Chapter 5
Night fell, and all the restless tension of the day slowly ignited under the haze of music and alcohol.
Cora dragged Sylvia to the center of the dance floor, where the pulsing bass rattled her bones and sweat glistened across her skin as she moved.
Than
Three years of being Ronan’s wife had almost made her forget who she’d been before.
Tonight, the pieces of her soul she’d locked away finally came roaring back to life.
With a wicked grin, she bent to rip the hem off her skirt, leaving her long legs bare, gleaming under the shifting lights like a siren’s lure.
Cora shrieked in delight, stripped off her jacket to reveal a black crop top, and climbed onto a chair, waving her arms to cheer her on. The crowd erupted into wild screams.
“Holy shit, Ronan, isn’t that your wife?”
Ronan had just stepped into the hall when his friend Richard Shaw clapped him hard on the shoulder.
His head snapped around, instinct and dread colliding in his chest.
And there she was-the woman who’d vanished for a day and a half, cursed him to hell, and blocked his number. She was dancing with a group of men, her hips rolling to the beat, her slim waist a blinding provocation.
“Clear the place.” His voice was low and lethal, each word bitten off between clenched teeth.
Richard rubbed his nose and lifted a hand to signal the club’s owner.
As the music was cut out, Sylvia leaned heavily against the stage, breathless, her chest rising and falling in a way that drew every eye.
She brushed her hair back from her damp forehead, her gaze sweeping lazily across the crowd only to lock with Ronan’s below. Her whole body
went still.
On the outside, she looked cool, but her heart thudded so hard she thought she’d be sick.
Some attachments ran too deep to ever fully carve out.
But Cora, damn her, had disappeared.
So much for sticking around whatever happened.
“Come down.”
Ronan’s voice cracked through the hush, low and simmering with rage.
“Why should I?” Her refusal was instant. Her delicate face was drawn tight, her eyes glinting with defiance.
“This club is mine. Do you really think you’re getting out of here?”
His head pounded. He stepped closer, his mouth curving in a deadly smile.
Every inch of him broadcast the same cold message that he would not let this go.
PERJEL
Sylvia drew a deep breath. No, she couldn’t pretend this meant nothing. But she’d already made her choice. What was left to fear?
After a moment, she steadied herself.
Her shoes were lost somewhere in the crowd. Barefoot, she walked to the edge of the stage and leaned down toward him, her voice sweet as
poison.
“Mr. Gordon, is all this fanfare because you’re going to drag me home to sign divorce papers … or just to drag me home and put a baby in me?”
A strangled snort of laughter came from behind Ronan.
Richard nearly choked.
He thought, “Is this the demure wife Ronan has always bragged about?
“Does she always talk like this?”
Ronan shot Richard a glare that could have frozen blood. Richard inched away, but curiosity got the better of him, and he tilted his head to keep listening.
Ronan ignored him. He fixed Sylvia with a stare that could have shattered glass. His voice came out rough with impatience.
6.6%
“Until we’re divorced, you are still my wife. You’d better remember there are limits to your games. I won’t have you humiliating this family.”
“Your wife?”
Sylvia laughed softly, the sound laced with scorn.
“Other than your precious family, who even knows I’m your wife? So why bother clearing the club? No one here would recognize me.”
She hopped down from the stage, her bare feet silent on the cold floor as she crossed to him, step by step.
The look in her eyes held none of the softness of their nights together. Only a final, implacable coldness.
“If you’re so worried about your family’s honor, sign the divorce papers early. After that, we’ll have nothing to do with each other.”
“Sylvia.”
His growl was ragged as he caught her waist in one hand. Even angry, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t feel it. That heat, that softness that never failed to undo him.
The air reeked of sweat and liquor, and beneath it, the scent of her skin made something primal snap inside his chest.
Sylvia shoved him away without hesitation.”What? Can’t bear to let go?”
She tipped her head down, laughing under her breath.
“Too bad. Three years of this, your pathetic excuses for lovemaking. Even if you can’t forget, I’ve had
my
fill.”
Her gaze rose again, meeting his. Her flushed cheeks were streaked with tears she refused to shed.
“You have three days. Sign, or I’ll file for divorce myself. And when the papers hit the press, you can pick up whatever’s left of your precious reputation.”
She turned her back on him and walked away. Every step felt like a fist closing around her ribs, but she didn’t look back.
As she passed Richard, she paused, glancing over.
“Having fun with your gossip? Want to hear all the details of what Ronan’s like in bed?”
Richard’s jaw dropped, horror-struck.
Was she trying to get herself killed?
Not until Sylvia vanished through the club’s front doors did he manage to swallow.
When had she grown so fierce? She made even Lacey look tame.
He patted his chest to steady his racing heart and trotted over to Ronan.
“Your wife… Did she get possessed by something? She’s terrifying.”
“Then you can expel that thing.” Ronan loosened his tie with a look that could have frozen fire.
Richard wisely shut up.
Ronan stared out into the dark street for a long moment before his gaze flicked back to Richard.”Any word from Starburst about the job?”
Richard forced himself to sober up.
“Nothing yet. But Ronan, Starburst vanished three years ago. Then Starburst reappears just as Lacey brings back that patent and goes straight for your plant. You really think that’s a coincidence?”
Ronan’s face went as cold as stone.
“Sergio doesn’t have that kind of reach. Get someone to restore the erased surveillance footage. And find out who the hell Starburst really is.”
He turned on his heel, not feeling like drinking anymore.
Sylvia assumed Cora would be waiting in the SUV out front. But when she tugged the door, it was locked tight. She tried again. No response. With a sigh, she called her friend’s phone.
“Cora, you better have a damn good explanation…”
A low, unfamiliar male voice cut her off.
“She’s not coming back tonight.”
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Her heart jumped into her throat.”Who is this?” In the background, she heard Cora’s breathless moan, half pained, half aching.”You bastard, ah, so rough…”
The line went dead. The busy tone beeped mockingly in her ear, her cheeks flaming red.
She knew exactly what was happening in that car.
It wasn’t that Cora had ditched her. She’d been
…
intercepted.
With no other options, Sylvia flagged a cab at the curb. She’d just climbed in when her phone rang again.
“Syl, are you still awake?”
The warmth in the old man’s voice made her heart clench. Years ago, when she’d had nowhere to go, it had been Caleb who pulled her out of the gutter. That debt would never leave her.
“I’m awake, Grandpa. What is it?”
“I had a family doctor prepare some medicine for you. I’ll have it sent over tonight. Once you finish this course, you’ll be able to conceive.”
His kindness left her too tired to lie anymore.
Ronan had always forbidden her from having a baby, but the family needed a reason.
So she’d told Caleb it was her health. For three years, she’d swallowed countless pills to maintain the lie.
And now Caleb himself was unwell.
After a long silence, she asked the driver to take her to Lotus Manor.
She had the cab wait in the shadows while she stood by the front gate.
She hadn’t been there long before Ronan’s car pulled in. There was nowhere to run. She swallowed, lifted her chin, and stayed where she was.
The window slid down, and Ronan looked at her over the wheel, one hand braced casually as his cold eyes locked onto hers.
