Chapter 3

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

The storm that began at St. Jude Academy had transformed into a relentless downpour over the city, blurring the neon lights of the financial district into streaks of smeared gold and crimson.

High above the wet pavement, inside the private Castellano estate, the formal engagement dinner was in full swing. Crystal chandeliers cast an amber glow over high-ranking lieutenants, senior family heads, and social elites.

Seraphina stood near the marble fireplace in a pristine, ivory silk gown. On her left ring finger, a flawless six-carat emerald-cut diamond caught the light-cold and heavy against her skin. It was the physical mark of her public destiny: her formal engagement to Valentine Moretti.

Valentine stood beside her looking every bit the ruthless, high-born playboy in a tailored velvet jacket, holding a glass of aged bourbon while making superficial conversation with visiting investors. Beside him, Leo Sterling stood at an attentive distance, his dark eyes scanning the room, silently sifting through every face and exit point.

Seraphina played the dutiful fiancée with practiced grace. She giggled at the right moments, held court with her inner circle of friends, and let Valentine place a light, transactional hand on her waist for the photographers.

When the speeches ended and the music softened, Valentine turned to depart with Leo, leaving behind a polite excuse about urgent family business-though everyone in their inner circle knew he was heading to an exclusive private club.

Seraphina stayed behind with her group, surrounded by laughter and endless congratulations. But her eyes kept drifting toward the far end of the room.

In a quiet, dimly lit booth tucked into the alcove near the bar sat Nico.

Nico was stunning, masculine-leaning, and carried a dangerous, brooding intensity. Dressed in a sharp, tailored black suit that hugged her broad shoulders and lean frame, she sat alone, completely unfazed by the high-society noise around her. A single glass of scotch rested near her hand as she casually observed the room, her dark gaze resting on Seraphina.

Seraphina excused herself from her laughing group of friends. "Hold that thought, girls," she murmured softly, smoothing her gown. "I need to get a drink."

Leaving her friends behind, Seraphina walked toward the bar, ordered a glass of chilled wine, and then strolled casually toward the secluded alcove where Nico sat by herself.

She slid into the booth right beside Nico, her ivory silk gown rustling against the dark leather.

Nico didn't flinch. She simply tilted her head, her dark eyes locking onto Seraphina. "Tired of playing the perfect fiancée?"

"They were getting boring," Seraphina drawled, her voice dropping to a low, seductive whisper. She leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other, her gaze trailing over Nico's sharp suit and quiet authority.

Without breaking eye contact, Seraphina slowly lifted her glass of wine-and tilted it just enough for a dark crimson stream to spill over the rim. The wine ran straight down her leg, soaking into the delicate ivory silk stretched tight across her thigh.

"Look what I did," Seraphina murmured, her voice dripping with playful temptation as she leaned back against the cushion. "It's so messy, Nico... clean it up for me. Lick it off."

Nico didn't bend down. Instead, a slow, dangerous smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she leaned back, swirling her scotch.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Nico said, her voice a low, raspy growl. "You wear another man's ring on your finger, stand in front of your mother's guests playing the obedient heiress, and then walk over here expecting me to bark on command?"

"I don't expect you to bark," Seraphina shot back, her eyes flashing with sharp defiance. "I expect you to take what you've been staring at all night. Or are you only brave when nobody's watching?"

"Don't test me, Seraphina," Nico warned, her dark eyes narrowing as she crowded into Seraphina's space, her broad frame shadowing the booth. "You think you can play with fire and not get burned. You think because your name is Castellano, everyone bows down."

"I don't care about my name," Seraphina challenged, leaning in so close their lips almost touched, her warm breath fanning across Nico's jaw. "And I certainly don't bow to Valentine. So tell me, Nico... are you going to sit here and lecture me, or are you going to do something about it?"

The back-and-forth tension stretched taut between them, electric and suffocating. Nico stared into Seraphina's unflinching eyes for a long, heavy second.

Suddenly, a quiet, dark laugh broke from Nico's chest.

"I like you," Nico murmured, her gaze softening into raw, appreciative admiration as her hand clamped firmly around Seraphina's waist.

"You're bold. Most people in this room are terrified of me, but you... you push every single button."

"Then stop talking," Seraphina whispered against her ear.

Nico didn't clean the wine in a crowded room. She stood up, pulling Seraphina out of the booth by her wrist. "Not here. We're leaving."

Twenty minutes later, a rain-slicked luxury sports car pulled into the underground valet of an exclusive, low-lit boutique hotel on the edge of the city district-a discreet location away from prying eyes and family bodyguards.

The heavy suite door slammed shut, locking out the sound of the pouring rain.

Inside the dimly lit room, the argument and the unspoken desire exploded all at once. Nico threw her suit jacket onto the chair, pulling Seraphina flush against her body before she could even take off her heels.

"You're crazy," Nico rasped, her hands gripping Seraphina's hips with bruising intensity, backing her straight up against the edge of the plush king bed.

"And you love it," Seraphina breathed, reaching up to yank Nico's tie loose, her composure completely melting away in the heat of Nico's dominant hold.

Nico captured her lips in a deep, possessive kiss-taking total control, claiming what was hers far away from the Castellano empire, the engagement rings, and the quiet lies of their public world.