เข้าสู่ระบบEmily’s POVDaniel pulled me gently up off the floor and led me to the long leather sofa. His split lip was still bleeding, dropping small red spots onto his grey t-shirt, but his face remained completely calm.I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a warm, damp cloth, and hurried back, sitting beside him on the cushion. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold the fabric."Hold still," I whispered, pressing the cloth gently against the cut on his lip. "He hit you so hard...""Ouch," Daniel muttered softly, though he didn't even flinch. He reached up, taking my wrist and holding the cloth himself. "Don't cry for him, Emily.""I'm not crying for him," I sobbed, wiping my wet cheeks with the back of my hand. "I'm crying because he's going to ruin everything you built. He promised he'd destroy you!""Let him try," Daniel rasped, his silver eyes steady and cold. "Noah Carter is a small man throwing a big tantrum. He has no real power.""He has my mother," I reminded him quietly. "And he h
Emily’s POV"Let him come," Daniel had whispered into my hair.The sun had barely risen over the trees, casting long, golden beams across the timber floors of the hidden living room. Daniel’s thumb stroked my shoulder, trying to soothe the fierce tremor running through my spine."He's going to ruin you, Daniel," I sobbed, clutching the front of his grey t-shirt. "My dad... he hates my mother, but he hates you more. He thinks you took advantage of me!""Noah Carter doesn't think," Daniel said coldly, his silver eyes fixed on the forest outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. "He reacts. He abandoned you eleven years ago to hurt Victoria, and now he's driving here to play the knight in shining armor just to clear his own pathetic conscience.""He's coming with anger, Daniel. He sounded completely out of his mind on the phone.""Then let him bring whatever he has," Daniel rasped, dipping his head to press a slow, soft kiss against my forehead. "Sit down, Emily. Drink your water."Less than
Emily’s POVThe warm water kept pouring down over us, but the icy fear that had been paralyzing my chest for hours was gone, burned away by the sheer, unadulterated heat of Daniel's mouth against mine.His lips moved over mine with a fierce, possessive rhythm, grounding me in the present. The hands pinning my wrists against the warm glass wall didn't hurt; they held me steady, stopping the world from spinning out of control."Daniel..." I breathed into his mouth, my heart hammering like a wild drum against my ribs.He didn't answer with words. He loosened his grip on my wrists, letting my hands fall onto his slick shoulders. His big arms wrapped around my wet waist, lifting me effortlessly against his chest. I wrapped my legs around his hips, clinging to him as if he were the only solid thing left in the universe.He kissed my cheek, my jaw, the cord of my neck, his breath hot against my wet skin. "You're safe," he rasped, his silver eyes dark as storm clouds when he pulled back just
Emily’s POVThe hidden house was deathly quiet, save for the soft hum of the refrigerator in the open-concept kitchen.While Daniel was out on the back porch taking a breath of crisp country air, I reached into the coat pocket where he'd stashed my phone, slipping it out as quietly as I could.My thumb pressed the power button. The screen glowed to life, throwing harsh white light across my face.Please no. Please tell me it hasn't started yet.I opened my browser with shaking fingers, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I typed in Belmont Student Forum, then checked the local city gossip blogs, and finally searched Daniel’s corporate name on social media.Nothing.Not a single headline. Not a leak. Not even a vague post about a domestic fight at Penthouse 54A."It's quiet," I whispered to myself, staring at the empty search results in disbelief. "Why is it so quiet?""Because Arthur Reed isn't an idiot."I jumped, nearly dropping the phone onto the hardwood floor.
Emily’s POVThe heavy silence that followed my words lasted for barely a single heartbeat."I LOVE MY STEP-FATHER!"The words were still echoing off the high ceilings when Ethan’s face turned from pale shock to a dark, murderous red. A strangled, primal scream tore out of his throat."You fucking bitch!" Ethan roared, his eyes popping out of his head as he completely lost his mind. "I'll kill you, Daniel! I'll fucking kill you!"He didn't care about the broken glass on the floor. He didn't care about the security guards or his mother screaming behind him. Ethan lunged forward, throwing his entire body weight straight at Daniel."Ethan, no!" Arthur Reed barked, but it was too late.Ethan swung a wild, desperate right hook straight at Daniel’s face.Daniel didn't even flinch. He slipped his head to the left, letting Ethan’s fist fly harmlessly past his shoulder. In one fluid, terrifying motion, Daniel stepped inside Ethan’s guard, his silver eyes flashing with icy disgust."I told you n
Emily’s POVThe heavy electronic lock clicked twice, and before Daniel could even move toward the foyer, the double doors were shoved violently inward.Building security had used the master keycard.Behind two pale, wide-eyed guards came Ethan, his father Arthur Reed, and his mother Helena. They burst into the penthouse like a storming army, ready to stop a murder—only to freeze dead in their tracks the second their eyes took in the scene.The dimmed, flickering candlelight. The scattered rose petals and half-eaten trays of sushi and artisan chocolates. The overturned barstools. The shattered glass covering the marble floor.And right in the center of the destruction stood Daniel, his dark hair disheveled, his shirt unbuttoned to his waist, his chest flushed—standing fiercely in front of me as I huddled behind him, clutching his dark cashmere sweater over my crumpled dress."What in God's name...?" Arthur Reed gasped, his voice trailing off as his eyes darted from the ruined living ro







