LOGINViola’s mouth hung open slightly. It had been five long days since she last saw him at the estate. Now, standing here in the shadows in his dark suit, with his collar unbuttoned and his tie hanging loose, he looked absolutely lethal. He took a slow step toward her, his lips moving as he said something else. Viola just stared at him. She was so lost in his sudden, overwhelming presence that her mind went blank. She didn't hear a single word he said. A hot, furious blush rushed up her neck to her cheeks as she realized she was just standing there, staring at him like an idiot. Sebastian took another deliberate step closer. Viola immediately stepped back, but her spine hit the hard edge of the counter. She was trapped. He closed the distance, placing his large hands flat on the marble on either side of her hips. He caged her in. He was so close she could feel the raw heat radiating off his broad chest. The sharp, heavy scent of whiskey and dark cologne flooded her senses, making her
The Hierro estate was silent. The grandfather clock in the main hall had just chimed midnight when Sebastian stepped through the heavy front doors.He walked toward the main staircase, his fingers coming up to loosen his dark silk tie. He unbuttoned the top of his collar as he made his way across the marble floor, craving nothing but a glass of whiskey and his bed.He was just about to take his first step onto the main staircase when a slight flicker of movement in the dark corridor caught his eye.Sebastian paused.His amber eyes narrowed sharply in the dim light. He watched the shadowy figure for a brief second, "His instincts flared before his rigid posture slowly relaxed." It was his little rabbit.She was tiptoeing toward the kitchen, moving with exaggerated, nervous steps and constantly glancing over her shoulder as if anticipating an attack. A faint look of amusement crossed his face. One of his dark eyebrows arched slowly. What was she trying to do?She disappeared into the k
Damian let out a low chuckle. "I can't believe what I am looking at," Sebastian continued, setting his glass down. "You used to be the coldest bastard in New York. Now you sit here talking about mood swings like it's a privilege. You have become an absolute fool in love." Damian just looked at him, taking a calm sip of his drink. "You will understand the day you fall for someone," Damian said smoothly. "You will realize what it feels like when a person becomes more important than your own pride. It changes you." Sebastian let out a dark, effortless laugh. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. His amber eyes went completely flat. "I will never fall in love," Sebastian stated, his voice carrying an iron-clad certainty. "It is a liability. It makes a man weak. I will never let anyone have that kind of power over me." Damian just shook his head, that same knowing smile resting on his lips. "We will see, Bash," Damian said softly. "We will see." Hours later, the dead
The hot spray of the shower did nothing to wash away the tension in Sebastian’s muscles.He turned off the water, grabbed a white towel, and wrapped it low around his waist. Drops of water slid down his broad chest, tracing the sharp, dark ink of the serpent tattooed across his ribs.He dried his hair, pushed the bathroom door open, and stepped out into the dim bedroom of his New York hotel suite.He paused in the doorway.A woman was sitting gracefully on the edge of his unmade bed. She had striking green eyes and lips painted a flawless deep red. When she saw him, a slow, seductive smile spread across her face. She stood up, and without a single word, let her silk robe slip off her shoulders. It pooled on the floor, revealing sheer, black lace lingerie beneath.Sebastian barely reacted. He just started walking again, completely ignoring the display as he headed straight past her toward his open closet."What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice completely flat.Her smile faltere
The slap echoed loudly in the quiet room. It was so hard that Viola’s head whipped to the side. She stumbled, nearly falling to the marble floor, her ears ringing instantly. "You ungrateful brat," her mother hissed, stepping closer. "I gave you a roof over your head. I clothed you, I fed you, I let you live in luxury, and this is how you repay me? By talking back?" Tears instantly flooded Viola’s eyes. Her cheek burned like fire. The physical pain was sharp, but the deep, agonizing ache in her chest hurt so much worse. She slowly turned her head, looking at her mother through her blurry, tear-filled eyes. "Why?" Viola asked, her voice cracking with raw heartbreak. Her mother’s eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" "Why do you treat me like this?" Viola cried, the heavy weight of years of neglect finally spilling over. "You love Vanessa... why don't you love me? I'm your daughter too!" Her mother just stared at her, completely unmoved by the tears streaming down Viola’s face. "If you can'
The next morning, the silence in the estate felt heavier than usual.Viola was in the middle of cleaning the dusty shelves in the library when one of the maids found her. Her mother had called for her in the main living room.A familiar knot of anxiety twisted in Viola’s stomach as she wiped the dust from her hands and made her way through the grand halls. She kept her head down, dreading whatever this was about.When she stepped into the living room, Vanessa was already there, sitting elegantly on the velvet sofa and slowly sipping from a glass of white wine. Her mother sat in the high-backed armchair opposite her, looking perfectly poised and utterly unbothered.Viola stopped near the center of the room, folding her hands in front of her.Her mother looked at her, slowly dragging her gaze from Viola’s messy hair down to her worn-out clothes."I have heard some very disturbing things, Viola," her mother began, her voice smooth but dripping with disappointment. "You are slacking these
Dinner ended exactly as it began—stiff, quiet, and suffocating.Viola didn’t wait for Vanessa or her mother to stand up. The moment Rafael pushed his chair back, she slipped away from the table. She kept her head down, tracing the edge of the hallway until she found the heavy glass doors leading to
The heavy oak doors of the Hierro estate always felt too tall, like they were designed to make whoever walked through them feel small.Viola pulled the sleeves of her oversized sweater over her knuckles. She kept her head down, hoping her hair would fall over the sides of her face. Maybe if she sta
Viola spent the rest of the day hiding in her tiny bedroom.She didn't go down for lunch, and she skipped dinner entirely. She just sat on the edge of her bed, her knees pulled tight to her chest, waiting. She expected her mother to burst through the door at any second. She expected to be dragged t
Viola stood in front of the small mirror in her bedroom, her fingers gently touching her jaw.Yesterday, right after her mother’s hand had cracked across her face, Viola had run to the bathroom and desperately covered the angry red mark with cheap foundation. Now, with the makeup washed off, a fain







