Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
T he elevator doors whispered open onto polished marble floors that stretched endlessly ahead. Georgia’s heels struck a sharp rhythm as she stepped into Richard Vaughn’s private suite, each click echoing through the vast space like a countdown.
Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped the room in harsh city light, casting long shadows across furniture that looked more like modern art installations than places meant for comfort. Everything gleamed—chrome, glass, and stark white surfaces that reminded her of a museum where touching wasn’t allowed.
A massive abstract canvas dominated one wall, all harsh angles and blood-red slashes against black. The kind of piece that cost more than her mother’s medical bills, but said nothing about its owner except that he could afford it.
Georgia let her fingertips trail along a leather chair, noting how the space felt like Adrian’s penthouse stripped of any hint of humanity. No books left casually on tables, no coffee cups forgotten on desks. Just calculated perfection designed to remind visitors they were temporary guests in a fortress.
She wore vulnerability like a designer dress, carefully selected and fitted for this performance. Her steps faltered just slightly as she moved deeper into the suite. Let him see uncertainty in her movements, doubt in her hesitation. Every tremor in her hands was a carefully placed stitch in the trap she was weaving.
A bar of sunlight cut across her path, and she paused in its warmth, knowing how it would illuminate her face, highlight the shadows under her eyes. She’d chosen minimal makeup today. Let him see the toll of Adrian’s world etched on her features. Let him think she was cracking under the pressure.
The sound of a door opening pulled her attention toward the far end of the suite. Georgia steadied her breath, smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from her skirt. Time to play her part.
Richard Vaughn’s footsteps approached with a predatory grace. Georgia lifted her chin, letting exhaustion seep into her smile. “Mr. Vaughn.”
“Georgia. You look…” His pause carried weight. “Tired.”
“Adrian keeps a demanding schedule.” She sank into a chair, her movements liquid with practiced fatigue. “Sometimes I forget what it felt like to create without… oversight.”
Vaughn’s eyes sparked with interest. He circled her chair like a shark scenting blood. “Adrian’s particular about his investments.”
“Is that what I am?” Georgia’s laugh held no warmth. “An investment to be managed?”
“You’ve known him, what? Six months?” Vaughn leaned against his desk. “I’ve watched Adrian build his empire for years. The patterns never change.”
Georgia glanced up through her lashes. “What patterns?”
“Scotch?” He moved to a crystal decanter without waiting for her answer. “You strike me as someone who appreciates quality.”
“Thank you.” She accepted the glass. The crystal felt cold against her palm.
“Adrian cultivates beauty,” Vaughn continued, “but he suffocates it. Controls it. Tell me, does he insist on approving every design before it leaves your studio?”
Georgia took a careful sip, watching him over the rim. “You seem to know him well.”
Pride bloomed across Vaughn’s features. He settled into the chair opposite her, loosening his tie. “Better than most. Better than he’d like.” His smile sharpened. “Would you like to know what’s really happening at Adler Capital?”
“I’ve seen the headlines.” Georgia leaned forward, vulnerability painted across her features.
“Headlines,” he scoffed. “Surface ripples. The real damage runs deeper. That leak? Just the beginning. By next quarter, Adrian’s empire will crumble from within.”
Vaughn sprawled deeper into his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his posture loose, but calculated. Like a cat pretending to doze while watching its prey. The sharp edges of his suit softened, but his eyes grew harder, more focused.
“Adrian’s always been shortsighted when it comes to… personal matters.” Vaughn swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “He thinks money and control equal loyalty. But you’re not the type to be bought, are you, Georgia?”
Georgia traced the rim of her glass, letting silence fill the space between them. The scotch burned sweet on her tongue, expensive and smooth. The room dripped with ostentation, the kind of wealth that begged to be seen, so unlike Adrian’s restrained taste. Every surface yearned for attention, from the gilt-edged mirrors to the overstuffed leather chairs.
“I could give you more than freedom.” Vaughn leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “I could give you a front-row seat to his downfall. Let you watch while everything he built crashes down. Maybe even help push it along.”
The city stretched below them, a concrete canvas of possibility and power. Georgia kept her face perfectly still, watching how Vaughn’s satisfaction grew with each second she didn’t protest.
