Se connecterChapter 15: The Wedding CrasherThe wedding was in three days. The city was awash in "Vane-Thorne" banners. The press was camped outside the cathedral.I was in Julian’s dressing room, kneeling on the floor, adjusting his cufflinks. He stood in front of the mirror, looking impeccable in his tuxedo. He looked like a groom. He looked like a king."You’re quiet today," he noted, looking down at me."I'm just... nervous," I admitted."About the wedding?""About everything. My father hasn't made a move since the blackmail. It’s too quiet."Julian smirked. "Calm before the storm. Trust me, he’s planning something.""So are we.""We are," Julian said. He reached down, tilting my chin up. "You remember your role?""Yes. Stay in the back. Keep my uncle on speed dial. Don't leave until you get the signal.""Good."He leaned down, kissing me. It was a soft, almost tender kiss. "Tonight, after the wedding... I have a surprise for you.""I don't like your surprises," I whispered."You'll like this
We returned to the city the next morning. The trip was silent, thick with unspoken words. Julian had barely looked at me since the study, his attention consumed by his phone and the documents he had his lawyers drafting.When we arrived at his penthouse, he disappeared into his home office, shutting the door firmly. I was left alone in the vast, empty space.I wandered the penthouse, feeling like a ghost. I wasn't a prisoner here, not technically. But I wasn't free, either. I was a kept secret, a dirty little secret hidden away in the penthouse of the most powerful man in the country.I found myself in the hallway leading to the bedroom Julian used most often—the master suite. I had never been in there. He always brought me to the guest room, or his office, or against a wall.The door was slightly ajar.Curiosity got the better of me. I pushed it open.The room was massive, dominated by a king-sized bed. But it was the walls that caught my attention.Julian had a gallery.But not of a
Chapter 13: The Midnight RaidI didn't go back to Julian’s room. I couldn't. My father’s warning echoed in my head, mixing with the terrifying revelation from my uncle. If I told Julian the truth—that his future father-in-law was blackmailing him—Julian would tear my father apart. And then my father would destroy Julian in return. It would be a bloodbath.I needed to find proof. I needed something concrete to show Julian before I spoke.That night, I waited until the house was silent. It was past two in the morning. Julian had sent me three messages demanding to know where I was, but I had ignored them. I needed to be alone.I slipped out of my room and crept down the hall toward my father’s study. The door was locked, but I remembered where the spare key was hidden—inside a hollowed-out book in the library.I retrieved it, my hands sweating, and unlocked the study door. I slipped inside and closed it softly, turning on my flashlight.The room smelled of old paper and cigar smoke. I w
The next morning, the atmosphere in the dining room was thick enough to cut with a knife. The storm had finally broken, leaving behind a watery, grey sunlight that did nothing to warm the cold stone of the estate.I sat across from Julian, my father at the head of the table, Seraphina to his right. I was wearing a turtleneck to hide the constellation of bruises Julian had left on my neck and chest. Every time Julian looked at me, his eyes lingered on the collar, a smug satisfaction visible in the tilt of his lips."You look tired, Elias," Seraphina noted, pouring herself some tea. "Did you not sleep well?""He had a restless night," Julian answered for me, his voice smooth as butter. "Bad dreams, I believe."I shot him a glare under the table. He knew exactly why I was tired. He had kept me up until dawn, a mix of interrogation and sex."I slept fine," I lied, stabbing at my eggs with unnecessary force."So," my father said, clearing his throat. "With the venue finalized, we need to d
The lock on the bedroom door clicked , the sound echoing like a gunshot in the oppressive silence of the room. Julian didn't look at me as he checked the handle, ensuring it was secure. His movements were precise, mechanical, the movements of a man who was calculating risks rather than acting on desire."Pack your things," he said, his back to me. "You’re moving in here. Permanently until we leave this estate."I stood frozen by the window, watching his reflection in the dark glass. "Julian, I can't just move into your room. Seraphina will notice. The staff will talk. They wouldn't think much about it""Let them talk," he turned, his eyes cold and stormy. "I don't care about rumors, Elias. I care about control. And right now, I have none."He walked toward me, shedding his jacket and tossing it onto a chair. He loosened his tie, the silk sliding through his collar with a hiss. The air in the room grew heavy, thick with the scent of his rage and my own fear."You have five million doll
I made it back to the main lawn, breathless, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my r
Despite everything, I laughed. There was something surreal about standing naked in the kitchen, helping my stepbrother make dinner, knowing that afterward he was going to fuck me over the counter like he'd promised.But as he handed me vegetables to chop and we fell into an easy rhythm of cooking t
I woke to the sensation of something cold and wet dripping onto my chest. My eyes flew open to find Dante kneeling over me, holding a rapidly melting ice cube and grinning wickedly."What are you doing?" I asked, shivering as water trickled down my skin."Waking you up," he said simply, dragging th
He proceeded to prove his point, his tongue working me over thoroughly until I was sweating and shaking and desperate for more. Just when I thought I might actually come from his tongue alone, he pulled back."Color?" he asked, his voice rough."Green," I gasped. "So green. Please don't stop.""Not
The moment I did, his tongue was on me, licking into me with enthusiasm that made my eyes roll back. He ate me out like it was his favorite thing in the world, his tongue fucking into my hole while his hands gripped my ass to hold me in place.The position had me helplessly grinding down against hi







