Semua Bab The Billionaire's Dirty Obsession: Bab 71 - Bab 80

“You don’t look mentally ill to me.”The blonde bombshell in front of me said it with a smile that could only be described as obnoxious. Being smug and obnoxious was the only thing Jessamine Rhodes had ever truly excelled at.I studied her for a moment.It had been five years since college, and aside from her curves, which seemed to have thickened with time, not much had changed.Still blonde. Still five-foot-three. Still chewing bubble gum like a bored teenager. Still wearing heels so tall they looked medically irresponsible. Still looking at me like I was supposed to be something she’d scrape off the bottom of her shoe.The only reason I never considered her my full-time bully was because Hera had always been ready to punch her in the face whenever she tried anything.Though, that hadn’t stopped her entirely.Once, she’d slipped a used condom into my bag and somehow gotten away with it.A forced smile spread across my face as I slowly eased my hand out of her hold.“That’s because I

I didn’t move for a full minute, and neither did he. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying watching me try to make sense of the fact that he had just seriously asked me to spar him.I wasn’t considering it.Okay, part of me was. For whatever reason. Maybe for the fun of it. I couldn’t tell. The other part of me was listing reasons why I shouldn’t. First, I wasn’t dressed for this. Jeans and kitten heels weren’t not exactly gym appropriate, and even if there was a possibility—“What are you thinking about?”His voice cut through my thoughts, and I sucked in a breath.He was closer now.I hadn’t even seen him move.“How ridiculous your request is,” I said, a little breathless before I could stop myself.“I asked you to try hitting me, Scarlett,” he replied, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. “I’d think most people would jump at that opportunity. No consequences.”I held his gaze, and just for a second, my eyes dropped to his lips before flicking back up.“Sounds like bait.”

Scarlett:“New York City,” Lucien had said earlier. “Eden just acquired a new property, you’ll need to take a look. And Glenn decided to wrap up the final merger discussions during his gala over there. We’ll wait until he settles in.”So here I was, packing — partly giddy as I hadn’t been there in years, not since my college internship, and partly on edge at the fact that it was just going to be Lucien and me. Who, for the record, had worn a very particular expression when he mentioned it wouldn’t be just work. Something about ‘other things.’What other things?I had no idea.But history had proven that very little about us ever stayed… decent when we were left alone too long. And now we were about to spend days together in New York City.A slow breath left me as I shoved the last of my clothes into my bag. Once it zipped shut, I let myself fall back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling for a moment longer than necessary, tracing the patterns to keep my mind from wandering. While t

....The soft clink of ice against glass cut through the low hum of the bar as he set the drink down in front of me.“Careful,” he said, sliding it closer. “This one doesn’t announce itself.”I glanced at it, then back at him. “What does that mean?”His gaze met mine briefly. “It means, you won’t realize how much you like it until it’s already done something.”I paused for a second.That felt... intentional.My fingers curled around the glass anyway. “Is that a warning?”“Depends on how you take it.”I chuckled lightly and took a sip.Oh.My brows knit, not in displeasure, but surprise. The citrus hit first, crisp and clean, before something warmer settled underneath it. Whatever it was, crept up on you slowly.“See?” he murmured, studying my reaction.I exhaled, setting the glass down. “Alright. I’ll give you that.”“High praise.”“I hope it’s memorable enough.”A faint smile ghosted across his lips as he reached for a cloth, wiping down a spot that didn’t need wiping.“You’re not fr

The elevator ride up to the penthouse felt endless, tension humming between us like something seconds away from detonating.Lucien stood beside me, facing forward, expression unreadable except for the faint tightness in his jaw.I couldn’t tell if it came from impatience, the fact that we were stuck in a public elevator, or both.Then his eyes flicked toward me briefly, and I had my answer.They were still dark with the same intensity he’d worn in the car.The sight of it sent warmth curling low in my stomach, my knees suddenly less reliable than they should’ve been.Finally, the elevator stopped at the last residential floor before the penthouse. The two other occupants stepped out first, both casting us mildly confused glances when neither of us moved to follow.Lucien waited until the doors slid shut again before stepping forward and pressing the button for the private penthouse level.The elevator lurched back into motion.And for the next thirty seconds, I focused entirely on the