Chapter 4

"Perfect for you, Edward. But not for me," I said icily, reaching into my dress pocket to switch off the voice recorder on my phone. It had been running from the very beginning, capturing every single word of his confession.

The moment Edward saw the phone and heard the sharp click of the recording app ending, his face drained of all color. "You... you recorded me?!"

"I didn't just record you, Edward. I set you up," I snapped back. Without wasting a millisecond, I snatched the original deeds off the table and shoved them into my clutch.

"You bitch! You betrayed me?!" Edward roared, launching himself off the sofa like a rabid animal. As his fingers clawed toward my throat, I ducked sideways with practiced agility. Digging the heel of my four-inch stiletto into the floor, I slammed my weight down straight onto his instep.

CRACK!

"Aaaagh!" Edward let out a bloodcurdling scream, collapsing to his knees and clutching his foot.

Before he could pull himself together, I grabbed him by his forelock, yanking his head back violently until his panicked eyes locked onto my blazing ones. "Listen to me closely, you pathetic piece of trash! The days where you could play me like a fool are fucking over! Lay a finger on me again, and I swear Aethon will skin you alive!"

I slammed his head down onto the floor, grabbed my clutch and phone, and bolted toward the door.

"You brat! Don't think you're leaving this hotel alive!" Edward shrieked behind me.

I ignored him, throwing open the heavy door and stepping out into the hotel corridor. But barely a few feet down the hallway, a crushing weight slammed into my skull. The world suddenly fractured into a dizzying spin. My vision blurred violently, and my knees turned to jelly.

The sedative...

"Hahaha! Did you really think you could escape me, Olivia?!" Edward's voice echoed through the hallway, his limping footsteps closing in. "You drank it! You'll be completely paralyzed in seconds!"

"N-no..." I forced a whisper to myself, willing my legs to keep moving.

Using every last shred of my fading sanity, I pushed my body forward, slipping into an elevator just as the doors opened, and jammed the button for the lobby. The doors slid shut right before Edward reached me.

Inside the descending elevator, my chest felt suffocatingly tight. Cold sweat soaked through the back of my dress. I have to get out of here. I have to deliver this proof to Aethon!

Ding!

The elevator doors parted on the ground floor. I stumbled out, my whole body trembling as I leaned heavily against the marble pillars to keep from collapsing. Dragging my deadened limbs, I forced myself through the automatic glass doors toward the drop-off line outside.

The moment my feet hit the pavement, my vision went pitch black. My knees gave out, and I dropped like a stone.

But the hard pavement never came.

A pair of rock-solid, heavily muscled arms caught me mid-air before I hit the ground. A ruthless grip locked around my waist, yanking me flush against a chest made of pure steel.

The intoxicating, familiar scent of rich sandalwood and expensive tobacco invaded my senses.

I forced my eyes open. Under the glow of the warm streetlights, a devastatingly handsome face—half-hidden beneath a silver mask—stared down at me. His hawk-like eyes were a storm of pure destruction, a lethal mix of fury, burning jealousy, and raw panic.

Aethon Kingsleigh.

He stood there, enclosing my fragile body in a fiercely possessive embrace. The buttons of his tailored black suit coat were undone, his massive chest heaving heavily against mine.

Behind him, a fleet of blacked-out Kingsleigh Group SUVs had completely swarmed the hotel entrance. Sean and a dozen heavily armed bodyguards stood at attention, their jackets pulled back over their holsters, placing the entire property under total lockdown.

"A-Aethon..." I rasped out weakly.

Aethon's gaze raked over my body—taking in the form-fitting red dress that exposed my bare skin, and then my pale face with my lips parted in weakness. His grip around my waist tightened until it felt like he wanted to crush my bones into his own flesh, ensuring I could never slip away again.

"You... insane woman!" Aethon's hot, ragged breath fanned across my collarbone. "What the hell were you doing in that man's hotel room dressed like this, Olivia?! Are you trying to test me until I butcher every single person here?!"

Even with my consciousness hanging by a thread, the heat radiating from his chest and the frantic pounding of his heart beneath his shirt coaxed a soft, seductive smile to my lips.

I wasn't afraid of him anymore. I just wanted him.

With the absolute last drop of my strength, I slid my hand up and wrapped my fingers around the back of his rigid neck. Pulling his head down, I rested my forehead against his hard, angular jawline, whispering against his ear in a low, breathy tone drenched in surrender.

"Aethon, my handsome husband..." I moaned softly, feeling his massive frame instantly go rigid as if struck by lightning. "I didn't give myself to him. I trapped him, for you..."

My fingers drifted down, clutching the fabric of his shirt, pressing my body—bare beneath the silk dress—flush against his without an inch of space between us.

"My body, my soul... they belong only to you, Aethon..." I whimpered softly, shattering whatever sanity the cold billionaire had left. "Take me home. Touch me, ruin me however you want in our bed. Just don't ever let me go..."

Hearing those wild, raw words spill from my lips, Aethon's eyes burned dark. His pupils dilated, consumed by a pitch-black obsession and a possessive hunger he could no longer suppress. His jaw set hard.

"You asked for this, Olivia," Aethon rasped out, his voice dangerously low. "Don't you dare regret it when I never let you see the light of day again."

Before darkness completely swallowed me, I felt Aethon slip his large hand under my thighs, his palm brushing against my silk dress, as he scooped me effortlessly into his arms and carried me away.