hompso

had dismissed me, a fleeting assessment that relegated me to just another pretty face in a sea o

ter for his bath. It shattered, the porcelain scattering across the pristine white tiles. My heart lurched. This

to me, silhouetted against the dark city skyline. He wasn't looking at the view, but staring blankly ahead, his posture rigi

r now, more prominent. He was still wearing his suit jacket, the expensive fabric clinging slightly from the damp. He looked less

here was an unbridgeable chasm between us. He was Anderson Mathews, a titan born into old money, his family's name synonymous wi

ague details, snippets caught from the hushed conversations of his associates or the breathless reports in the financial news. He commanded respect and fear, a silent force

ng me from my thoughts. It wasn't a question, it was a command, de

rds him, my bare feet padding softly on the cold marble floor.

me, his fingers digging into my flesh. "What took you so long?" His voice was laced with an impatience that bord

rough, but it always startled me. I kept my face carefully blank, my lips s

njuries tonight, Ayla? You're usually so... solicitous." There wa

want to make sure you're comfortable. You know I only care about your well-being." The words tasted like ash, but they were t

, Ayla. That's all I ask." His gaze was as cold as ever, a stark reminder that

ts to understand him, might actually break through the ice. But that illusion had shattered quickly. The first time he'd been

don't expect another penny. And don't expect to ever set foot in Columbia again." His words were

thing for a moment of pride. So I learned. I learned to bend, to accept, to become the perfectly pliant companion he des

could discard at will. My contract was almost up, and I knew, with absolute ce

but tonight, it was a shield. The tears, hot and unexpected, pricked at my eyes. I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall, refusing to give

e in the apartment was deafening, a familiar companion. I reached for my phone, the screen lighting up with a dozen

d out, a single word: "Look." Below it, a link to

rate emotion I had never seen directed at me. And facing him, Hope. Her golden hair was disheveled, her elegant evening gown slightly askew. He reached out, a hand cu

gent kiss. It was deep, consuming, a kiss that spoke of years of unspoken desir