The clock ticked past midnight.
Mathias stumbled through the front door, the smell of whiskey clinging to his breath. His shirt was half unbuttoned, his eyes were all red, and his mind spinning with thoughts.
He dropped his car keys on the table and slouched onto the couch, sighing heavily.
"Where's the tigress?" he muttered, his words slurred and heavy.
Izzy turned around, startled by his voice. She'd been cleaning up the dining area, trying to avoid any confrontation with him.
"Which tigress, sir?" she asked quietly, pretending she didn't know what he meant.
Mathias chuckled drunkenly. "You know who. Cleo."
"She went to her mother's place," Izzy said softly. "She said she wouldn't be back till next week."
Mathias' lips curved into a wicked smile. "Wow. So, the queen finally left the castle."
He leaned back on the couch, spreading his arms wide as if he'd just been set free.
"I can finally breathe in this house again," he said, laughing to himself.
Then his expression shifted. His drunken haze thinned slightly, and he squinted at Izzy.
"Are you sure she really left?"
Izzy nodded. "Yes, sir. Someone called her earlier this evening. She looked upset and rushed to pack her bags. I even helped her zip one."
Mathias exhaled with relief and rubbed his forehead. "Good. She can stay there for all I care."
Izzy hesitated, unsure whether to keep standing or excuse herself. But Mathias' eyes slowly moved to her…tracing the line of her neckline down to her waist.
She froze under his gaze.
"You look sexy tonight," he said suddenly. His voice was lower now…raspy, deep, dripping with temptation.
"Those lips… those curves. God, Izzy, you're perfect for me."
Izzy's heart started racing. "Sir, please… you're drunk."
"Drunk enough to say what I've been thinking for days," Mathias said, rising to his feet.
He walked toward her, step by step, until the air between them was thick with tension.
Izzy took a shaky breath, trying to back away, but her back hit the wall.
"Sir…" she whispered.
Mathias raised his hand and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. His touch lingered longer than it should.
"Don't call me sir," he murmured. "Call me Mathias."
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the whole house went silent.
Then he kissed her.
It wasn't gentle….it was hungry, desperate, as if he'd been starving for this kind of touch.
Izzy's knees weakened, but she didn't pull away. She kissed him back, her body trembling against his.
Their breaths tangled. His hands moved around her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies pressed tight.
Izzy felt his hardness,and got in the mood,his hardness turned her on without much effort.
He lifted her slightly, pinning her against the wall, his lips exploring her neck, his hands traveling lower until Izzy gasped softly.
"Mathias…" she whispered, half in fear, half in desire.
"Don't stop me," he breathed against her ear. "I've been dying for this."
The living room lights flickered as the night deepened around them.
They didn't make it to the bed right away….the couch, the wall, the stairs… every corner became a battlefield of lust and need.
And when they finally collapsed into his bedroom, the night turned into something raw and forbidden.
They moved together in rhythm, lost in the dark. Each touch, each sound, echoing with danger.
By morning, the mansion that once held Cleo's rules now smelled of their betrayal.
---
Days passed.
Cleo didn't return.
Mathias and Izzy slipped deeper into the addiction of their secret.
Every night, she crept into his room. Every morning, she walked out quietly, her hair messy and her heart racing.
Izzy began to change.
She stopped wearing her uniform properly. Her voice softened when she spoke to Mathias, and her eyes glowed with something that wasn't fear anymore—it was ownership.
One evening, as they lay on the couch, Izzy rested her head on his chest and whispered,
"Mathias… Do you ever think about leaving her?"
He didn't answer.
"Because I can make you happy," she continued, tracing her fingers over his chest. "I can give you everything she refuses to give."
Mathias sighed. "Izzy, don't start."
"I'm serious," she said, her tone sharper now. "She treats you like a child. She controls you, humiliates you. You don't deserve that."
Mathias turned his head to look at her. "And what do I deserve? A cleaner who forgot her place?"
Izzy froze. Her chest tightened.
He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, but it was too late.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced a smile. "You didn't mean that."
"I didn't," he muttered, rubbing his face. "I'm just… tired."
"Tired of what?" she asked softly. "Of her? Or of hiding us?"
Mathias didn't reply.
The silence between them grew heavy…filled with all the words neither dared to say.
Finally, Izzy sat up, her voice trembling.
"Mathias… I love you. I don't care if it's wrong. I just want you. All of you."
He looked at her then…really looked at her. Her eyes were filled with fire, the kind that could burn everything he'd ever built.
And deep inside, part of him wanted to let it.
He reached up, brushing his thumb against her lips. "You don't know what you're asking for."
"Yes, I do," she said fiercely. "Divorce her. Be with me."
Mathias pulled away, standing up abruptly. "You think it's that simple? You think I can just walk away from Cleo?"
"Why not?" Izzy cried. "You don't love her! You said she makes your life hell. So why stay with her?"
He turned, his expression darkening. "Because Cleo isn't the kind of woman you walk away from. She's the kind that destroys you if you try."
Izzy's lips parted, fear flickering through her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Mathias looked toward the window, his jaw clenched. "If she ever finds out about us… she won't forgive me. She'll ruin me. And she'll come for you."
Izzy stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Then let her come. I'm not afraid."
He turned slowly, cupping her face. "You should be."
The air grew thick again….dark, dangerous, electric.
Mathias leaned in and kissed her, this time with pain instead of passion. Their lips met, their hearts burning with something deeper than desire.
Because now… it wasn't just lust.
It was an obsession.
It was a war.
And as Mathias held Izzy in his arms, a faint vibration echoed from his phone on the nightstand….Cleo's name flashing on the screen.
She was back in town.
And the storm was about to begin.