“Think about it—your designs, your name, your success. All yours, not his. And the bonus?” His smile spread, slow and cruel. “You’d get to watch him lose everything he values. Including you.”
Georgia met his gaze with quiet consideration. Let him see what he wanted to see in her silence. His certainty filled the room like smoke, thick with the scent of victory.
“Adrian’s already lost, Georgia. The question is—do you want to go down with him, or rise from his ashes?”
Georgia watched as Vaughn’s posture shifted, his shoulders rolling back with the ease of a man who believed he’d already won.
“You know what fascinates me about you, Georgia?” Vaughn swirled the scotch in his glass. “You’re not like his other… acquisitions. There’s fire in you. The kind Adrian thinks he can control.”
Heat crept up her neck as his gaze traced over her face. The scotch sat heavy in her stomach, its sweetness turning bitter.
“I’ve watched him build his perfect world brick by brick.” Vaughn’s voice dropped lower, intimate. “But you? You’re the crack in his foundation. The flaw he can’t fix.”
The crystal tumbler felt brittle against her palm as she gripped it tighter. Vaughn’s satisfaction rolled off him in waves, filling the space between them.
“Think about it. Every time he controlled your designs, every decision he made for you…” His grin was sadistic. “You could watch him lose everything. His empire. His power. You.”
Georgia felt the weight of his certainty pressing against her skin.
“Adrian’s already lost, Georgia. He just doesn’t know it yet.” Vaughn’s fingers brushed her knee. “Do you want to be collateral damage, or do you want to hold the match that burns it all down?”
Georgia lowered her eyes to the crystal tumbler, letting her shoulders soften. The ice clinked as she rotated the glass, watching light fracture through the amber liquid. Her hesitation wasn’t entirely feigned, the stakes pressed against her chest like a physical weight.
When she lifted her gaze back to Vaughn’s face, she allowed a hint of yearning to surface. The trapped bird considering an open cage door. His satisfaction radiated across the space between them, warming like the scotch in her belly.
She raised the glass to her lips, taking a deliberate sip as she held his gaze over the rim. His smile widened, a predator watching prey step willingly into his trap.
“How long have you known Adrian?” Georgia’s voice came out soft, curious. She traced the edge of her glass with one finger, projecting the perfect mix of interest and uncertainty.
Vaughn leaned back, loosening his tie further. “Long enough to predict his every move.” Pride colored his tone as he launched into a story about their first business encounter.
Georgia watched him speak, noting how easily he’d fallen for her performance. Each word revealed more of his obsession with Adrian, his certainty of victory. He saw exactly what he wanted to see: a woman ready to betray her husband.
Vaughn rose, pacing with predatory grace as he unveiled his masterpiece. Georgia watched him move, noting how his excitement leaked through his calculated exterior. His words painted destruction in careful brushstrokes.
“The problem with Adrian?” Vaughn’s fingers traced abstract patterns in the air. “He trusts too deeply once someone’s proven their worth. Makes him vulnerable.” Pride colored his voice. “My source has been there for years. Someone he’d never suspect.”
Georgia shifted in her chair, allowing a flash of intrigue to cross her features. Her glass sat abandoned on the side table, ice melting into perfect rings.
“The takeover’s already begun.” He tapped his phone, bringing up a complex web of corporate structures. “See these subsidiaries? Each one is a piece of the puzzle. When they move, it’ll be too late for him to stop it.”
She leaned forward, studying the screen with careful attention. Let him see her interest, her growing investment in his scheme.
“But the real beauty?” His smile turned sharp. “Documents suggesting years of fraud. Wire transfers. Offshore accounts. All pointing to Adrian’s involvement in a massive financial scheme.”
Georgia uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, deliberately casual. “And these documents?”
“Masterpieces of deception. Impossible to distinguish from the real thing.” He settled back into his chair, satisfaction radiating from every pore. “When they surface, the SEC investigation will be… inevitable.”
She nodded, letting her eyes drift to the city beyond the windows. Her silence invited more confidence, more revelation.
