Chapter 2

Yesterday, I might have failed to tear down Aethon’s defenses. But tonight? Tonight, I was going to make damn sure he was so completely spellbound that refusing me wouldn't even be an option

In my past life, I would wear nothing but oversized, high-necked sweatpants and act like a total psycho just to keep Aethon from laying a finger on me. Back then, I viewed his touch as an insult. God, I was such an idiot.

The familiar, low purr of a high-end sports car echoed from the driveway of the main estate.

My heart instantly went into overdrive. That's Aethon's car. He's home.

I glanced at the diamond-encrusted clock on the bedroom wall. Usually, Aethon would head straight to his home office first. Or maybe tonight, he was deliberately delaying coming up to our room, expecting to be greeted by a barrage of screams and a shattered vase.

Click.

The turning of the doorknob cut my thoughts short. The bedroom door swung open, and his towering, broad-shouldered frame stepped into the room.

I took a deep breath, plastered on the sweetest smile I could muster, and walked over to him.

"Good evening, Hubby," I purred.

Aethon's gaze raked over me from head to toe. I caught the briefest twitch in his throat as he swallowed hard, his white-knuckled grip tightening on the suit jacket in his hand. But a second later, his expression hardened back into an icy mask.

He let out a cold, cynical chuckle.

"Good evening, Olivia. What kind of twisted little game are we playing tonight?" he asked, his voice dripping with venom.

I didn't let his freezing demeanor shake my resolve. Instead, I took another step forward, completely erasing the distance between us. Without hesitation, I placed both palms flat against his chest, slowly sliding them upward to slip the jacket from his arm. I tossed it carelessly onto the floor.

"I'm not playing a game," I whispered, tilting my head back to lock eyes with his dark, hypnotic gaze.

My fingers drifted to the top button of his black dress shirt. I undone the first one, exposing a hint of his firm, sun-kissed chest.

"I just want to be a good wife. Let me take care of you..." I unbuttoned the second, then the third, my eyes tracking his thin lips, which were now pressed into a rigid line.

Pop. Pop.

I stood on my tiptoes, burying my face in the crook of his neck. I inhaled deeply, taking in his intoxicating scent—a lethal blend of rich mahogany, crisp mint, and expensive tobacco. Intentionally, I let the tip of my tongue trace a faint line against the warm skin of his neck, while my other hand slid inside his unbuttoned shirt, tracing the hard, ridged lines of his abs.

"Olivia..." Aethon groaned, a low, warning growl vibrating in his chest.

"Yes, Hubby?" I whispered directly against his ear. I pushed the shirt completely off his broad shoulders, letting it slide to the floor, leaving his flawlessly sculpted, dangerously alpha upper body completely bare.

I stared at him with pure adoration, devoid of any of the fear or disgust I used to throw in his face. I wanted him. Tonight, I desperately wanted this man to claim me completely.

Before I could make another move, Aethon's hands clamped around my waist. In one swift motion, he scooped me up into a bridal carry and strode purposefully toward the bed.

A triumphant smile played on my lips.

He tossed me onto the mattress, and in a heartbeat, his massive, powerful frame pinned me down, trapping me beneath him. His hot, ragged breath fanned across my face.

"You started this, Olivia. Don't you dare cry and beg me to stop later," he growled.

"I won't beg you to stop, Aethon. Do whatever you want with me," I countered, throwing my arms up over the pillow, completely surrendering myself to him.

Things turned frantic on the sheets. Aethon's touch was like liquid fire against my skin. His kisses dragged down my jawline and sunk into my neck, leaving a trail of heat that forced a soft moan from my throat. My fingers tangled into his thick black hair, drowning in a rush of desire I had never experienced in my entire life. In my past life, I died a miserable, untouched virgin. Tonight, I wanted to be entirely reborn in my husband's arms.

Just as the tension between us reached a boiling point—just as I was fully prepared to give him everything and welcome our union...

Aethon abruptly froze.

He pulled back, abruptly rolling away to sit on the edge of the bed, his back turned to me.

"Aethon? What's wrong? Why did you stop?" I asked, breathless and confused.

Aethon remained dead silent for a few agonizing seconds. When he finally turned around to face me, the lust in his eyes was entirely gone. In its place was a volatile mix of blinding fury and a deep, shattering pain.

"Your acting tonight is truly Oscar-worthy, Olivia Martin. I almost actually fell for it," he hissed.

I recoiled slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"You seduce me and throw yourself at me just to save your pathetic boyfriend? Tell me, how much did Edward offer you to willingly give your body to a 'monster' like me?!" he roared.

"Edward? For God's sake, Aethon, I have nothing to do with him anymore! I'm doing this because I'm your wife, because I love you!" I cried out, reaching for his hand, but Aethon brutally slapped my hand away.

"Love?! Don't you dare let that disgusting word leave your mouth!" Aethon snapped, standing up from the bed. He looked down at me with a gaze so full of contempt it felt like a physical blow to my chest. "You think I don't know what you've been doing behind my back? You think the Kingsleigh Group would be an empire if its CEO was an idiot who could be blinded by a cheap piece of ass?!"

"I know about everything!" Aethon snarled, referring to the West District land deeds and the blueprints for the Kingsleigh Group's multi-billion dollar green energy project.

Damn it. This had happened a week before our divorce in my past life. Back then, I was completely brainwashed by Edward and Sasha. Edward had gotten down on his knees, crying and begging, claiming his company would go under if he didn't get his hands on that project. He promised he'd marry me the second I stole it from Aethon.

And in my past life, being the blind, lovesick fool that I was, I listened to him. I had snuck into Aethon's study while he was in a board meeting, forged his executive seal, and transferred the hundreds of millions of dollars in assets directly to Edward.

"Aethon, it's not what you think," I pleaded, desperately hoping he would listen.

"Then what is it?!" Aethon lunged forward, his fingers clamping hard around my jaw, forcing me to look up into the absolute hurricane of devastation raging in his eyes. "You transferred those assets to Edward's company three days ago. And tonight, the exact moment you find out my legal team is tracking the data breach, you suddenly put on this slutty outfit, seduce me, and offer yourself up in my bed!"

"You're doing all of this to soften my heart, aren't you? To keep me from destroying Edward, you're actually willing to sleep with a deformed freak! All to protect him, Olivia!"

"No! That's not it, Aethon! I swear!" I choked out, tears bursting from my eyes. I grabbed his wrist, trying to loosen his painful grip on my jaw to explain. "I know I screwed up! A few days ago I was an idiot, Edward manipulated me! But tonight I am completely, genuinely yours! I can explain everything, Aethon. I can get the assets back!"

Aethon stared down at me with a gaze so chillingly detached it felt as though every single drop of warmth and love he ever held for me had just evaporated into ash.

"I am so incredibly done with your lies." Aethon shoved me backward onto the mattress. He turned on his heel, grabbed his discarded shirt from the floor, and threw it back on.

"Starting tonight, you are barred from leaving this estate without my explicit permission. There will be guards outside your door twenty-four-seven. If those assets aren't back in Kingsleigh hands within three days, I will personally throw both you and Edward in federal prison," Aethon said coldly, walking out without giving me a single backward glance.