Page 24

The moment I step out of the car, I know something is wrong. The estate looms in front of me, dark and still, but there’s an energy in the air—thick, charged, waiting to snap.

She came back. That’s what I’m told. Julie is back.

I don’t know what I expect when I push through the front doors, but I don’t expect to see her standing there, perfectly still, like she’s been waiting for me.

She doesn’t run. She doesn’t look away. She simply raises her hand, and in it, a phone glints under the dim light.

My stomach tightens.

“I’ve had this for a while,” she says, voice even.

I step closer, my boots heavy against the marble floor. I don’t take the phone from her just yet. Instead, I study her—the way her fingers tighten around the device, the slight tremor in her shoulders, the way she breathes just a little too fast.

Guilt.

“Go on,” I murmur, my voice dangerously low.

Julie licks her lips, and my eyes flick to the movement before she speaks. “I used it to contact Sophia,” she says.

The anger inside me sharpens into something more lethal. Of course.

I exhale slowly, deliberately, keeping my expression unreadable. “And?”

Julie’s throat bobs. “I was supposed to steal information from you,” she continues, her fingers twitching. “That’s why she sent Arlo. He’s been leaking everything back to the Spades.”

A muscle ticks in my jaw. Arlo. That fucking bastard.

I should’ve known. I should’ve caught it earlier. I think back to every moment he was near, every interaction that seemed unassuming at the time. Now, it all fits.

Julie watches me carefully, like she’s waiting for me to snap. “He’s probably gone by now,” she adds.

Probably. Or maybe he’s still lurking like the rat he is. Either way, it doesn’t matter—he’ll be dealt with.

I take another step forward, and this time, I take the phone from her. It feels cold in my palm.

“You’re still here,” I say, my voice quieter now, but no less dangerous.

Julie blinks. “Yes.”

“You could’ve run.”

“I could have.”

I tilt my head, eyes narrowing. “Why didn’t you?”

She hesitates, and for a moment, I think she won’t answer. But then she squares her shoulders, meeting my gaze without flinching.

“Because I didn’t want to.”

Something dark stirs inside me. She had betrayed me. Lied to me, but she had come back. That means she’s mine.

The silence stretches between us, heavy, filled with things neither of us says. Then, before I can stop myself, I reach for her.

Julie gasps when my fingers grip her chin, tilting her face up to mine. Her skin is warm beneath my touch, her lips parting slightly, breath catching.

She expects rage. She expects punishment. Instead, I lean in, my mouth hovering just over hers.

“You’re mine,” I murmur, the words brushing against her lips. “Mine alone.”

Her breath stutters. I feel it—the way her body tenses, the way she’s fighting whatever it is she feels for me.

I smirk. She can fight it all she wants, but we both know this is where she belongs.

I should be furious. I should be questioning her, demanding to know if this is some elaborate game she’s playing. I see it in her eyes—raw, unguarded truth.

Julie exhales slowly, as if forcing herself to say the words out loud. “I can’t go back.”

I step forward, closing some of the space between us. “Why not?”

Her lips part, then press together again, and I see the war inside her—the hesitation, the vulnerability.

Then, she shakes her head slightly. “Because in your captivity, I learned what freedom really is.”

My breath stills.

She swallows hard, her voice quieter now, but steady. “I lived my whole life for them, Mikhail. I did everything to be noticed. I tried to be what my father wanted. I tried to be the sister Sophia wanted me to be. No matter what I did, I was always an afterthought.”

Her hands curl into fists at her sides, as if the memories are clawing at her. “But you….” She lifts her gaze back to mine, and there’s a fire in her eyes that wasn’t there before. “You looked at me with a warmth they never did. You made me feel seen. Wanted.”

I clench my jaw, barely holding myself back from reaching for her.

She keeps going. “You kissed me like you craved me. Touched me like you were meant to. Heard my ideas.” Her throat bobs, and she forces out the last words, raw with emotion. “How could I leave that behind?”

My pulse thunders in my ears.

She’s choosing this. Choosing me.

I step even closer, until there’s barely an inch between us. My hand lifts, fingers ghosting over the side of her face. I don’t touch her fully—I just feel her warmth, the way she leans into it, the way she doesn’t pull away.

“Why?” I ask, my voice lower now, quieter, dangerous in its demand for the truth.

Julie takes a long breath, as if gathering the courage to say the one thing that will change everything between us.

Then, she exhales.

“I think I’m falling for you.”

The words settle between us like a brand, burning into the space where her hesitation used to be. For a moment, I don’t move. Don’t speak.

