Chapter 1
I lay on the bed, my face flushed with a shy blush, waiting for my husband, Julian Vance, to comfort me. But then, his first love, Seraphina Thorne, suddenly got dosed with an aphrodisiac.
He kicked open the bedroom door, yanking me off the bed. “Sera can’t wait. You’re a succubus, your body’s tough, you can hold out a little longer.” He paused, a dismissive wave of his hand. “Don’t overthink it. If I don’t help her, she’d be in absolute agony. Don’t worry, you’re still my only wife.”
I didn’t cry or make a fuss. I calmly got dressed and walked out.
His cronies, peeking from the hallway, whistled.
“The boss’s woman really knows her place! What did I tell you? Even if she’s asleep, she has to make way!”
“Mrs. Vance truly lives up to her name. With that incredible self-control, she’s certainly got the main Mrs. Vance position locked down!”
Julian was already impatiently kissing Seraphina’s lips. He caught me in his peripheral vision, his eyes full of annoyance. “Good girl. Didn’t you always want a bespoke diamond ring? I’ll have the butler take you shopping tomorrow.”
I shook my head. That very night, I knocked on the door of Damian Blackwood, the city’s most powerful billionaire.
“Looking for a new master? I assure you, I can be quite… dominant. Guaranteed to be an experience.”
…
I stood at his doorstep, a blush still staining my cheeks.
Damian Blackwood froze, the files in his hand scattering to the floor. His expression was unreadable as he took one step after another towards me.
“Cassandra Hayes, you better not be messing with me.”
My fingertip brushed his tie, tracing downwards, my gaze seductive and intensely predatory. “Care to find out?”
Damian abruptly grabbed my hand as it slid lower, his breathing heavy. “Cassie, are you only here because you’re angry with Julian Vance?”
I shook my head, my other arm wrapping around his neck. “I don’t want him anymore.”
At those words, Damian instantly wrapped his arms around my waist, his kisses falling wildly, one after another…
After a night of pleasure, I left a note that simply said “Wait for me,” and returned to the Vance estate.
The moment I stepped inside, I saw Julian Vance’s four cronies neatly sprawled outside the master bedroom door. From inside, Seraphina’s sugary cries drifted out, along with Julian’s barely suppressed grunts. My heart sank, my fingertips trembling.
The cronies saw me and swaggered over, laughing.
“Well, well, Mrs. Vance, you actually came back.”
“Why don’t you come listen? Julian’s a real beast in bed. He’s making Sera cry like that, it’s getting me all worked up~”
The sounds from the room picked up right on cue, growing wilder, each collision a heavy hammer striking my heart. I couldn’t stop trembling. My hand instinctively reached into my bag for my medication, but I accidentally dropped it. I bent down to pick it up, but one of the cronies kicked it, grinding it under his heel.
“Whoa, Mrs. Vance, what’s this? Some kiddie pacifier? Julian not enough for you, Mrs. Vance? You gotta get your kicks yourself?”
“If you can’t handle it, just ask us! We might be able to help you out~”
I glared at him, my teeth gritted, my fingers clutching the corner of the crushed medicine box.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened. Julian Vance emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, Seraphina Thorne hiding behind him, draped in nothing but a few scraps of fabric.
“What are you doing?! Get out!” Julian roared, and his cronies instantly scattered.
My muscles ached terribly. All I could do was pick up the crushed medicine from the floor and shove it into my mouth.
Julian finally looked at me, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. “You? Mrs. Vance? You look nothing like her.”
I scoffed internally. What kind of Mrs. Vance was I anymore? Since his company went public, he’d kept thirty mistresses outside, yet not one of them had dared to cause trouble in front of me. That was until Seraphina appeared. Julian dismissed everyone for her, even bringing her into our home. Last night, he knew a succubus in her craving cycle wouldn’t “explode” without a man, yet he still abandoned me to comfort Seraphina.
Now, Seraphina, covered in love bites, picked up a delicate, antique crystal figurine and disdainfully dropped it to the floor.
“Oh, Cassie, so sorry! My hand slipped.” She gave me a simpering smile. “We were just looking for a toy, and this thing was pretty useful. Do you have more, sweetie?”
I gasped, practically lunging forward, but I could only watch helplessly as the crystal figurine shattered before me. It was a cherished heirloom, passed down from my mother, always kept locked in my safe. But now, it wasn’t just broken; it was stained with some sickening, unknown fluid.
