I squeezed my eyes shut and opened it again, hoping they were playing tricks on me, but sadly, they weren't.

Who is this man???

The cold air from the air-conditioning hit my body and I immediately realised I was naked, I gasped and dragged the duvet to cover myself.

“Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!”

Flashbacks from last night replayed in my head, as I stumbled back, I should be disappointed with myself, worried I just had s*x with a stranger, but the flashbacks made my body react in a different way.

“Fuck!” I cursed. 

And here I was thinking Dorian came back for me. So delusional.

I have to leave, and I have to leave now, before this gets more complicated than it already is.

I put on my clothes which had been carefully folded on the bedside table and tiptoed towards the door, my purse and heels in one hand as I twisted the door knob with the other….but it didn't budge.

I tried again and again, but the door was locked shut.

“I figured you would do that…..” a deep baritone voice sent vibrations down my spine , causing me to flinch, before turning to look at him. 

“I locked it last night when you fell asleep.”

He did what???

“I think it would be better for the two of us if you just let me leave and we'll pretend last night never happened,” I spoke firmly.

“That's not happening, Elara.”

I froze in place the moment he called my name.

How does he know my name?

This was an even bigger mess than I thought it was.

“I never told you my name…… Look, I don't know who you are or how you know me, but trust me, it's better for the both of us if you just let me leave.” 

“I'm a little offended you're not interested in knowing who I am,” he sat up on the side of the bed, he was shirtless so I could see the outline of his muscles and just how ripped his body was.

His face? dangerously gorgeous. Gray eyes that locked me in place, black air brushed hair, his eyes, nose, lips, jawline, every feature on his face and body was breathtaking.

Jesus, Elara. Focus!!!

“No offense but I don't think that's importa…” 

“My name's Axel,” he cut me off. “Axel Thorne,” he added.

I gasped, heart thumping against my chest.

“No, no, no….” I whispered, shaking my head repeatedly.

That name!

The same name that had shadowed my marriage like a ghost, whispered in arguments, lurking in Dorian’s silences. The man Dorian loathed so much he’d rather choke than say his name aloud.

Axel Thorne.

Dorian’s estranged brother who went to prison 10 years ago.

Dorian never talked about him, but from the little he told me, I knew Axel was highly dangerous. He wasn't the kind of person you wanted to get entangled with.

My stomach dropped so violently I thought I might be sick. 

If this is really him...the room tilted as I realised...I just had sex with my brother in-law. 

But something felt off, my encounter with him, it looked too spotless to be an accident.

Or maybe it wasn't, giving his history…..

“You orchestrated this, didn't you?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “This whole thing was your plan right?” I asked, even when I already knew the answer.

“I'd been following you before you got to Dorian's office yesterday, and I followed you here too, I didn't want to meet you in public so I came into your room, and waited till you showed up.” 

“And the sex?” 

“Now that….” he got up and picked up two glasses and a bottle of wine, “that wasn't supposed to happen.” 

“But it did,” I fired at him.

“And you loved it,” he countered. “You didn't let me stop even when you were already exhausted” he smirked, filling the two glasses with wine as he locked eyes with me.

What is he talking about?

“Dorian told me you were in prison and you weren't getting out anytime soon, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to come back to the united states, so how are you sitting in front of me right now? And why were you following me yesterday, what do you want from me?” so many questions were flooding my mind and I needed to know what was going on.

“Take a seat,” he gestured for me to sit on the couch opposite the bed, but I didn't move.

“Answer me!” I demanded.

He exhaled slowly and got up from the bed, closing the distance between us until he was inches away. His height loomed over me, his presence so dominating, it felt like the air itself bent around him.

He offered me a glass of wine and spoke.

“Whatever Dorian told you about me isn't important right now. I need your help, Elara.” 

His cold and emotionless eyes became softer for a split second, but it quickly disappeared, and he continued speaking.

