LOGIN~ Avelyn ~âWhat?ââLove,â Xander repeated, unblinking. âTell me about it.âFor a second, I genuinely wondered if the sea air had finally knocked something loose in his head.Xander Sterling asking me about love.I searched his face for mockery. For manipulation. For that familiar cruel curve of his mouth.There was none.Only intent so I swallowed and turned my gaze back to the ocean, needing the distance. âSome people say love is a feeling,â I began slowly. âOthers say itâs a choice. Or a weakness. Or a chemical reaction in the brain.ââI donât care what people say,â he cut in. âI want your answer. Iâm sure you must know.âThe water below surged and recoiled, restless as I exhaled.âLove is⌠like a leash to me,â I said quietly.His silence urged me on.âTethered to my neck like it was hardwired into my being. But not the kind of leash used on dogs.â I shook my head faintly. âThis one is different. Because I put it there myself.âThe wind tugged at my hair, carrying my words away an
~ Avelyn ~ âI need time.âThe words came out softer than everything Iâd thrown at him before. Not as a demand or a fight. Just⌠truth.Xander studied my face for a moment, as if measuring how much time I was really asking for.Then he nodded once.âFine.âHe turned and walked back into the conference room without another word. I followed, my legs still unsteady, my mind loud with too many thoughts.The board erupted the moment he entered.âThis meeting isnât something you can simply walk out onâââWe havenât concludedâââThe consequencesââXander didnât even slow.âThis gathering is over,â he said coolly.âYou cannotââHe reached for my hand behind and the room fell dead silent.âI can,â Xander continued, already pulling me toward the exit. âAnd I just did.âFury crackled behind us, sharp and offended and dangerous but he didnât turn back. Not once. His grip was firm, grounding, almost possessive, and before I could process it, we were out of the room, out of the building, sealed ins
~ Avelyn ~The door creaked when I pulled it open. I expected empty air, a hallway or some goddamn privacy.Instead, I nearly collided with a wall of black suit and controlled violence.Xander stood right there.Too close and solid like heâd been carved into the doorway itself.I froze.For a split second, neither of us spoke. His expression was unreadable with no teasing, no dark amusement, no lazy dominance. Just hard focus. Calculation layered over concern.Then he said something I didnât see coming.âWhen last did you get your period?âThe words hit me harder than the vomiting had.âWhat?â I snapped, heat flaring instantly. âAre you serious right now?âHe didnât blink. âAnswer me.âMy disbelief curdled into anger. âWhat kind of ridiculousâââWhen,â he repeated, jaw tightening. âLast. Month.â I spat.Something in me broke.âIâm not pregnant!â I burst out. âDid you think I let you touch me without protecting myself?âHis jaw flexed sharply and the air shifted.Good.I wanted him angr
~ Avelyn ~The room went quiet the moment we stepped in. Not polite quiet or respectful quiet.But the kind that listens.A long, obsidian table dominated the space, surrounded by seven men and one woman, each occupying a seat that looked less like furniture and more like a throne. Power sat on their shoulders differently. Some wore it loudly, with rings and arrogance. Others carried it lean and sharp, like concealed blades. There was a plaque on the table, with a name boldly written.The Seal of Seven.I felt it then, why Xander had warned me. Why my skin prickled like Iâd walked into a storm mid-breath.Xander guided me to the chair at his right. Not behind him or a space apart. It was beside him. I felt the air shift.A man with iron-gray hair cleared his throat. âShall we begin?âXander didnât sit immediately. He rested his palms flat on the table, leaning forward just enough to remind them all who stood above whom.âWe will,â he said calmly. âAnd we will end it today.âNo greetin
~ Avelyn ~The moment the car doors opened, the air changed into something cooler, sharper like it was laced with money and polished ambition.Xander stepped out first, effortless, composed, already the axis the world tilted toward. Suits turned. Conversations slowed. Heads inclined, some respectfully, others calculating. He didnât acknowledge any of it. He simply extended a hand back toward me.I hesitated for half a second.Then I took it.His fingers closed around mine with quiet finality, not possessive enough to spark gossip, not distant enough to invite doubt. Just enough to say sheâs with me.Cameras clicked somewhere. I didnât look.âEyes up,â he murmured without moving his lips as we walked. âShoulders back.âI obeyed, lifting my chin as the glass doors slid open and swallowed us whole. But I couldnât shake the feeling of being a decorative pawn in his hands. He always seemed like he had all the cards and I wasnât even fit to be a player. Inside, everything gleamed, from the
~ Avelyn ~Getting ready felt like preparing for a battlefield disguised as a boardroom.I stood in front of the mirror longer than necessary, staring at my reflection as if it might blink first. The room was quiet, sunlight spilling in through sheer curtains, touching everything softly, my vanity, the carpet, the red silk laid out on the bed like a warning.Red.Of all colors.I slipped into the gown carefully, the silk gliding over my skin like it already knew it didnât belong to meâit belonged to him. The fabric cinched at my waist before flaring gently, elegant without trying too hard. The halter neckline left my arms bare, my shoulders exposed, my collarbones visible. Nothing about it screamed vulgar.And yet⌠I knew exactly what it would do.I twisted slightly, watching the way the dress moved with me. How it caught the light. How it made me feel seen even alone.Get it together, I told my reflection.This wasnât a date. It was a corporate meeting. Powerful men in tailored suits







