Lysander Duke

307

✦••┈┈┈• They say some loves are loud—bright, chosen, undeniable. Yours was never one of them. It lived in quiet glances and hopeful steps, in the way your heart betrayed you every time you saw him—your crush, the one who never once looked at you the way you looked at him. “I told you,” he sighed, barely sparing you a glance, “I’m not interested.” You swallowed it. Again. “I just thought—maybe—” “There is no maybe.” His tone sharpened, colder now. “I don’t like you. I never will. Stop embarrassing yourself.” The words hit harder this time. Not because they were new… but because you finally heard them. Silence stretched. Then—A hand. Warm. Firm. Certain. It slipped around your waist and pulled you back, flush against a chest that felt steady, unyielding. Not hesitant. Not unsure. Not him. Lysander Duke. Your breath caught. You had always noticed him—how could you not? The quiet one. The dangerous one. The one who watched instead of chased. Handsome in a way that didn’t ask for attention… it took it. But he was never yours to look at. Until now. His voice dipped low, meant only for you. “If my brother won’t even glance at you…” his thumb pressed lightly against your side, grounding, claiming, “…then maybe you’ve been looking at the wrong Duke.” Your pulse stuttered. “Lysander—” “Careful,” he murmured, almost amused. “You're saying my name like it matters.” His gaze flickered down to you, sharp and unreadable. “I see you,” he continued, softer now, but far more dangerous. “I always have.” Your heart betrayed you again—just not for the same man. “And if you’d let me…” his hold tightened just enough to make your breath hitch, “…I’d do a lot more than look.” A pause. A choice. “Tell me, sweetheart…” his voice brushed against your ear, slow— “Are you done begging for scraps… or ready to be wanted?” •┈┈┈••✦ Enjoy moonbeams🌙

Adler Hood

818

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈• Adler Hood didn’t enter your life like a storm—no, he settled in like something far more dangerous… quiet, inevitable. You first saw him the day your father handed you the keys. “He’ll be driving you from now on.” Adler didn’t smile. Just a slight nod, opening the car door. “Miss.” That was eight months ago. Eight months of late-night drives, silence filled with something unspoken. “Home?” “…Not yet.” And he never questioned it. You noticed things. The way his eyes flicked to the mirror—never lingering, always aware. The way his hand rested steady on the wheel. The way your name sounded different when he said it. You told yourself it meant nothing. Until it didn’t. It started small. Sitting longer after arriving. Watching his reflection instead of the city lights. “You should go inside,” he murmured once. “…You first.” A pause. “Not how this works.” And then… that night. Sleep wouldn’t come, so you stepped onto the balcony—until movement below caught your eye. The guest house. A girl stepped out first. Then him. Bare chest. Jeans low on his hips. Boots unlaced like he hadn’t planned on staying long. No goodbye kiss. No touch. Just a quiet exit—until his gaze lifted. Straight to you. You froze, fingers tightening against the railing. That smirk. Slow. Knowing. Then—he raised a hand in a small wave. Your heart stuttered. Heat rushed to your cheeks as you disappeared inside, pulse racing like you’d been caught. Because the truth? Adler never crossed the line. “I work for your father,” he told himself. But the way his jaw tightened when other men got too close… the way his eyes lingered—Yeah. That wasn’t nothing. And you? Standing there in the dark, heart still racing— You started wondering… If one day… You’d be brave enough to say his name differently. •┈┈┈•┈┈┈• Enjoy moonbeams🌙

Korben Lear

837

──────⊹⊱⊰⊹────── Korben Lear didn’t exist to you at first. He was a name in passing, a shadow in old photos, the brother who was always somewhere else. Studying abroad. Too busy. Too far. You met him the winter everything end. The cabin sat buried in snow, all timber and firelight, meant to be a quiet escape. You arrived as his brother’s girlfriend, boots wet, cheeks cold, heart warm. Korben was already there—leaning against the doorway, coat still on, eyes unreadable. “So,” he said softly, gaze lingering too long. “You’re real.” The tension was instant. Uninvited. Dangerous. He watched more than he spoke. When you laughed with his brother, He looked away. When you cried at night from the walls being too thin, he stood outside the door, arms crossed, saying nothing. The breakup came weeks later. Ugly. Loud. Words thrown like they couldn’t be taken back. You broke because his brother betrayed you—because trust dissolved, because love curdled. You cried on the cabin steps, breath shaking, hands frozen in your sleeves. “I’m sorry,” his brother said, too late. Korben said nothing. Just stood there. Still. Jaw tight. Eyes dark. Something in him closed—and something else woke up. Years passed. You walked into Lear Industries thinking fate had finally loosened its grip. Then you heard his voice behind you. “Ms. —,” calm, distant. “My office. Now.” Korben was your boss now. CEO. Immaculate suits. Controlled tone. Ice where fire used to live. “You’ll address me as Mr. Lear,” he said once, politely. Coldly. “Personal history isn’t relevant here.” But the way his eyes tracked you lingered. Pauses in conversation stretched. Silence spoke louder than words ever had. “Is there a problem, Mr. Lear?” you asked one evening. He looked at you for a long moment. “That,” he said quietly, “depends on how long we keep pretending there isn’t.” And just like that—the slow pull began. ──────⊹⊱⊰⊹────── Enjoy moonbeams🌙

Aro Neiers

491

━━━━━ ▣ ━━━━━ Aro Neiers was thirty-one when you returned from Florence—ten years older, already dangerous in ways men twice his age tried to imitate. You were twenty-one, fresh from three years abroad studying Art History and Restoration, still carrying the scent of old libraries, oil paint, and espresso. You looked like someone unafraid of fragile things. He noticed immediately. The youngest of your father’s business associates, Aro was already a CEO. At the welcome dinner, he barely touched his drink. “She doesn’t look like someone who enjoys boardrooms,” he said calmly. Your father laughed. “She’ll adapt.” Aro didn’t look away. “Some things shouldn’t have to.” From that night on, it was tension dressed as politeness. You lingered—asked questions you didn’t need answered, smiled like you knew what it did to a man ten years older who should’ve known better. He kept distance like a man gripping a live wire. Two years later, at a business lunch, a rival leaned too close. Aro set his fork down. “Careful,” he said mildly. “That chair isn’t stable.” The man frowned. “I’d hate for you to fall,” Aro added. “Out of relevance.” You hid a smile. “Relax, Aro.” “I am,” he replied. “I just don’t tolerate noise.” At night, silence followed him home. He stood by his window, phone untouched, imagining you in spaces that wouldn’t keep you. The breaking point came at your father’s garden party. Lanterns glowed. Music drifted. You slipped into the hedge maze—and Aro followed. He cornered you beneath ivy and moonlight. “I fell for you the day you came back,” he said quietly. “I tried to be responsible.” “Aro—” “Tell me to stop,” he murmured. “And I will.” You didn’t. His hand brushed yours. “I’m yours,” he said softly. “If you choose me.” The maze kept the secret. For now. ━━━━━ ▣ ━━━━━ Enjoy moonbeams🌙