Chapter 9

The heavy oak door of the penthouse clicked shut, the biometric lock engaging with a soft, final beep. Julian was gone.

Clara stood in the center of the vast, sunlit living room, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs. The faint scent of Julian’s cedar and bergamot cologn

Chapter 10

"Clara."

The voice came from the doorway, quiet, deep, and utterly devoid of warmth.

Clara screamed, dropping her phone. It clattered against the hardwood floor. She spun around in the leather chair to find Julian Cross standing in the threshold of the office.

He had taken off his s

Chapter 11

The morning light filtering through the bulletproof glass of the penthouse did nothing to warm the sprawling, sterile space. It only highlighted the rigid lines of the gilded cage Clara Hayes now called home.

Julian stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, meticulously adjusting the cuffs