ANMELDENLucienI never expected to say this, but having Aurelia pressed so closely against me was nothing short of psychological torture.Luke had remained half-sulking even after all the synchronized waves and plastered smiles we forced upon ourselves at his school window. Realizing our basic performance wasn't cutting it, Aurelia had decided to take our fake domestic bliss up a notch for the drive back to the estate.The arrangement in the SUV had shifted. Elena took the front passenger seat, while Luke sat by the window in the middle row, his dark eyes locked onto Aurelia and me as we sat squeezed together beside him, eyeing us with relentless suspicion.Leaning into my side, Aurelia grabbed my hand and anchored it firmly around her waist, forcing my palm to press into the soft contour of her body while my head continued to battle through the lingering aftermath of scotch.She held it there, trapping us together while our son kept a hawk-like watch over us from his seat. We had cycled th
Lucien"If you aren't fighting," his voice rose, heavy with demand, "then why aren't you sleeping in the same bed?"I gulped, rendered completely speechless for the first time in my adult life.A heavy, suffocating silence settled over the entire dining room. Even Arthur, who was usually composed, widened his eyes from where he stood by the side—as we all witnessed the calculated brilliance of my five-year-old son.Aurelia was the first to break the stillness."We'll be sleeping in the same bed from now on," Her voice was calm, steady, and held not a single trace of hesitation.My gaze flicked over to her, sharp with uncertainty and disbelief. She just slapped me twelve hours ago, and now she wants us to share a bed?Before I could process her claim, she turned her head toward me, a quiet, murderous smile plastered across her face while her eyes screamed a silent command: Say yes. Right now."Of course," I said instantly, nodding toward my son. "We are."Luke watched us closely, his
LucienAs it turned out, I wasn't ready to face whatever was waiting for me at the estate.The moment I stepped through the main entrance, Arthur was there to greet me. He didn't offer his usual calm, seamless welcome. Instead, he stepped forward with a tense look on his face."Your presence is needed in the master suite immediately, sir," Arthur said, keeping his voice lowered. "Ms. Aurelia has been looking for you, and she seems… exceptionally frustrated."My brows furrowed as I walked up the carved limestone staircase. Frustrated? The throbbing ache in my jaw was a vivid reminder of who had slapped whom just a few hours ago. I was the one who had spent the night at the bottom of a scotch bottle, yet she was the one pacing the floors in a rage?I pushed open the doors to the suite, my head pounding with a dull, hangover-induced rhythm.“There you are. Where the hell have you been?” Aurelia's high-pitched voice shot straight through my skull as soon as I walked in. I blinked, co
LucienThe dark, polished mahogany of the bar counter reflected the amber glow of the crystal tumbler in my hand.I was sitting in the private back lounge of Vesper, an exclusive high-end lounge I owned in the heart of the city—a place where no one dared ask questions and the alcohol flowed without record.My jaw still throbbed with a dull, burning heat. The red mark on my skin had faded, but my bruised pride burned far worse. Years of absolute control, years of commanding respect from dangerous men across the underworld—and yet, one slap from a woman in a sheer silk gown had completely unraveled me.Worst, I couldn’t even do anything to her in return. I just stayed there, frozen by the audacity and the burning hatred in her eyes. I couldn't stay in that estate. Because I didn’t know what I’m going to do to her if I stayed a little longer. The lingering scent of her skin, her familiar vanilla perfume, felt like an iron coil tightening around my throat. So I walked out, grabbed my
AureliaI couldn't think. I couldn't breathe.For a terrifying, intoxicating moment, the rest of the world dissolved until there was only him in my existence—his shadow blocking out the dark room, his heat surrounding me like a cage I no longer had the strength to break out of.He drowned me deeper in his kiss, consuming the small, fragile resistance I had left. His mouth claimed mine with a desperate intensity, angling perfectly against my lips until every breath I drew was filled entirely with him. The rich, familiar scent of dark cedar and oakwood clung to his skin, invading my senses, wrapping around my mind like a hypnotic spell."Aurelia..."His voice was a low, fractured whisper against my mouth, rough and thick with an unmistakable hunger. It was the same needy, possessive tone that had always made my knees grow weak, the tone that used to promise me I was the only thing that mattered in his brutal world.My breath hitched as his kisses roamed down from my lips, trailing a p
LucienOnce Aurelia ensured that Luke had fallen completely asleep, she slipped quietly out from beneath the heavy duvet. Without a word, she began walking back toward her adjoining suite.My dark gaze followed her every move. The soft moonlight filtering through the curtains shone through her sheer silk kimono, tracing the graceful outline of her curves beneath the light fabric.And it’s as if an irresistible pull drew me out of bed, I automatically rose to my feet, following her footsteps into her bedroom. She didn't say a word, though the subtle shift in her posture told me she knew I was right behind her.Taking one last glance back at my sleeping son, I gently pulled the heavy double doors shut, sealing us in the quiet space of her room.She stood near the center of the floor, silence stretching between us like a taut wire, before she finally turned around to face me."What do you want?" she asked, folding her arms tightly across her chest.My eyes betrayed me, drifting down t
Aurelia’s POVI stood paralyzed in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, scanning my appearance from head to toe. The white lace outfit Mama V had provided for tonight felt like a beautiful trap. The garment was a structural contradiction of purity and absolute vulnerability—a halt
Lucien’s POVThe air in the boardroom was thick with the smell of cold sweat and fear. I didn’t look up from the ledger in front of me as my head of logistics stammered through an excuse."The port authority is asking for a twenty-percent increase on the quiet-fee, Mr. Thorne. They say the risk
Aurelia's POVThe drive home to our small apartment was a blur of neon lights, but for the first time, they didn't feel like a warning. They felt like a celebration. By the time I walked through the door, the sun was threatening to peek over the desert horizon."Is that you, Rey?" my mother’s voice
Aurelia's POVThe fluorescent hum of the diner always seemed to vibrate at the exact frequency of my headache.I wiped down the counter for the hundredth time that night, my movements mechanical and precise. Outside the window, the Las Vegas Strip shimmered in the distance—a playground of neon and







