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CLARA His mouth is still on mine when my fingers finally find the buttons of his shirt. The fabric is expensive, crisp beneath my fingertips, and entirely too distracting when his hands are already everywhere else. One button slips open. Then another. His breath catches faintly against my mouth when my nails drag lightly down the newly exposed skin beneath the black shirt, and the sound that leaves him is low enough to send heat straight through me. His hand tightens at my waist instantly, pulling me flush against him while his mouth moves against mine slow and deep, like he has all the time in the world to ruin me properly, and my brain has officially stopped functioning. The third button comes undone beneath my fingers before his hand catches my wrist suddenly, not to stop me, just to hold it there against his chest while he kisses me harder. I can feel the warmth of his skin beneath my palm now, solid muscle beneath expensive cologne and steady breaths, warm and dang
CLARA. “What?” I reply innocently. “I grew up around businessmen too.” Men way smarter than you. His fingers stay against my thigh for a second too long. I take another sip of my coffee calmly while he internally short-circuits. “You speak about power very comfortably,” he says after a moment. “I grew up comfortable,” I reply. “That isn’t the same thing.” “No?” I tilt my head. “Wealth is power. Old wealth is worse.” His gaze sharpens slightly at that. “And which one are you?” I smile immediately. “Both.” That almost earns a laugh from him. “You think very highly of your family.” “We earned it.” I shrug lightly. “Generational arrogance takes commitment.” “And businessmen are wiser than kings now?” “Usually richer too.” His thumb taps once against the porcelain cup slowly. “Careful, Clara.” “I was wondering how long it would take before you got offended.” I grin. “I’m not offended.” “No?” I lean slightly closer. “Then why does that sound like a threat?”
CLARA “Take those bags and come find me,” I say the second the car halts, already pushing the door open before Evan can finish whatever deeply protective sentence was loading in his brain. “You—” Too late. I hurry up the packhouse steps and straight through the massive entrance doors while the staff immediately straighten around me. God, this place really does operate like a kingdom with modern settings. One of the maids nearly drops the tray in her hands when she sees me storming inside barefoot in Stefan’s slippers. Honestly understandable. Very ugly, comfy slippers. “Where’s Alaric?” I ask immediately. “The Alpha King…is in his office fir—” I’m already halfway up the staircase before she finishes. The first floor hallway stretches long and quiet beneath golden lights while my heartbeat keeps doing strange things inside my chest. Which is ridiculous. I literally just cried for an hour and reunited with my emotionally constipated brother. My nervous system sh
CLARA “Sorry, Clary.” “No.” The word snaps out of me immediately. “You don’t get to do that.” My voice cracks harder. “You don’t get to be sorry now. Not after all these years.” The anger burns hot enough to keep everything else down for exactly three seconds. Then my throat tightens painfully. Fantastic. I turn away from him immediately, staring toward the door instead while forcing myself to breathe normally. Absolutely not, I am not crying. Not in front of Stefan. He left me, it’s so humiliating. I wipe under my eye again aggressively out of pure precaution. Then I feel movement beside me. Stefan steps away from the railing quietly before sitting down beside me on the couch. Close enough that warmth settles against my side. And before I can move away, his hand lifts gently toward my face. His thumb brushes beneath my eye once. Wet. Oh. Oh no. I freeze instantly because that means— I’m already crying. I didn’t even realize when it fucking started. St
CLARA A long silence follows my threat. Then the gates begin sliding open. The asshole still cares. A tiny amount of relief settles somewhere inside my chest before I immediately crush it out of principle. Behind me, Evan stiffens slightly. “You’re not staying,” he says immediately. God, he really starts talking the second something’s out of the rules. I turn toward him while walking back toward the car barefoot, my heels still abandoned somewhere in the gravel. “I need peace of mind,” I tell him while opening the passenger door. “And for that to happen, I need you to do something very easy.” His eyes narrow slightly.“What?” “Be yourself. Silent.” His jaw tightens faintly before he shuts the driver’s side door harder than necessary. Touchy. The car rolls slowly through the gates while familiar roads stretch ahead. Tall trees line both sides of the driveway, rainwater still dripping softly from the branches overhead while the massive estate slowly emerges throu
CLARA By the time I convinced all three that I’m the best choice to see Stefan first, my head started to hurt. Which honestly felt unfair considering I was objectively correct. Sophie still looked unconvinced, Maddy looked concerned, and Emily acted like she doesn't give a fuck. Family. I push myself up from the chair with a sigh, grabbing my bag from the side table. “I’m leaving before all of you start making reasonable arguments again.” “That already happened,” Maddy mutters. “Exactly. Hostile environment.” Emily looks up at me, her hands still inside the herbal water. “You’re seriously going right now?” “Yes.” “To the estate?” “Yes, Emily, keep up.” “That sounds threatening when you say it like that.” Everything sounds threatening when I say it apparently. Feels sexist honestly. I reach into my bag while the nail technicians begin quietly cleaning around my table, soft instrumental music drifting through the room again. I pull out Alaric’s black card, and immediately







