LOGINThe guests maintained their polite, high-society masks, but their eyes betrayed a ravenous curiosity. People drifted closer, ears straining to catch every syllable of the brewing scandal. When Zoe’s trembling apology rang out, one socialite hid her smirk behind an ivory fan and whispered to her companion.“Did you hear that? ‘Discipline.’ Good lord, I thought the Thorne family was built on old-money values. Who knew they used physical violence to keep their children in line?”The other woman nodded, shooting a look of staged pity toward Zoe. “Look at the poor girl. She’s white as a sheet. Truly tragic.”“All this noise, and Victor and his wife haven’t stepped in?”“It seems their ‘prestige’ is nothing but a carefully maintained lie.”“Isn’t it always? If they didn’t inflate their status, they’d never have landed an alliance with the Kae
Evening at the Thorne estate.Victor Thorne’s 55th birthday gala was a masterclass in excess. The sprawling gardens were illuminated by thousands of crystal light strands, turning the night into a shimmering canopy of artificial stars. Sculpted fountains danced in time to a live string quartet, their waters tinted by underwater LEDs. Along the walkways, massive arrangements of imported lilies and roses filled the air with a scent so thick it was almost suffocating.Inside the grand ballroom, the elite moved like a well-choreographed play. These were the power players of the city, draped in five-figure couture and wearing practiced, socialite smiles.Crystal flutes clinked, laughter rippled through the air, and shallow flattery was exchanged over hors d’oeuvres. It was a picture-perfect portrait of high-society vanity.Victor Thorne stood center stage, flanked by his wife and Lana. Victor had spared no expense on his sister tonight, dressing he
Một lát sau, người bảo vệ chạy vội trở lại, thở hổn hển, theo sau là tiếng leng keng kim loại của chùm chìa khóa.Cuối cùng Zoe cũng được tự do. Cô bước ra, cúi đầu và xin lỗi người bảo vệ rối rít. Ông lão, kinh hãi trước kẻ săn mồi im lặng đứng cạnh cô, cũng xin lỗi lại, van xin họ đừng báo cáo sự sơ suất của ông với Trưởng khoa.Aaron không nói một lời. Anh ta chỉ đơn giản nắm lấy cổ tay Zoe và kéo cô về phía lối ra.
Two weeks. That was how long Zoe had been living under Aaron Kael’s roof, and for the entire fifteen days, she felt like she was living in a beautiful, exhausting hell.The man’s stamina was terrifying. Day or night, in the bedroom, the shower, or out on the balcony—if the mood struck him, he’d wring her dry. At first, she tried to endure it, telling herself it was part of the game. But eventually, her body gave out. Her back ached, her legs were constant jelly, and even walking across a room felt like a marathon.Today, Zoe officially went on strike.After classes ended, she didn’t head back to the apartment. Instead, she tucked herself away in the back of the campus library, switched off her phone, and vowed not to return to that “beast’s den” until she’d had a full night’s sleep.But her plan backfired when she accidentally fell into a deep slumber. By the time she blinked her eyes open, the l
Aaron looked down at her small hand, lifted it to his lips, and pressed a lingering, apologetic kiss against her palm. When he looked up, the ice in his eyes had finally melted. His lips curved into a warm, genuine smile.
Zoe let out a final, jagged scream as her body was wracked with violent tremors. Her internal muscles clamped down on him with a frantic, rhythmic intensity that nearly drove him over the edge. The heat of her release flooded him, mixing with his own as he spent himself deep inside her.She went limp in his arms, her strength completely spent, her body still twitching with the remnants of the climax.Aaron pulled her close, burying his face in her neck. He began to lick away the salt and sweat from her skin—a primal, instinctive gesture of pure obsession.Zoe shivered under the wet contact. Even without her sight, she could feel the raw hunger and a strange, sudden... devotion in his touch. It made something inside her melt.“You’re like a big dog right now,” she whispered breathlessly, a tiny smirk playing on her lips.Aaron stopped. He reached up and gently untied the shirt from her eyes.Zoe blinked against the sud
Aaron Kael lowered his gaze, lighting a cigarette. He smoked almost the entire cigarette, allowing his nerves to dull, before finally opening the car door and striding inside.The moment he appeared, the atmosphere in the sprawling compound instantly shifted.Gardeners, diligently trimming hedges,
“What do you mean, ‘hand over’? She’s my daughter!” Victor Thorne roared, his resistance weak. Even if it killed him, he couldn’t let Aaron Kael se
But sleep brought no peace.In her dream, she was back in that room. Standing in a pool of blood, she cried, pleaded, slammed her head, begging for help, but no one reached out to save her mother and her.Someone, please have mercy, please save my mother, please don’t take her away, she’s still brea
Zoe bent down, her long hair spilling forward, obscuring her face.Her warm tongue grazed his firm chest, then unexpectedly latched onto his bare nipple. There was no technique, just an instinctive biting and suckling, but it was this very clumsiness that elicited a subtle reaction from Aaron Kael.