She just gave me everything. Every damn piece of herself. I could break her. I could twist those words, use them to control her, to ensure she never strays from me again.

I finally let my fingers trail down her cheek, careful and focused, before tilting her chin up so she’s fully looking at me.

Her lips tremble slightly, but not from fear.

“I think you’re a fool,” I murmur, my thumb brushing over her lower lip.

Julie exhales a shaky breath, but she doesn’t flinch. “Then I’m your fool.”

Something inside me snaps. I crush my mouth to hers, my hand tangling in her hair as I take what’s mine.

She melts against me, her fingers digging into my suit jacket, pulling me closer. I can feel it in the way she kisses me back—the truth in her words, the undeniable pull between us.

I bite down on her lower lip, pulling a soft gasp from her before I slide my tongue against hers, devouring the taste of her surrender.

She whimpers, pressing her body against mine, and I groan into her mouth. My grip tightens in her hair, tilting her head back so I can claim her deeper.

I force myself to speak, to remind her of what she just admitted. “If you think this changes anything… it doesn’t.”

Her brows knit together slightly, but she doesn’t look away.

“You’re still mine,” I continue, my voice rough. “Still bound to me. If you think falling for me will make me go easy on you, you’re wrong.”

Julie exhales a soft, unsteady laugh, and I feel the warmth of it against my lips.

“I don’t want you to go easy on me,” she whispers.

She’s turned my whole world upside down, and she doesn’t even realize it.

I grip her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Then don’t expect me to let you go. Ever.”

Her lashes flutter, and I feel the slightest tremor in her body. It’s not fear. Julia’s lips are slightly parted, her breath coming fast. I don’t miss the way her body reacts—how she leans into me, her skin warming beneath my touch.

I lower my head, brushing my lips against her ear, my voice rough with desire. “You feel it, don’t you?”

Julie swallows hard, her lashes fluttering. “Mikhail—”

I cut her off by dragging my hand down her throat, my fingers pressing lightly against the delicate skin there before skimming lower, down the curve of her shoulder. Her dress has slipped slightly, revealing the smooth expanse of her collarbone. I press my lips there, inhaling her scent—warm, intoxicating, completely mine.

She lets out a soft gasp, her body arching slightly as I slide my hands to her waist. Her dress is thin, and I can feel every line of her beneath it. I curse under my breath, my jaw clenching.

I want to rip it from her. I want to mark her, claim her in every way possible.

Instead, I pull her closer, pressing her body against mine. She fits perfectly, as if she were made for me, as if the universe had no other intention but to bring her here, to this moment.

Julie trembles slightly, but she doesn’t pull away.

I slide my fingers into her hair, tilting her head back so she has no choice but to look at me. Her lips are swollen from my kisses, her eyes hazy with something between hesitation and need.

A flicker of something—relief, frustration, maybe both—crosses her face.

I don’t give her time to think. I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against my chest, letting her feel exactly what she’s doing to me.

Her breath hitches, and I smirk against her temple.

“I want you to remember this,” I whisper, my hand sliding down her back, resting just above the curve of her ass. “To know that even though I want you, I also want to be with you. Like this. No expectations.”

Julie’s nails dig into my shoulders, her entire body tense.

I kiss her once more—deep, slow, deliberate—before finally, finally stepping back. She sways slightly, her fingers still curled in my shirt as if she’s reluctant to let go. I chuckle softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“Go to bed, hmm,” I murmur. “Before I change my mind.”

She stares at me, dazed, her lips still parted as if she wants to protest.

I guide her upstairs, my hand resting low on her back as we move in silence. The air between us is thick with unspoken words, unfulfilled desires.

In our bedroom, she turns to face me, her eyes searching mine for something—reassurance, understanding, maybe even a promise I can’t put into words.

I reach for the zipper of her dress, dragging it down slowly, watching the fabric loosen and slide down her shoulders. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look away.

She lets me undress her, the silk pooling at her feet.

She does the same for me, her fingers hesitant but then sure as she unbuttons my shirt, brushing against my skin. Every touch leaves a fire in its wake.

We slip beneath the sheets, my arms pulling her against me, her body curling into mine as if it belongs there.

Her breath evens out, warm against my chest, her fingers resting lightly over my heart.

I press a slow kiss to her temple, inhaling the soft scent of her hair.

For the first time in years, I don’t feel the weight of the world on my shoulders.

With her in my arms, I simply exist.

I could never ask for anything else.