DRAKE:
I was lying to the woman I loved and it was destroying me.
Three weeks. That's how long it took for my perfect revenge plan to become a nightmare I couldn't escape.
Sophia trusted me now. Completely. The way she looked at me with those amber eyes full of hope made me feel like the worst person alive.
Because I was.
"Come to my studio," she said over coffee that morning. "I want to show you something I've never shown anyone."
My heart jumped. This was it. The access I needed. Her private design studio where she kept all her confidential work.
"I'd love that," I said, and hated how easily the lie came out.
The studio was on the top floor of her building, flooded with natural light. Workbenches covered in tools and sketches. Glass cases holding raw diamonds and precious stones. This was where Sophia created magic.
She was nervous showing me this space. I could tell by the way she touched her necklace, by how her voice got softer.
"This is where I feel most like myself," she admitted. "Not the CEO or the Castillo heir. Just me."
Something twisted in my chest. She was giving me a piece of herself that mattered. Trusting me with something real.
I should feel victorious. Instead I felt sick.
"Show me what you're working on," I said.
Sophia's face lit up. She pulled out a leather portfolio and spread sketches across the worktable. Detailed drawings of necklaces and earrings, each one more stunning than the last.
"This is the Paris collection," she said. "I'm presenting it next month. If the contract goes through, it's worth fifteen million dollars."
Fifteen million. My mind automatically calculated how that information could be used. Who I could tell. How to sabotage the deal.
But Sophia was explaining her design philosophy with so much passion that I forgot to think like a predator. She talked about combining modern techniques with classical beauty. About using conflict diamonds and turning something associated with violence into art that promoted peace.
"Each piece tells a story," she said, tracing a sketch with her finger. "This necklace represents transformation. How something rough and broken can become beautiful if you're willing to do the work."
She looked at me when she said it. Like maybe she was talking about more than jewelry.
"It's incredible," I said honestly. "You're incredible."
Sophia smiled, but worry clouded her eyes. "I'm nervous about the presentation. Sterling Luxe has been trying to steal my clients for months. Vanessa Sterling will do anything to beat me."
Information. Store it away. Use it later.
"Tell me about her," I said.
"She's a designer with more ambition than talent. Copies my work and undercuts my prices. Last week she approached three of my biggest clients with proposals that were suspiciously similar to mine." Sophia's jaw tightened. "Like someone gave her insider information."
"You think there's a leak in your company?"
"I know there is. Uncle Marcus has been acting strange. Pressuring board members to question my decisions. Pushing for cost cuts that would destroy our quality. Sometimes I think he wants me to fail just so he can say I told you so."
More information. More ammunition. Marcus was already my ally in destroying Sophia, but knowing about the board member pressure gave me new angles to exploit.
I should be taking mental notes. Planning my next move. But Sophia looked so vulnerable standing there, trusting me with her fears, that all I wanted to do was protect her.
From everyone. Including myself.
"Marcus is jealous of your success," I said. "People like that can't stand watching others shine."
"You really think so?"
"I know so." I pulled her close, hating myself with every breath. "You're brilliant, Sophia. Don't let anyone make you doubt that."
She melted into me. Wrapped her arms around my waist and held on like I was safety instead of her destruction.
We spent hours in that studio. She showed me how she selected stones, how she sketched designs, how she transformed raw materials into wearable art. Watching her work was like watching someone speak a language only beauty understood.
The passion on her face made my chest ache.
This woman created things that mattered. Built an empire from tragedy. Survived loss that would have broken someone weaker. And I was planning to destroy all of it because of something her father allegedly did twenty years ago.
Allegedly. The word stuck in my mind.
What if my father was wrong? What if the patent case wasn't as clear as everyone believed? What if I was ruining an innocent woman for crimes she never committed?
No. I couldn't think like that. My father died disgraced. His suicide note was clear. Make them pay.
But looking at Sophia's smile, I wasn't sure anymore what justice actually meant.
"Take me home," she whispered against my neck. "I want to be alone with you."
Her penthouse was all glass and light, expensive furniture that somehow felt empty. Like she'd bought things that looked right but didn't make the space feel like home.
We didn't make it to the bedroom.
Sophia kissed me with desperate need, like she'd been holding back for three weeks and couldn't anymore. I kissed her back just as desperately, pouring all my guilt and want and self-hatred into the way my mouth moved against hers.
"I need you," she breathed. "Please, Drake."
Hearing my name on her lips destroyed something inside me. This was supposed to be manipulation. Cold calculation. Phase two of breaking her.
But there was nothing cold about the way she looked at me. Nothing calculated about the trust in her eyes.
"Are you sure?" I asked, giving her one last chance to save herself from me.
"I've never been more sure of anything."
We crossed every line. She surrendered completely, giving herself to me with honest desire that broke my heart. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word felt real in a way nothing had felt real in fifteen years.
Afterward, she lay in my arms with her head on my chest. Safe. Trusting. Vulnerable in ways that made me want to burn the world down to protect her.
"I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispered, half asleep.
The words hit me like bullets. Each one finding its target. Destroying what was left of my certainty.
"Sophia," I started, but didn't know how to finish.
She was already asleep. Breathing soft and even. Her fingers curled against my skin. Completely unguarded.
This woman loved me. Trusted me. Gave me her body and her secrets and her hope for a future.
And I was going to betray all of it.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I reached for it carefully, trying not to wake Sophia.
A text from Marcus Castillo.
"Did you get the contract details? Need them by tomorrow for Sterling. Board meeting set for two weeks. Everything ready on my end."
I stared at the message. At the proof of my conspiracy. At the evidence that I was exactly the monster I'd become.
Marcus had already convinced board members to sell their shares. Vanessa Sterling was ready to launch Sophia's stolen designs. My lawyers had the hostile takeover documents prepared. In two weeks, Sophia would walk into that board meeting and lose everything.
Her company. Her legacy. Her trust in people.
All because I wanted revenge for a father who might have been wrong about everything.
Sophia shifted in her sleep, making a small sound. Her hand tightened on my chest like even unconscious, she needed to hold onto me.
I should text Marcus back. Confirm the plan. Give him the Paris collection details that would let Vanessa sabotage Sophia's biggest deal.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
I thought about my father's suicide note. His last words begging me to make the Castillos pay. Fifteen years I'd spent building toward this moment.
But I also thought about Sophia's laugh. The way she hummed when she sketched. How she looked at me like I was good instead of broken. The trust in her eyes when she said she was falling in love.
I typed a response to Marcus.
"Got everything. Will send details tomorrow."
The lie bought me time. Maybe twenty-four hours to figure out what I really wanted.
Revenge or redemption.
Justice or love.
Sophia stirred again, her lips curving into a small smile even in sleep. Dreaming about something good. Maybe dreaming about me.
I was going to destroy this woman in two weeks.
And the worst part was, I wasn't sure I could stop myself even though I desperately wanted to.