it’s hard on us! I needed escape!”
I looked into his eyes. “Are you blaming my dying mother for your betrayal?"
“No, Bailey…”
“Let go.”
He released me. “You need me! You have no money and can't survive alone!”
“I survived before you,” I whispered. “You were just a mistake.”
I dropped his key, left, and walked into freezing rain.
At the bus stop, Saint Jude’s Emergency Ward called. My mother was in septic shock, requiring a fifty-thousand-dollar deposit because her insurance failed.
A black luxury car stopped. A driver held an umbrella, showing a tablet titled MARRIAGE CONTRACT.
“Mr. Raven Crest will pay your mother’s bill instantly," the driver said, looking steady, composed, and entirely serious while standing beside the dark open luxury vehicle door under heavy rainfall. “Get inside this vehicle now, step away from the cold storm, and simply sign this official binding ten-million-dollar contract right away to secure total immediate safety, full medical coverage, and proper care for her tonight.”
Chapter 9 Bailey's POVMy fingers were still locked around his wrist, my muscles coiled and ready to strike out of pure instinct. For three agonizing seconds, neither of us moved. The thunder rumbled outside, shaking the villa’s glass walls, while the storm lit up the shadow of the unconscious mercenary lying just a few feet away from us.I forced my hands to uncurl. I let go of his wrist and took a shaky step backward, letting my hands tremble slightly as I brought them to my chest."I... I don't know," I breathed out, my voice cracking with a high, frightened edge that I forced up from the deepest part of my gut. "I heard footsteps after you left the room. I thought you were in danger, Raven. I just... I panicked."Raven stood up slowly, picking up his fallen gun from the floor. His grey eyes locked onto mine, sharp and penetrating. He didn't look convinced. A man who had just been pinned by a lethal wrist lock wasn't going to believe a simple panic story easily."You swept my leg,
Chapter 8: Night of the BreachBailey's POV Raven’s fingers were still warm against my jawline, his heavy grey eyes holding mine captive in the dim light of the bedroom."What is it?" Raven asked, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the sudden shift in my posture.I flipped the phone face down in one smooth movement, forcing my face to stay completely blank. "Just an automated reminder for my mother's medicine schedule."Raven stared at me for a long, heavy second, as if he was trying to read the thoughts hidden behind my eyes. But before he could say another word, the villa's power cut out completely.The glowing bedside lamp died. The faint hum of the air conditioning vanished. The entire oceanfront room was plunged into thick, pitch-black darkness, leaving only the silver light of the storm outside filtering through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors.A split second later, the deep, muffled thud of a silenced gunshot echoed from the courtyard downstairs.Raven moved instantly. The cold
Chapter 7Bailey's POVThe heavy black iron gates of the Crest Coastal Villa opened silently, allowing Raven’s sleek limousine to glide down the winding stone driveway.I looked out the tinted window, watching the rain wash over the sprawling oceanfront estate. The villa stood tall against the dark cliffside, a structure of black marble, floor-to-ceiling glass, and sharp, imposing angles. It looked less like a home and more like a fortress designed to keep the world out, or to imprison a person.My fingers tightened around the worn-out leather handle of my small suitcase resting on the floorboard. Inside was everything I owned from the Old District, a few simple clothes, my mother's silver ring, and my hidden custom laptop.The live-feed camera hack in my apartment last night had shaken me to my core, but I refused to let Raven see even a fraction of my fear. If he wanted to play a dangerous game of surveillance, I would give him a show worth watching.The car came to a stop beneath t
Chapter 6Bailey's POVA cold beat stretched between us. Most people in my position would have panicked, stammered, or tried to shrink into the floorboards. Instead, I slowly tilted my head, looking him dead in the eye with a flat, bored expression that took every ounce of my self-control to maintain.“I ran a background check on your private holdings the second your driver handed me that tablet,” I said smoothly, keeping my voice completely even. “I’m about to sign my freedom away to a man who claims to hand out ten million dollars like loose pocket change. Did you honestly expect me not to check who holds my leash, Mr. Crest?”Raven stared at me, searching my face for any crack in my armor, any flicker of fear. “You bypassed high-level corporate encryption keys in less than thirty seconds.”“Desperate people learn quick survival skills,” I replied, extending my hand toward him for the physical document. “Or would you prefer a naive, helpless wife who doesn't even know where her husb






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