The moment I stepped out of Serena's apartment, the cool night air felt useless against the heat still burning under my skin.
Her taste lingered on my lips. Her breath, her softness, her quiet shock… every piece of her was imprinted on me.
I shouldn't have kissed her, yes. But I had no regrets. Everything felt perfect with the kiss. It was as though she was made just for me.
My phone buzzed again in my pocket, vibrating insistently, dragging me back to reality like a leash around my throat.
Mother. Of course. For the longest time I can recall, she has always been there to ruin any little bit of happiness I felt within.
I slid into the back seat of my car and finally answered. "Mom," I said flatly.
"Where are you?" My mother's voice was sharp, clipped, and already annoyed. "You need to get home. Now. We have a serious discussion, young man."
I closed my eyes briefly. The timing was perfect. I had just kissed Serena. Now I would walk into the one woman who thinks she can choose my wife for me.
"Fine," I agreed, and hung up without waiting for her reply.
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Her mansion was too bright for this hour. It was a sign she was still awake, restless, plotting as usual. She wanted me to settle down and marry those ladies whose smiles seemed fake and were only after what I could provide them — a proper social standing.
The guards bowed as I entered, and in seconds, I was in the living room where she sat with a glass of wine, legs crossed elegantly, jaw tight, a cunning look in her eyes.
"Alexander," she said, setting her glass down. "We have an issue."
"We always do," I replied without glancing at her.
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't be insolent. The board is beginning to ask questions. Your father wants us to move forward with the marriage arrangements. You're thirty. It's time."
There it was. The same conversation I had heard for months. But tonight, after Serena... it tasted different. It felt bitter and wrong.
"I told you already," I said calmly, unbuttoning my cuffs, "I'm not marrying anyone you choose."
"You're being unreasonable. This family has expectations, responsibilities and appearances to maintain. You need a woman who fits into that world."
I thought of Serena's soft blush. Her trembling fingers. Her small apartment. Her scent which was still on my skin.
A woman who would fit into my world?
She had no idea how wrong she was.
My mother rose to her feet and walked towards me.
"There is a gala tomorrow. You will attend it with the daughter of the Chases. I have a good impression about their daughter I have already spoken to them."
"No," I declined simply. My mom wouldn't be the one to choose who I'd spend the rest of my life with.
She froze. "Excuse me?"
"I said no." I repeated firmly.
Her eyes flashed with anger. "Alexander, you cannot possibly be seeing someone else. You promised you would focus on your position, not some... distraction."
I stared at her in silence, not responding to her words.
Her face changed, eyes narrowing and her voice dropped into cold suspicion.
"There is someone else," she whispered.
I didn't answer.
"Who is she?" She demanded, taking a step closer. "Which family did she come from?"
"No family you'd approve of," I replied bluntly.
Her lips parted in offense. "You are throwing away alliances, legacy, and power for some nobody?"
Nobody?
My jaw clenched so hard I felt pain shoot through it.
She had no idea who Serena was. No idea what she did to me. No idea how dangerous it was for me to even think of her while standing here.
Mother reached out and gripped my arm. "Alexander, listen to me. End it now. I don't care what is going on between you both, but I need you both to end it now."
I pulled my arm away slowly and deliberately.
"That's impossible," I said, my voice low.
"Why?" she hissed.
Because I kissed her tonight. Because I couldn't get her out of my head. And because some part of me had already decided she was mine.
But I couldn't tell my mother any of that. She might end up targeting Serena. It was something she could do.
So I simply said:
"Because it's already too late."
Her face drained of color. "Alexander—"
My phone buzzed, cutting through the tense atmosphere.
"Serena?" I mumbled under my breath. "Why was she calling?"
"Don't pick it!" My mom instructed, but I had already connected the call before she could even say anything..
"A-alexander... help me... please." This was all she said before the line got disconnected.
I panicked, something I never did before. Serena was in trouble!