Julian glanced at it, his eyes completely devoid of emotion. “If you like it, I’ll have one custom-made for you. That trash is only good for a quick fix anyway.”
I glared at the two of them, my heart utterly cold. Not even my medication for volatile moods could suppress the furious rage swelling inside me. Seraphina flashed a triumphant smile at me, then climbed onto Julian’s neck, leaving a playful row of bite marks on his ear.
“Julian, darling, it’s all their fault for interrupting! Didn’t you say you still had to punish me? I haven’t been good at all~”
Julian’s face flushed instantly. He stole a glance at me, but his hand unconsciously tightened around Seraphina’s waist. “Sera’s medication hasn’t worn off yet, Cassie. You should go.”
Before he even finished speaking, he was already impatiently scooping Seraphina into his arms and heading back into the room. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, followed immediately by the creaking of bedsprings and rhythmic thumps.
My fingertips dug into the floor, scraping until they were bloody, before my mind cleared a fraction. I rushed to the storage room, fumbled for my rage stabilizers, and crammed a handful into my mouth. The moment the pills went down, it was like someone had pulled my plug. I collapsed to the floor, listening as the sounds from the next room grew louder, wilder…
2.
I drifted in and out of a daze, waking only when morning light filled the room. Seraphina emerged from the bathroom, draped in a bathrobe, her face still flushed from the night. She swayed her hips as she approached me, a smirk in her eyes. “Oh, Cassie, so sorry about taking your bed.”
She giggled. “Couldn’t help it. Julian’s just too wild. If we’d stayed on the couch, I’m not sure I’d be able to get up today~” As she spoke, her hand loosened, and the bathrobe slid open, revealing sheer silk lingerie and a body covered in love bites. “Julian never treated you like this, did he, sweetie?”
Suddenly, the front door clicked open. Four cronies stepped inside, instantly freezing at the steamy scene before them.
“We didn’t see anything!”
They immediately clapped their hands over their eyes, though they couldn’t resist peeking through their fingers.
“Ahhh!” Seraphina shrieked, squatting down to grab her bathrobe and wrap herself.
“Sera!” Julian Vance burst down the stairs and pulled her protectively into his arms. “Get out, all of you! If anyone dares to look again, I’ll gouge out your eyeballs!”
Seraphina immediately started to whimper pitifully, tears streaming down her face. “Cassie, why would you pull off my clothes and humiliate me? Julian was just helping me with my treatment, I never wanted to steal your place! Why are you doing this to me? My reputation means everything to a woman!”
I was dumbfounded. I was at least five steps away from her. How could she possibly pin this on me? And talk about a “reputation” after fooling around with a married man?
Julian, however, turned to me, his face cold. “Cassandra Hayes, apologize to Sera.”
“Julian Vance, use your idiotic brain for once! How could I possibly pull off her clothes from this distance?”
But he wouldn’t listen. He strode forward and slapped me across the face. “Apologize, or you’re not going to the company today!”
My face burned, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I’d spent three months on this project, making dozens of trips back and forth. He knew that. Now, just as the contract was about to be signed, he wanted to keep me home, all for Seraphina? I clenched my fists. “Julian Vance, if you don’t want Mr. Kingston’s business, then go ahead and call him right now!” With that, I didn’t spare that disgusting pair another glance and turned to leave.
At the company, my assistant looked hesitant. “Ms. Hayes… Mr. Kingston called. He said Mr. Vance cancelled the meeting.”
“What?” My mind exploded.
I’d nearly run myself ragged, pouring everything into this deal, and he just threw it away like that? I slumped onto the sofa, feeling dizzy. My assistant hesitated. “Should I try to contact him again…?”
I shook my head, sighing softly. “I’m just the VP. If the CEO doesn’t want to make this deal, I can talk until I’m blue in the face, it won’t matter.” After a long silence, I looked up, my eyes red. “Contact my industry contacts. I’m selling my 25% shares.”
Just as the words left my lips, the lounge door opened. Julian Vance entered, his arm around Seraphina’s waist.
“Cassie, you’re finally being obedient for once. How about this: transfer your shares to Sera. You go home, manage the house, take care of me and her, and I might consider forgiving your past mistakes.”