He was her husband's worst nightmare. Now he’s her only escape. When Selene's picture-perfect marriage shatters and her husband tries to sell her to the mafia to settle his debts, it's Ronan Blackwood—cold, dangerous, and filthy rich—who steps in. Not to save her. To claim her. “You were never his, Selene. You’ve always been mine.” Now locked in his penthouse and tangled in his world of power, blood, and obsession, Selene must decide: fight him—or fall for the devil who just might own her heart.
더 보기Selene’s POV
“She’s the only asset I have left. Once you take her, my debt is cleared.” The words punched through the air like a bullet and I froze mid-step, the heel of my shoe catching on the edge of the marble tile outside Damien’s office. My hand hovered over the doorknob. What was he talking about, or rather who who was he talking about? My heart stopped beating for a moment then slammed against my ribs with a force that seems like it wanted to get out of my body. The office door wasn’t fully closed. So it was easier to hear Damien's voice, the desperation in it and the pants in his breaths as he paced - or I assume that's what he's doing. “I said tonight,” he hissed into the phone. “I don’t care how. Just take her.” Shock glued my feet to the floor and I couldn't breathe. Take who? But I wasn't stupid. I knew he was talking about me Take me? A sick wave of cold crashed over me, starting from the base of my spine and crawling up to the back of my neck. I nudged the door open just enough to see him. Damien stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, one hand gripping his whiskey glass, the other pressed to his ear. He was shirtless, slacks hanging low on his hips, his hair disheveled like he hadn’t slept. Or maybe like he hadn’t cared. My husband, the charming, successful entrepreneur with his spotless suits and smooth words—now looked like man who was about to unravel in the most unpleasant ways. He turned away from the window, facing the room. “Yes. She’s docile. Obedient. You’ll have no problems.” My fingers curled into fists. Docile? Obedient? I stepped inside, pushing the door open with a hard shove. It slammed against the wall. Damien jolted, nearly dropping his drink. His eyes landed on me, and widened for a moment, stunned—then quickly calculating. “Selene—” “What the hell did I just hear?” He set the glass down with maddening calm and disconnected the call. “That wasn’t what it sounded like.” “Really?” I took another step forward, shaking. “Because it sounded a lot like you were offering me up like… like livestock.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t make this dramatic, Selene. You’re smarter than that.” I laughed. “Who are you talking to? Because your wife—the woman you made vows to—is standing right here, and you just called her your last asset.” “I didn’t mean it like that.” He gave me a tired look. “It’s not personal.” My voice was a whisper now. “Not personal?” He took a slow step toward me, like I was some frightened animal. “I owe people, Selene. Powerful people. They don’t wait. They don’t negotiate. They take. And I didn’t have anything left to give—except you.” I flinched, stepping back. “Excuse me?” “Yes Selene. It was either that or kill me. Would you rather I die?! These are dangerous men - deadly men who wouldn't think twice before ending my life and…I have nothing left to give them.” I stepped back as his words hit me. “So what did you do? Sell me off to the dangerous and deadly men to get yourself off the hook?” His face twisted but his silence was all the answer I needed. This wasn't a joke. The bastard was really serious. I wobbled slightly as my knees almost gave out under me and I blindly reached behind me for a chair before sitting down because the whole room suddenly felt like it was spinning. This can't be happening. “Why would you do that?” I whispered too shocked to actually yell. “It was either you or my life Selene. I chose me. At least they wouldn't kill you.” I almost laughed. Typical Damien. He was my husband so even I knew just how selfish he could be. /I chose me./ Somehow he had gotten himself in debts and decided I should be the one to pay for it - like I always did. Docile. Obedient. “I gave you everything,” I said. “I paid off your debts. I stood by you when your business flopped. I believed every word you told me.” “You believed because you wanted to.” His voice dropped, now cold and unapologetic. “Don’t act like a saint now. You needed someone to believe in, and I played the part.” My stomach churned. “You’re disgusting,” I whispered. “Don't be so dramatic Selene,” he said, straightening his shoulders. “What do you expect? That I lay my life down instead?” “The debts were yours, you