chapter 1

: THE BEAST

*AMELIA’S POV*

"Is this what you mean when you say you love me?" My voice was low, heavily laced with venom.

"Tell me, Leonhart. Am I really that shallow to you?"I added, my eyes darkening as I stared at him.

He just stood there, watching me with that utterly infuriating smirk plastered across his face. "Kitten, I’m no one’s but yours," he said smoothly. His voice remained entirely calm as he took a slow step toward me.

I let out a sharp, mocking laugh. He paused, arching a single brow in response.

"Do I look like a fool to you, Leon?" I picked up a heavy kitchen knife from the counter, effortlessly spinning it between my fingers.

"You made me like this. You made me fall in love with you. I was perfectly fine on my own before you barged into my life without permission. And now you want to leave me? For her?"

My voice cracked for a split second, before instantly hardening. "Oh no. Never. You’re mine. Always have been. Always will be."

He said absolutely nothing. I could hear his heart pounding too fast, too loud in the tight space. All I wished for was for him to him pull me in and kiss the fight right out of me. But I was furious, furious enough to kill. Even him.

"Say it," I whispered, the desperation bleeding through my anger. "Say you love me."I bit my lower lip, and his eyes instantly followed the movement.

His jaw tightened as he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, fighting every primal instinct that was screaming at him to seize and I was making it entirely impossible for him to stay away.

When he finally touched me, the movement was agonizingly slow. His broad palm cupped my cheek, and I melted into the warmth of it with a shaky breath.

"Kitten," his voice dropped into a rough, uneven register. His forehead came to rest firmly against mine. He closed his eyes, deeply breathing in my scent. It was getting too hard for him to resist. My obsession, my rage, and my love simply mirrored his.

"Kitten," he whispered against my skin. "I really want to kiss you right now." My breath caught. Heat flooded my cheeks, turning them bright red. My anger always melted the second he held me like this.

"Can I...?" he asked, leaning in, closing the final shred of distance between us.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I groaned, burying my face. Mmm.That dream again.

I had been having the exact same vivid dream every single night for a week straight. I stretched my stiff limbs, blindly slapping at the nightstand until the alarm finally shut up. Waking up is easily my least favorite part of being alive.It’s daily proof that I am not, and will never be a morning person. I yanked the blanket back over my head. Five more minutes wouldn’t kill me... but my job definitely would if I missed my shift.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of bed, ran through my morning routine, and by 8:00 AM, I was on my way to a corporate job I absolutely hated. Adulting sucks.

I forced a polite smile onto my face and reminded myself to play nice with the executives. My boss, Mr. Miller, is the kind of guy who genuinely believes the world revolves around him, a self-proclaimed big fish swimming in an ocean full of sharks.

I arrived at the office, straightened my skirt, plastered on my best professional expression, and walked through the glass doors. The staff greeted me on autopilot, and I nodded back before heading straight for the executive office.

Thank God Mr. Miller wasn’t at his desk yet. Otherwise, I’d have gotten an earful about punctuality. I carefully laid out his schedule for the day, set it neatly on the center of his desk, and went to the breakroom to brew his morning coffee. When I returned, he was already seated stiffly in his chair, gripped in an intense phone call. I quietly set the mug down and waited by the door.

His face looked completely pale like he’d just seen a ghost. "Yes, sir," Mr. Miller said, hanging up the receiver with a sharp, heavy exhale. He rubbed his forehead with closed eyes, frustration written all over his features.

Good, I thought. Maybe now he knows how I felt after he forced me to stay late yesterday.

"Good morning, sir. Today’s sched…"

"Cancel everything," he interrupted sharply.

I blinked. "But sir, I spent hours booking that luxury restaurant for the regional partners. They are leaving the country for two months. We won't get another chance like this."

He raised a judgmental brow at me. “You think that minor contract is bigger than the person who is coming to this building today?”

I rolled my eyes toward the floor before I could stop myself. Arrogant jerk.

Just yesterday, he had dragged me through back to back meetings to ensure MC Group survived their bankruptcy. Now he was acting like global investors were the ones begging him for a meeting. Typical.

“But sir, we won’t get another chance”

Mr Miller slammed a heavy palm down on the mahogany desk, frowning deeply. “We have an exceptionally important guest coming today from Lycan Diamond Enterprises. Tell everyone on the floor to be on their absolute best behavior. Make sure everything runs smoothly without a single hitch.”

"Yes, sir."

"Now leave."

I turned and walked out, my mind already spinning. Who could possibly be coming that has my boss this rattled?