Chapter 2

Lydia’s POV

Oh, fuck. What the fuck is happening to me?

My hands turned to ice around the silver tray I was holding. It wasn’t a hallucination. The raw, heavy ache between my thighs and the faint, distinct scent of their expensive cologne clinging to my skin were terrifyingly real.

They weren't ghosts of a drunken mind. They were standing right in front of me. Zane, Kian, and Cassian.

They stood like dark gods, towering in impeccable tailored suits. Zane shifted his weight, his sharp jaw tightening as his eyes flared with the same possessive intensity from years ago, back when he used to chase me.

Kian tracked my shaking hands with a knowing, ruthless smirk. Cassian’s gaze dropped to my lips, heavy with history. They are billionaires with a ruthless reputation in the business world that made men like Julian look like ants.

"Lydia, what are you doing just standing there?" Julian’s voice sliced through my panic, full of sharp irritation. He forcefully grabbed my elbow, pulling me forward. "Bring the wine. Don't keep our guests waiting."

I forced my face to go completely blank. I stepped forward, our eyes locking as I approached.

Not a single one of them blinked. Not a single one of them gave away a damn thing.

"Good evening, gentlemen," I murmured, my voice a smooth as I lifted the bottle. "Welcome to our home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Miller," Zane said. He stepped up first, his dark, piercing eyes boring directly into mine as I poured the red wine into his crystal glass. His hand brushed against mine intentionally, a lingering, scorching touch that made my fingers tremble.

Kian flashed Julian a tight, corporate smile, but the moment my husband blinked, Kian’s gaze dropped straight to my high velvet collar, eyes flashing darkly. Cassian smirked openly. His tattooed fingers clamped tightly around the wine stem, his eyes pinning my lips with a predatory, shameless hunger.

They were playing the game perfectly. We all pretended we had never met. We all pretended last night never happened.

And as I stepped back, my heart hammering against my ribs, I desperately prayed to whatever god was listening that it would stay that way forever.

"Please, come into the dining room," Julian sycophantically ushered them forward, practically bowing. "My wife has prepared everything. We can discuss the shipping contract over dinner."

The next two hours were a living hell. I sat at the edge of the long mahogany table, playing the perfect, invisible hostess, silently pouring wine and clearing plates. I didn't say a word. I just watched them.

"The logistics network your company owns is completely outdated, Miller," Zane stated coldly, cutting into his steak with brutal precision. "Your father-in-law's old routes are the only reason we're even sitting at this table. If we invest, we restructure everything. From the ground up."

"Of course, whatever you think is best, Zane," Julian stammered, his forehead sweating as he leaned forward, completely desperate. "I am completely open to your terms. We just need the capital to clear the port backlogs by midnight."

"We don't invest in sinking ships unless we completely control the captain," Kian murmured, his voice lazy but dripping with a quiet, terrifying authority.

He casually leaned back, his eyes tracking me as I stood up to refill his glass.I leaned over slightly to pour the wine, my hands rigid. “Is the wine to your liking?”I asked, my voice tight.

"Exquisite," Kian replied, his dark eyes dropping to the pulse point racing on my neck. "Rich, complex... and completely intoxicating."

Julian chuckled blindly, totally missing the suffocating tension turning the air to ice. "Lydia handles all the hosting arrangements. She knows how to serve important guests."

"Clearly," Cassian chimed in, a dangerous, sharp-witted smirk playing on his lips. He raised his glass toward Julian, but his intense gaze remained firmly pinned to me.

“Your wife has an exceptional talent for giving men exactly what they need when they're starving."

I choked on my own breath, quickly pulling the bottle away and stepping back into the shadows of the dining room.

My hands were shaking so hard the glass bottle clicked against my wedding ring. They were torturing me, playing with me right in front of my oblivious, arrogant husband.

But as the dinner dragged on and the business talk continued, the panic began to fade into a numb, desperate hope. They hadn't exposed me. They hadn't dropped a single hint that Julian could actually understand.

They were signing the contract. They were going to take what they wanted from Julian’s business and leave.

It was just a mistake, I told myself, gripping the edge of the kitchen counter after escaping the dining room to prepare the post-dinner coffee.

Last night was an anomaly. A reckless, drunken nightmare. They are billionaires; they don't care about a broken placeholder wife. They’ll sign the papers, walk out of this house, and I will never have to see them again.

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed, signaling the end of the dinner. From the dining room, I heard the scraping of chairs and Julian’s relieved, ecstatic laughter.

"Thank you, gentlemen! This contract changes everything. I will have my assistant wire the final legal descriptions first thing in the morning," Julian droned on, trailing them toward the front foyer.

I leaned against the kitchen counter, letting out a long, ragged breath, my shoulders finally dropping. It was over. They were leaving.

I picked up the empty silver tray and walked out into the dimly lit, quiet hallway, heading toward the back terrace to get some fresh air.

The house was massive.The cool evening breeze blew through the open French doors of the terrace, hitting my face and bringing me back to reality.

I stood at the edge of the terrace, looking out into the dark garden, trying to clear the lingering fog of scotch and panic from my head.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over me.Before I could even gasp, a massive, solid chest slammed flush against my back. Two powerful, heavy arms wrapped violently around my waist, locking me against a wall of pure muscle.

My heart shot into my throat. For a split second, a desperate wave of relief washed over me. Julian?

But the grip was too strong.The heavy, intoxicating scent of expensive woodsmoke and leather filled my senses.It wasn't Julian.

"Going somewhere, Lydia?" Cassian’s dark, predatory voice hissed right against my ear, his hot breath flaring across my neck.

I gasped, twisting violently to break free, but another towering figure stepped out from the shadows of the terrace curtains, blocking my path. Kian. He reached out, his steel fingers gripping my jaw with a firm, unyielding pressure, forcing my head back.

"Did you really think you could just pour our wine and pretend we’re strangers?" Kian murmured, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, terrifying heat.

"Let me go," I choked out, my voice trembling as I glanced frantically toward the hallway. "My husband... Julian is right inside”

"Julian is a blind, pathetic fool," a third voice growled.Zane stepped forward from the darkness, his towering frame completely cutting off the exit.

He walked up until he was inches from my face, his large hand reaching out to slowly trace the high collar of my velvet dress, his fingers digging slightly into the fabric.

The three of them surrounded me instantly, trapping me against the terrace railing, their massive, dominant bodies completely blocking out the sky.

Zane leaned in close, his lips almost brushing mine as his gaze locked onto my terrified eyes.

"You don't belong to him anymore, Lydia," Zane growled "You belong to us."