bastard!” My voice grew this time and I gripped the edge of the chair so tight my fist burned, “you got yourself into a mess and you had no business trying to use me to clear it!” Damien didn't move an inch. “What the hell do you think I am? Some property that you could sell off whenever you want?” “Yes!” He snapped, “that's what you are Selene. What other use are you for me? You are nothing but a pathetic excuse for a wife - penniless, worthless - all you do, is consume my hard earned money. You are nothing but a liability Selene so yes, I had the right to sell you off!” Each words out of his lips felt like I was being stabbed over and over at the same spot- and it was hard to hear them, see him saying them and believe that it was coming from my husband. “I am penniless because I sacrificed everything for you. Now I'm a liability?” “Please save me the sob story. I never asked you to sacrifice shit - you jumped into the decision because that's how foolish and pathetic you are.” My chest tightened, “Damien -” “I did more for you! I gave you a good life, a comfortable life - more than you ever hoped for. So this is your chance to pay me back - for all the years I've had to carry you like a burden.” His words knocked the air out of my lungs. I sat there, stunned, as I watched him my vision blurred from unused tears pooling in my eyes. How could he say all these to me? “How could you do this to me?” Damien shrugged, “I did nothing to you. If I was to calculate how much you owe me you wouldn't pay back in a lifetime.” “I'm your wife! I had no idea there was a need to pay back for anything.” He smiled, “not anymore you are not. You belong to the people coming for you - and don't worry. You are pretty enough so they will treat you well.” Gosh! “Please,” my word came out more broken than I intended, “please don't do this to me Damien.” His jaw twisted with a bitter smile. “There she is. My docile pathetic wife with zero back bone. You will be perfect for what they need you for.” Pathetic wife. The word echoed in my head as he bent down and grabbed my chin with his fingers. Pathetic wife. That's all I was - all I've ever been to him. But who could blame him? I was pathetic and even now… I was still pathetic. I shuddered in self disgust as his finger stroke my chin. “You are a good girl - so just be one for your new owners.” I didn't blink or think. Before I could stop myself my hands flew and a loud smack echoed through the room. Damien recoiled back in shock and palmed the cheek I had just slapped. Without a moment hesitation, I stood and ran. Through the hallway. Past the photos on the wall I now hated. My purse lay on the kitchen counter—I snatched it and made for the door. But the knob wouldn’t turn. I turned it again and it didn't bulg. The door was locked. My knees grew numb as panic crept through me. The door was locked. The lights above me flickered. Once. Twice. Then all at once—they all went out enveloping me in total darkness. I froze, and for a moment all I could hear was the sound of my heart beat racing wildly against my chest. And then I heard it. A creak on the back staircase. A heavy footstep near the back entrance. “Damien?” I shouted. Nobody answered. The house was too quiet, creepily quiet I reached for my phone but No signal. Panic clawed up my throat. I bolted for the back door— And stopped. Three shadows stood just beyond the glass. Black-clad. Masked. Armed. One of them stepped forward and tapped the barrel of his gun against the window, as if politely asking to be let in. “Mr. Laurent said you’d be ready.” My scream ripped through the dark.Selene's POVRonan laughed when he looked at me, his eyes doing that thing again. Like he was thinking dirty thoughts or something. "You know what you're saying?" he asked, his voice all rough and low.But I shut him up with a kiss.The second my lips hit his, everything else just... went away. The dark room, the rain hitting the windows, his cologne that smelled expensive and dangerous. All of it disappeared and it was just his mouth on mine and my heart going crazy in my chest.Every part of me was screaming nooo.My brain, the smart part that usually keeps me from doing stupid shit, was going off like a fire alarm. This was Ronan. This was bad news. This was me crossing lines I swore I'd never cross. But my body wasn't listening anymore.But I told all those voices to shut up and listened to the one telling me to kiss him.That stupid, reckless voice that had been getting louder all night. The one whispering about ho
