Page 5 of Forbidden Empire (Sinful Gods #1)

Five

A idon

The ornate box sat untouched on the polished coffee table, its intricate designs catching the light and reflecting it in myriad colors.

It was a mesmerizing display that seemed to promise secrets and danger.

My eyes couldn't help but be drawn to it, my mind racing with thoughts of what could be inside.

I leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed tight over my chest as I watched Esme pace back and forth across the room.

Every step she took seemed purposeful yet hesitant, a contradiction in her usual confident demeanor that left me feeling on edge.

"You still haven't told me what's inside," I said, my voice low and even but laced with an underlying sharpness. The question felt like a blade aimed right at her, a challenge to reveal the truth.

She stopped mid-stride, her back still, her shoulders rising and falling with each controlled breath.

She turned and spoke, her words clipped and measured. "I told you, it's leverage."

I repeated, 'Leverage,' then stepped away from the desk and moved behind her.

My voice was sharp, and I was losing patience. "That's not an answer, Esme. What is it inside that Zeno would risk everything to keep safe?"

She turned to face me then, emerald eyes flashing with defiance as she met my gaze head-on. But beneath that familiar steel was something else, a flicker of uncertainty, a hint of vulnerability she was trying to conceal.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "You wanted a way to destroy Zeno. This is it."

"It matters if it's going to backfire on me," I growled, closing the remaining distance until we almost pressed against each other. The tension between us was palpable, crackling like electricity in the air. "Tell me what's inside, Esme. Now."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her shoulders squaring as if bracing for a fight. Her fingers twitched, a nervous energy coursing through her body.

"You'll find out soon enough," she finally replied, her voice hollow but still tinged with defiance.

I closed the space further, backing her up against the wall until we were almost nose-to-nose. The live-wire tension pulsing around us grew stronger, sparking every nerve in my body and rendering me unable to think straight.

"Do you think you can manipulate me, Esme?" I growled, my hands braced on either side of her head as I trapped her against the wall. My voice lowered to a dangerous whisper. "After everything we've been through, you still don't trust me?"

Her chin lifted, an unspoken challenge in her gaze that dared me to call her bluff. "Trust is a luxury neither of us can afford in this game, Aidon," she shot back.

The tension between us was thick and charged, like a spring coiled tight and waiting to snap at any moment.

As I leaned in closer, our bodies almost touching now, I couldn't ignore the heat radiating off her or the intoxicating scent of her perfume that seemed to lure me in further.

Every second felt like a high-stakes game, one I couldn't afford to lose, yet couldn't seem to stop playing.

"This isn't just a game to me," I said, as I closed the final inch between us. "And if you're lying to me..."

"You'll what?" she interrupted, her voice sharp but breathless.

She tilted her head, the moonlight glinting off her emerald eyes as she stared at me with an unreadable expression.

Her lips curved into a daring smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes, giving her an air of confidence and defiance.

"Kill me? Turn me over to Zeno? We both know you won't."

Her words were a taunt, her tone a challenge to push me closer to the edge. I could feel my control slipping, my emotions and desires warring inside me.

I remained quiet.

Instead, I let the silence stretch between us, heavy and charged.

I watched the way her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, her pulse visible in the hollow of her throat.

Her defiance was a shield, but cracks were starting to show, and I couldn't help but wonder what lay behind it.

Was it fear? Or something darker, something even she couldn't control?

For a moment, I thought she might crack, that she'd let the truth slip from behind her mask. Her lips parted, revealing a hint of vulnerability in the hesitation flickering in her eyes. It was a fleeting moment where she seemed unsure whether to push or pull away.

But then she did the one thing I wasn't expecting.

She kissed me.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't sweet. It was fierce, desperate, and unapologetic, a clash of anger and need that left no room for doubt.

Esme's hands fisted the front of my shirt, pulling me closer as though she could silence every question I would dare ask her.

Her nails dug into the fabric, and I could feel her strength and frustration in every movement.

I should have pushed her away and demanded answers.

But instead, I surrendered to the chaos; my hands slid to her waist and pulled her against me.

The taste of her was intoxicating, a mix of defiance and fire that left me craving more, each second more consuming than the last. My grip tightened, my fingers tracing the curves of her body as her breath hitched against my lips, a sound that sent a jolt through me like a live current.

"Esme," I groaned against her lips, my voice thick with desire and frustration. "You're impossible."

She pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, the moonlight casting shadows on her face and giving her a hint of mystery. Her emerald eyes blazed with a mix of triumph and something softer, something unspoken.

"You're just figuring that out?" she whispered, her lips curling into a wicked smile.

I didn't give her time to say anything else.

I captured her mouth again, deepening the kiss and consuming her.

My resolve unraveled with every touch and every sigh.

The world outside ceased to exist, reduced to nothing more than the feel of her in my arms and the heat of her skin beneath my hands.

There was no room for doubt, no space for questions, just the raw, unrelenting need that consumed us both in that moment.

Then, just as fast as it started, she pulled away, leaving me breathless and off balance.

Her gaze was unreadable. It was a mix of determination and something darker, something I couldn't place but knew would haunt me.

Her jaw tightened as though she were holding back words she wanted to say or truths she feared to reveal.

"You'll thank me for this," she said, stepping around me with a fluidity that made her feel untouchable, untethered. She moved toward the box with purpose, her shoulders set with the resolve that came before something final.

"Esme," I warned, my voice sharp, a thread of desperation bleeding through.

But she ignored me and opened the case, the lid creaking in a way that made my chest tighten with a sense of foreboding and dread.

Inside the ornate wooden box lay a collection of documents, photographs, and a small flash drive. Despite their unassuming appearance, I felt the weight and power emanating from these objects.

She turned to me, her once gentle expression hardening into something resolute and unreadable. "This is everything. Zeno's empire, his secrets, his vulnerabilities. It's all here."

I stepped closer, my eyes examining the evidence with a narrowed focus. The air grew heavier with each step, like the secrets within the box pressed against me.

"And you're just handing it over?"

Her smile lacked any real joy as she replied, "Do you think this is easy for me? That I haven't considered every possible outcome?" She snapped the box shut with trembling hands, betraying her calm facade. "You want to destroy Zeno? Here's your chance. But don't expect me to stand by and watch."

Her words hit me like a physical blow, and I stood frozen, trying to make sense of her meaning. "What are you talking about?"

She avoided my gaze and clenched her fists at her sides. For the first time, I saw cracks in her armor, the vulnerability she was so desperate to hide.

"I can't stay here, Aidon. Not after this. If Zeno finds out I'm involved, he'll..." Her voice broke, and she shook her head, unable to finish her sentence. "He'll kill me before you can stop him."

The thought of losing her sent panic surging through me, an unfamiliar feeling that I struggled to push down beneath a mask of control. "Then stay. We'll deal with Zeno together."

But her bitter laughter, filled with disbelief and regret, cut through the tension like a knife. "You still don't understand, do you? This isn't just about Zeno. It's about survival. And the way I survive is if I disappear."

Her words felt like a gut punch, and I needed something to ground me—anger, frustration, anything but the hollow ache of watching her slip away.

But before I could argue, footsteps outside the door froze us both in place.

Her eyes darted toward the noise, her expression shifting from defiance to dread in an instant.

In a swift motion, she snatched up the box and spun toward me. "Trust me, Aidon," she pleaded. "This is how it has to be."

"Like hell," I growled, reaching out to grab her wrist, but she slipped through my grasp like smoke.

The door burst open as Zeno's guards flooded the room, their weapons drawn. But my focus was on her as the betrayal gutted me like a knife twisting in my chest.

A call from one of my men snapped my focus away from Esme and to the chaos ensuing around me. I shifted, ducking a blow from one of Zeno's soldiers, and retaliated with all the fury churning up from Esme's treachery.

With my team at my back, the fight was short-lived but brutal and merciless. My fury and determination for retribution grew for every bruise I received or drop of blood I spilled.

Esme would pay for this. It was obvious she planned this double cross from the very beginning.

It wasn't until hours later, right as I believed Esme disappeared without a trace, that Ares arrived at my club office.

"I found something, Sir." Ares handed me an envelope.

I tore open the seal and pulled out the contents. Inside the container was a confirmation for admission to a high-stakes poker tournament in Monte Carlo.

"Have you followed up?" I asked.

"A woman with Ms. Theodorus's description arrived in Paris this evening. It is safe to say the information we have is accurate."

I nodded. "Arrange to have our prey captured."

Ares inclined his head.

I turned and stared out of the window, gazing at the city's glittering lights. I clenched my fists and made a silent vow: "No one betrays me and gets away with it, Esme. Not even you. Get ready to pay your penance."

Time to turn the page and watch Aidon and Esme’s cat-and-mouse game begin.