4 One-way Glass
“N-Nothing!” she said, breathless, trying to gather herself.
Theo walked in, oblivious, dressed in a crisp shirt and tailored trousers, a tie draped casually around his neck. From the looks of it, he hadn’t heard Adrian.
Sienna finally exhaled, her heartbeat slowing slightly.
He looked at her, a playful glint in his eyes. “Do I look handsome?”
Sienna blinked, still trying to recover. “What?”
“This shirt.” He spun around for her. “I’m wearing it to the Montgomery Charity Gala tomorrow. Do I look good? A lot of important people are going to be there, and I don’t want to screw up. And you’re the only one who knows when I look my best. So tell me, do I look like the most handsome man in the world or not?”
Sienna snorted softly. “You look great, Theo,” she said, rising to her feet. She eyed the open collar. “This shirt actually suits you. Let me just fix this—you’re showing too much skin.”
She stepped forward and buttoned the top two buttons, smoothing the fabric as she nodded in approval. “Perfect. Wear this.”
Theo smiled, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Thanks. You’re the best.”
“No problem,” she smiled.
Theo turned to leave, but then paused, glancing back. “Oh, and one more thing. I’ll be out tonight with Sara—”
“It’s fine!” she interrupted quickly, placing both hands on his shoulders and steering him toward the door. “Really, it’s okay. I’m sure you’ll be amazing tomorrow. Go do what you need to, and I’ll focus on looking pretty for you, alright?”
She shut the door behind him.
Only when she was sure he was gone did she rush back to the bed, grabbing her phone. But the screen was already black. The call had ended.
She sighed, staring down at the screen.
‘Already gave up on trying to get me back?’ she thought, shaking her head. ‘Good. I won’t have to do all the work of getting you off myself again.’
***
Across the city, Adrian hurled his phone against the wall. It shattered with a loud, blinding crash, echoing through the vast emptiness of his mansion.
His phone hit the ground in pieces, his chest rising with fury. His fingers trembled, veins tightening under his skin as he stormed toward the bar and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Pouring it violently into a glass, he downed it in one breath. The burn seared down his throat, lighting his chest on fire.
Only then could he breathe.
He shut his eyes, water still dripping from his hair, strands sticking to his neck. But all he could see was Sienna. Her face. Her body. Her bedroom.
With Theo.
They were married. He knew that. But hearing them, in the same space, in her room, her so close to that bastard twisted his gut with rage.
His jaw flexed, breath ragged. Rage curled inside him like a beast.
His jaw clenched. He poured another glass, drinking it in one sharp motion. Then he slammed the glass down, breathing harshly.
Playing the part of the man who doesn’t care while watching her with someone else?
It was fucking killing him.
He wanted her all to himself.
She would always be his woman. Only his.
But the little patience he had was already slipping through his veins like poison, infecting every part of him with rage and desire. He hated waiting. Hated pretending.
‘Just wait it out,’ he reminded himself. ‘Let her come back to you like a good girl. She will. Just a little more time. Then, no one will ever take her away from you again. I’ll fucking make sure of it.’
Adrian ran a hand through his dark hair, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he exhaled a shaky breath. His sharp jaw ticked, the tension coiled in his chest like a storm waiting to explode.
With a cold gleam in his eyes, he strode to the bedside phone and dialed Matthew.
“Did I get an invite for the Montgomery Charity Gala tomorrow?” Adrian asked, voice low and cold.
“Yes, sir,” Matthew replied. “But I didn’t think you’d want to go. It’s not a big enough event for us. I assumed you’d be skipping it.”
“I’m attending. Make the arrangements,” Adrian said coldly. He paused. “And get me a new fucking phone. Take the broken one from my room. I want all my data transferred.”
“Yes, sir.” Matthew hung up.
Startled, he stared at the screen in disbelief. ‘What is going on?’ he wondered. ‘Mr. Vaughn treated that phone like a vault. It was so important to him. He was always careful not to damage or misplace it. And now he's broken it?’
