The Maybach rolled smoothly into the private, underground VIP garage of The Mark Hotel. The tires squeaked faintly against the polished concrete.

The driver jumped out and opened the door. The damp, cold air of the garage rushed in. Adelia pulled Axel's massive black coat tighter around her chest.

Axel stepped out first. His leather shoes hit the ground with a heavy, authoritative thud. He didn't look back to see if she was following. He walked straight toward a private elevator tucked in the corner.

Adelia forced her shaking legs to move. She followed him.

A red light blinked on the elevator's security panel. Axel pressed his thumb against the glass scanner. It beeped, turning green, and the metal doors slid open silently.

The elevator shot upward at a terrifying speed. The sudden loss of gravity made Adelia's stomach cramp violently. She leaned back, pressing her spine against the cold metal wall of the cabin, her face turning pale.

Axel caught her reflection in the mirrored doors. His eyebrows pulled together. He reached out and pressed a button on the panel, slowing the elevator's ascent.

The doors dinged open at the penthouse level.

Adelia stepped out. The thick, hand-woven carpet instantly absorbed the sound of her heels.

The hallway was dead silent, a sanctuary of absolute privacy that Axel demanded. He owned the entire floor, a fortress hidden above the city.

Axel pushed open a set of carved wooden double doors.

The penthouse suite was massive and dimly lit. Floor-to-ceiling windows displayed the dark, sprawling view of Central Park.

Axel pulled off his suit jacket and threw it onto a leather sofa. He yanked his tie loose. For a split second, his broad shoulders slumped with exhaustion.

Adelia stood frozen in the entryway. The heavy coat slipped off one of her shoulders. She didn't know where to look or where to sit.

Suddenly, the sliding door to the inner lounge was pushed open.

Kian Vance stumbled out of the private bar area, uninvited and entirely too comfortable. Axel had given Kian the access code months ago, a mistake he was now regretting. He was holding two crystal flutes of champagne. A lazy, mocking smile was plastered across his face.

Kian stopped dead when he saw Adelia. His eyes dragged up and down her ruined dress and Axel's oversized coat. His smile twisted into something dark and amused.

He let out a loud, piercing whistle.

"Well, well," Kian laughed. "The ice king finally brought a girl to his sanctuary. And she's not even from our circle."

Axel shot Kian a look so lethal it could cut glass. Kian's smile froze, but the malicious curiosity in his eyes only burned brighter.

"Get me a glass of water," Axel ordered Kian. He turned and walked into the master bathroom. The heavy door clicked shut. Seconds later, the sound of the shower running echoed through the suite.

Kian walked over to the marble wet bar. He turned his back to Adelia.

He stared at the two glasses of champagne in his hands. A sick, twisted idea formed in his brain. He wanted to see the untouchable Axel Arnold lose control.

Kian reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny paper packet. He dumped the white, odorless powder into one of the glasses. The powder dissolved instantly into the bubbles.

He turned around and walked over to Adelia. Condensation dripped down the side of the crystal glass.

"Drink this," Kian said, his voice dripping with fake kindness. "Axel told me to give it to you. It'll calm your nerves."

Adelia's throat was burning with thirst. She trusted Axel's inner circle. She reached out and took the glass. The cold crystal made her fingertips tremble.

She tipped her head back and drank half the glass in one swallow. The golden liquid burned down her throat, leaving a faint, bitter aftertaste on her tongue.

Kian smiled. He took the empty glass from her hand and set it on the glass coffee table. It made a sharp clink.

Five minutes later, the edges of Adelia's vision began to blur. The bright city lights outside the window smeared into long, twisting streaks of color.

Her heart started hammering against her ribs. Her blood felt like it was boiling. A strange, terrifying heat ignited deep in her stomach and spread to her limbs.

She tried to stand up. Her legs felt like they were made of wet sand. She collapsed backward, sinking deep into the soft cushions of the sofa.

Kian saw her eyes roll back slightly. He moved in immediately. He grabbed her bare arm. His fingers felt like burning iron against her skin. A wave of intense nausea hit her.

He dragged her up, half-carrying her limp body toward Axel's private bedroom. He pushed open the heavy door.

The room was pitch black. Moonlight spilled across the massive king-size bed.

Kian threw Adelia onto the mattress. She bounced slightly against the expensive linens.

