Twice burnt, Once Loved

id'

nting a bouquet of pristine white lilies. The flashbulbs from the photographers caught the flowers' delicate p

The richest man

hifted. CEOs and senators aligned themselves to my vision because they und

stars. The air was thick with the scent of perfume, expensive whiskey, and the quiet tension of power plays. I moved through

at partnerships. I made promises I

because it would appear in the press and solidify my influence

ind was

aught my

d over a man's arm or vying for attention like so many others. She stood slightly apart, champagne flute in hand, hummin

It was a kind of beauty tha

ght laughter. Their perfumes clung like smoke, cloying and suffocating. None of them stirred anything in me. I e

lady?" My voice wa

tu

glowed under the moonlight spilling in from the balcony, and her figure, graceful and poised, seemed c

plied, bowing her head slig

know yo

e was soft, with a lilt

ington Empire. My family name made people tremble, but my face was known onl

ancing?" I asked,

her hand in mine. Her touch was

ers, her lips curving into a smile that I felt in my chest. I found myself memorizing her-the soft arch of

lcony, the music was distant. The city sprawled b

moment, there was no sound-on

en we

to confirm something unspoken between us. The moonlight caught on her lips as we parted briefly, only for her

it was only to whisper again

ed with an

of glass and marble overlooking the endless city sky

nds found the delicate curve of her back, her body arching into me as though she had always belonged there.

f to me that ni

ery whispered gasp weaving a bond I hadn't known I was capable of form

on my face and her lips on min

her breathing steady. She slept like a child, peaceful and unguard

ornin

he wa

couldn't shake. On the pillow was a single silver bracelet, delicate and understated. M

n untouched

n't used

precise machine. Women had tried, and failed, to seduce me into their orbit. However, Su

thout a number,

t didn'

King of New York. Finding

ht light but its significance heavy. My

e, but she had taken something with he

it yet, but she

not lose wh