The grip on Ethan’s arms was bruising. The two burly hotel security guards, spurred on by Brenda’s hysterical screaming, dragged him down the hallway like a sack of garbage. His shoes scuffed against the plush carpets, but he barely felt the friction. His mind was still trapped in Room 888, reeling from the intoxicating scent of cold roses, the burning fever of the Ice Queen, and the sheer absurdity of the accusation hurled at him."Escort? Brenda, listen to me, you have it all wrong!" Ethan gritted his teeth, struggling against the guards' iron hold. "I went into the wrong room. I don't even know who that woman is!""Shut up!" Brenda spat, her face contorted with disgust, the heavy makeup cracking around her mouth. "Don't you dare call me Mom! I knew you were a degenerate piece of trash, Ethan Vance, but to sneak off and pay for a whore right before you marry my daughter? You sicken me."She didn't care about the truth. To Brenda Jenkins, this was the perfect excuse. The $100,000 gam

The adrenaline that had fueled Victoria Sterling through the wedding banquet, the high-speed escape, and the surreal ceremony at City Hall finally evaporated the moment the heavy wrought-iron gates of the Sterling Estate closed behind them.Ethan Vance drove the Ferrari SF90 up the sweeping, mile-long gravel driveway. Even in the encroaching darkness, the estate was breathtaking. Manicured hedges flanked the road, leading up to a massive, three-story modern fortress of glass, steel, and dark stone. It sat on a cliff overlooking the city, isolated, cold, and impenetrable. Exactly like its owner.But the owner was currently falling apart in the passenger seat.As Ethan threw the car into park beneath the sprawling portico, Victoria let out a broken, shuddering breath. Her head lolled against the leather headrest. The aphrodisiac, temporarily suppressed by her sheer willpower and the shock of the marriage registry, had returned with a vengeance. Her skin was literally burning, her breath

The Sterling Tower pierced the city skyline like a spear of black glass and steel. It was a monument to wealth, power, and the absolute dominance of the Sterling Corporation.On the ninety-ninth floor, the atmosphere inside the executive boardroom was toxic.Victoria Sterling sat at the head of a massive slab of polished obsidian that served as the conference table. She looked flawless in a sharp navy blazer, her makeup expertly concealing the lingering exhaustion from the black-market neuro-stimulant. But beneath the table, her hands were clenched into tight fists.She was surrounded by wolves."This is madness, Victoria," Arthur Sterling, her uncle and the company's Chief Operating Officer, sneered. He paced near the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the city as if he already owned it. "Victor Thorne is furious. We had a verbal agreement for the merger, a merger that would have doubled our stock value. Instead, his men report that you fled the hotel, drove to City Hall, and

The partition wall of the custom Rolls-Royce Phantom slid up with a soft, mechanical hiss, sealing the back seat into a cocoon of dim leather and absolute privacy.Outside, the glittering lights of the riverfront avenue blurred into long, neon ribbons as the luxury sedan cruised through the midnight fog. Inside, the atmosphere was thick, vibrating with a tense, intoxicating warmth.Victoria Sterling leaned her head back against the monogrammed headrest, her dark eyes closed. The fierce, untouchable CEO who had just successfully locked down the Sinclair Consortium’s market shares and accepted the worship of the city's medical elite looked thoroughly exhausted. Her sharp tailored suit blazer lay folded on the seat beside her, leaving her in a sleeveless silk blouse that revealed the elegant, tense lines of her collarbones."Headache?"Ethan Vance’s low, resonant baritone broke the silence. He was sitting cross-legged next to her, casually tossing a small orange he had taken from the VIP

The private glass elevator descended from the ruins of the Royal Jade Club's VIP suite, the heavy silence inside clicking perfectly into place with the mechanical hum of the shaft.Ethan Vance stepped out into the crisp, midnight air of the club’s private courtyard, adjusting the cuffs of his immaculate charcoal three-piece suit. He had just decimated the heir to the Sinclair fortune, both financially and physically, yet his pulse remained as steady as a surgeon's metronome. The ancient Sovereign Chi thrummed softly beneath his skin, rich and content.He didn't make it five steps past the neon-lit water fountain before a deafening roar of an engine shattered the quiet.A black tactical police interceptor swerved violently across the cobblestone driveway, its reinforced steel bumper blocking Ethan's path by a mere inch. The heavy doors flew open, and a wave of raw authority spilled onto the pavement."Hands where I can see them! Face down on the hood, now!"Ethan didn't blink. He slowl