“I'll go into detail and tell you everything you want to know, and also why I approached you. But first I need to know the information is safe with you, I need to know I can trust you.” 

“Trust me? Just in case you didn't know, your reputation precedes you, I should be the one worried about trust,” I snickered.

He stretched out his palm towards me and I hesitated for a bit before placing my hand in his. He turned and led me to the couch, while he sat on the bed, opposite me.

He opened the drawer by the bed side table and brought out a document.

“Before we continue, I need you to sign an NDA, that way, everything that's happened between us over the last 24 hours and everything that's happening now will stay between us.” 

“So no one's going to find out I had sex with my Ex-husband's brother?” 

He nodded his head.

I let out a sigh of relief.

At least now I don't have to worry about anybody finding out about what happened last night. 

It's just an NDA, and I don't have any friends or people I talk to, who could I possibly want to tell about this.

“I’ll sign it.” I said. 

He smiled at me, a smile that felt like a mask, hiding something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

He flipped the document to the last page, before placing it on the table. 

“Can I at least read…….”

“Don't worry about that, it's just an NDA,” he interrupted.

He's right. It might have so many words written in it, but it all comes down to one thing, I don't talk and he doesn't either. And with that, I signed the document.

“What next?” I asked.

He stared at me for a couple seconds then started speaking.

“Dorian crossed me years ago….betrayed me, stole my place in the family. Everything that should’ve been mine, he claimed for himself. With my own mother at his side, he made sure I was cast out, never meant to return.”

I guess betrayal and stealing from those who love him is Dorian's thing.

“I need to show you something.” he said, scrolling on his phone for a couple seconds before handing it to me.

“That's a video of the building Dorian bought last night, my sources tells me he's ordered hundreds of rare stones and gems to be shipped into the country, he's starting a jewellery company….for his mistress.” 

I gripped the phone hard enough it could break, stealing my husband wasn't enough, now she was about to steal my dream. 

I've been designing jewelleries since I was a teen and it was my dream to one day start a jewellery company, but after my marriage to Dorian. He convinced me that I was a woman and he wouldn't want his wife to work.

 I gave up my dreams because I wanted to please him. 

And now he's taken my dreams and handed it to his mistress.

“You know how he got the funding to do all of this right?” Axel questioned.

Of course I know how, I gave it to him myself. 

“Elara, I need your help the same way you need mine. You're the only one who knows the in and outs of Dorian's life and business. I'll need all the information I can get from you. If we go after him together, we’ll destroy him. I’ve got everything you’ll need, resources, connections, power. Together, we’ll be unstoppable, and Dorian won’t even see it coming.” His voice came in a low dangerous whisper, like a genie promising everything I wanted, saying everything I needed to hear.

I hated Dorian, hated him for every lie, every betrayal, every way he made me feel powerless. I wanted him ruined, stripped of everything… and I’d do anything to make it happen.

I clenched my jaw, fists tightened in a ball.

There’s nothing I want more than to watch Dorian fall, to see him beg for mercy that will never come. And if an enemy of my enemy is my friend, then I guess that makes Axel my ally.

“I’m in,” I hissed, voice dripping with venom, “we end him together.” 

Axel nodded his head in approval. “We’ll take our honeymoon once the job is done.” He raised his glass of wine, eyes glinting.

“Honeymoon?” I repeated, furrowing my brows.

He smirked, “Elara, you signed a marriage contract, not an NDA.”

One minute I was being discarded by my husband, and the next, I was married to his brother...on my way to what he called our new home.

I kept my eyes fixed on the window as the car pulled into the house, the heavy gates parting to reveal what lay beyond. A massive black stone fortress rose before me, towering into the sky. Its sharp edges softened by sleek, intricate designs, it looked like one of those ultra-modern mansions you only saw in glossy magazines. One glance was enough to know it cost a fortune.

The car came to a halt and a suited man, built like he was bouncer walked towards the car and opened the door for me.

Fancy.

