The Audi sliced through mountain curves like a silver dagger, tires screeching against hairpin turns.Mia white-knuckled the armrest, eyes wide."Holy shit, Clara—since when did you learn to drive like a NASCAR driver?"
Clara laughed, downshifting as they neared the valley. "Necessity teaches strange skills. But why were you drag Daniel at Oakwood?"
Mia picked at her cuticles. "His mom's anniversary. He wanted to introduce me." She paused, eyeing Clara sideways. "Still can't believe you ran into Julian Lorimer there. That guy's everywhere like a bad rash."
"Maybe he's my guardian angel," Clara deadpanned, though her mind flickered to Sebastian's text from earlier: "Report to my suite at midnight."
Mia snorted. "More like a sex pest. Speaking of pests—" She pointed to Clara's neck, where a faint bruise peeked from under her turtleneck. "How's the ice prince treating you?"
Clara nearly swerved off the road. "Jesus, Mia—can we not?"
"Nope." Mia crossed her legs, Louis Vuitton heels clicking. "when you emerge from his office looking like you've survived a shark attack?"
Clara's knuckles whitened, cursing under her breath. "He's… intense."
"Intense? Girl, those hickeys look like he tried to eat you alive." Mia leaned in, voice conspiratorial. "Rumor says he's never brought a woman to his penthouse. You're the first."
Clara stared at the windshield, memories of Sebastian's hands on her skin flooding back. First, but for how long?
At the Michelin-starred bistro Le Jardin d'Épices, chandeliers cast golden pools on linen-draped tables. Mia ordered with reckless extravagance: truffle-infused coq au vin bleeding burgundy reduction, butter-poached lobster tails glistening like pearls, and a gravity-defying chocolate soufflé.
Clara raised an eyebrow. "You planning to feed an army?"
"Food cures all sorrows." Mia speared a chunk of lobster. "Now spill—how'd the prince deflower you?"
Clara choked on her wine. "He cornered me after a gala. I tried to fight, but…" She trailed off, tracing the rim of her glass. "He's stronger than he looks."
Mia's expression softened. "Was it… bad?"
"Imagine being mauled by a grizzly bear." Clara forced a laugh. "But hey, at least he's hung like a horse. Silver lining, right?"
They both burst out laughing, but Clara's smile faded when Mia asked, "Do you think he… likes you?"
"Like me? He probably sees me as a human stress ball." Clara signaled for the check, eager to change the subject.
At Alexander Han's exclusive club, TaXX, the air reeked of cigars and expensive cologne. Sebastian Hartwell sat in the VIP booth, fifth glass of Bordeaux in hand.
"Easy there, bro," Alexander said, snatching the bottle. "You'll go blind."
Julian Lorimer exhaled a cloud of smoke. "He's lovesick. Probably thinking about Clara's tears this morning—so poetic."
Sebastian's glass shattered on the marble floor. "Say that again."
"Ooh, touchy." Julian grinned, unfazed. "She cried like a broken angel at her parents' grave. I took a photo—want to see?"
re Sebastian could respond, Alexander intervened. "Focus, boys. Julian here was just explaining why women flee ,men who treat them like fleshy stress balls."
Sebastian scowled. "Explain?"
"Lesson one, Women need foreplay, man." Julian leaned forward, tone lecturing. "You can't just storm the castle without warming the moat."
"Next, Ever hear of condoms? Or do you just shove emergency contraception down Clara's throat after your dick triathlons?"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "The pill prevents pregnancy. Efficient."
Julian snapped. "Efficient? It's 'chemical warfare' causing infertility ! Migraines! Weight swings! Ovaries shriveling like week-old grapes!" He leaned into Sebastian's frozen face. "But infertility's really efficient, right? No babies, no problem."
Sebastian paled. A fragmented memory flashed: Clara dry-swallowing a pill at his bathroom sink, eyes hollow.
"Fuck," he muttered, reaching for his phone.
"Where are you going?" Alexander asked.
"To fix this." Sebastian stood, knocking over his chair. "And Julian—if you ever take another photo of her, I'll feed you your own spleen."
As he stormed out, Julian turned to Alexander. "Did we just witness the great Sebastian Hartwell… caring?"
Alexander sipped his drink, smiling. "It would seem so."