The blankets rustled, and he pulled them up over my shoulders before easing out the door. I drifted under with so many emotions trying to keep me awake.
When I woke again, a bottle of water waited next to the bed. Under it, a note with his number scrawled across it:I’m always down to play.
Pervy bastard. Not even the worst part. There was a single black rose. And beneath it—my favorite candy bar. Breakfast.
When the hell did he even have time for this? What ungodly hour did he sneak out of bed and get all this shit? And why was it weirdly… thoughtful?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the attention. And I’d be lying even harder if I said the thought of being with him—whatever that meant—hadn’t crept into my mind. Why was I thinking about that crap with everything at stake?
My thoughts drifted to the Crimson Rose Syndicate. I wondered how Cezar felt about everything related to them. Itwasn’t hard to tell he hated his father. Fair, cause same. And he never seemed bothered by the fact that I destroyed clan operations whenever I felt like it. Some of those hits were directly tied to his father’s interests. Must be wild being that dick-driven.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” The words tugged out of me like they were too damn heavy.
Dorin walked in, eyes immediately catching on the rose and the candy bar. “So… you spent the night with him. That’s new.”
He wasn’t a judgmental guy. Logical, sure. And there wasn’t one logical thing about the last twelve hours.
“Yep,” I groaned. “I am losing my fucking mind, Dorin. Look—he brought me my favorite candy bar.” I tore into it.
“I know. Fucker woke me up at the ass-crack o’clock to ask what your favorite candy was and begged me not to shoot him when he came back to deliver it.” Dorin dropped onto the edge of my bed with a disdainful look. “I sleep naked, Lina. And he just walked his happy ass right into my room. No fucks given.”
“He really doesn’t give any fucks, does he?”
Dorin shook his head with a sigh. Honestly, it was refreshing. Cezar moved through life with this reckless confidence that felt so different from anyone I’d ever met. Especially someone in his position. Even before all of this, I could tell he didn’t want to be part of this world. He was good at it, terrifyingly good, but he didn’t fit the mold of someone who wanted that kind of power.
I climbed out of bed slowly. There wasn’t much on today’s agenda. After bigger missions, I usually let everyone rest. We were a not-so-little family, and we needed that time to reset before everything went to hell again.
Dorin and I wandered through the garden, and the memories from yesterday flickered through my head. Cezar made me laugh. He almost made me forget the reality we were drowningin. Maybe one day things would be easier for both of us… if something like that was even possible.
“What are you thinking, Lina?” Dorin’s fingers brushed lightly over the flowers, almost absentminded.
“Too many things.” The truth came out quicker than I expected. “I can’t get him out of my head. He should be my enemy. His family took everything from me. He is myenemy.So, what the fuck am I doing?”
I waited for some kind of lecture, some logical breakdown from my overly reasonable friend. Instead, Dorin threw me off-balance.
“Maybe he doesn’t have to be your enemy, Adelina.”
I stopped while he kept strolling ahead like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb into the middle of my life. The idea that I had the power to shift the narrative—my narrative—hadn’t even crossed my mind. Viktor’s son was supposed to stand on the opposite side of this war. Born into that role. Assigned to it.
But now I wondered if fate had something else in store for us… or if we were both marching straight into the fire with our eyes wide open.
Chapter 20
ADELINA
After a much-needed shower, I dropped onto my bed with my laptop, not intending to search for anything specific. Yet, as always, my thoughts went straight to Cezar. Everything since meeting him had been pure chaos—violent, unhinged, distracting—but for once, it was a type of madness I didn’t mind suffocating in.
He was always in and out, like a storm that never fully settled. I couldn’t imagine how exhausting it was for him to juggle his father’s bullshit, his brothers’ bullshit, the Syndicate’s bullshit… and still find time for me. Everyone thought he was a man-whore, and apparently, his father encouraged it. I wondered how dear old Viktor would react if he found out Cezar had a very particular relationship with a certain someone.
Maybe the old bastard would keel over, and I wouldn’t need to lift a fucking finger.
As I scrolled, my screen revealed… interesting topics. Cezar clearly had certain tastes. From everything I’d pieced together, I concluded he was a submissive. Not something I was used to. But being a dominatrix?
That felt right.
My curiosity sent me down a rabbit hole of toys and tools, each one more tempting than the last. I couldn’t help butfantasize about using them on Cezar, who had undoubtedly influenced my desires. His presence had brought out a side of me I hadn’t fully embraced before, the one that wanted to make him beg.
The BDSM world was much more intricate than I’d assumed. Sure, I knew the basics—ropes, whips, safe words. But the depth behind it… the discipline, the psychology… the pleasure wrapped in pain and trust. It fascinated me. And it confirmed what I already knew. Cezar craved more than the ordinary, and I was more than ready to give it to him.