"The boss asked me to take you to your room....come with me," he said, as he led me into the house, and then to my room.

"The butler will come and get you in few hours," the man said as he turned to leave.

The walls in the room were brown, the worst colour possible.

A soft scent of vanilla filled the air l, and my shoulders dropped as I inhaled deeply, savouring the sweet scent.

Dorian got me a vanilla scented perfume once when we were dating, and I kept the empty bottle for so long, preserving the memory.

I sighed as memories of him and Alexis came to my mind.

I laid down on the bed, doom scrolling on my phone as the time passed by.

After several hours, I went into the shower to freshen up a bit and then got out, changing into a robe when the sound of a knock came in through the door.

I swiftly tied the robe tight and walked towards the door, opening it up.

It was Axel.... in a satin shirt unbuttoned halfway, with matching satin trousers.

His long black lashes framed those enchanting gray eyes, lips soft and moisturised.

How can someone always look this majestic?

I straightened my shoulders, and spoke.

"We need to talk."

"We sure do, get dressed, we're having dinner together," he said and just walked off, hands in his pocket.

I shut the door and threw on a joggers and sweatshirt, before leaving the room.

Another man came to guide me to the dinning room, different from the one who brought me to my room.

I wonder why he has so many men in his house.

The man opened the door to the dining room, and I could see so many different foods lined up on the table, the sweet aroma of baked food and roast chicken filling the air.

I hadn't eaten anything for the entire day and my mouth was watering to have a taste of the food, but that wasn't my main priority right now.

Axel was seated at the head of the dining table, and I took two seats from him, so I wouldn't be too close or too far.

Two ladies stood on opposite sides of the table, head faced down. From their clothes I could tell they were maids.

He gestured for the man who escorted me in to leave and then clapped twice.

Making the two women walk towards the table and serve food on our plates.

And when they were done, he motioned for them to leave.

"I'm guessing you have a lot to say." He said, eyes fixated on his food, fork in one hand, knife on the other, dissecting the chicken breast.

"I don't want to be in this marriage," I said, but he didn't react, his attention didn't falter from the food.

"I want to leave," I said in an even stronger tone.

"We both know that's not happening," It was obvious he wasn't interested in having this conversation.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Elara I'm trying to help you," he finally lifted his face from his food and looked at me.

How was he so laid back about this? Seeing his smug look and knowing that how I was feeling didn't mean anything to him made my blood boil.

"You're trying to help me? By using me? By forcing your decisions on me? By dictating my life for me?" I yelled at him.

"We both know that's not the case."

"But it is, you're just as pathetic as Dorian....ready to take advantage of anyone and use people like they're a tool to get whatever you want. You might even be worse than him....at least he didn't force me into a marriage I didn't want."

He slammed both hands on the table, the sound exploding through the room so loud it shook me to my core. His jaw clenched hard, veins straining, and the rage in his eyes was so vicious it froze me on the spot. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. My body screamed at me to run, but his gaze held me captive, like chains I couldn't break.

Then he spoke, his voice low, dangerous, "Don't you ever compare me to my brother."

The words crawled over my skin in chills. I was terrified,shaken to my bones.

But no. He wasn't going to see it. He wasn't going to smell the fear clawing at me.

I pushed the food away and stormed out of the dining room, running straight to my room and shut the door as I bawled my eyes out.

I divorced one controlling, manipulative and self absorbed monster and got tricked into a marriage with another one.

I have to run.

As much as I knew Axel could help me get back what Dorian stole from me and get my revenge, I knew I couldn't do this.

I grabbed my phone and scanned the closet for a jacket and swiftly grabbed one.

I tied my hair up and ran towards the window. His men won't let me leave if I try to escape through the door.

Goosebumps grew on my skin as I opened the window and I couldn't tell if it was because of the chill of the cold air or because the window was hundreds of feet in the air.

I looked over to the areas surrounding the house and it was all greenery and trees, even if I made it out of the house, how far could I go?

