Interrupted Desire

The next morning/ The old mansion

Sunlight slanted across the driveway of the old mansion as Dante finished his breakfast and headed out for the office. Halfway through the morning commute, his cell phone vibrated against his palm. Checking the caller ID, he saw Giselle’s name flashing on the screen, and a rare, warm smile touched his lips.

"Giselle, what's wrong?" he asked, lifting the phone to his ear.

"I’ve missed you. I want to see you," she murmured, her voice soft and sweet over the line.

Dante’s smile deepened. He promised to pick her up in thirty minutes and ordered his driver to change routes toward her apartment building.

Ending the call, he immediately dialed his private secretary. He instructed her to clear his entire morning schedule until the afternoon, book a suite at the ELYSIUM Hotel, and forward the reservation details to his phone.

Thirty minutes later, the car pulled into the parking lot of Giselle’s building. Within moments, she stepped out of the elevator. One of Dante’s bodyguards stepped forward and pulled the rear door open for her.

"Thank you," Giselle said, sliding into the backseat.

Dante scowled darkly from his side of the seat.

"What happened?" she asked, catching the sudden shift in his expression.

"Nothing," he brushed it off, already making a mental note to punish that guard later for daring to smile and stare at his woman.

Another half hour brought them to the underground parking lot of the ELYSIUM Hotel. Although the ELYSIUM was one of the many properties under Dante’s name, he had deliberately opted for a standard suite today rather than his private penthouse. He couldn't afford rumors leaking out that he had brought a mistress there. As much as it pissed him off, he couldn't erase the fact that his grandfather, his parents, and the entire elite circle of Opal City knew he was a married man.

Stepping out, Dante helped Giselle from the vehicle and guided her through a private entrance into the lobby.

Halfway to the elevators, Giselle caught her heel and stumbled. Dante caught her instantly, his arm locking around her waist to steady her the rest of the way. They shared a quiet smile as the doors slid shut, and the second they were alone inside the elevator cab, he swept her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style.

Once inside the suite, he carried her straight into the bedroom and set her down on the edge of the bed. A full week had passed since he last saw her, and he was starving for the taste of her lips. Still, her ankle came first.

He straightened up to fetch some ointment to rub into her foot, but Giselle’s fingers wrapped around his wrist, holding him back.

"I want you, Dante. I want you to make love to me, please… We’ve been dating for four years now, why won’t you make love to me?" she pleaded, raw despair swimming in her eyes. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, and it took real restraint for him not to reach out and tug that lip free from her teeth.

"I love you very much, Giselle." He leaned down, capturing her mouth in a deep, heated kiss as he eased her backward onto the mattress.

"I need you, Giselle," he muttered against her lips. One hand came up to cup her breast, kneading the soft flesh, while his other palm slid over the curve of her hip, trailing down toward her bare thigh.

He froze dead when a frail, familiar voice broke the silence of the room.

Cora.

Dante bolted upright. What the fuck was she doing here? He had never intended for her to find out about Giselle like this—not until the divorce papers were signed and finalized.

Everything spiraled out of control in seconds. Cora lunged forward and slapped him hard across the face. He almost found the sting amusing.

Then she turned and struck Giselle.

Dante could take a hit from her without blinking, but watching her lay a hand on the woman he loved snapped his restraint. Pure reflex took over, and his hand lashed out, slapping Cora across the face.

Yet this foolish, breathtaking woman refused to back down. She swung again, striking Giselle a second time. He had to teach her what happened when she crossed him. He hit her again, and both times his palm connected with Cora's skin, a brutal ache tore straight through his chest.

He forced his face into a mask of cold indifference. When the sight of her falling tears dug too deep for him to stomach, he knew he had to get out of there before he lost his mind. Grabbing Giselle’s hand, he walked out of the suite, leaving Cora behind.

He drove Giselle straight back to her apartment, apologizing along the way for the ugly scene with Cora.

"Don’t worry about what happened. I’ve already given her the divorce papers to sign. Soon I will be waking up to your beautiful face every morning." He leaned in and kissed her hard.

"I love you," Giselle whispered sweetly.

"I love you…" Dante replied.

She smiled, climbed out of the car, and walked toward the lobby elevator, turning back once to give him a sweet wave. Dante returned the smile until the doors closed. Instantly, the warmth vanished from his face. He sat back, adjusted the lapels of his suit, and stared straight ahead.

"To the office," he ordered, his voice dropping back to its usual subzero chill.

"Yes, sir."

-/CROWN ZENITH CORPORATION/-

The next day afternoon.

Dante sat behind his desk, staring at his laptop screen while his secretary, Paige, walked him through the slides for an upcoming project. His cell phone rang, cutting her off.