***
The Montgomery Charity Gala was the most extravagant and important event of the year for anyone in the luxury car business. The Montgomerys were one of the top firms in the field, followed closely by the Donovans—Sienna’s family. With so many influential names attending, from politicians to celebrities and business moguls, it was set to be the most high-profile event of the season.
But the buzz that evening wasn’t about business deals or luxury cars.
The moment whispers spread that Adrian Vaughn was present at this event, everything else became background noise.
That alone flipped the energy of the event.
Adrian didn’t belong to this crowd—he owned a much higher tier. Compared to the Vaughn Empire, Montgomery and the rest were playing in sandboxes. People were stunned.
But oddly enough, no one had yet spotted Adrian. He hadn’t been seen once at the party.
Then the whispers rose again when Theo and Sienna arrived.
She wore the sheer white dress she had picked days ago at Max Mall, her beauty effortless and almost unreal. The soft fabric hugged her gently, flowing around her like a cloud. Theo stood tall beside her in a coffee-brown suit, calm and composed. Together, they looked picture perfect—like they had stepped out of a magazine.
Flashbulbs exploded as reporters swarmed them.
“I can’t believe this,” a woman murmured to her friend, drink in hand. “It’s been two years and I’ve never seen them argue even once.”
“Same here. I’m good at spotting cracks in relationships, but those two? Never even seen them frown at each other. It’s like they’re in some fairytale,” another replied.
“Last year, I asked Theo what he wanted me to gift them for their anniversary. You know what he said? ‘Ask my wife. She knows better than I do.’”
“He really listens to her, huh?”
“Never seen him complain. Honestly? I want that kind of man.”
The whispers got louder as Theo leaned in and kissed Sienna on the corner of her lips, his hand cradling her face so gently it made the cameras click nonstop. A soft, lingering press.
But not to Adrian.
To him, it was a blade.
In front of his eyes, Theo pulled away and Sienna smiled, bright, genuine. Her eyes lit up, just like they used to only for him two years ago.
Adrian’s steel eyes darkened as he watched them. His hand clenched into a fist so tight his knuckles turned white. He pressed it to his mouth just as a low, furious growl escaped him.
“Motherfucker.”
His teeth dug into his hand until a sharp sting of pain and a drop of blood brought him back to his senses. But he couldn’t stop watching.
‘It’s the same smile she used to have for me two years ago.’ His chest tightened. ‘But why does it look happier now?’
That’s when Sienna’s eyes roamed the room, they swept right past him—then returned, locking onto his gaze like a jolt of electricity.
Her breath hitched for a second.
Then, just as quickly, she looked away. Cold. Like she hadn’t seen him at all.
“Excuse me,” she leaned close to Theo’s ear. “I’ll be back in a bit. Just need the restroom.”
Without waiting, she turned and walked briskly away.
Adrian’s eyes followed her through the crowd.
A minute later, he followed.
Just as she neared the ladies’ room, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.
Without giving her a chance to react, his strong hand wrapped around her wrist and dragged her into a nearby side room. The door slammed shut behind them, echoing like a gunshot in the quiet. The space was dark, scattered with a few decorative items, but otherwise deserted.
He pressed her against the wall, and before she could speak, his lips were on hers—hungry, fierce, desperate.
“Mmm!” Sienna gasped, struggling in his iron grip, unable to see who it was in the dim light. The kiss was raw, rough, and completely lacking patience. His mouth moved over hers in short, frantic bursts, tasting, devouring.
She fought against him, trembling in fear, but then his lips brushed her ear, his voice a deep rasp.
“Hush. It’s alright. It’s me.”
Her body stilled.
The kiss stopped. He pulled back just enough to look at her, but didn’t release her.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she whispered, breathless. “Someone could have seen us!”
Adrian’s jaw tightened, but his voice was calm and biting. “Your husband can kiss you in front of everyone, but I can’t even touch you in private?”
“Adrian, let go of me!” Sienna hissed, pushing against him and glancing nervously at the door.
