Jasper’s POV
I let go, allowing Caleb to crumple to the floor. He clutched his throat, coughing violently, his eyes filled with incredulous terror. ’Good. That’s the look he should have—one that recognizes the unbridgeable chasm between predator and prey.’
I uttered a single word. "Leave."
Without another word, he scrambled to his feet and all but fled Moon Hidden Villa. The heavy oak door swung shut behind him, sealing off his last shred of dignity.
Only Lila and I remained in the living room. She stood behind , her breathing shallow and rapid, her face ashen. She was clearly terrified by what had just happened. I turned, raised a hand, and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek with my fingertip. The touch of her cool skin was enough to quell so of the violent rage Caleb had ignited in my heart.
"Don’t be afraid," I murmured, my voice deliberately soft, afraid of startling her. "Your degree status—I’ve already had it restored."
She stared at , dazed. Her eyes shimred with unshed tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. "How... how did you know?"
"AR’s personnel system might as well be made of paper," I said dismissively, offering no further explanation. ’There were so things she didn’t need to know.’
For instance, just two hours ago, my intelligence network had pinpointed the source: Penelope Vanderbilt. The woman fancied herself clever, but in her attempt to eliminate Lila, she’d been foolish enough to directly contact AR’s HR Director, Vivian Lin. She’d bribed her with a handso sum to plant malicious code in the backend system of Lila’s alma mater, falsifying her degree status to "Pending." They’d even gloated over the details on an encrypted channel, completely oblivious to the fact that my people were monitoring their entire conversation.
’Stupid. Naive. And... a death wish.’
I didn’t call the police or bother with legal channels. That would have been too slow, and far too rciful. I simply had my tech team hack Vivian Lin’s personal devices. They compiled five years of her illicit financial dealings and records of workplace sexual bribery, then sent the entire package anonymously to AR’s board of directors and the tax authorities. As for Penelope... she would soon find that the Vanderbilt family’s latest key overseas investnts were about to face inexplicable "compliance reviews" and be frozen indefinitely.
’This was just collecting a little interest on Lila’s behalf. If she weren’t involved, and if I didn’t have to restrain myself, my usual thods would have made the entire Vanderbilt family disappear for good.’
"Thank you, Jasper." Lila’s voice pulled from my thoughts. She ducked her head, her voice barely a whisper. "But I... I don’t want to always be a bother."
"You’re not a bother," I cut her off, my gaze locking on to hers. "You could never be a bother to ."
Her breath caught, and a faint blush crept up her cheeks, but she didn’t argue. ’That subtle reaction pleased .’
’What satisfied even more was what she’d said to Caleb just now. She had personally buried a fifteen-year obsession, liberating herself from the emotional prison of the Goodrich family. She no longer needed that fraudulent "brother" of hers.’
’Which ant her heart was finally vacant.’
’And it was my job to fill it.’
I took a step forward, my tall fra completely enveloping her. I could sll the faint scent of cedar and lily on her skin—the fragrance of the shower gel I’d had custom-made for her. ’Good. She used it.’
"Lila," I murmured, my breath ghosting over the shell of her ear. I was pleased to see a fine layer of goosebumps rise on the skin of her neck. "Don’t ever cry for him again. Do you understand?"
She tilted her face up to mine, her eyes hazy, as if srized by my presence. "I... I didn’t cry."
"I know." A corner of my mouth lifted as my thumb gently brushed across her soft lower lip, feeling it tremble slightly. "You’re brave. But that bravery shouldn’t be wasted on enduring pain."
My other hand slid up to the nape of her neck. The pulse beneath my fingertips was frantic, like a frightened sparrow. ’That feeling sent a scorching impulse through my veins—I wanted to pin her against the wall, stop any potential protest with a kiss, and stake my claim in the most primal way possible.’
I felt her body tense instantly, her breath catching sharply.
"What are you doing?" She finally turned her head, her eyes wide with a mix of alarm and confusion.
I didn’t answer. I just leaned in closer, my nose nearly brushing her earlobe. Taking a deep breath, I drew the full, sweet fragrance of cedar and lily from her skin deep into my lungs. ’This was my scent on her. The mark I had chosen for her.’
"Do you know," my voice was low and husky, each word a rough caress against the sensitive shell of her ear, "I’ve wanted to do this since the day you first set foot in this house."
Her pupils constricted. Her body instinctively tried to pull back, but my hard chest blocked her retreat. ’There was nowhere to run.’
"Jasper..." Her voice trembled, and I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or sothing else.
"Shhh." I pressed my index finger gently to her lips, stopping whatever words might have broken the spell. "Don’t speak. Just feel."
My finger trailed down, tracing the elegant line of her jaw to her slender, delicate neck. The pulse beneath my fingertip was a frantic, pounding war drum, beating in ti with my most primal desires. I applied gentle pressure, forcing her to tilt her head back and expose the long, pale column of her throat.
Then, I lowered my head and pressed my lips to her skin.
It wasn’t a kiss, just a phantom touch, light as a feather’s brush yet scorching like a wildfire. I felt every muscle in her body go rigid, her breath catching in her throat.
"Feel that?" I breathed against her skin, my voice impossibly husky. "Your heart is racing like that only for ."
She didn’t answer, but her body betrayed her with a faint tremor. That subtle reaction was a potent catalyst, instantly igniting a desire I had long suppressed.
My hand slid from her neck to clamp around her slender waist, pulling her flush against . Through the thin fabric of her clothes, I could feel every curve and all the warmth of her body. ’She was so much softer, so much more fragile, than she looked.’
"Caleb can’t give you what you want," I murmured, my voice thick with undisguised possessiveness as I began to trail kisses along her neck. "He’ll only disappoint you, again and again. But I—"
I pulled back just enough to tilt her chin up, forcing her to et my gaze. Deep within my eyes, my golden wolf irises flickered in the dim light—a predator’s warning, and the most blatant invitation.
"I will give you everything. As long as your heart belongs entirely to ."
Her lips parted as if to speak, but all that escaped was a barely audible sigh. Her eyes, usually so full of defiance and caution, were now veiled in a hazy mist, like a lake just before a storm hits.
"Answer , Lila."
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