All Chapters of Fractured Desire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 23

Elara POVI didn't let go of his arm. The feel of the fine black wool of Adrian’s tuxedo beneath my fingers was the only thing anchoring me to the present. The emerald silk gown, tight and demanding, pressed into the still-tender curves of my body, transforming the exhaustion of my conquest into sharp, focused adrenaline. We had stepped out of the vast bedroom, leaving the scent of sweat and spent fury behind, and were now walking toward the penthouse elevator.The silence was the only thing that felt fragile.“You are trembling, Elara,” Adrian stated, his voice low, a deep, private rumble that only I could hear. He didn't look down at me. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, utterly composed. “Is that residual fear of Cassandra, or residual heat from my claim?”“It’s the adrenaline of the fight you trained me for, Adrian,” I countered, keeping my voice steady, though a slight tremor escaped. “I am not trembling from fear. I am vibrating with the knowledge that the battle begins now, an

Elara POVThe ballroom was a dazzling, suffocating spectacle of wealth and influence. Every surface seemed to reflect the light of the massive crystal chandeliers. Adrian’s hand, resting at the curve of my waist—a proprietary, heavy weight—was the only boundary between my composure and a total collapse. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the low, aggressive hum of political maneuvering.“We are walking into a viper pit, Elara,” Adrian murmured, his voice low, intimate, and completely masked by the ambient noise. He guided me past a grouping of society matrons whose eyes raked over the emerald silk with undisguised jealousy. “Every single person here knows about Cassandra’s attack and your past. They are waiting for you to flinch.”“They will wait a long time,” I countered, my voice a steady, low current. I looked up at him, injecting my gaze with the absolute conviction he had demanded. “I am wearing the conviction. Tell me the first strike, Adrian. Who is the f