By the afternoon, Damian was gone.

The house felt larger and emptier the moment his car pulled out of the driveway. Normally, Aurora would feel a sense of relief when he left for his business trips. It meant a few days where she didn't have to walk on eggshells, where she didn't have to listen to his cold, dismissive remarks.

But today, the silence of the mansion only made her head hurt.

She stood in the center of the grand living room, her arms crossed over her chest. Every corner of the house reminded her of Adrian. She could still feel the phantom pressure of his hand on her wrist, the heavy, dark intensity of his eyes when he told her he wanted to buy her father's debt just to have her.

“I am going to make you realize that you belong to me. Not him.”

The words repeated in her mind, making her blood run hot. It was crazy. He was twenty-four. He was her husband’s younger brother. For a year, she had genuinely thought of him as a quiet, slightly cold boy who just wanted to be left alone. She had tried to cook his favorite meals, tried to ask him about his day, all while he was sitting across from her, secretly harboring a dark, possessive obsession that was now spilling over.

She walked over to the glass doors that led to the gardens, looking out at the manicured lawns. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in deep shades of orange and purple.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She pulled it out, expecting a cold, automated text from Damian telling her he had landed in Chicago. Instead, the screen showed an unknown number. She clicked it open.

“Your father’s primary creditor just changed. Check the portal.”

Aurora’s breath caught in her throat. Her hands started to shake. She immediately rushed to the small desk in the corner of the room, opening her laptop. She logged into her father’s company financial portal with trembling fingers, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Her father's shipping company had been surviving on a massive, high-interest loan from Ashford Enterprises—Damian’s company. It was the golden leash Damian used to keep both her and her father under his thumb.

But as the webpage loaded, the name of the primary creditor was different.

The name on the digital contract wasn't Ashford Enterprises. It was Vanguard Capital—Adrian’s independent venture firm.

Beneath the creditor name, a new document had been uploaded. The interest rate had been dropped to zero percent, and the repayment schedule had been extended indefinitely. The leash was gone. Her father’s business was completely safe.

A soft gasp escaped her lips.

"I told you I would do it."

Aurora jumped, her chair scraping loudly against the hardwood floor as she spun around.

Adrian was standing by the double doors of the living room. He had taken off his suit jacket, and his white button-down shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He looked casual, but the raw power radiating from him was louder than ever. In his right hand, he held his car keys, tossing them onto the side table with a quiet clink.

"Adrian," she breathed, her hand pressing against her chest as she stared at him. "You... you actually bought the debt? How? Damian would never sell it to you."

"Damian doesn't own Vanguard Capital," Adrian said smoothly, taking a slow, predatory step toward her. "And he doesn't control the secondary lenders he used to bundle the loan. I bought out his partners. I paid triple the market value to acquire the full rights to the debt this afternoon."

He stopped just a few feet away from her. His dark eyes swept over her face, taking in her wide, shocked eyes and her pale skin. The cold, distant brother-in-law was completely gone. The hunger in his eyes was so thick it felt like he was touching her.

"Your father is free, Aurora," Adrian whispered, his voice deep and raspy. "Damian can never threaten him again. He can never use him to force you to stay in this house."

Aurora felt a tear of pure relief slip down her cheek, but the relief was immediately followed by a wave of intense, overwhelming panic. "Why would you do that, Adrian? That cost you millions. You can't just throw away your wealth for me."

"I would throw away everything I own for you," Adrian said, his voice completely serious, without a single hint of doubt. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them until she had to tilt her head up to look at him. "Do you still think of me as your junior brother, Aurora? Do you still think I'm just a boy playing games?"

"Adrian..." she whispered, her voice failing her.

"I bought your father's freedom," he said, his hand slowly reaching out. His long, warm fingers brushed against her cheek, his thumb gently catching the tear that had fallen. His touch was incredibly gentle, but his grip on her jaw was firm, possessive, and unyielding. "But I didn't do it to be nice. I did it because I wanted to remove every single excuse you have to stay with him."

"You're trapping me," she said, her heart racing as she looked into his pitch-black eyes. "You're just replacing Damian's cage with your own."

"I am," Adrian confessed, a dark, breathless smirk playing on his lips. He didn't deny it. He didn't try to look like a hero. He was a businessman, and he was taking what he had wanted for years. "But my cage is warm, Aurora. And inside my cage, you will never be alone. I will be there every single second, holding you, loving you, until you forget he ever existed."

He leaned down, his face so close his lips almost brushed against hers. The scent of his cedarwood cologne and the heat of his skin completely overwhelmed her senses.

"You are free from Damian," Adrian whispered against her lips. "Now, tell me. Are you going to run away from me? Or are you going to let me keep you?"

Aurora’s hands rose, her fingers gripping his forearms. She meant to push him away, to tell him that this was wrong, that they couldn't do this. But as she felt the hard, steady muscles of his arms and the rapid, heavy thud of his heart beneath his shirt, her strength completely vanished.

Before she could answer, her phone on the desk rang loudly, the screen flashing with Damian’s name.

Adrian’s eyes darkened instantly. He didn't let go of her jaw. Instead, his other hand reached over, picked up the phone, and turned it completely off, throwing it onto the sofa behind him.

"No distractions," Adrian growled, his gaze locking back onto hers. "Just me and you."