The engine went quiet as Ronan's black car pulled into the driveway. Moonlight hit the stone front of his house, making everything look shadowy and still after all the noise at the club. My head felt fuzzy from drinking, but my feet hurt so bad it cut right through the buzz.I watched him get out through the dark window. Even in the dim light, I could see how tense his shoulders were, how tight his jaw looked. He moved around the car with that smooth way he always had, like a predator or something. When he opened my door, his dark eyes locked onto mine and I forgot how to breathe for a second."Come here," he said, his voice rough.Before I could say anything or move, his arms slid under me and he lifted me right out of the car like I weighed nothing. His chest was warm against my side, and I caught his cologne mixed with something else-something that made my heart race. My dress hiked up a little when he adjusted his grip, and I felt his fingers
He stood directly in front of us now, and the distinct scent of his expensive cologne pierced through the acrid smoke that surrounded us—something undeniably masculine that sent a rush of warmth through my limbs and weakened my knees. His presence seemed to fill the entire space, commanding and absolute, like a force of nature that was impossible to ignore."I think you have something that belongs to me," Ronan said, his piercing gaze locked onto Damien but, oddly, also enveloping me in its intensity. There was a sense of possession in his voice, but beneath that surfaced something deeper—an undercurrent of protection, perhaps even a hint of tenderness that caught me off guard.I watched as Damien’s bravado unraveled right before my eyes. His grip on my wrist, which had felt almost vice-like moments before, loosened and fell away completely. In that instant, he transformed into a child, caught in the act of pilfering cookies from a jar, his earlier confidence evapo
Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks, burning like acid behind my eyes. But I couldn’t allow them to fall, not here, not now, and certainly not in front of Damien. I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood as I fought against the overwhelming urge to break down completely.Letting him see me cry would be like handing fresh meat to a hungry wolf—relentlessly cruel. It wouldn't change anything; it would only make the moment more exhilarating for him. I recognized that look in his eyes, that predatory gleam that flickered to life whenever he sensed my vulnerability. He thrived on it, drawing power from my pain and despair.My left cheek still throbbed from the sharp slap he'd delivered just moments before. The heat radiating across my skin felt like a brand, and I could sense the tender flesh beginning to swell. The metallic taste of blood lingered in my mouth where my teeth had bit down on the soft skin, a reminder of the force
Selene's POVI was paralyzed, my eyes locked on Damien as he moved closer, his footsteps echoing ominously in the cramped bathroom like a tolling bell signaling doom. The fluorescent light overhead flickered erratically, throwing harsh shadows across his face that made him appear even more menacing than I remembered him to be. My hands quivered at my sides, fingers itching to grasp something that could serve as a weapon or at least a barrier between us.The cold, unforgiving tile wall pressed against my back, its chill penetrating through my thin dress and settling deep into my bones. I knew there was nowhere left to escape. The small bathroom morphed into a claustrophobic prison cell, with its grimy mirror reflecting my pale, terrified face and the single stall offering no real chance for an exit.I couldn’t help but think, "Yes, he’s right," as my mind raced with frantic calculations. "Ronan is still back at the clubhouse, while I’m trapped here in this bathroom. He wouldn’t hear my
A low, rumbling chuckle escaped his lips, the sound reverberating through the dimly lit corner of the club where we sat. The bass from the music seemed to pulse in rhythm with my heartbeat as his eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that made me shift uncomfortably in my seat."You need to pay me because I helped you act," he said, his voice cutting through the ambient noise with surprising clarity. There was something in his tone—part amusement, part seriousness—that made my stomach clench with unease."Pay you?" I repeated the words, feeling foreign on my tongue as I tried to process what he'd just said. The colored lights from the dance floor cast shifting shadows across his face, making it difficult to read his expression fully. But his eyes-those dark, calculating eyes—never wavered from mine.He nodded slowly, deliberately, as if savoring my confusion. The gesture was almost predatory, like a cat that had cornered its prey and was now taking its
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