LOGINI slipped back into the bedroom and closed the door as quietly as I could. David was already asleep, his breathing steady in the dark. My heart was still racing from the encounter with Marcus. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me, but sleep would not come.
God, Marcus looked so hot standing there with his arms crossed. Those dark eyes staring straight into me. That muscular body. I wondered what it would feel like if he grabbed me right there in the study. Pinned me against the wall and took what he wanted.
I woke up before sunrise, my body burning. The sheets felt too warm against my skin. All night I had dreamed of them. Julian’s confident hands sliding down my waist. Marcus’s strong arms pinning me against the wall. In my dreams they did not ask. They simply took what they wanted. What I secretly craved.
Stop it, Clara. You are married. But my body did not listen. Heat pooled between my legs as I remembered Julian’s smile and Marcus’s intense stare. I wanted them so badly it scared me.
I slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hot water ran over my bare skin. My hands moved slowly, imagining they were not mine. I pictured Julian behind me, whispering dirty things in my ear while Marcus watched with those dark eyes. My fingers brushed over my breasts and lower. A soft moan escaped before I could stop it.
What is wrong with me? I should not want this. But I did. Deeply. I wanted to feel desired again. I wanted to be touched like a woman, not just a nurse. I forced myself to stop and finished washing quickly. Guilt sat heavy in my chest as I dressed in a simple sundress.
Downstairs at breakfast, the air felt thick. David sat at the head of the table in his wheelchair. Julian and Marcus were already there, looking fresh and handsome. Julian wore a fitted shirt that showed his broad shoulders. Marcus had his sleeves rolled up, tattoos on full display.
“Good morning, Clara,” Julian said with a slow smile. “You look incredible. That dress hugs you perfectly.”
I felt my face heat up. “Thank you. Just a simple dress.”
Marcus looked at me longer than necessary. “Simple looks good on you.”
David watched everything with cold grey eyes. “Sit down, Clara. Our guests are hungry for more than just food.”
I sat between them. My thighs pressed together under the table. They are so close. I can smell their cologne. This is dangerous.
Julian passed me the coffee. His fingers brushed mine on purpose. “Did you sleep well? Or were you thinking about us?”
“I slept fine,” I lied. Inside my head I was screaming. I touched myself thinking about both of you.
Marcus spoke quietly. “You seem tense this morning. Anything we can do to help you relax?”
David chuckled. “That is exactly why they are here, Clara. Let them help. Tell them what you need.”
I took a sip of coffee to hide my embarrassment. “I do not need anything. I am fine.”
Julian leaned closer. His leg pressed against mine under the table. “You do not have to pretend with us. I saw how you looked at me last night. Like you were hungry. I am right here if you want a taste.”
My breath caught. God, yes. I want your mouth on me. “Julian, please. David is right here.”
David smiled. “I told you already. No jealousy. Touch her if she wants it. Kiss her. Make her feel alive again.”
Marcus put his hand on my knee under the table. It was warm and strong. “Only if you say yes, Clara. I do not want to push you.”
His touch sent electricity up my thigh. I imagined that hand sliding higher, fingers slipping under my dress. I want it so much. Both of them. I gently moved his hand away even though every part of me screamed to keep it there.
“I am still your wife, David,” I said, trying to sound firm. “This feels wrong.”
David shrugged. “It only feels wrong because you keep fighting it. Look at them, Clara. Tell the truth. Do you want them?”
I looked down at my plate. My voice came out small. “I should not.”
“But you do,” Julian said softly. He reached over and tucked my hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered on my neck. “I can see it in your eyes. You imagine us taking you. Filling that emptiness you have carried for ten years.”
He is right. I do imagine it. Every night. Heat flooded my body. I crossed my legs tighter.
Marcus spoke again. “We can go slow. Just talk for now. Or I can take you for a walk in the garden after breakfast. Away from everything.”
I nodded quickly. “A walk sounds good.”
After breakfast Marcus walked with me through the mansion garden. The flowers were beautiful but I could barely focus. His presence felt powerful beside me.
“You are fighting hard,” he said. “Why?”
“Because this is not normal,” I replied. “I made vows.”
Marcus stopped and turned to me. “Vows to a man who cannot touch you. A man who now offers you to us like a gift. Does that seem fair to you?”