He backed out of the room and pulled the door shut. He twisted the lock. The loud click of the deadbolt sliding into place echoed in the quiet room.

The sound of the shower stopped.

Axel walked out of the bathroom. A white towel hung low on his hips. Drops of water slid down the hard, defined lines of his chest and stomach.

He walked to the bedroom door and grabbed the handle. It didn't turn.

His eyebrows snapped together. His eyes turned dark and lethal.

He reached into the pocket of his discarded suit jacket and pulled out a black electronic master key card. He pressed it against the lock. A green light flashed with a sharp beep. He pushed the door open.

The air inside the bedroom was suffocatingly hot and smelled sickeningly sweet.

Adelia was thrashing in the center of the bed. She was panting heavily, her fingers tearing frantically at the neckline of her dress.

The expensive silk of her Oscar de la Renta gown was bunched up around her waist. Her pale skin glowed under the moonlight, slick with sweat.

Axel knew exactly what he was looking at. Kian had drugged her.

He crossed the room in three massive strides. He leaned over the bed and grabbed both of her wrists, pinning her hands down. His knuckles turned white from the force.

Adelia gasped. The cold, damp skin of Axel's large hands sent a shockwave of relief through her burning body. She let out a soft, desperate sigh and arched her back, instinctively pressing herself closer to the cold source.

Her hot cheek pressed against his wet chest. Her boiling breath washed over his skin.

The heat of her breath acted like a match hitting gasoline. Axel's jaw locked. The muscles in his neck strained.

"Adelia," he barked, his voice rough and commanding. He tried to force her brain to wake up.

Adelia opened her eyes. The room was spinning. She couldn't focus. All she saw was the sharp jawline and the distinct facial structure that belonged to the Cooper bloodline.

The drugs obliterated her logic. The crushing betrayal of Coleman leaving her at the hospital flooded her mind. A dark, reckless need for revenge exploded inside her chest.

She violently twisted her wrists, breaking free from his grip. She threw her arms around his neck. She pulled herself up and smashed her mouth against his.

Her lips were soft and tasted heavily of champagne.

Axel's entire body went rigid. His brain completely short-circuited.

He raised his hands to push her shoulders away. But Adelia clung to him like a drowning woman. Her fingernails dug deep into the hard muscles of his back, leaving stinging red scratches.

Suddenly, a hot tear slipped from her eye. It dropped onto Axel's collarbone, burning his skin.

"Why did you leave me?" she mumbled against his mouth, her voice breaking with pure agony.

That single tear shattered Axel's iron control. His hands stopped pushing. His breathing turned ragged and heavy.

He flipped his hands, his large palms gripping the back of her head. He kissed her back. He crushed his mouth against hers, stealing the air from her lungs. The wet sound of their lips echoed in the dark room.

They fell backward onto the mattress. The heavy duvet was kicked off, landing in a heap on the floor. The bed frame groaned under their weight.

Axel's lips left her mouth. He dragged his mouth down her jawline, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin of her neck. Adelia shivered violently, her fingers tangling in his damp hair.

His hand moved to the back of her dress. He gripped the metal zipper. The sound of the zipper sliding down was deafening in the quiet room.

Just as the fabric began to slip off her shoulders, Adelia let out a sharp, painful whimper. Her body curled inward, like a wounded animal trying to protect itself.

The sound hit Axel like a bucket of ice water.

He froze. The dark lust vanished from his eyes in a fraction of a second, replaced by crushing, violent self-hatred.

He shoved himself off her body. He stood up by the bed, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

He stared at the girl on his bed. Her dress was half-off, her mind completely gone.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath.

He grabbed the heavy duvet from the floor and threw it over her, wrapping her tightly so not an inch of her skin was visible.

Axel turned and walked straight back into the bathroom. He cranked the shower handle to the coldest setting. He stood under the freezing water, letting it shock his boiling blood back to normal.

Ten minutes later, he walked out. He was fully dressed in a fresh dress shirt and slacks. Every single button was fastened to the top.

He walked to the bed. Adelia was fast asleep. The tear tracks on her cheeks were dry. Her breathing was slow and steady.

He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His touch was terrifyingly soft.

He turned away and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He pulled a cigar from a humidor and lit it. The red cherry of the cigar glowed in the dark, illuminating the harsh, grim lines of his face.

He pulled out his phone and typed a message to Kian: I will end you.

