LOGINAstridâs POV The penthouse felt smaller after the office. Xavier had kept his hand on my waist the entire ride back, like he couldnât bear even the short distance without touching me. Now he was in his office on a call, voice low and commanding through the closed door, while I sat on the wide couch pretending to read. My eyes kept drifting to the hallway that led to his private study. Zurich. The word had been burning in my head since I saw the folder. My mother â Rina Lyrien â was alive. Not dead. Not gone. Alive and hidden away like some asset Xavier had tucked in a safe deposit box. I turned a page in the book without seeing the words. Ava moved through the living room with her usual sharp efficiency, dusting surfaces that didnât need dusting. She glanced at me once, eyebrow raised. âYou look like someone whoâs plotting world domination,â she said dryly. âOr at least a very stupid escape.â I gave her
Astridâs POV Xavierâs fingers were tracing slow circles on my bare thigh when he said it. âCome with me to the office today.â I blinked, lifting my head from his chest. We were still tangled in bed, the sheets twisted around us from another night of his hands on my skin and his mouth whispering things that made my stomach tighten. I had expected him to leave me here like always, locked safely in the penthouse with Avaâs sharp tongue for company. âYouâre letting me leave?â The words slipped out before I could soften them. He gave me that half-smirk, the one that used to terrify me and now made something warm and dangerous unfurl low in my belly. His hand slid higher under the shirt I wore, possessive but gentle. âYouâve been good, Velvet. And I want you close.â I searched his face, trying to read the trap. This was new. He had kept me here for days, wrapped in silk and his scent and his constant touch. Now he was
Xavierâs POV She was getting too good at this. Astrid lay curled against my chest, her breathing slow and even, one bare leg thrown over mine like she belonged there. The morning light filtered through the windows and caught on the gold chain around her throat. Eres MĂo. The sight of it against her skin still did something primal to me. I traced the pendant with my thumb, feeling the steady beat of her pulse underneath. She stirred, eyes fluttering open. For a split second I caught something guarded in them, but then she gave me that small, sleepy smile and pressed closer, her hand sliding across my chest. âMorning,â she murmured, voice husky. I tightened my arm around her waist and rolled us so she was half beneath me. âMorning, Velvet.â I kissed her slowly, taking my time, tasting the way she softened under me. She kissed me back without hesitation now, her fingers threading through my hair, her body arching ju
Astridâs POV The discovery sat in my chest like a live wire. I lay beneath Xavier, his weight a solid, warm anchor, while his mouth moved slowly down my neck. Every kiss was deliberate, like he had all the time in the world to map out what belonged to him. I arched into him the way he liked, threading my fingers through his hair, letting out a soft sound that wasnât entirely calculated. My body remembered how good this felt. My mind kept screaming about the folder in his desk. Sheâs alive. The thought wouldnât leave me alone. My mother â the ghost I had mourned for years â was breathing somewhere in Zurich, and Xavier had known. Had kept her from me like some carefully guarded secret. âYouâre quiet tonight,â he murmured against my collarbone. His hand slid under the hem of his shirt I was wearing, palm warm against my stomach. I forced a small smile and tilted my head to give him better access. âJust thinking.â
Astridâs POV Xavier was becoming impossible. He had me pressed against the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window, the city glittering far below like scattered diamonds. His mouth was on my neck, hot and insistent, one hand tangled in my hair while the other gripped my hip hard enough to leave marks. I kissed him back like I meant it, letting out a soft sound that made his grip tighten. âStay out of trouble,â he murmured against my skin, voice rough. âI wonât be long.â I smiled against his jaw, fingers tracing the edge of his collar. âIâll be good.â He pulled back just enough to look at me, eyes dark and searching. For a second I thought he could see straight through the performance. Then he kissed me once more, hard and claiming, before finally stepping away. The elevator doors closed behind him with a soft, final sound. I let out a slow breath and touched my swollen lips. The necklace felt heavier than usual against my collarbone. Keep playing the part, I reminded myself. Make
Astridâs POV Xavier was getting clingy. Each passing day he wrapped himself tighter around me like I might vanish if he blinked too long. This morning was no different. He had me pinned against the kitchen counter, one big hand cupping my jaw while the other gripped my hip like it belonged there. His kiss was hard, demanding, the kind that left my lips swollen and my knees unsteady. When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. âI donât want to leave you.â I smiled the way Iâd practiced â soft, a little shy, a little wanting. âYou have an empire to run. Go.â He kissed me again, slower this time, like he was trying to memorize the taste of me. âBe good, Velvet. Avaâs here if you need anything.â âIâll be fine,â I said, brushing my fingers along his jaw. Inside my head I was already calculating how many minutes I might have alone once he walked out that door. He lingered another long moment, eyes dark and possessive, before he finally stepped back. The elevator d