I looked up at his rugged face and dark eyes. I want you to kiss me right now. Hard. “Life is not always fair.”
He stepped closer. “If you ever want to feel something real, I am here. No games. Just me wanting you.”
My heart raced. I pictured him lifting me against a tree, his muscular body pressing into mine. Take me. Please. Instead I stepped back. “I need time.”
Later that afternoon Julian found me alone in the library. He closed the door behind him.
“Running from us?” he asked with that arrogant charm.
“I am not running,” I said. My voice betrayed me.
Julian moved closer until my back touched the bookshelf. “Your body says otherwise. Your nipples are hard under that dress. You are wet right now, aren’t you?”
Yes. So wet. “Julian, stop.”
He smiled and placed one hand beside my head. “Say the word and I will drop to my knees for you. I have wanted to taste you for years. Let me make you come, Clara. Let me remind you what pleasure feels like.”
I imagined his blonde head between my legs, his tongue working me until I shook. The fantasy was so strong my knees felt weak. “I cannot. Not yet.”
“Not yet,” he repeated with a grin. “That means soon. Good.”
He leaned in and kissed my neck softly. Just one light kiss. It sent fire through me. I almost grabbed him but I turned my face away.
That evening David called us all to the living room. He looked pleased with himself.
“Clara, be honest with us,” he said. “Did you enjoy their attention today?”
I sat on the couch, trapped between Julian and Marcus again. “It is confusing. I feel guilty but.”
“But you like it,” David finished. “Tell them how you feel.”
I took a deep breath. I want them to rip this dress off and use me. “I feel desired. It has been so long since anyone looked at me like that.”
Julian put his arm around my shoulders. “You deserve to be fucked properly, Clara. Say the word and we will make it happen.”
Marcus stayed quieter but his hand rested on my thigh again. “Whenever you are ready.”
I pretended to be reluctant. “Give me more time. Please.”
David nodded. “Time is fine. But do not wait too long. Your body is already begging.”
Later that night I lay in my bedroom, pretending to sleep. My mind would not stop. I kept seeing Julian’s confident smile and Marcus’s intense eyes. I wanted both of them. One rough and strong, the other smooth and commanding. Together. The thought made me press my thighs together under the sheets.
Just a little longer. I cannot give in yet.
But deep down I knew the truth. I was already falling. And the secrets in this house might destroy everything.
The aches between my legs became too much. I slipped my hand under my nightdress and between my legs. I was soaking wet. My fingers found my swollen clit and started rubbing fast circles.
Marcus… Julian… Both of you. Fuck me hard. Use me.
I pushed two fingers inside my dripping pussy, imagining it was Marcus’s thick cock stretching me while Julian sucked on my breasts. My breathing grew heavier. I was so close.
The bedroom door suddenly opened.
Marcus stepped in quietly. He froze when he saw me, legs spread under the sheets, hand moving between my thighs, eyes half-closed in pleasure.
He had come to return the book I lent him earlier that evening.
For a second, pure embarrassment hit me. But Marcus did not look away. His dark eyes burned with raw hunger as he closed the door behind him.
