Chapter 4

The ride home from the gala was silent except for the low hum of the Maybach’s engine and the rain pattering against the windows.

Sera sat with her legs crossed, staring out at the dark city lights. Her elegant updo was slightly ruined from their encounter in the lounge, and Cassian could still smell himself on her skin. The thought made his blood heat all over again.

She didn’t look at him once during the thirty-minute drive.

When they arrived at the estate, she stepped out of the car without waiting for him and headed straight for the master bedroom. Cassian followed, loosening his bow tie as he climbed the stairs.

The moment the bedroom door closed behind them, the mask dropped.

“Get in the shower,” Sera ordered, already slipping out of her gown. It pooled at her feet like liquid ink, leaving her in nothing but black lace heels. “You’re still covered in the night. I want you clean before I use you again.”

Cassian’s jaw flexed, but he obeyed.

The shower was massive — black marble and rain heads that poured down like a tropical storm. He stood under the hot water, letting it beat against his tense shoulders. A few minutes later, the glass door opened and Sera stepped in behind him.

Her hands slid around his waist, nails dragging lightly down his abs. She pressed her wet breasts against his back.

“You almost lost control tonight with Meridian,” she murmured, voice echoing softly in the shower. “I told you what would happen if you embarrassed me.”

Before he could reply, her hand wrapped around his cock, stroking him slowly from root to tip. He hardened instantly under her touch.

“I’m going to remind you who owns this,” she whispered, biting his shoulder blade.

She pumped him with firm, teasing strokes until he was throbbing and leaking in her fist. Then she stopped.

“Turn around.”

Cassian turned. Water cascaded over both of them. Sera looked like a goddess — auburn hair plastered to her skin, green eyes dark with lust and lingering anger.

She pushed him down onto the built-in marble bench.

“Sit.”

He sat.

Sera straddled him, positioning herself over his aching cock. She sank down slowly, taking every thick inch until she was fully seated. They both groaned at the tight, perfect fit.

“Fuck, Sera…” he rasped, hands gripping her hips.

She slapped his hands away. “No touching unless I say so.”

Then she began to ride him — slow, deliberate rolls of her hips that drove him insane. Her breasts bounced with every movement. Cassian leaned forward and captured one nipple in his mouth, sucking hard. She moaned and threaded her fingers through his wet hair, holding him there as she picked up speed.

The sound of wet skin slapping wet skin filled the shower. Sera rode him harder, using his body for her pleasure. Her moans grew louder, breathier.

“Look at me,” she demanded.

Their eyes locked. For a moment, the years melted away — the cruelty, the divorce, the power struggle — and it was just the two of them again, raw and desperate.

She came first, clenching violently around him, her cry echoing off the marble. Cassian followed seconds later, burying himself deep and spilling inside her with a guttural groan, hips jerking as he filled her.

They stayed connected, foreheads pressed together, breathing hard as the water continued to pour over them.

For the first time since signing the contract, Sera’s mask slipped. Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Why did you marry me, Cassian? Really?”

He swallowed, hands finally allowed to rest on her waist.

“Because I was terrified you’d ruin me… and because I didn’t want to let you go.”

She searched his eyes for a long moment, then climbed off him. The loss of her heat felt like punishment.

“Dry off and come to bed,” she said quietly. “We have an early meeting tomorrow with my legal team about the merger.”

The Next Morning

They sat across from each other in Sera’s home office while her lawyers reviewed the partnership documents. Cassian watched her command the room — precise, brilliant, and completely in control. The shy secretary he once knew was gone. In her place was a woman who could destroy him with a single signature.

During a break, when the lawyers stepped out, he spoke.

“I had a dream last night,” he said.

Sera looked up from her tablet, one eyebrow raised.

“I dreamed about the night you walked in on me,” he continued, voice low. “You were holding that coffee tray. Your hands were shaking so badly the cups rattled. I thought you were going to scream. Instead, you just… stared at me. Like you saw the monster and decided to stay anyway.”

Sera’s expression didn’t change, but her fingers tightened on the tablet.

“You made me stay, Cassian. You didn’t give me a choice.”

“I know.” He leaned forward. “And I’m starting to realize how much I fucking regret it.”

For a second, something vulnerable flickered across her face — pain, longing, maybe even fear of her own feelings. Then it was gone.

“Regret won’t save your company,” she said coldly. “Focus on the ninety days. That’s all you get.”

Later that afternoon

While Sera was on a conference call, Cassian wandered into the east wing of the estate. He found a room she clearly used as a private office. On the desk was a single framed photo — the only personal item he had seen in the entire house.

It was from their wedding day.

Sera in a simple white dress, smiling tentatively. Cassian standing beside her, stone-faced, one hand possessively on her waist.

He picked it up, thumb brushing over her younger face.

“I was going to burn that,” Sera said from the doorway. Her voice was quiet. “But I couldn’t.”

He set the frame down and turned to her.

“Come here,” he said softly.

For once, she didn’t fight him. She walked over.

Cassian pulled her against his chest and kissed her — not with anger or dominance, but with slow, aching hunger. Sera melted for a moment, kissing him back before she pulled away.

“Don’t,” she whispered, eyes glistening. “Don’t make me want you again, Cassian. I barely survived you the first time.”

He rested his forehead against hers.

“Maybe this time,” he murmured, “I’m the one who won’t survive you.”