INICIAR SESIÓN"I'm going to make sure you don't remember how to write a mercantile clause during the whole trip," Frederick promised me with a dark, hungry, and possessive gaze before capturing my lips in a ravenous kiss that tasted of salt and freedom.The first two days passed in an unreal bubble of peace. Life on the high seas boiled down to the rhythmic sound of waves slapping the steel hull, the sun's glare on the deck, and Frederick's exclusive, voracious, and constant attention. Files, constitutional trials, and Richard's ghosts chasing us through the mansion's hallways did not exist.It was ten o'clock at night on the third day. The darkness of the open ocean completely enveloped us, broken only by the silver flash of the full moon reflecting off the water's surface.I stood on the stern deck, leaning against the teak railing, wearing only an open lightweight white linen shirt and loose trousers, feeling the freezing sea breeze caress my damp skin.Frederick's heavy, firm footsteps echoed a
"There are no offices anymore, Luke," he reminded me in a hoarse, direct hiss, his dark eyes shining like embers in the dark. "There's only you, this boat, and my need to devour you under the stars."He unbuttoned my linen shirt with a single yank, popping the mother-of-pearl buttons that dropped onto the deck. His rough hands, scarred by a life of power and lead, traced every inch of my bare chest with fierce possessiveness.He tilted his head and began kissing my neck with growing urgency, sucking my skin until he drew a moan that lost itself in the sound of the waves."Frederick... here on deck... anyone can see us from the bridge..." I protested in a fake sigh, feeling the pressure of his erect member against my hip."There's no one on the bridge, the automatic navigation system is set, and the whole world can go to hell," he sentenced without parting his lips from my throat. "You're mine on this deck, Luke. Mine under this sky."He lifted me off my waist with brutal force, forcin
I approached Luke in slow strides, grabbed his waist over the silver-threaded robe, and pulled him against my body, paying no mind to the few professors still gathering their papers in the seats.—You look ridiculously imposing with that platinum plaque in your hands, President,—I whispered in his ear, softly biting his lobe.—Save your compliments for when we get to the port, Bayron,—he retorted with an arrogant smile, tucking his diploma under his arm. —We still have to review the SME dispatches before sunset.We walked out of the Magna Aula escorted by a line of ten customs armored vehicles clearing a path through the crowd of students and employees throwing silver petals into the air.The caravan advanced through the capital's main avenue and descended swiftly toward the north port docks area, where the midday sun dyed the water a brilliant, intense blue.The vehicle braked at the entrance of the presidency's private dock, a space guarded by high wrought-iron fences and state-of-t
"Good morning, professors, academic authorities, colleagues, and workers of this province," I began speaking, my voice clear, powerful, and frigid echoing in every corner of the Magna Aula. "For years, we were taught in these very desks that the law is a cold instrument, designed to protect the privileges of the untouchables and punish those without a supporting last name."A religious silence took over the auditorium. The law professors lowered their heads before the undeniable truth of my words."We were told the mercantile and customs system belonged to the cartels, the fronts, and corrupt politicians who sold sea routes to the highest bidder," I continued, raising my chin slightly, gripping the podium with both hands. "They forced us to carry the weight of guilt, the shadow of false kinship, and the misery of a port suffocated by extortion."I looked back toward the front row, connecting my pupils with Frederick's."But this degree I receive today does not belong solely to the law
POV: LukeThe satellite phone report that Frederick was holding in the suite was still vibrating with the Ministry of Justice's threat: the central campus was cordoned off by three hundred federal police officers, the national army had imposed a preventive state of siege, and the Magna Aula was closed under an immediate arrest warrant against me for alleged treason against the homeland.I walked over to the full-length mirror in the east wing dressing room. Not a single muscle trembled.I picked up the midnight-blue cold wool suit with pure silver threads that Salvatore had delivered the night before, the exact one Frederick had ordered made with tyrannical insistence. I slid my arms into the perfectly tailored sleeves and fastened the mother-of-pearl buttons across my chest. Over it, with a steady pulse, I placed the black academic honor robe of the law school, letting the lapels embroidered with silver thread flash beneath the dim lights of the bedroom.Frederick appeared behind my
***POV: FrederickThe sunset light filtering through the high stained-glass windows of the private chapel tinted the stone tiles a copper-red. Darrel had already left with the notification of the gala in his hands, leaving us alone in the deep silence of the sacred enclosure.I pulled the small dark mahogany box from the leather briefcase. I opened it slowly, exposing the navy blue velvet cloth where the two solid platinum bands, engraved with our grandparents' names and the date 1952, rested.I picked up one of the rings between my fingers. The cold metal was heavy enough to remind me that we were not holding a simple piece of jewelry inherited from a murky past; we were holding the living testimony of our land's true foundation.I raised my gaze. Luke stood beside the displaced altar, arms crossed and an expression of serene expectation reflected in his clear eyes."What are you doing with my grandparents' rings, Frederick?" Luke asked in a low hiss, breaking the chapel's echo.I d
I stood there, in the center of the Grand Hall, my ears ringing. The revelation of Rusty and Frederick as my new stepbrothers had left me in a state of numb shock.Every fiber of my being screamed at me to run, to go back to our small, dilapidated apartment, but my feet were pinned to the marble."
Through the window of the armored car, the outside world seemed to fade away, replaced by a private road flanked by ancient oaks that closed over us like the claws of a giant.When the vehicle finally came to a halt, the air escaped my lungs.It wasn't a house. It wasn't even a mansion. It was a mo
Luke’s POVThe bitter aroma of freshly roasted coffee was the only thing keeping my nerves in place as I hurried through the halls of St. Hale University.Today was my 18th birthday. The day my boyfriend, Rusty Bayron, was finally supposed to introduce me to his world.For six months, Rusty and I h
LUKE’S POV1 hour laterI sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the ring on my middle finger. The damn blue diamond seemed to mock me with every flash under the white ceiling light. I felt a constant pressure, a kind of imaginary electrical hum that reminded me every second that I belonged to the Bay







