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Then he rose gracefully from the sofa. He cut an incredibly striking figure in a simple yet undeniably elegant and sexy outfit that accentuated his very tall built.

He wore a neat black T-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and muscular chest with the top few buttons left tantalizingly undone to reveal a teasing glimpse of his tattooed toned pecs.

The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing off his strong corded tattooed forearms.

The shirt was paired with a black fitted jeans that skimmed over his narrow hips and sculpted thighs like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination about the impressive physique hidden beneath.

He moved towards her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You look beautiful, as always."

Serena blushed. "You aren’t bad yourself," she said softly.

With that, they finally headed downstairs to the dining room for brunch.

Serena couldn't deny how much more comfortable she actually felt in the flat sandals. Not that she'd ever admit that to Knox, of course.

She had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Serena's eyes immediately lit up upon seeing her father, President Bolting already seated at the polished oak table.

She scampered over to him without hesitation.

"Daddy!" Serena exclaimed with childlike enthusiasm, leaning down to plant a soft, affectionate kiss on his cheek.

The familiar scent of his cologne brought a wave of comfort and nostalgia washing over her.

However, the warm, fuzzy moment was destined to be short-lived because in an instant, Serena sensed a palpable shift in the atmosphere.

The air seemed to grow heavier, colder, causing the fine hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

A shiver ran down her spine and goosebumps prickled along her arms despite the warmth of the day.

Serena slowly turned to face the man behind her.

The transformation in his expression was startling. Gone was the composed, stoic mask he usually wore. In its place was a visage of pure, undisguised ugliness.

His strong jaws were clenched so tightly she could see a muscle twitching with his full lips pressed into a hard, unforgiving line.

But it was his eyes that truly made her blood run cold. They were blazing with an intensity that reminded Serena of a raging wildfire, barely contained and threatening to consume everything in its path.

“Your husband is an exceedingly possessive man. He considers you his sole property, and any male who dares to encroach upon what he perceives as his territory will face severe consequences. I highly advise you do not test the bounds of his overbearing nature, Donna. It would not end well for anyone involved." Sevens words at the spa suddenly flooded her mind.

Serena instinctively took a few hasty steps backwards, putting distance between herself and her father.

Her body seemed to be operating on pure self-preservation instinct, even though her rational mind hadn't fully caught up with what was happening.

The last thing she wanted was to unintentionally provoke the terrifying, possessive beast that clearly lurked just beneath Knox's carefully controlled surface.

President Bolting looked on with a furrowed brow, clearly confused and a little hurt by his daughter's sudden, skittish behavior. "Is everything alright? sweetpea?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

President Bolting recall how his sweet girl would have happily thrown her arms around him in a warm embrace and pepper his face with kisses before plopping herself down contentedly on his lap like she was still his little girl. But now, she had barely brushed her lips against his cheek in the most fleeting of pecks before instinctively retreating, as if suddenly afraid of something... or someone.

He tilted his head and landed his gaze on the chilly Knox. Of course, his little girl was a married woman now. How could he forget that?

The older man sighed.

"Well, well, well," Killian’s voice that always have an uncanny knack for offering up the most ill-timed remarks possible broke through the suffocating tension that had descended upon the room.

He leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "Look who finally decided to grace us with their presence. For fuck's sake, we've all been waiting around forever for you two lovebirds to finally make your way down here so we could eat!"

He dramatically checked his watch, rolling his eyes. "It's already practically afternoon and the food is starting to get cold. What, did you get lost in that massive closet of yours, sister-in-law?"

His eyes landed on Serena with a sly teasing grin creeping across his lips. "Oh wait, don't tell me you needed rescuing? No worries there, sis. I was just about to come swooping in to save you from this ravenous beast who clearly hasn't allowed you a moment's rest since last night…”

Killian was still prattling on about their supposed nocturnal activities when an invisible hand that burned like silver and wolf bane suddenly clamp around his throat.