But then his hands moved to my waist, pulling me closer, and my heart skipped a beat. “Jake…” I whispered again, but before I could say another word, he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine. The kiss was slow, tender, and unhurried as if he had all the time in the world to memorize me.
I kissed him back, my hands resting lightly on his chest. His warmth seeped into me. His touch was loving, his lips warm and gentle, moving with an earnestness that spoke of care and adoration. It should have been comforting. It should have made my heart race.
But it didn’t.
Something was missing.
My mind betrayed me, pulling me into memories I desperately wanted to forget – The moment Kester kissed me. His kiss was… Different.
Demanding. Possessive. Commanding Intentional.
His kiss had swept over me like a violent tide, leaving no room for breath or even a thought. t… It was the type that bound me, body and soul, to his will. It was fire and chaos, the kind that seared itself into you, that you felt even long after it was over.
Jake’s kiss, though soft and sincere, felt like a whisper compared to the roar of Kester’s.
This was the man I wanted… the man I loved. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the comparison that kept creeping into my mind.
My lips responded to Jake’s kiss, but my body. my body ached for something it shouldn’t.
Jake kissed me like I was precious, like I mattered. But I’d already been ruined-marked by something darker, something I couldn’t explain, and I hated myself for craving it even more.
I pulled back, breathless and confused, my heart pounding for all the wrong reasons as guilt washed over me.
I forced myself to meet his gaze, but all I could think of was how wrong it felt.
“Kasmine,” Jake murmured, his forehead resting against mine. “Just think about it, okay? Find a way to be with me this weekend. Please.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice to respond. 1
He smiled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re worth waiting for,” he said quietly before stepping back and giving me the space I so desperately needed.
I turned and opened the door, stepping into the hallway with shaky legs. My heart was still racing, for the reason Jake might have hoped. ut it wasn’t… It was for Kester. His kiss, his presence, his control-it was branded into my soul, no matter how much I wished it wasn’t. But I was determined to do everything I could to make it all go away. Every forbidden emotion Kester’s kiss had branded into me would surely be replaced by Jake’s This was a promise I made to myself, and I would see to it that I fulfill it.
Just as I rounded the last corner that led to the hallway leading to my office, I bumped into a hard wall…
Kester.
KASMINE.
“Kester? What are you doing here?” I asked. It was such a stupid question. I know.
“Isn’t this the way to the restroom? You didn’t tell me it was out of bounds, Mine,” he replied with his hands casually in his pockets.
“Oh. I am sorry. I just… I was surprised to see you here,” I swallowed the needles in my throat.
The way he stared at me felt like he was seeing right through whatever pretense I was trying to put up.
I listened, prayed, and wished that Jake remained in there. If Kester sees Jake and I coming out of the same space, he’d kill us both. rep aside.
“So, let’s go, then,” I said as I made to move past him, but he didn’t step
“I never said I came to look for you. I was heading to the restroom, too,” He said, and my heart gave a loud thud. I could swear he heard it.
I couldn’t let him go in there. He’d see Jake, and he’d know we were in there together.
“It’s a bit messy in there. I’ll have the janitors clean up the place before you use it. They seem not to have cleaned the place all day,” I said, crinkling my nose in irritation.
“I’m certain you used the ladies’. I’m going into the gents. It’s certainly a lot cleaner than what you just described, “He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he studied me.
He seemed to have known what was happening.
I bet he knew.
It was at that point I realized I hadn’t even checked where Jake had taken me to The ladies’ or the e gents.
Thankfully, a timely intervention came just as he was about to walk past me. Kester’s phone rang. He didn’t seem like one who wanted to answer the call at first, but when he pulled out his phone and saw the caller ID, the muscles on his face tensed up immediately.
“Yes?” He said into the phone, unable to hide the irritation in his tone. “What?” He almost yelled as he walked past me back into his office.
KESTER
Fucking pervert!
I punched the table before me, and everything on it tumbled to the floor. The resounding crash barely scratched the surface of the rage coursing through me. My chest heaved as I stood there, hands braced on the desk, glaring at the chaos T’d just created.
Alpha Kex. That slimy bastard
He had made good on his threats, and now I felt like a sitting duck, vulnerable to every petty game he had up his sleeve. All because I refused his ridiculous request to marry any sister.
I know I may have been a little too harsh with his people and with my words to them when I dismisend his– telling them they were lucky to leave without bloodshed nat Van an insult to un
He had promised to do everything within his power to frustrate my company, and he had begun.
In his words, he said, “We’ll lower our prices to levels you can’t even begin to compete with.”
And now, he’d done it.
How in Dreagor’s name could Valor Lante Technologies slash the price of the most wanted product in the industry
-the Sentinel 12X Quantum Server-from $98,000 to a jaw-dropping $56,000?
They weren’t even running at a loss! They were fucking running a charity!
A move like that was financial suicide for any ordinary company, but not for them. Not for a pack-funded empire with resources so deep they could bleed money just to bury me.
How foolish!
I loosened my tie from my neck as beads of sweat tickled down my forehead.
What could I do? If I matched their price, I’d risk dragging my company into the red. If I didn’t, I’d lose the trust of my clients those who relied on us to stay ahead of the curve, who believed in Zamfort Technologies as a symbol of strength and innovation.
More of his threats began to resurface in my memory:
‘We’ll set up a branch right across from your flagship location and wipe out your business.’
I grabbed my phone from the desk, my hand trembling with barely contained rage, and dialed Sylvia, my head of operations.
“Sir?” She answered.
“Listen to me, Sylvia,” I barked, pacing the room. “I want detailed reports on every property near our flagship location. Every single one within a mile radius. I want to know who owns them, who’s leasing, who’s selling- everything!”
“Understood, sir. Should I-“
“Do it now, Sylvia!” I cut her off, my voice sharp enough to draw blood. “If Kex even breathes near that location, I want to know about it before he does.”
I ended the call without waiting for her response, my breath ragged as I raked a hand through my hair.
‘We’ll secure exclusivity with your biggest suppliers, leaving you stranded.’ My jaw clenched as the memory of his smug grin burned behind my eyelids..
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