ELIASIf there was one thing my wife loved, it was a challenge. Just daring her to try and seduce me was enough to spark that fire in her eyes. She would get angry, but the angrier she was, the better the outcome.Maria froze for a moment on my lap, looking stunned, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling in sharp pants. Then her eyes glinted with that familiar mix of shyness and excitement.“What?” she whispered, almost breathless.“You heard me, princess,” I growled darkly, my voice low and commanding. “Do what you came here to do. Go on.” I urged, the words deliberately pushing her, challenging her.She blinked at me, her mind clearly turning, the wheels spinning behind her eyes. My chest tightened with excitement, my pulse thundering in my veins. Seeing her walk into my office had thrown me off guard, and I was rarely ever surprised.I had tried to move past the Damon issue. God knows I tried. But every time I picked her up from wherever she had fallen asleep waiting for
MARIAElias’s voice shook me to my very core. His surprise faded quickly, replaced with that cold indifference I hated more than anything. He didn’t rise from his chair. Instead, his eyes dragged over me, lingering on my legs, the very ones I had left bare on purpose. I was here on a mission, and though doubt clawed at me, especially under the weight of his languid stare, I refused to be deterred.Summoning a new thread of strength, I stepped further inside, my gaze roaming over the office I hadn’t seen in almost six years. My husband always had a gift for perfection, everything down to the briefs he wore followed a pattern. Of course his office would be no different. Bigger, more sophisticated, more intimidating than the one at home, but still undeniably his.Elias said nothing, but I could feel the weight of his eyes tracking me as I leaned forward, pretending to study the wine bottles on his shelf, as if I knew how any of them actually tasted.In truth, I was buying time, gatheri
ELIASI was going to kill Damon.Then I’d bury him and drag his carcass back to Maria, so she would know, she would see, that she was the one who drove me to the point of insanity.I couldn’t believe what I saw when I walked in. First, seeing his car in my driveway had already pissed me off. I half expected to find him lounging in the sitting room, relaxed as always, waiting for me like he owned the place. But no—color me fucking grey when I stepped in and saw my wife’s head pressed against his chest. His hand stroking her hair, his arm patting her back while she cried.First she was crying. Then he was holding her.I saw red. Blood flooded my vision until nothing else existed. I didn’t think. I didn’t stop to ask. I just moved. One second they were together, and the next Damon was almost trembling in my grip. And despite Maria’s cries and desperate pleas, I felt no regret. None. The only regret I had was that I didn’t drag him to his death sooner. God knows the bastard deserved it.A
MARIAI sat gingerly on the bed, my limbs too shaky to hold me up properly. My whole body trembled.Elias didn’t say anything at first. He slowly shrugged off his suit jacket, laying it neatly across the leather couch. Then he peeled out of his two-piece jacket and tugged at his tie, discarding it as well. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, cracked his knuckles, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.Seeing him like this, because of me, should have frightened me. But of course, we had already established that I wasn’t normal. Because instead of fear, all I could think was how attractive he looked, how impossibly hot he was.I sat still, waiting. Elias took his time, dragging out the silence, letting the suspense eat me alive.I couldn’t take it anymore. I broke the quiet, though later I would learn how foolish that was.“Damon didn’t deserve that,” I said softly. My voice sounded steady, though inside I was shaking apart.Elias didn’t even acknowledge me. He walked ove
MARIA“You look beautiful each time I see you, Maria,” Damon drawled, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he settled comfortably into the sitting room.At his compliment, I blushed. I never really knew how to react to compliments, and Damon was undeniably a handsome man.“You don’t look so bad yourself, Damon,” I replied softly.“Then why are you still with your husband?” he teased. “Forget what you hear in the news, Marie. I have plenty of money. I could spoil you.”I laughed. “I’m sure you would. But maybe in another life, truly.”“Ah… you wound me,” he teased again, crossing his legs and sinking deeper into the seat. “So, what can I do for you? I’m guessing Elias doesn’t know I’m here, does he?”I shook my head. “Not really, and I’d love for it to remain that way, please.”Damon pinned me with a stare. If he was confused, he didn’t show it. He only nodded.“Okay. So what’s up?”I took a deep breath. “It’s about Lucia,” I began, studying his face for a reaction. But Damon, much like my h
ELIAS“This wasn’t what we agreed on, Elias!!”I looked up from my laptop at the sound of my door crashing open. My secretary stood there, blocking Giana from entering, but Giana had already pushed her way past. The two of them were locked in a useless standoff until I raised my head.“I don’t recall us ever having any sort of agreement, Giana,” I grumbled, snapping my laptop shut. With a flick of my fingers, I dismissed my secretary. If she couldn’t stop people from barging into my office, I might need to replace her.Giana huffed, marching over to the chair in front of me as if she owned the place. She dropped into it heavily, her eyes red and blotchy. She looked like she had crawled out of hell itself, but that wasn’t my problem.“I didn’t tell you what I did so you could threaten him. That wasn’t the plan!!” she cried, slapping her small palm against my desk. It barely made a sound, but I supposed it was the effort that counted.“What exactly did you think I was going to do with t