LOGIN"Who are you on the phone with?"The voice was a low threat that seemed to materialize from the very shades of the room. Ava stiffened, her heart leaping into her throat as she fumbled with the device. She disconnected the call with an urgent press of her thumb.She turned, forcing a nervous, brittle smile onto her face as she looked up at Dominic. He was leaning against the doorframe, his silhouette broad and imposing, his eyes unblinking as they tracked the slight tremor in her hands."Just a friend," she said, her voice sounding unconvincing even to her own ears."Male or female?" Dominic asked. He didn't move, but the atmosphere in the suite tightened, the air suddenly feeling scarce."Female," she lied, the word tasting like copper.Dominic continued to stare at her for a long, agonizing moment, his gaze searching for the lie he knew was there. Finally, he straightened, his expression smoothing into a mask of polite indifference. "Shall we?"Ava nodded, her knees feeling like wat
Ava felt the weight of a gaze before she heard a sound.She slowed her stroke, treading water as she turned toward the villa. Dominic stood at the edge, his silhouette stark against the white stone. He looked as though he had been watching her for a long time."I looked for you when I woke up," Ava said, her voice carrying across the still surface. "I didn't think you'd vanished so quickly."Dominic didn't answer immediately. He walked to the very lip of the pool and crouched down, bringing his face level with hers. The proximity was startling, she could see the golden flecks in his dark eyes and the dampness of the salt air on his skin."I didn't realize I had married a professional," he remarked, his voice a low grate. "You move through the water as if you were born to it."Ava drifted closer to the ledge, her fingers gripping the tile. "I won quite a few championships back in the day. It was the only time I felt like I could outrun everything else.""Interesting," Dominic murmured
The interior of the limousine was thick with the scent of expensive leather and the staccato rhythm of Dominic’s voice. Ava sat beside him, her spine pressing against the seat until it felt like a board. He was hunched over his phone, his jaw working as he barked orders to a world that moved at his command.Finally, he ended the call with a flick of his thumb. He didn't look at her immediately, his gaze fixed on the tinted window as the city blurred past."Did you pack everything you needed?" he asked, his voice dropping low."Yes," Ava replied, her hands folded tightly in her lap.Dominic turned toward her then, his expression unreadable. He reached into the inner pocket of his charcoal jacket and withdrew a sleek, matte black card. He held it out between two fingers, a silent offering."If you find you’ve forgotten anything—or if you simply want more—use this," he said. "It has no limit. Buy whatever suits you."Ava stared at the card, the gravity of his wealth manifesting in a smal
Ava stared back at him, her chin tilted at an angle that spoke of a defiance her trembling hands couldn't quite mask. Dominic straightened up, his movements fluid. He reached out, his fingers brushing the hem of her gown where it had ridden up against her thighs and smoothed the silk down over her knees with a gesture that felt less like gallantry."You might want to start packing for our honeymoon," he said, his voice dropping into a low, detached tone."Honeymoon?" Ava’s voice tripped over the word, her eyes widening in genuine shock. Dominic locked eyes with her, his gaze as cold as the marble floors under them. "Do not look at me with such expectation, Ava. I didn't organize this farce. A vacation is the last thing on my mind, and quite frankly, the last thing I have time for. But it seems my father has decided we need to play the part of the blissful newlyweds for the world to see.""Where are we going?" she asked, her heart hammering a rhythm against her ribs."Italy," he repl
The journey back from the gala was a stifling affair and with Dominic’s unspoken fury. He sat in the far corner of the leather seat, his profile a silhouette against the passing city lights. He didn't look at her, didn't move, didn't breathe a single word. The violence of the corridor still hung about him. Ava watched him from the corner of her eye, carefully. The silence pressed down on her chest, but she refused to break it first.Good.Let him stew in it.Let him feel it.When the car finally came to a halt within the safety of the estate. Dominic stepped out the moment the door was opened, his stride long and purposeful as he vanished into the house without a backward glance."Dominic!" Ava called out, her voice echoing off the stone walls of the garage.He didn't stop. He didn't even flinch. He simply continued on, his back a wall of unyielding charcoal wool. Ava watched him go, a slow, calculated smirk spreading across her lips once he was out of sight.“Possessive,” she murmur
Dominic didn’t just approach, he laid claim, his arms winding around her waist from behind with a possessive force that left no room for escape. The man saw this a scramble away immediately. "Why are you trying to get their attention?" he murmured against the shell of her ear, his voice a low rasp.Ava went rigid, the sweetness of a berry bursting on her tongue like a secret. She forced herself to remain calm, though her heart was performing a rhythm against her ribs. "I’m not doing anything, Dominic. I’m simply eating berries.""Every man in this room has been tracking you like a hungry hyena from the second you stepped inside," he growled, his grip tightening until the silk of her dress groaned. "Every eye is on you, Ava. You’re practically glowing under their scrutiny.""It isn’t my fault," she whispered, leaning back just enough to feel the solid, unyielding plane of his chest. "I didn't ask them to look."He raked his eyes slowly over the curve of her shoulder, his gaze heavy an
The drive back to the estate felt longer than the journey away, Ava lingered in the city, drifting through quiet squares and watching the sky deepen into a bruised purple. She needed the distraction.The evening had fully settled by the time she steered the car through the wrought iron gates. Domi
She went rigid, her spine turning to stone against the heat of Dominic’s palms. Every nerve in her body ignited where his skin met hers, a traitorous reaction she couldn't suppress. "I didn’t—I didn’t..." she began, her voice a mere splinter of sound."Didn’t say what, Ava? Come now, speak up. The
The informant sounded uncharacteristically hesitant, his words uncertain."I couldn’t gather much, Boss," the man admitted, his voice crackling with static. "It’s as if her history has been scrubbed clean. There are no school records that stick, no digital footprint beyond the last few years. But f
The following morning, the estate was bathed in a deceptive, quiet gold. Ava descended the grand staircase, the hem of her silk nightgown brushing against the cold marble. She found Dominic in the foyer, the sharp lines of his charcoal suit a stark contrast to the soft morning light. He was the pic







