Page 49 of Vow to Corrupt You (Gods of Corruption #1)

Serena

The hum of the car fills the silence between us as I glance at Nikos, one of his hands steady on the steering wheel, the other cupping my thigh. He looks so handsome in his black, tailored suit with his signature stony expression. I could watch him driving forever.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re heading?” I raise a brow at him.

He didn’t tell me anything except that I should wear the dress he brought for me—an elegant, floor-length gown with a strapless neckline.

It hugs my body snugly, contouring my curves and emphasizing my chest. It accents the waist, flaring subtly at the bottom.

Black, of course. I did my hair in a chic updo, with a few loose strands framing my face, and I added a gold necklace that stands out against my bare collarbone.

“It’s a surprise.” Nikos glances at me briefly, a contented grin curving his lips upward.

I roll my eyes and lean back in the seat. Surprises with Nikos are unpredictable, and I’ve no idea what he has planned.

Eventually, we park in front of a sleek, modern, minimalist building. Nikos steps out and circles the car to open my door. I let him take my hand, my heels clicking against the stone floor as we walk inside.

“Is this a gallery?” I gasp, taking it all in.

Nikos doesn’t respond. Instead, he smiles and leads me inside one of the rooms, his hand on the small of my back.

Various sculptures stand on pristine pedestals before me. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people admire them. But these aren’t just any sculptures. They’re my sculptures.

I turn to Nikos, my mouth wide open. He stands a few feet behind me, his signature, authoritative stance paired with a satisfied smirk.

“I promised to take you to a sculpture exhibition, and I never did,” he says. “So I thought, why settle for someone else’s work when you could have your own?”

For a moment, all I can do is stare at him. “You did this?”

He moves closer, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I did.” He smiles. “Well, with a little help from your cousin. She told me it was a dream of yours.”

“Chiara?”

He nods.

I feel my emotions well up inside me as I shake my head softly.

I always believed gestures like this, thoughtful and personal, were the foundation of a relationship.

I was saddened it was something I’d never have with Nikos.

But now I know better. Maybe we don’t always have moments like everyone else, but we have our own.

Ours might be darker, twisted, but that doesn’t make them less meaningful. They’re ours. One of a kind.

Before I can say anything, I hear a familiar voice. “The one and only!” My cousin beams at me, hugging me tightly. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much.”

“Me too.” I did. I really did.

Ever since the fateful night with Dimitris and Valeria, my family has cut all contact with me.

Nikos told me we could bury it, hide the truth from my family if that’s what I wanted.

But I knew it would surface eventually. The truth always does.

Especially since my father works for Nikos and he knows nothing goes down in this city without his blessing.

If it happens here, he either made it happen or let it happen.

Plus, it’d be hard to explain the disappearance of two important family members.

Nikos’s uncle and his sister-in-law. It hurt when my family said they couldn’t understand that I chose Nikos, the man who forced me to marry him (they seem to forget the part where they forced me to marry him) over my sister.

It hurt deep, leaving a scar I’m not sure can ever heal.

I married Nikos because of them. To save my brother’s life, to save all of our lives.

I sacrificed myself for them. But now, they don’t seem to understand that for once, I chose myself.

If I hadn’t done that, who knows what Valeria might’ve done?

Would they have forgiven her if she’d killed me?

Perhaps I could’ve punished her in another, less severe way.

But she had no mercy when they kidnapped me with full intent to end my life.

But that’s okay. I knew it was lonely on the throne next to my king. I chose to live my life this way, and this is the path I will follow. Only Chiara still speaks to me.

“How are you holding up?” I ask my cousin after we exchange a few sentences. Recent news is that Aric has broken up with her, and despite knowing the reason, I couldn’t tell her.

She exhales sharply through her nose, her expression hardening slightly. “Aric has to marry a Monserian princess, Serena.”

So he told her.

“Do you understand that, cousin?” I can hear the pain woven through her words. “He’s marrying a fucking princess. A member of royalty.”

I frown, letting out a quiet breath. I wish I could do something to prevent this marriage. So she could marry the man she is so in love with. But The Gods decided on the alliance, and there’s nothing anyone could do, including the bride and groom.

I reach out to touch her arm, “Chiara…”

“Don’t, please.” She shakes her head, her smirk reappearing, though it’s more bitter. “It’s fine.”

But the heartbreak in her eyes tells me otherwise. I don’t press, though. My cousin doesn’t let her walls down easily, and now isn’t the moment to try.

“It’s your night,” she smiles, more genuinely this time. “Let’s celebrate. Have you met Alessandro Ferrara?”

“What?” I gasp. “He’s here?”

Nikos was supposed to take me to one of his exhibitions, and now, he’s attending mine. It all feels so surreal.

But the best part? He remembered Alessandro Ferrara is my favorite artist whom I look up to. He remembers everything, every detail…

My husband does bring the world to its knees for me, in every sense imaginable.

I adjust the straps of my gown in front of the mirror.

The deep, shimmering black fabric that clings to my body is elegant, yet daring.

My lips are painted crimson red, and my hair is left loose in waves.

We’re heading to Olympus to welcome a new member—Marcelina Thorne, wife of Bobby Thorne, who recently joined The Gods after his father passed away.

And tonight, I want to turn heads and send a message, loud and clear.

Tonight, I’m officially stepping into my dark villain era—the era of power, influence, and respect.

Nikos is already waiting in the foyer as I descend the stairs. He glances up, and it’s as if time stands still for a moment. His gaze roams up and down my body, a glimmer of unholy delight flickers across his face.

“You’re a goddess, Serena.” He comes near me, his hand grazing my waist. “A goddess I’d love to fuck right here and now.”

Heat pools in my stomach, but I refuse to let him have the upper hand so easily. “A goddess has a wish.” I angle my face up, meeting his eyes with a look of flirtatious challenge.

He lifts his brow, an intrigued glint in his gaze. “What does my goddess wish for?”

“First,” I rest my hand on his chest, right over his collarbone. “I want you to tattoo my name. Right here. The same way you made me tattoo your name on me.”

He lifts an eyebrow, but to my surprise, he answers without hesitation. “Done.”

Didn’t expect that to go so easy. “There’s something else.”

“What is it?”

I stand on my toes, so my lips almost brush against his ear as I whisper. “I want to become a Goddess at The Gods. A member with full rights. Equal to you.”

Nikos leans back slightly, studying me with a calculating look, a shadow passes over his expression. “That’s not a small request, Serena.”

Serena . He rarely calls me by my name, only when it’s serious.

“I didn’t expect it to be.”

He exhales, his fingers brushing along my arm. “You know what that means, don’t you? The initiation will be brutal. You’ll be tested in ways you can’t even imagine.”

I hold his gaze, unflinching. “Done,” I say teasingly, alluding to his previous response.

There’s something dangerous about the way his lips curve. “You are a goddess, aren’t you?”

“I am,” I say, stepping back and turning toward the door. “And you are about to see just how far a goddess can rise.”