“Think of it as… natural selection in the financial world.” Vaughn leaned closer, his cologne sharp in her nostrils. “Adrian’s time is ending. But you? You could emerge stronger. Independent.”
His hand brushed her knee once more. “I could ensure your designs reach the right people. Make sure you never need Adrian’s approval again.” His voice dropped lower. “Watch him realize you were his ultimate mistake.”
Georgia tilted her head, letting the light catch her face. Vulnerability and temptation played across her features as Vaughn filled the silence with more promises, more plans, more certainty of his victory.
Georgia let her gaze drop to where his hand still rested on her knee. The weight of it felt wrong, nothing like Adrian’s touch that burned through her skin. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, a calculated gesture of nervousness.
“What would you need from me?” Her voice was soft, hesitant. The perfect mix of fear and hope.
Vaughn’s fingers tightened slightly on her knee as he studied her face. The predatory gleam in his eyes shifted to something sharper, more focused. “Your story, Georgia. The truth about your marriage to Adrian Adler.”
She held her breath, watching as he leaned closer.
“Think about it—the controlling husband, the arranged marriage, the way he manipulates your career.” His words sliced through the air between them. “One interview. That’s all it would take. Adrian Adler’s wife exposing him for what he really is.”
Georgia’s hands twisted in her lap, though not for the reasons Vaughn assumed. “You want me to go public?”
“The timing would be perfect. As the financial evidence surfaces, your testimony would destroy what’s left of his reputation.” Vaughn’s smile grew wider. “The loving husband revealed as a manipulator who coerced a young designer into marriage. The public loves a victim’s story, especially one with your… appeal.”
She nodded slowly, careful to keep her expression neutral despite the rage building in her chest. Her fingers curled into her palm, but she forced them to relax.
Georgia met his gaze, letting him see what he wanted. Behind her eyes, though, pieces clicked into place. Every detail he’d revealed, every confident admission, formed a pattern she could unravel. She just had to play her part a little longer.
Georgia swallowed, her throat tight. “When would you need me to do this?”
“This Friday.” Vaughn pulled out his phone, scrolling through a calendar. “I’ll arrange an exclusive interview with Catherine Walsh from the Financial Times . She’s been following Adrian’s career for years. The story will drop Monday morning before the market opens.”
His thumb traced circles on her knee, the touch making her skin crawl. “The timing aligns perfectly with our other moves. While the public focuses on the scandal, we’ll execute the takeover. Adrian won’t see it coming until it’s too late.”
Georgia uncrossed her legs, pulling away from his touch under the pretense of reaching for her glass. The scotch burned as she took a long sip, buying time to steady her voice. “Friday works for me.”
Vaughn’s smile spread across his face, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. He stood, buttoning his jacket with practiced ease. “I’ll have my driver pick you up at seven. We’ll do the interview at my private residence. It’s more intimate that way. Better for the story.”
“Of course.” Georgia rose, smoothing her skirt. She forced her lips into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be ready.”
Georgia kept her steps unsteady as she left Vaughn’s office, letting her shoulders curve inward with imagined defeat. Each detail crystallized in her mind like frost forming on glass. The takeover planned for Monday’s market opening. Years of manufactured evidence pointing to fraud. A source inside Adler Capital, someone Adrian trusted completely.
Her fingers traced the strap of her handbag where her phone sat silent, recording every damning word. The weight of Vaughn’s scotch still coated her tongue, but triumph burned brighter. He’d revealed so much, drunk on his own certainty of victory.
The elevator doors closed on his satisfied smile. Georgia’s reflection showed exactly what he expected, a woman torn between loyalty and self-preservation. But beneath that careful mask, her mind raced through the web of information he’d unknowingly handed her.
His entire plan laid bare: the forged documents, the SEC investigation, the media circus he’d orchestrated. Each piece designed to destroy Adrian’s empire from multiple angles. The manufactured evidence. The strategic timing. The inside source he’d planted years ago.
Her hand steadied as she pressed the lobby button. Vaughn thought he’d recruited Adrian’s greatest weakness. Instead, he’d just armed Adrian’s most dangerous asset.
