جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

The strong scent of alcohol collided with the familiar masculine fragrance Emma recognized the moment she stepped through the apartment door. The digital clock in the living room read two o'clock in the morning. Her head still throbbed from the three glasses of liquor she had drunk at the nightclub earlier, but her mind had fully sobered. Sober enough to witness the disgusting scene on the leather sofa in the living room.Zane was leaning back against the sofa with the top buttons of his shirt undone. Sitting on his lap was a blonde woman in a revealing dress, busily licking his neck and leaving crimson marks on his skin. The woman was Violet Iris, the rising actress whose photos with Zane had gone viral just a few hours ago.To be honest, this wasn't a new sight for Emma. For seven years, she had grown accustomed to watching Zane move from one woman to another. But tonight, after her hopes had been shattered at her best friend's wedding, it felt as though her heart was being crushed

"Who are you?"The voice was deep, cold, and carried an absolute authority capable of freezing anyone's blood. Lucas stepped closer to the bedside, staring at the stranger who had so boldly soiled his silk sheets. As a man who possessed everything, Lucas despised two things above all else in this world: disobedience and women who tried to crawl into his bed for money.Without a trace of mercy, Lucas's strong hand gripped Emma's bare shoulder and forcefully pulled her upright into a sitting position.Emma, who had lost most of her consciousness under the influence of alcohol, could only let out a faint groan. Her head lolled weakly as dizziness overwhelmed her. The pounding in her head prevented her from seeing clearly. Through her blurred vision, the figure before her appeared hazy, yet the man's commanding aura and masculine scent were so intense that they pierced her senses.Emma blinked several times, struggling to focus her vision. Instead of feeling afraid, her trembling fingers

The loud bang of the door Emma had slammed shut right in front of his face did not make Zane back away. Instead of leaving with his pride wounded, the top actor's ego flared even more fiercely. The sting of such a blunt and painful rejection ignited an overwhelming possessive urge within him. Emma's room door had not even been fully locked when Zane shoved it open from the outside. He strode inside with ragged breaths, the commanding aura he always carried in public now suffocating within the confines of the small hotel room. Without wasting another second, he grabbed Emma by the wrist and spun her around with a forceful yank until her back hit the door she had just closed. "Let go, Zane!" Emma hissed, her eyes blazing with restrained anger. "What's wrong with you, Emma?!" Zane demanded, his voice trembling low as he struggled to contain the storm of emotions threatening to explode. His grip around her wrist tightened even more, as though he feared that if he loosened it for even a

Lucas's gaze remained unwavering. The silence between them grew thick and oppressive, yet the middle-aged man showed not the slightest hint of surprise. The next second, he merely let out a quiet snort before taking a calm sip of the red wine in his glass."You think far too highly of yourself, Little Girl," Lucas said, his voice deep, curt, and as cold as ice. He did not even bother to look back at Emma. "Whoever you are, whether you're one of my family's spies or just a drunk slut desperate for attention, you're all the same in my eyes. Leave before I completely lose my patience."Hearing such blatant dismissal, Emma swallowed hard. An unfamiliar flutter stirred inside her chest. Yet instead of shrinking back, her gaze unintentionally drifted downward, taking in how the casual black shirt—replacing the satin bathrobe he had worn earlier—clung tightly to Lucas's broad chest and well-defined arms. The mature man's physique was remarkably solid, radiating stamina and strength that were

Emma closed the hotel room door tightly behind her. The hunger that had been tormenting her stomach suddenly disappeared, replaced by overwhelming exhaustion after all the insane drama she had gone through tonight.She lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. However, the peace did not last long.A harsh knock on the door made Emma let out a long sigh. She already knew who was standing outside without even looking through the peephole. With sluggish steps, she unlocked the door and turned the handle.Zane walked in, the strong scent of alcohol lingering around him. He looked disheveled, yet it did nothing to diminish his strikingly handsome appearance. In truth, a flicker of panic and longing had seized Zane's heart when he lost track of Emma at the elevator earlier. Damn it, part of him had wanted nothing more than to pull Emma's slender body into his arms, hold her tightly, and bury his face in her neck to ease the frustration that had been suffocating him ever since the