Chapter 2

He let go of me before Mommy could notice. I hugged myself, desperately trying to hide the trembling of my entire body.

"I'm... I'm tired, Mom," I lied, avoiding Knoxx's eyes. If I looked at him, I might completely break down in the middle of the airport. "Long flight, jet lag. Can we just go home? I want to rest."

"Oh, poor baby. I told you, Knoxx will drive us straight to the restaurant. We reserved a private room at Shangri-La so we can celebrate right away!" Mommy clapped her hands in excitement. "We need to catch up! We have so much to tell you about our wedding plans!"

Wedding plans. Fvck! It looked like this was really happening, but I had to stop it, damn it!

"Let's go?" Knoxx asked, his tone perfectly polite, the epitome of a doting, gentlemanly fiancé.

I wanted to refuse. I wanted to appeal to her, but... I didn't want to hurt Mommy!

Knoxx himself carried my heavy suitcase without even showing any effort. He and Mommy walked ahead of me. My mother's hand was hooked around his arm, while Knoxx occasionally nodded at whatever she was saying.

From behind, I watched them. Knoxx Madrigal was in his late thirties, but he was just too damn hot and sexy to be my step-daddy. His broad shoulders, perfect posture, and the way he walked exuded pure alpha energy. And the thought of him kissing my mother? The thought of him waking her up in the morning and doing the things he and I had done before?

I felt a sudden tightness in my chest. Was this jealousy? Anger? Or fear?

I can't let that happen. I told myself as I followed them out of the terminal. Their wedding couldn't happen. No matter what happened, I would destroy their relationship. Not just for myself, but also for my child, whom I had left in New York under the care of a trusted nanny.

Good thing he didn't look like Knoxx, though there was some resemblance, but he inherited everything from me.

As soon as we got into the car, I broke into an even colder sweat. Knoxx drove a sleek, black Porsche Cayenne. Naturally, Mommy took the passenger seat, leaving me alone in the spacious back seat.

Throughout the entire drive, Mommy kept talking about how they met at a charity gala, how romantic Knoxx was, and how he had courted her. As I listened, I just stared at the rearview mirror.

And there, I caught Knoxx's glances.

He wasn't focused only on the road. Every few seconds, his dark eyes would shift to the mirror, locked to mine. I could feel the intensity of his gaze, as if he were undressing me with his eyes every second our eyes met.

"Right, honey?" Mommy asked, turning to Knoxx.

"Of course, Elena. Whatever makes you happy," Knoxx replied, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine. But as he said that, his eyes in the rearview mirror told a different story. They were full of m0ckery. Full of dangerous intent.

I couldn't hold myself back anymore.

"Mom," I interrupted before she could continue. "I thought you said he has a son? Where is he?"

Knoxx's expression changed in the mirror. His jaw tightened slightly.

"Oh, Tristan!" Mommy smiled. "He's still in London, finishing some business deals for Knoxx's company. But he'll be back next week. I told Knoxx, what a small world because you two know each other from there! Tristan told me on the phone that you two got close while you were abroad?"

I gripped the leather seat tightly. Close? Yes, close. I had a fling with the son of the man who was going to be my stepfather. When I moved to New York, that's where I met Tristan, who often visited there for business. I used another man to forget, to escape the ghost of my child's father. And now, here I was, trapped in the same space with the man who had originally owned my heart and body, BEFORE.

"We... we just hung out a few times, Mom. Casual," I answered casually, even though I could already feel the tension inside the car.

I'm trying my best to stay calm, but Knoxx's presence still had a different effect on me after years of not seeing each other.

"Casual? Tristan seemed very fond of you, Kathryn," Knoxx suddenly cut in. His voice was colder than the air-conditioning in the car, and his hand tightened around the steering wheel to the point that his veins began to show. "In fact, he mentioned he was planning to pursue you seriously when he gets back."

My lips parted. I looked at him through the mirror, but his expression was serious, his attention now focused on the road.

The world was small. So damn small it was sickening.

As I stared at the back of Knoxx's head, his broad shoulders, and the authority he carried with him, an idea slowly formed in my mind.

You want to play, Professor Madrigal? Fine. I'll play along.

I couldn't accept Tristan becoming my stepbrother, and even more so, I couldn't accept calling him 'daddy' while every part of me still screamed his name at night. If I had to use my own body, my own venom to destroy his relationship with Mommy, I would. I would seduce him. I would lead him astray until he was the one who backed out of this wedding.

I looked at the rearview mirror again, and this time, I didn't look away when he glanced back. I gave him a slow, sexy smile, a smile filled with challenge and seduction.

I saw Knoxx's gaze drop to my lips before he quickly returned his attention to the road. I didn't miss the way his Adam's apple bobbed.

Got you, I thought to myself.

I wasn’t sure if I would succeed in this plan to seduce him, but I would make sure their wedding wouldn’t happen.

Because before he could marry my mother, I would make sure he knelt before me again.