"Break for lunch," he said, waving a hand to dismiss her.

"Thank you, sir," Paige replied, gathering her files and stepping out of the office.

Dante tapped the screen. "Declan? What do you want?"

"I don’t only call you when I need help, dude," Declan laughed on the other end.

"Okay, so why did you call?" Dante asked.

"Let's have lunch. I already invited Rowan," Declan said.

"Okay. Let's meet at Luminos in fifteen minutes then." Dante ended the call.

Luminos was his favorite spot in the city, unmatched for its menu. He used to bring Cora there regularly, though he had stopped the habit entirely after getting back together with Giselle.

He pulled up to the restaurant fifteen minutes later. Stepping onto the pavement, he motioned for his security detail to hang back. Dante was a lethal fighter capable of dropping twenty men single-handedly; he had zero use for shadows trailing him everywhere, even if his grandfather flatly refused to call them off.

"You don’t know when an enemy will attack," the old man always insisted.

Walking inside, Dante joined Declan and Rowan at their table. Once the food and wine were served, the three of them fell into their usual talk of market strategies, stock fluctuations, and upcoming ventures worth backing.

Halfway through the meal, Declan glanced up. "Cora..?"

Dante went still, listening closely in case his ears were playing tricks on him.

"Declan..." Her quiet voice reached him. She was actually here. A strange, involuntary smile tugged at Dante’s mouth, catching him off guard.

That warmth died the second she spoke again.

"If I knew it was you guys, I would not have approached."

Anger flared hot in his chest. How dare she say that? Until the ink dried on those papers, Cora belonged to him. He glared at her, barely keeping his temper leashed as she spoke to his friends.

Then she mentioned there were "situations she’d rather avoid," making it clear she was pleased to run into Rowan and Declan—while treating him like he didn't exist. The slight aimed at him stung more than he cared to admit. Even if she looked sinfully tempting standing there, he couldn't let that pass without striking back.

"You have five days left to sign the papers and..."

"I’ve already signed it, and I marked out the alimony. I don’t need your money, Dante… I married you not because of your money," she cut in, letting out a quiet sigh. "I married you because I love you."

"I don’t love you, Cora," he shot back, aiming to hurt her.

Her immediate reply made his heart stutter.

"Same here. I used to love you, but I don’t anymore. All I feel for you is pure hatred, nothing else."

Hearing those words drop from her lips, it took every ounce of restraint in his body not to shove back his chair, haul her over his shoulder, carry her home, and fuck her until she couldn't walk the next morning.

What the hell was wrong with him? Was he actually regretting letting her go? He hated Cora. Giselle was the one he loved. He ought to be thrilled that he was finally ridding himself of this marriage.

Cora turned and walked away, leaving the table quiet.

"Dante… does that mean you guys are divorced? She already signed it?" Rowan asked, breaking the silence.

"And you were a witness," Dante bit out sarcastically, his chest tight, his heart hammering hard against his ribs.

"Dude, why didn’t you talk to us about it? You sure you want to let her go? Cora is one in a million. If you lose her, it would be hard to find her," Declan warned seriously.

"Yeah, you better think twice before letting go of such a woman like Cora," Rowan added.

Dante was already torn between staying in his seat and bolting after her.

"Fuck!" he cursed hoarsely as the truth hit him square in the chest.

No matter how much he told himself he hated Cora, his body reacted to her like wildfire. With her, he could actually follow through and make love—and despite all his denials, he had relished every fucking second spent buried inside her. It left a strange, heavy ache in him that he’d never understood.

Letting Cora walk away meant sliding right back into his old, cold existence—the one he had left behind the first night he touched her. Listening to his friends now, the fog cleared. Fuck the revenge. He wanted Cora in his life.

Shoving his chair back, he bolted from the table and sprinted out of the restaurant. His bodyguards stationed by the entrance snapped to attention the second he burst through the doors.

"Boss..?" they said together, staring at him in confusion.

"Where is she?" he growled, scanning the parking lot wildly. "Where’s Cora!!?"

"Sir? Madam left a few minutes ago. She also left home early at dawn with her bags to her old apartment," Knox explained quickly.

"Why didn’t you fucking stop her!!?" Dante barked in his face.

"Sir...? You... asked her to leave," Knox stammered, completely thrown by the question.

Dante dragged a rough hand through his hair.

"Go bring her back home, and do it right this instant!" he roared, the sheer force of his command making Knox and the other guards flinch.

Not waiting for them to move, Dante strode straight to his car, wrenched the driver’s door open, and threw himself behind the wheel. He floored the gas and tore out of the lot, leaving the shouting voices of his friends, his driver, and his men far behind in the dust.