I shut the window, pacing back and forth in the room when a knock came from the door and I immediately knew it was him.

"Go away!" I yelled, still staring at the door. I didn't hear his footsteps leaving, so I knew he was still there.

"I said go aw.......?"

"Elara, it's me," I gasped the moment his voice hit my ears.

How did he find me?

I sped to the door and opened it up.

"Cyrus," I called out, a smile slowly forming on my lips as I collapsed into his arms and he pulled me in for a warm hug.

"It's so good to know you're okay, I'm really sorry about Dorian.....and Alexis," he said, before pulling away.

"You don't have to apologise, they both betrayed the two of us."

Cyrus and Alexis had been in a relationship for years, and we've all been really good friends, that's until Alexis decided to ditch us.

"How did you know I was here? How did you even get here?" I asked him.

"Axel contacted me." he said, he peeped on both sides of the hallway before following me into the room and he shut the door behind us and locked it.

"Why would he contact you?" I'm the only person Axel needs, so why would he contact Cyrus and ask him to come here.

"He said you had a hard time adjusting,"

"Adjusting to what?"

"He told me about the marriage..... it sounded crazy at first, but trust me, it's best if you take advantage of it and go along with his plan, I mean, in a few months when you've both gotten what you want, you can go your separate ways."

"But we don't have to get married to work together," I protested.

"It's all part of his plan.....Elara, he's really powerful and you know that. He's not going to let you end the marriage."

Was I imagining things or was Cyrus starting to sound like he was on Axel's side.

"So what are you saying?" I asked, even when I already knew the direction this was going.

"Stay." Cyrus said, he softly placed his hand on my cheek, his ocean blue eyes locked on mine, with his ever convincing handsome face.

"He brought you here to convince me, didn't he?" I said, slowly accepting defeat.

"Elara this marriage is more beneficial to you, but he doesn't know that.......there are a lot of things you don't know, about Axel. The only way to get more information is to stay as close to him as possible. I did my own research on him immediately he contacted me, and I found something."

"What are you talking about? Get more information about what? What did you find?"

Cyrus looked at the door, like he didn't want someone to walk in on us, even when we both knew the door was locked, and I knew there and then that he was about to say something BIG.

"They didn't die in a boat accident," he whispered softly.

"What do you mean?" My voice broke halfway.

"Your parents didn't die in a boat accident, they're alive......and Axel is responsible for what happened to them."

I didn't want to believe it at first, that my parents were alive, that Axel had something to do with it, but with the evidence Cyrus showed me, there was no denying the fact.

For the past three years, I've been in and out of therapy, struggling to accept the fact that I was an orphan, mourning my parents who were in fact alive.

Just because some inconsiderate evil monster who saw humans as pawns decided to abduct my parents, and fake their deaths for selfish reasons.

"Elara you have to play it cool, confronting him is out of the question," Cyrus insisted.

"Yeah I know that, if he could make my parents disappear from prison, there's no predicting what he can do now that he's out." I got up from the bed and folded my hands, pacing back and forth.

"We need to get enough information and more solid evidence and bring it before the FBA, we might not be strong enough to take him ourselves but the American government can help us do that."

Cyrus was right, going against him ourselves was suicide.

"I'll act oblivious, I'll play along with his games. I'll do everything to win his trust and who knows, he might tell me everything I need to know himself."

Cyrus walked to where I was standing and brushed his hands against my cheek before pulling me close to himself and whispered, "I'll protect you, I promise, I'll stay by your side and I promise I won't let him hurt you."

His words washed over me like a warm cloud, wrapping around my nerves and smoothing them out. I felt myself ease instantly, the tension in my skin and bones dissolving into nothing.

He pulled away and I almost didn't want to let go.

"Do you really have to leave," I pouted, trying to give him pity eyes, making him chuckle.

"Axel won't let me stay for long," he said looking down at his watch. "I'll visit you as soon as I can, okay?" He smiled, and I found myself smiling back with a small nod. Then he leaned down, pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, and quietly left the room

I let out a long exhale and collapsed on the bed.