I found Sophia in the cottage, standing over an open suitcase with shaking hands.The drawers were pulled out. Clothes were strewn across the bed. Kate's schoolbag sat by the door, already packed. The curtains were drawn, the lights off except for a single lamp in the corner. It cast long shadows across the walls, and in those shadows, Sophia looked like a ghost."Harold told me about Dominic," I said from the doorway. "I came as soon as I could."She did not look at me. She kept folding clothes, her movements mechanical and frantic. "He is Kate's father. Her real father. David lied about the paternity test. He lied about everything. Dominic has been searching for her for seventeen years.""I know. He came to the estate. He made his demands."That stopped her. She turned, a blouse clutched in her fingers. "He was here? Inside the estate?""Harold let him thro
He arrived at the gates of Sterling Estate in a black sedan with diplomatic plates and no advance warning. Harold called me from the security booth, his voice tight with the controlled alarm he only displayed when something was genuinely wrong."There is a man at the gate, Miss Sterling. He says his name is Dominic Reyes. He insists on speaking with you immediately. He says it concerns Kate."I was in the library with Marcus, reviewing Julian's latest legal filings. The name hit me like a slap. Dominic Reyes. The man Alexander had mentioned at the dinner. The man who had been searching for his daughter for years. The man David had cuckolded and lied to, claiming paternity of a child that was never his."Let him in," I said. "But I want security in the room. Marcus, you stay with me."Dominic Reyes walked into the library like he owned it. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair graying at the t
Julian arrived at Sterling Estate just after dawn, looking like he had not slept in days. His collar was unbuttoned, his eyes shadowed, and he carried a thick folder of documents that he dropped onto the library desk with a heavy thud."Tell me how bad it is," I said."It is bad. But it is not fatal. Not yet." He sat down heavily and opened the folder. "Sophia's testimony can now be challenged. The immunity deal she signed was contingent on full disclosure of her involvement with David's network. Irene Voss's documents prove Sophia did not fully disclose. Alexander's lawyers are already filing motions to reopen the board vote on the grounds that Sophia's testimony was tainted.""Can they succeed?""They can make enough noise to cause serious problems. The board is still fragile after the last coup. If enough members lose confidence, they could call for another vote. And this time, Alexander will not
I went to the lake house alone.The morning was gray and cold, the frozen water stretching toward the treeline like a sheet of dirty glass. Spring was still weeks away. The ice had begun to crack along the edges, dark fissures spreading like veins beneath the surface. I parked the car and walked up the gravel path to the deck where Sophia sat wrapped in a wool blanket, her feet pulled up beneath her, staring at nothing.She did not turn when she heard my footsteps. She knew why I was there."Irene Voss," I said. "She worked with you and David in the early years. She has documents, Sophia. Emails. Financial records. A sworn statement claiming you helped him set up the offshore accounts willingly. Not as a hostage. As a partner.""I know." Her voice was barely a whisper, scraped raw by hours of crying. "I saw the headlines this morning.""You told me you were forced. You told me yo
The story broke on a Friday morning, and by noon, every major news outlet in the city was running it.I was in my office at Sterling Tower when Harold called. His voice was tight, the way it got when something had gone very wrong and he was trying not to alarm me before I knew the details. "Miss Sterling, you need to see the morning edition of the Financial Journal. And the City Herald. And the broadcast on Channel Four.""I am on my way to a board meeting, Harold. Can it wait?""No, miss. It cannot."I sent Helena Vance a quick message postponing the meeting and pulled up the news on my tablet. The headline hit me like a physical blow.Sophia the Survivor or Sophia the Accomplice? New Witness Claims Sterling Whistleblower Helped Build David Miller's Criminal Empire.Below the headline was a photograph of Sophia. Not the composed, determined woman who had tes
The news broke on a Tuesday morning.I was in the library at Sterling Estate, reviewing the latest intelligence Julian had gathered on Alexander's holdings, when Harold appeared in the doorway. His face was gray. His hands, usually so steady, were trembling slightly against the silver tray he carried."Miss Sterling," he said. "There is something you need to see."He set the tablet on the desk. The screen displayed a news article from one of the major outlets. The headline made my blood run cold.Investigative Journalist Found Dead in Apartment. Police Rule Homicide.Below the headline was a photograph of Daniel Cross. The same tired eyes I had looked into at the coffee shop. The same ink-stained fingers that had pushed the folder of Argos Holdings documents across the table. The same hollow cheeks that had suggested a man who had been working too hard for too long.
The next few days passed in a strange and heavy blur. I moved through the house like someone walking through deep water. Every smile I gave David felt like broken glass in my mouth. Every time he touched my hand or kissed my forehead, I had to fight the strong urge to pull away. I k
Chapter 18: The ApologyI woke up the next morning to the soft sound of the bedroom door opening. Sunlight was just starting to fill the room. I blinked slowly, still feeling heavy from the night before. David was there, pushing a small breakfast cart into the room. He had a gentle smile o
I drove back from the clinic with my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. The image of Victor sitting behind that desk would not leave my mind. Julian’s younger brother. The man who had signed every medical report for years. The man who had looked me in the eyes an
I stayed hidden in the storage room for what felt like forever, my back pressed against the cold wall, my phone still recording in my trembling hand. David’s fingers were wrapped around the door handle. He had heard my sob. He was coming. My heart hammered so loudly I was sure he could hear it thro







