Jills City

The autumn night was cool and tranquil.

But Delilah Jones felt anything. A feverish heat consumed her, burning from the inside out, as if she had been thrown onto a pyre, moments away from turning to ash.

Her body tingled with unbearable sensation—like a thousand tiny insects gnawing away at her skin, leaving her restless and overwhelmed.

Her delicate fingers clutched at the hem of her dress, lifting it high, revealing long, slender legs.

She was a vision of intoxicating allure, her every movement dripping with an irresistible, unconscious seduction.

"Delilah Jones, after tonight, you'll be nothing but a ruined woman—unworthy of ever being with Ryan again."

The woman standing by the bed gazed down at Delilah’s increasingly dazed expression, her eyes gleaming with jealousy and malicious satisfaction.

There was no longer any need to pretend.

By morning, Delilah would be the laughingstock of Jills City. And the Jones Corporation’s latest research breakthrough? That would belong to the Carter family, patented under their name.

The thought filled her with glee.

A smirk tugged at her lips as she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

Two seconds later, the call connected.

"You can come up now," she murmured.

Destroying Delilah with her own hands—nothing less would satisfy her hatred.

Ending the call with a cold chuckle, she turned and strode out of the room.

As she reached the corridor, the elevator doors slid open, revealing two men. She handed one of them the room keycard before clicking away on her high heels, disappearing into the dimly lit hallway.

Moments later, the door creaked open.

A man peeked inside, his gaze landing on the disheveled figure sprawled across the bed, and his eyes darkened with desire.

Turning to his companion, he muttered something under his breath before stepping inside.

But before the second man could follow, his body suddenly went limp—collapsing onto the floor without a sound.

Hearing the noise, the first man turned around—only to see a dark figure move at lightning speed.

Then… complete darkness.

He was knocked unconscious before he could even react.

Delilah remained oblivious to it all. Trapped in her fevered haze, she neither saw nor heard a thing.

It wasn’t until a towering shadow loomed over the bed that her senses stirred.

A crisp, masculine scent—cool and clean—drifted through the air, slipping into her breath.

Her brows knitted instinctively as she pressed a hand to her temple.

The man stopped at the edge of the bed, staring down at her.

Delilah struggled to pry open her heavy eyelids, desperately trying to make out the figure before her.

But no matter how hard she tried, his face remained an indistinct blur.

Her head throbbed, frustration mounting as she weakly reached toward the shadow.

"Ryan… is that you?"

The moment the name left her lips, the man’s deep eyes narrowed.

His gaze trailed down slowly from her delicate, alluring features to the flushed skin of her neck, then lower.

The darkness in his eyes deepened.

After a long pause, he finally bent down.

His breath—cool yet intoxicating—brushed against her face.

A tremor ran through Delilah’s body.

Instinctively, her slender arms reached out, wrapping around his neck.

The warmth and firmness of his body—it sent a soft sigh past her lips, and she clinged to him without hesitation.

Before he could react, her lips pressed against his.

Like a clear spring—his scent, his taste—seeped into her senses, electrifying every nerve.

She wanted more.

But just as she leaned in, a strong hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her away.

"Delilah..."

His voice was low and husky, laced with a magnetic allure.

Delilah frowned, squirming against his grip, trying to close the distance again.

He caught her hands and pried them away.

She latched on once more.

Again, he pulled them off.

This little dance repeated a few more times before he finally lost his patience.

His gaze darkened, locking onto her.

"Delilah," he murmured, his tone dangerously low. "You’re seducing me. Remember, it’s you who made me lose control."

And with that, whether she heard him or not, his powerful frame suddenly descended, pinning her beneath him, and his lips, burning like wildfire, crashed onto hers, swallowing her whole.