Chapter 3

Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom like a reluctant witness.

Cassian stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Sound, shirtless, wearing only black sweatpants. Sleep had been almost nonexistent. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sera’s face as she came around him last night — head thrown back, lips parted, green eyes blazing with triumph and pleasure.

He hated how much he wanted more.

The door opened behind him. He didn’t turn immediately.

“Breakfast is ready downstairs,” Sera said coolly. “We have a charity gala appearance tonight. I expect you to look the part of a devoted husband. Try not to disappoint me.”

Only then did he face her.

She wore a white silk slip that barely reached mid-thigh, her auburn hair still tousled from sleep. She looked dangerously soft and impossibly powerful at the same time.

“You enjoyed last night,” he said, voice low.

“I enjoyed watching you on your knees.” She stepped closer, eyes tracing the hard lines of his chest and the faint scratches she had left on his shoulders. “Don’t confuse pleasure with power, Cassian. You no longer have any.”

He caught her wrist as she tried to walk past him. Not hard enough to hurt — just firm enough to stop her.

“For ninety days,” he reminded her, “I’m yours. But don’t think for one second that I won’t make you scream my name again before this is over.”

Sera smiled — slow, wicked, and unafraid. She leaned in until her lips brushed his.

“You can try.”

She pulled her wrist free and left the room.

Breakfast was served on the terrace overlooking the water. Fresh fruit, eggs Benedict, black coffee, and an array of pastries that looked too perfect to eat. Sera sat across from him like a queen holding court, scrolling through her tablet while occasionally giving him orders.

“Wear the Tom Ford tuxedo I had delivered this morning. We leave at seven. And Cassian?” She looked up. “If any of your old habits surface — looking at other women, speaking down to me, or forgetting who owns whom right now — I will make sure the next ninety days feel like hell.”

He took a slow sip of coffee, studying her. “You’ve changed.”

“I had to.” Her voice hardened. “You made sure of that.”

A heavy silence fell between them.

Cassian set his cup down. “Tell me something. Why didn’t you ever use what you saw that night? You could have destroyed me years ago.”

Sera’s expression didn’t flicker. “Because destroying you would have destroyed me too. I was twenty-three and terrified. By the time I wasn’t terrified anymore, I had already decided I wanted to beat you at your own game.” She leaned forward. “And now I am.”

Later that evening

The charity gala was being held at the historic Four Seasons. Crystal chandeliers, live orchestra, Seattle’s wealthiest and most influential people dripping in diamonds and designer gowns.

Cassian kept his hand possessively on the small of Sera’s back as they entered. The move was required by the contract, but his body didn’t need instructions. Touching her felt dangerously natural.

Heads turned. Whispers followed them.

“Vale and Laurent back together?” someone murmured. “This should be interesting…”

Sera leaned into him, playing the part of loving wife perfectly. To everyone else, she looked adoring. Only he could feel the way her nails dug warningly into his arm.

“Smile, darling,” she whispered sweetly. “Or I’ll make you kneel again the second we get home.”

His cock twitched at the threat.

Halfway through the evening, while Sera was pulled into conversation with two tech investors, Cassian stepped outside onto the terrace for air. He wasn’t alone long.

An older man in a perfectly tailored suit approached — Richard Meridian, CEO of Meridian Tech and the man currently trying to bury Vale Dynamics.

“Well, well,” Meridian said with a smug smile. “Didn’t expect to see you playing happy husband again. Especially with her. Does she know you’re using her company to stay afloat?”

Cassian’s jaw tightened. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh, it does. Because once I finish acquiring what’s left of your company, I might just ask your lovely ex-wife to dinner.” Meridian’s eyes gleamed. “She’s quite the success story. Imagine what she could do with real power behind her.”

Cassian took one threatening step forward before a soft hand slid around his waist.

“Everything okay, husband?” Sera asked, voice honeyed but eyes sharp.

She had heard enough.

Meridian smiled politely. “Just catching up with an old rival. Congratulations on the reunion.”

He walked away.

The moment he was gone, Sera turned to Cassian, fury flashing in her green eyes. “Inside. Now.”

She led him through a private corridor to a small, dimly lit VIP lounge reserved for high-profile guests. The second the door closed, she shoved him against the wall.

“You almost lost control in public,” she hissed. “I told you — you belong to me right now.”

Before he could answer, she dropped to her knees, yanked open his tuxedo pants, and took his already-hard cock into her mouth in one smooth motion.

“Fuck — Sera,” Cassian groaned, head falling back against the wall.

She sucked him with ruthless skill — deep, wet, and merciless. One hand stroked what her mouth couldn’t take while the other cupped his balls. She looked up at him the entire time, eyes gleaming with power.

Cassian’s hand fisted in her elegant updo, ruining it, but he didn’t force her rhythm. He let her own him.

Just when he was getting close, she pulled off with a wet pop and stood up, lips shiny.

“Not yet,” she said, breathing hard. “You don’t get to come until I say so.”

She turned around, lifted her long gown, and braced her hands on the back of a velvet sofa. No panties.

“Fuck me. Hard. And you’d better make it good.”

Cassian didn’t hesitate.

He gripped her hips and thrust into her soaked pussy in one deep stroke. Sera moaned loudly, pushing back against him. He fucked her with raw, punishing need — hips snapping, the sound of their bodies colliding echoing in the small room.

“Yes — like that,” she gasped. “Harder.”

He reached around and rubbed her clit while driving into her. Within minutes she shattered, clenching violently around him as she came. Cassian followed right after, burying himself deep and spilling inside her with a guttural groan.

They stayed locked together, panting.

Sera straightened her dress and turned to face him, cheeks flushed.

“Clean yourself up,” she said, voice slightly unsteady. “We still have to smile for the cameras.”

As she reached for the door, Cassian caught her wrist again — gentler this time.

“Sera… wait.”

She paused.

For the first time in years, something raw and uncertain flickered across his face.

“I know I was a monster to you,” he said quietly. “But I’m starting to realize just how much I lost when you left.”

Sera studied him for a long moment, then pulled her wrist free.

“Good,” she whispered. “Now you get to feel what it’s like to lose everything.”

She opened the door and walked back into the gala like nothing had happened, leaving him standing there — ruined, hard again, and dangerously close to cracking.