He gripped her jaw, tilting her face back to him. His breath fanned her lips, their lips almost touching and his voice was possessive and cold.
“The door’s locked. No one’s coming in.”
“The windows—”
“One-way glass.” His eyes gleamed. “They can’t see you. I won’t let anyone see you panting for me, Sienna. You’re mine. I don’t share.”
Then he crashed his lips against hers again.
There was nothing soft about it.
He kissed her like he was starved, like the past two years without her had been a slow, suffocating death. His mouth moved over hers with wild hunger, lips bruising, tongue demanding, dragging a desperate groan from deep in his chest. Her lipstick smeared, smeared and gone under the force of his kiss, replaced by the taste of him.
His tongue pushed into her mouth, deep and possessive, tangling with hers, pulling soft gasps from her throat. He sucked on her bottom lip until it swelled, then kissed her again like he couldn’t bear to stop, like breathing meant nothing if it didn’t come through her.
Her scent hit him hard—sweet, warm, maddening—and for the first time in years, Adrian felt like he could actually breathe.
But he didn’t give her space to catch hers.
His mouth trailed to her jaw, then lower. Wet, open kisses along the edge of her neck. His lips were hot, his tongue licking slow lines down to the curve where her neck met her shoulder. Her body trembled in his grip, breath catching with every stroke, every press of his lips.
“Adrian…” she whispered, voice thin, wrecked. Her hand pressed against his chest weakly. “I have to go back. The party’s still going. I need to leave.”
He didn’t stop.
“Leave?” His voice rasped against her skin. “I’m not letting you go. You wanted to test me, right?” His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer. “Then test me properly. Don’t run now, Sienna. Not when I finally have you.”
Then he bit down on the side of her neck, just enough to make her gasp, enough to leave a mark. She cried out softly, back arching, body leaning into him.
His kisses turned rougher, wetter, like he couldn’t get enough of her. He moved from one side of her neck to the other, licking, sucking, leaving trails of heat in his wake. His hands slid up, cupping her face as his mouth devoured her skin—frantic, wild, insatiable.
He kissed her like he wanted to leave proof, something no one could erase.
He kissed her like she belonged to him.
Like if she stopped him now, he might lose his damn mind.
And God help her, Sienna didn’t want him to stop.
He kissed her like he would burn the world down if she stopped him.
“Ah!” she cried out, but that’s when she pushed him off, her palms pressed against his solid chest as she pulled away. “Why are you biting?!” she hissed, her eyes wide with disbelief and accusation. “I need to get back to the party. How am I supposed to go out there with these bites all over me?”
Adrian’s dark eyes dropped to her neck. Faint red blotches and indents—his marks—were scattered across her delicate skin like a painting of possession. His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking with restrained amusement. He tried not to smirk, but his eyes, dark and molten with prideful lust, betrayed him.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze back up to her, something feral gleaming behind his calm exterior. Then he cupped her face in his large hand, his grip firm, his touch commanding. He tilted his head to the side and leaned in closer, exposing his neck to her with a slight smirk. “Here,” he said in a low, rumbling voice. “You can bite me too.”
She scowled, but then, like something inside her snapped, she lunged at him, lips hot against his throat. She bit down sharply, not once but twice, her tongue slipping out to lick the spot before biting again, harder.
He hissed, a sharp breath escaping his throat, but the next moment, a rough groan followed, the pain quickly swallowed by pleasure. His arms tightened around her, pulling her flush against him as he let her have her way with his neck. His breath grew heavier, deeper, as he let her devour his neck like a kitten. But his control only stretched so far.
With a low growl, he finally lost patience.
He grabbed her waist, pulled her closer, and returned the favor—ruthlessly. His mouth was all over her, trailing kisses and sharp nips across her jaw and throat. One of his hands slid down her back, gripping her thigh, slowly inching her dress up, higher and higher, until his fingertips brushed her hips.
“Sienna?” Theo’s voice rang out from just outside.