Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

LELLAI walked through the gold-leafed lobby of the hotel, a place that used to feel like a second home but now felt like a cage. Every polished marble tile reminded me of him. Every staff member who nodded "Good morning, Boss" reminded me that I was working for a man who viewed me as a disposable "role."Since yesterday, the hollow ache in my chest hasn't disappeared. It gets worse now that I'm walking inside his premises. He believed me when I said I was sick yesterday and I couldn't come to his birthday party. The asshole didn't even ask if I was okay.I stop in front of the HR office door with a deep breath, wishing Conrad is not here. He used to hang out with Sofia Perkins, the HR head, because they are cousins on Conrad's mother's side.I adjusted my dark sunglasses, hiding my eyes and masking the puffiness from a night spent staring at the ceiling. I clenched my hand at the strap of my bag, where inside was the velvet box containing that cursed watch and my resignation letter.

LELLAI could hear her gritting her teeth in fury despite the loud noise around us. I pulled my arm away from her grip and closed the distance between us. “Who are you that I need to obey?” Polina stepped closer. "You’re pathetic, honestly. Staying with him when you know exactly where he belongs. Why don't you just do yourself a favor and walk out? Save some dignity.”​I felt that familiar heat rise in my chest, but I kept my voice icy. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of a breakdown.“You're the one who's pathetic and doesn't have dignity. Asking me to leave Conrad? Why? Do you feel threatened by my presence because you know he won't let me go?” I smirked when her jaw clenched. “Anyway, enjoy the scraps.”I turned my back on her, intending to weave through the dancing crowd and find the exit. But the party had reached a fever pitch. A group of guys started a chant, jumping into the shallow end, sending a spray of water over the deck. Everyone was screaming and laughing,

LELLAIt was deep, possessive, and hungry. A kiss that tasted like a beginning and an ending all at once. My sanity frayed as he kissed me back, his weight settling over me, grounding me in a way I had never felt before.A rage of heat dropped to my core and I needed more.I touched his face, ran a hand across his cheek and into his hair and pulled his lips harder against mine. The graze of his teeth made a desperate noise down my throat. I thought he might step away, conflicted and with my heavy breath between us, but he drew on my lips sweetly, first the top lip, and then the bottom.Every inch of me vibrated beneath the surface, hummed, and inflamed whenever my body touched his. I rolled my hips and arched closer against him, feeling incredible heat beyond our wet clothes, and then I licked the inside of his mouth. Like a reflex, he sucked on my tongue. Heat, tiny pricks of heat, consumed me from the inside out.I gave in to the urge to slide my tongue across the scar on his lower

LELLA​"The boy is clumsy with things he doesn't own," Viktor growled, which made the hair on my arms stand up. He turned his head slowly to face his nephew, his eyes flashing with a terrifying authority. "And he is very, very bad at keeping track of his property."​Conrad’s face went pale. "Uncle, stay out of this. This is between my girlfriend and me."​"Is she?" Viktor leaned back, his hand now resting casually on the back of my chair, effectively caging me in. I dropped my fork on my plate and cursed silently. My heart started racing instantly. He wouldn’t bring up what happened yesterday, would he? “Sorry, I'm late!”The air in the room shifted from frozen to electric by the shrill voice of Polina. Conrad immediately took his hands off my thigh. Thank God! His mother and sister practically glowed, their faces softening into the kind of warmth they had never once shown me. “It's okay, my dear! Sit! Sit beside Conrad.” “Get out of there, Lella. That's Polina’s seat,” Catya r