Axel sat down on the leather armchair. He did not close his eyes once. He watched her breathe until the sun came up.

Harsh, bright sunlight stabbed through the gap in the curtains, hitting Adelia directly in the eyes.

She groaned, her face twisting in pain. A massive headache pounded against her skull. The leftover drugs and alcohol made her brain feel like it was stuffed with cotton. It took her several seconds to force her eyes open.

She was lying in a massive bed with dark grey leather panels. The silk sheets were violently tangled around her legs.

She shot up into a sitting position.

The duvet slipped down to her waist. She looked down at her chest. Her collarbones and shoulders were covered in dark red marks. Long, angry scratches-left by Axel's fingernails when he tried to push her away-marked her skin.

She looked at the floor. Her custom dress lay in a heap. The zipper was busted. The delicate lace at the hem was ripped. It looked like someone had torn it off her body.

Flashes of memory slammed into her brain. Hot breath against her neck. A desperate kiss. A man's broad, muscular shoulders pinning her down.

Adelia gasped. She slapped both hands over her mouth. A wave of pure, sickening humiliation crashed over her.

She believed she had slept with him. She believed she had used Coleman's uncle for revenge.

She scrambled out of the bed. Her legs gave out instantly. She crashed to her knees on the thick rug. Her entire body ached, a deep, unfamiliar soreness settling in her bones. Bruises were already forming on her wrists and shoulders, dark marks against her pale skin, cementing the lie in her mind.

Her hands shook violently as she grabbed her torn dress. She pulled it over her head, trying to force the broken zipper up. The metal teeth ground together with a harsh, scraping sound.

The bedroom door opened.

Axel walked in. He was wearing a razor-sharp navy blue suit. He held a cup of black coffee in his hand.

His eyes swept over her messy hair and torn clothes. His face was a mask of pure ice. There was absolutely zero emotion in his grey-blue eyes. He looked at her like the kiss had never happened.

Adelia jumped back like she had been burned. She scrambled behind the thick wooden bedpost, pulling the duvet off the bed to cover her exposed legs.

Axel set the coffee cup down on the glass table. The ceramic clinked loudly.

"Wake up," he said. His voice was freezing.

He reached into his suit pocket, pulled out a brand new iPhone, and tossed it onto the mattress. "Your screen was shattered at the hospital," he stated, offering no further explanation. The phone bounced once and slid right to her trembling hand.

"Coleman contacted the press an hour ago," Axel stated coldly. "He announced an indefinite postponement of your engagement."

The words sliced right through Adelia's eardrums. She snapped her head up, staring at Axel's emotionless face in absolute shock.

Axel did not offer a single word of comfort. He turned his back to her and walked toward the door.

"You have ten minutes to get out of my suite," he ordered.

The heavy door slammed shut behind him.

Adelia stared at the closed door. The dam broke. Hot tears spilled over her eyelashes, dropping onto the back of her hands.

She felt disgusting. She felt like a joke. Her fiancé had publicly humiliated her for another woman, and she had woken up in his uncle's bed, only to be thrown out like trash.

She moved with frantic speed. She pulled the torn dress together as best as she could. She grabbed Axel's black overcoat from the chair and wrapped it tightly around her body, hiding her shame.

She snatched the new phone. She didn't even put her heels on properly. She ran out of the bedroom, sprinting through the empty suite.

She hit the hallway and mashed her finger against the elevator button. Her knuckles were white. The doors opened, and she threw herself inside.

When she reached the lobby, the morning rush had started. Wealthy socialites sipping lattes stopped and stared openly at her bare legs and messy hair.

Adelia dropped her chin to her chest. She buried her face deep into the collar of the heavy coat and power-walked toward the revolving glass doors.

She burst out onto the sidewalk. The freezing autumn air hit her lungs. She stood on the curb, completely lost.

A yellow cab pulled up. The driver slammed his hand on the horn. The loud blare made her jump.

She ripped the back door open and slid onto the sticky vinyl seat.

"Central Park West," she told the driver, giving her best friend Audrey's address.

The cab jerked forward. Adelia leaned her head against the dirty window, watching the buildings fly by. She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood, refusing to let herself sob out loud.

She pressed the power button on the new phone.

A dozen news alerts instantly flooded the screen. The top headline read: Cooper Heir Spends Night at Hospital with First Love. Century Wedding in Doubt.