LOGIN"Adrian..." she whispered, her voice breaking, her eyes wide and drowning in pure terror. "I... please—" "Pack your bags... You are coming back to the city with me tonight." "What?" she asked, confusion flashing in her eyes. "Don't make me repeat myself, Mara. We are leaving tonight, I will deal with all this later" Mara stared at me, her chest heaving, the sheer weight of her exhaustion and relief crashing down on her all at once. She didn't fight as I took her hand, pulling her out of the freezing server room and leading her straight to her quarters to pack. By sunrise, the island was behind us. Two days later, back in the heart of the city, the air inside the private dining room at L’Étoile was suffocatingly tense. The glass walls overlooked the glittering skyline, but no one at the long mahogany table was looking at the beautiful view. My father sat at the head, his posture rigid, his dark eyes tracking every movement in the room like a hawk waiting to strike. Ma
3 MONTHS EARLIER - ADRIAN’S POV The change had been subtle at first, but I spent my life reading people’s microscopic shifts in body language, and Elizabeth was broadcasting a storm. The moment Julian Vance started showing up around the office more frequently, and the moment the sickening rumor spread through the staff quarters that she was involved with him—something in her changed. The quick, fiery glances she used to steal when she thought I wasn't looking were replaced by a hollow, haunted look. She flinched when doors closed too loudly. She lost weight, not a lot, but enough for me to notice. I sat at my desk in the west wing, staring at the closed door, my jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached. I picked up my phone and dialed a direct line. "Holt," a gravelly voice answered on the second ring. "Carter," I said, my baritone flat, cold, and devoid of patience. "I need a complete background pull on two people. Julian Vance, and the new staff member who works with Clara
The cool night air hit my bare skin as Adrian finally loosened his grip, allowing me to slide down from the edge of the desk. My legs felt like lead, trembling under the weight of everything that had just happened. Adrian gave my hips one last possessive squeeze before stepping away into the adjoining private bathroom to wash up, leaving the heavy oak door slightly ajar. The moment the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom, I scrambled across the rug to snatch my phone off the carpet. The screen lit up with three text notifications and a vibrating incoming call from the name that made my blood run cold: Julian. I swiped the screen with trembling fingers, pressing the phone to my ear as I backed toward the heavy velvet drapes. "Mara, where the hell are you?" Julian’s voice was a sharp, dangerous whisper through the receiver. "You were supposed to send the updated server logs half an hour ago. I'm waiting at the north dock." "I can't talk right now, Julian," I sa
"I need to be inside you, sunshine... please," he rasped out, his command softening into a low, desperate plea against my skin. He trailed his mouth down the sensitive line of my jaw, his teeth grazing the shell of my ear before he sank his lips into the crook of my neck, sucking hard enough to leave a deep, dark mark that would claim me for weeks. "Open up for me, baby." A shudder tore through my entire body, my toes curling against the edge of the mahogany desk as the deep, primal vibration of his voice unraveled the last shred of my self-control. "Adrian..." I whimpered, my fingers tangling helplessly in his dark hair, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. He didn't need to be told twice. Adrian hooked his hands under my knees, parting my legs wider until I was completely open to him. He guided the thick, throbbing head of his shaft straight against my slick, swollen center, teasing me with one long, agonizingly slow rub up and down my core before he pressed for
His broad hands slid under the hem of my apron, bunching the fabric up past my hips until my bare, exposed thighs rested against his broad shoulders. I gripped the wooden edge of the desk, my knuckles white, my breathing coming in ragged, terrified gasps as Adrian pushed my knees further apart. "Adrian, wait—someone could walk in—" "Let them," he growled low, his dark baritone vibrating straight against my inner thigh as he pressed a hot, lingering kiss to the delicate skin just above my knee. "Let the whole damn house hear what belongs to me." He didn't wait for another plea. Adrian buried his face between my thighs, his warm breath fanning across my sensitive center a fraction of a second before his tongue made direct, wet contact. A sharp, breathless scream ripped from my throat. My back arched off the mahogany desk, my fingers twisting wildly into the collar of his crisp white shirt as he began a slow, punishing lick upward, tasting every drop of slick heat I was alrea
After the tears finally dried, I pulled myself off the floor, my limbs heavy as lead. I grabbed my phone from the small wooden table and dialed Joan’s number. Listening to the steady ring, I pressed the cool glass of the screen against my burning ear. "Mara! Oh, thank God," Joan’s warm, anxious voice cut through the receiver the moment she picked up. "I was getting worried when I didn't hear from you. How is everything over there?" "I'm here, Joan," I rasped out, forcing my voice to stay even, though my throat felt raw. "I'm sorry. I just... wanted to check on my mom. Have you heard anything from the hospital today? How is she holding up?" "She's stable, sweetheart," Joan replied gently, her comforting tone easing a fraction of the knot in my chest. "The nurses said her vitals were steady this morning and she slept through the night without any issues. You don't need to stress yourself while you're working. Just focus on what you're doing, and I'll keep an eye on things here
Handsome didn’t quite cut it. He was stunning, the kind of man who made people stop mid-sentence without even realizing it. His hair was jet black, cut sharp at the sides, falling just enough over his forehead to make him look recklessly elegant. He stood at least six-foot-five, broad-shouldered w
The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped out into the afternoon air with the biggest grin I’d had in months. The sun hit my face, warm and sharp, and for once, it didn’t feel like the city was working against me. I had a job. Not just any job —an in. People in expensive shoes brushed past
To win the game, you have to study the players……. if there’s ones thing being broke has taught me is how to win no matter what. The apartment hummed like a tired refrigerator when I came in, the same familiar, low-grade noise that meant the world kept turning even if mine felt stuck. I dropped my
The taxi dropped me two blocks from Club Verona. I didn’t want anyone to see me getting out in front the bouncers had a habit of talking, and in this city, gossip spread faster than disease. The moment I stepped onto the pavement, the air changed. The night smelled like perfume, cigarette smoke, a







