Page 65 of His Dark Desires

I press back into his leather chair as he steps into the room. His movements are deliberate, predatory. The door swings shut behind him with a soft click that sounds like a gunshot in the stillness.

My fingers clench around the USB drive—this small thing that could destroy him, that could save others from his control, but would devastate countless innocent lives in the process. I've never felt more trapped, more foolish.

Adrian reaches behind him and turns the lock. I'm alone with him now, sealed in his private domain where he holds all the power. Where he's always held all the power.

His eyes never leave mine as he takes another step forward. I see now how badly I've miscalculated. I thought I could outsmart him, could find a way to fix things without destroying everything. Instead, I've walked straight into the lion's den and shown my hand.

The air grows thick with tension as Adrian advances, his expression carved from stone. I've seen his darkness before, glimpsed it in moments of passion or anger, but this is different. This is pure, cold fury wrapped in deadly control.

I've betrayed him, and now I'm trapped here with the consequences of my actions.

Chapter 21

Adrian

I watch Sophia freeze at my desk, her fingers clenching around the USB drive. My heart pounds hard, each beat a reminder of how close I am to losing everything. Again.

"Go ahead," I say, keeping my voice dangerously soft. "Don't let me stop you."

She doesn't move as I step into my study. Her shoulders tense, but she stands her ground. Even now, when she's about to destroy me, her defiance sets my blood on fire. The past week flashes through my mind—her gentle touch, her understanding eyes when I told her about Elliot, the way she curled into me afterward. She's become my addiction, far more potent than mere control.

"You knew I'd find out." I take another step closer.

The security alert had hit my phone during the board meeting, and I'd left without explanation. The drive back was torture, my mind cycling through possibilities until I saw the truth on my cameras.

My hands clench at my sides. The rage burns hot, but underneath lies something worse—desperation. This isn't like Elliot. With him, the betrayal came without warning, a knife in the dark. But Sophia... I've watched her internal struggle all week. I saw how Mara's words about Daniel affected her. I should have acted then.

"Were any of those moments real?" I hear myself ask. "Or was it all part of your plan?"

The hurt in her eyes cuts deeper than any accusation. "You destroyed Daniel's life."

"To protect what's mine." I close the distance between us, near enough to catch the slight tremor in her breathing. "I won't let anyone take you away. No one will meddle in our affairs and get away with it."

The USB drive sits between us like a loaded gun. One leak and my empire crumbles. But it's not the business I'm worried about losing. It's her, the only person who's seen past my walls and touched something I thought died with Elliot's betrayal.

"I won't let you leave." My voice drops lower, a promise and a threat wrapped into one. "You know that."

She lifts her chin, challenge flashing in those eyes that have haunted me for two years. "You can't control everything, Adrian."

"Watch me." I reach for her face, my fingers trembling with the need to possess, to keep, to own. "I'll burn the world down before I let you go."

I let my hand fall away before touching her, the space between us charged with possibility and danger. "You have two choices, Sophia. Destroy me and walk away, or..." My hands find her shoulders, steadying us both. "Stay and rule beside me."

She sucks in a sharp breath. This wasn't what she expected, not destruction or subjugation. My fingers drift to her collarbone, tracing the delicate line there. Her presence softened my rigid edges over the past week, drew out feelings I'd buried beneath layers of control and power.

I lean down, bringing my lips close to her ear. Her scent fills my senses, something uniquely her. "Think carefully. I'm offering you everything. All this power, all this control, shared between us."

The USB drive trembles in her grip. I watch her process my words, see the calculations running behind those expressive eyes. She's always been different, not just another conquest or asset to control. From the moment I first saw her art, raw and honest in ways I'd forgotten how to be, I knew she could either destroy me or complete me.

"Why?" she whispers. "Why share what you've spent years building?"

"Because you've already changed everything." The truth spills out before I can stop it. "You make me want more than just control. You make me want..." I pause, the words sticking in my throat. Vulnerability feels like jumping without a safety net. "You make me want to be better."

Her body sways slightly toward mine, and I fight the urge to pull her closer. This has to be her choice. After everything I've orchestrated, everything I've manipulated, this one decision must be hers alone. The power to destroy me or save me rests entirely in her hands.

"No more secrets?" she asks, testing the waters. "No more games? No more tracking my every move?"

"Complete transparency," I promise. "Between us, at least. The rest of the world..." I let the implication hang between us.

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