Page 32 of Savage Obsession

Leon studies me for a long moment, then nods. “I’ll bring her in.”

I lean back in my chair, my muscles coiled tight. “Good.”

Leon turns to leave but pauses at the door. “Be careful, Aithan. This? This has all the makings of a trap.”

I don’t answer. I don’t have to. I already know he’s right.

The moment Bella steps into the room, her scent invades my space—some kind of seductive and expensive perfume, just like always. She’s wearing a fitted red dress, her blonde hair in soft waves, and she moves with the confidence of a woman who thinks she holds power over me.

She doesn’t. She never did.

“Finally,” she purrs, stepping forward as if she belongs here. “I was starting to think you were avoiding me for real.”

I don’t move from my seat behind my desk. I don’t offer her a drink. I don’t smile. Instead, I let the silence stretch between us, watching as unease flickers across her features.

She stops a few feet away, her confidence faltering. “You asked for me.”

I nod. “I did.”

Her lips curl in satisfaction, but it vanishes when I toss the envelope onto the desk between us. The photos spill out, glossy images of her in my arms, damning evidence of a crime I didn’t commit.

Her eyes widen before she schools her expression into something more composed. “What’s this?”

“You tell me,” I say, my voice low and cold. “Someone sent these to my wife.”

She lifts one of the photos, tilting her head. “Oh?”

I push back from my chair, standing slowly. “Don’t play dumb, Bella.”

Her eyes flick to mine, calculating. “I didn’t send them.”

I study her, reading the subtle shifts in her expression. She’s not lying.

“You set this up.”

She scoffs, placing a hand on her hip. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re desperate,” I say simply. “And desperate people do stupid things. Like going to introduce yourself to my wife.”

Her expression hardens. “Five years, Aithan. Five years, and you never once thought to marry me?”

I don’t blink. “I never promised you marriage.”

Her face twists with fury. “I gave you everything.”

“Like?”

She stutters, then breathes in heavily. “That Russian whore won’t love you, Aithan. She will always be aXéni.”

My patience snaps. I slam my hand on the desk, making her flinch. “Watch your mouth Bella. You will never call my wife a stranger. Never again. I’m letting you walk out of here because of the last five years. But the next time you insult my wife, it will be the last thing you ever do.”

A flicker of fear crosses her face, and she looks like she is about to cry.

“Do I make myself clear?”

She nods and practically flees from my presence.

Leon steps back in, his arms crossed. “She’s hiding something.”

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