Sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, casting golden streaks across tangled sheets and discarded clothes. Hazel stirred, the scent of Michael's cologne still clinging to her skin, a mixture of spice and danger she'd come to crave.
She blinked against the light and turned to find him already awake, propped up on one elbow, watching her like she was something rare and untouchable. His hair was tousled, a shadow of stubble darkening his jaw, and for once, the cold businessman mask was nowhere to be found.
"Morning, Mrs. Graze," he murmured, voice rough and intimate.
Hazel grinned sleepily. "Didn't peg you as the type to stick around after a night like that."
Michael smirked, leaning down to brush his lips against her shoulder. "You'll find I have plenty of surprises left."
Hazel rolled onto her side, propping her head up on her hand. "So… now what? Are we still pretending to hate each other, or have we officially crossed into forbidden lovers territory?"
Michael let out a quiet laugh, the sound low and genuine. "I don't hate you, Hazel. I think that's the problem."
The confession made her heart stumble.
Before she could respond, his phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen lighting up with a message from Connor, his head of security.
Michael's face hardened as he read it.
"What is it?" Hazel asked, instantly alert.
"Vanessa didn't leave town."
Hazel's stomach dropped. "I thought we ended her last night."
Michael's jaw clenched. "You don't end people like Vanessa with one move. She's regrouping."
Hazel sat up, pulling the sheet around her. "What do we do?"
He looked at her, a calculating gleam in his eye, but this time, it wasn't condescending or cold. It was like watching a king offer his queen a throne beside him.
"We take everything she has left," he said quietly. "And we do it together."
A slow, dangerous smile curved Hazel's lips. "About time."
Michael reached out, trailing his fingers down her bare back. "You're different now."
Hazel met his gaze steadily. "I had to be. Your world doesn't make room for soft hearts."
He cupped her face, his thumb brushing her bottom lip. "Maybe… but it makes room for women who can burn it down and rebuild it in their image."
Hazel felt something in her chest shift. The old, naive girl was gone, buried under secrets and fire. What remained was someone ruthless enough to survive and dangerous enough to be desired.
"Then let's burn it down," she whispered.
Michael kissed her hard — not out of tenderness, but as a vow.
A new message pinged on his phone.
Vanessa sighted at Kline Tower.
Hazel smirked. "I guess it's time we paid a little visit."
Michael's grin was dark and promising. "Let's show them what happens when you corner the wrong pair."
They dressed swiftly, no longer husband and wife by arrangement — but partners in power.
And the city, for the first time, would finally see them coming.....