LOGIN“Alexander, I hate you!” The words burst from Ava’s lips, raw with anger. Her hand still gripped the pen, trembling, yet before she could thrust it forward again, Alexander calmly caught her wrist and lifted it aside. His other hand rose slowly, almost gently, and cradled her face.He leaned closer.Ava bit her lower lip and turned her head sharply away.He did not force her to face him. Instead, his lips brushed lightly against the curve of her cheek… then her earlobe. Soft. Deliberate.“I will never forgive you!” she snapped.Her head whipped back toward him, her dark eyes blazing.Alexander met that fury without flinching. “I don’t want your forgiveness.” His thumb moved slowly across her cheek, pushing aside the loose strands of hair clinging to her face. His voice had dropped low—hoarse, but steady. “I only want you.”Something in those words snapped the fragile restraint she had been clinging to.Ava lunged forward. Her teeth sank hard into his shoulder. Not a playful nip, not a
Alexander’s palm settled firmly at Ava’s waist as he bent his head, burying his face against her chest.“Stop… ah—”Her protest came out breathless, but he paid it no heed. His kisses continued—impatient, heated—while his hands worked restlessly at the layers of clothing that now seemed only obstacles between them.Her T-shirt was the first casualty.The fabric tore down the middle and slipped to the floor at her feet.When he fumbled briefly with the clasp of her bra and failed, patience abandoned him altogether. The straps snapped beneath his fingers, and with a careless sweep of his hand the garment slid down and caught loosely around her waist.Ava struggled, grabbing at his wrist as his hand moved to the button of her jeans.“Alexander—stop!”He brushed her hands aside.For a brief moment he attempted to undo the button properly, but the effort lasted only seconds before his temper overtook him. With a harsh ripping sound, the sturdy denim twisted beneath his grip.That was the l
One week earlier...The office was silent except for the faint hum of the city beyond the glass walls. Night had already settled over Manhattan, the skyline glittering like scattered diamonds beneath the dark sky. Yet Alexander Vanderbilt had not moved from his desk for nearly twenty minutes.A file lay open before him. Inside were photographs. Not business documents. Not contracts. People.Alexander lifted one between his fingers.The man in the photograph stood outside a modern glass building, speaking with several employees. His posture was relaxed, his expression professional.The name beneath the image read:John Walker. Alexander’s assistant. Or rather—his former assistant.Alexander leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.“Send him in,” he said quietly.Finn, who stood near the door, nodded once and left.A few minutes later, the door opened. John Walker stepped inside. He was a man in his mid-thirties—well-dressed, composed, the sort of person who had always perf
Alexander lifted his face from the curve of her neck. His thumb brushed softly across her trembling lips.“Because…” he murmured, his voice low and certain, “you love me.”Before she could answer, he leaned in again and captured her lips.Ava turned her face aside in instinctive protest—but Alexander had no intention of letting her escape so easily. When she shifted left, his kiss followed. When she turned right, his lips found her again.Relentless.Determined.Somewhere deep inside him, a powerful instinct was sounding the alarm.If he let her go tonight… he might truly lose her forever.The moment he had brought her through that door, he had already made his decision.Tonight, no matter what happened, he could not let her leave.Even if it meant restraining her, keeping her by force, refusing to let her walk away again—he would endure whatever came after.The music still flowed through the room.The female singer’s voice drifted gently through the air.Beautiful faces, no cares in
“I’ve thought it through carefully.”Ava slowly swirled the wine in her glass, watching the crimson liquid circle lazily along the rim. Her gaze remained lowered, as though the answer she sought might somehow be hiding there.“You really shouldn’t acknowledge Cello.”Alexander’s expression did not change.“Reason.”She lifted her eyes at last.“You want children,” she said quietly. “There are plenty of women who can give them to you.”Her tone was calm—too calm.“We can’t be together.”Alexander leaned back slightly in his chair.“Reason.”Ava looked directly at him now. The warm lamplight reflected in her dark eyes, making them shimmer with a sincerity she rarely allowed him to see.“I’m not suitable for you,” she said softly. “And you’re not suitable for me.”Silence lingered between them for a moment.Then Alexander spoke.“I don’t accept that.”Ava exhaled slowly and turned her face aside. When she looked back at him again, a hint of frustration had crept into her voice.“Then wha
Alexander peeled another crayfish with practiced ease.This time, however, instead of placing the shrimp neatly onto Ava’s plate, he held it out toward her mouth.Ava immediately turned her face to the left.His hand followed.She turned sharply to the right.The shrimp followed again.Alexander appeared perfectly calm, holding the shrimp patiently between his fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her stubborn expression while speaking casually to Marcello.“Cello,” he said thoughtfully, “I’m sure your mum never told you that actually, she and I—”Ava’s mouth snapped open.She bit directly onto his finger.Hard.Her eyes narrowed at him in open warning.You absolute scoundrel. If you dare finish that sentence, I’ll bite it clean off.“What’s wrong?” Marcello asked curiously.Afraid Alexander might say something even more outrageous, Ava quickly released his finger and swallowed the shrimp in one swift motion.“Uncle Vanderbilt was simply saying,” she said smoothly, “that y







