CHAPTER 39
Genevieve’s POV
I whispered to the empty room, “You’ll regret walking away from me and wanting to send me away, Damien.”
The door clicked shut behind him, but the echo of his footsteps lingered like a slap to my face.
I slammed my glass onto the table. The shatter echoed through the pristine apartment, shards of crystal flying across the floor. “Damn it!” I choked out, gripping the edge of the counter to steady myself.
All that work. All that effort. And for what?
To watch
h Celeste Monroe crawl out of the ashes again? To watch Damien–the man I held onto for years–look at her like she was the only star in his sky?
My hands trembled. Not from weakness, but from rage.
“Why?” I whispered, staring at my reflection in the glass. “Why does she always win?”
We were both orphans. Both unwanted girls clawing our way through a cruel world.
So why does she get to have the fairy tale?
Even after I was chosen. Even after the Lancaster family claimed me, dressed me in silk and diamonds–Celeste still gets the happy ending?
No. I won’t let her.
I sank into the couch, burying my face in my hands.
If Damien ever uncovered the full truth. Oh, my gosh. I can’t imagine what he’d do to me, how he’d react. I shuddered at the thought.
My fingers shook as I reached for my phone, scrolling through until I found the number. I stared at it for a long second.
I need his help again, I thought in panic.
At this point, he was the only one who could help me out of this mess.
I threw on a trench coat, pulled a cap low over my eyes, and slipped into the shadows like a ghost, The hotel was discreet–our usual place. The kind of place where no one asked questions.
When I arrived, I kept my head down, moving quickly through the lobby and up to the fifteenth floor. My fingers trembled slightly as I slid the keycard through the lock.
The door opened–and before I could step in, a hand reached out and yanked me inside.
1/3
+20 Ronus
He held me tight, one arm wrapped possessively around my waist as the other slid along my spine in a slow, lustful stroke.
“Took you long enough,” he said, voice smooth like velvet over razors.
“Spare me,” I muttered, brushing off his hand. “I had to make sure no one followed me.”
He stepped closer, gaze roaming. “You’re shaking. Let me guess… Damien finally saw through your sweet act?”
I glared. “He’s asking questions. About the fire. About Eleanor.”
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. “And what if he starts asking about the video?”
My breath caught. “He hasn’t. Not yet.”
“But you’re scared he will,” he said smoothly, running a finger down my arm like he had all the time in the world.
I pulled away, my tone low and sharp. “He’s asking about the fire already. If he keeps digging…”
“Relax,” he cut in, tone too casual for my liking
I let out an exasperated breath, turning away–only for his hands to find my waist again.
“You’re tense,” he murmured, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear. “Maybe we should do something wilder this time.” His
hand slid lower, groping under my skirt, as he leaned in to kiss me, his tongue pushing into my mouth at once.
Ugh. He smelled like he’d just been in bed with someone else. I quickly shoved him hard in the chest, putting distance between us. “Don’t even try. You’ve just been in bed with someone else, I know it. Euw.”
He blinked once. Then laughed, like I’d just turned down champagne at a party.
“What?” he teased, eyes gleaming. “Are you jealous? I didn’t think you’d notice.”
I wiped my mouth. “You reek of her.”
He just smirked. “Didn’t bother you when you needed my help.
I didn’t turn around when I spoke. “Damien’s still hung up on Celeste, you know. No matter what I do, she’s always going to be the one he can’t forget.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then his laugh–low, mocking–broke the stillness like a whip crack.
“Of course he is,” he said, amused. “You’re just now figuring that out? Poor Genevieve…”
His words hit a raw nerve. I spun to face him, fury flaring in my chest. “He’s starting to get suspicious of me! So don’t turn this into a joke, I have no time for your stupid teasing”
That wiped the smirk from his face–just for a second.
2/3
+20 Bonus
“You’re losing your touch,” he murmured, gripping my arm tightly and jerking me toward him. “Let me remind you how this
alliance works.”
He grabbed me and pushed me against the nearby wall, trying to capture my mouth again.
I tried to resist. But when his hand crept up my inner thigh, fingers circling my damp opening through the flimsy fabric of my
underwear, I was overcome with carnal desire.
My pussy was wet in no time, and the heat was rapidly spreading from there to the rest of my body.
The way he touched me and ignited my sexuality. I couldn’t pull away anymore. He made me feel so good, so far from how
Damien had made me feel.
“You know you want it too,” he whispered as he pushed his fingers inside me. Stroking, fondling. Making me drip with intense
desire. “I’m going to fuck you hard tonight. Make you scream louder than before”
A moan escaped my throat. Then another.
I melted against him, nearly limp. That drove him mad, making him even more ravenous as he unbuttoned my dress and let it fall
down to the ground, exposing my already taut nipples.
He did not waste time sucking on each one, making me moan louder, making me want more.
He roughly kneaded my breasts as I felt his cock growing harder, pushing against my body.
Then suddenly, he paused, his eyes gazing at a spot that I’d hidden for a long time. Grinning devilishly, he began licking it slowly
My birthmark. A mirror image of the one Celeste bore on her chest.