Win Axel's trust.

How could I do that?

I already pissed him off at dinner, I need to make it up to him first.

"Hmmmm"

I gently tapped my index finger on my chin, my lips curling into a mischievous smirk as an idea came to my mind.

I walked to the closet and shuffled through the clothes looking for something appealing, and then it caught my eye from the far end of the closet. A red see through lingerie and a red satin robe to go with it.

"whoever owns these clothes, I'm sorry but I need to borrow this." I whispered.

I stood in front of the mirror, the lingerie clinging to me as if it had been stitched just for my body.

The bra cupped my breasts perfectly, making them look full and plush, while the panties barely concealed anything at all. The sheer fabric left almost every inch of me on display, hot, lush, and unapologetically sultry.

My soft skin glowed against the deep red, the contrast making me look even more irresistible. I slipped on the robe, tying it tightly around my waist, and stepped out of my room."

I made my way to Axel's room, guided by the butler. The door was slightly ajar, and I paused.

I could knock...but if I wanted to make an entrance, knocking wasn't the way. So, I pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Is that how you go barging into people's rooms?" His familiar voice cut through the air, making me gasp as my gaze shot up.

There he was, seated at the edge of the bed, gloriously shirtless, his muscles catching the dim light.

Two gorgeous women draped themselves over him, their hands shamelessly exploring his body, while one of them toyed with the zipper of his pants, tugging it down inch by inch. The sight sent a strange feeling crashing through me all at once.

I immediately dropped my gaze to the floor, not knowing what else to do.

"I'm s....I'm sorry," I forced the words out and swiftly exited his room, going back to mine.

Embarrassment didn't even begin to cover what I felt.

I'd come here hoping to impress him, to take his breath away, but instead, I'd only managed to make a fool of myself.

I shook my head, my palm on my face.

"Shit, shit, shi-"

Before I could take the next step, a strong hand clamped around my waist and yanked me back, pulling me against the wall. My breath hitched as my pulse quickened.

That scent...I couldn't mistake it. Axel.

His grip was unrelenting, his left hand pinning both my wrists above my head. The knot of my robe loosened slightly, threatening to slip, but still clinging to me, thankfully.

His eyes locked onto mine, radiating something dangerous, slowly trailing down to my lips, my cleavage, lower still.

The intensity of his gaze made my skin tingle, heat flooding through me. My heart pounded so hard I thought he could hear it. Caught between fear and something far more dangerous.

He tilted my chin upward with his other hand, his thumb grazing my jaw as he bit down on his lower lip, studying me like I was prey cornered by a predator.

Then, finally, his voice, low and laced with danger.

"What were you doing in my room dressed like this?"

Lying would be pointless. My lips parted before I could stop myself.

'I... I wanted to make it up to you for what I said during dinner.' My gaze never left his, desperate to mask the storm of nerves swirling inside me.

He chuckled, leaning in until his lips softly brushed my ear, sending sparks racing down my veins. I almost moaned at the sensation. My body betrayed me, trembling under his control.

"You really are full of surprises... like a little kitten," he murmured, his voice a husky growl.

And then, his teeth grazed my ear. I swallowed hard and squeezed my legs together. He was definitely doing this on purpose.

"You should go back to your guests, it would be rude to keep them waiting," I broke the silence

"You're right," his reply caught me off guard.

But I quickly waved it off, what was I expecting? That he would deny?

"Let go of me!" I tried to free myself from his grip, wiggling my body and the next second, my robe loosened.

I froze, realising what just happened, thanks to the see through lingerie, he could see every part of my body.

But to my surprise, he quickly let go of my hands and turned the other way.

"Go to your room!" His voice was commanding, I tried to speak, but I couldn't risk making the situation more awkward than it already was.

I covered myself up with the robe, tying it even tighter as I sped to my room.