Georgia stepped into her workspace, closing the door with a soft click that sealed her away from the rest of the penthouse. The familiar sight of her sewing table and sketches grounded her as she sank into her chair.
She pulled her notebook closer, pen poised above clean paper. Her hand steadied as she began documenting the web of subsidiaries she’d observed on Vaughn’s phone.
Her pen skimmed across the page, each stroke clean and focused as she brought her observations to life on paper.
Only then did she reach for her phone, scrolling to the audio recording. Her fingers trembled slightly as she connected it to the laptop, silently willing the mic to have caught every damning word from inside her purse.
The laptop chimed softly. Georgia inserted the flash drive and dragged the file across. The transfer completed in seconds.
She held the small drive in her palm, its weight insignificant compared to the damage it contained. Every detail of Vaughn’s plan that he’d told her, every calculated step, encoded in his own confident voice, now hers to deliver.
Georgia eased through Adrian’s office door, the flash drive pressing cold against her skin. Shadows stretched across marble floors and glass walls, the city lights beyond reduced to dim pinpricks through the tinted windows. The desk lamp cast Adrian in amber relief, papers scattered across dark wood like pieces of a complex puzzle.
His fingers stilled over a document. He didn’t look up right away, but she sensed how the atmosphere changed—his focus zeroing in on her though he kept up his show of disinterest.
Her steps echoed against the stone, each step deliberate despite her racing heart. This wasn’t about seeking approval or playing his games. She had information that could save or destroy everything he’d built.
Adrian’s gaze lifted, eyes narrowing as they tracked her approach. A muscle ticked in his jaw, the only tell that her unannounced entrance had disrupted his carefully ordered world.
She stopped before his desk, chin lifted. The flash drive pressed into her palm, a tiny weapon with the power to shift the balance between titans. Her fingers uncurled, revealing the device.
Adrian’s eyes fixed on it, his expression unchanged save for a slight tensing of his shoulders. Still, he didn’t speak, waiting for her to make the next move in whatever game she’d chosen to play.
Georgia laid the handwritten notes beside the flash drive, her fingers lingering on the edge of the paper. The list of shell companies and hidden accounts that she had quickly committed to memory spread across the page in her careful script, each connection mapped with arrows and annotations.
“Vaughn’s using these subsidiaries to funnel money through offshore accounts.” Her voice cut through the silence. “He’s orchestrating a hostile takeover of Adler Capital through Vincent, but that’s just the surface. The real damage comes from the SEC investigation he’s planning.”
The lamp cast shadows across Adrian’s features as she detailed the scope of Vaughn’s plan. How he’d manipulated market positions, planted evidence of financial misconduct, even arranged meetings with journalists to craft the perfect narrative of Adrian’s downfall.
“He wants me to meet with Catherine Walsh on Friday. Give an exclusive about our marriage, paint you as a controlling monster who forced me into this contract.” Georgia’s throat tightened, but her voice remained level. “He thinks I’m desperate enough to turn on you.”
Adrian’s fingers rested motionless on his desk, his gaze fixed on the paper before him. The city lights behind him cast his profile in sharp relief, throwing the tension in his jaw into stark contrast.
Georgia planted her feet wider, shoulders straight. She hadn’t come seeking his approval or gratitude. This wasn’t about earning his trust or proving her worth. This was about survival—his, hers, everything they’d built between them.
A tense quiet settled between them, full of possibilities shifting behind his unreadable eyes. Adrian’s stillness spoke volumes, his mind working through every angle, every potential move in this dangerous game.
He leaned back in his leather chair, the movement deliberate and controlled. His shoulders remained rigid, his focus razor-sharp as he processed her revelation.
Georgia’s heart hammered against her ribs as she watched his expression shift. Something in his eyes changed, the ice-blue warming just a fraction, the predatory edge softening into something closer to appreciation. His fingers drummed once against the polished wood of his desk before going still.
His chin dipped, the motion sharp and final. The gesture was subtle, but carried the weight of understanding, of seeing her choice and accepting its value. In that moment, Georgia felt the alignment between them solidify, a shared purpose against a common enemy.
But then his gaze hardened again, scanning over the notes she’d laid out. “You took an unnecessary risk.” His voice carried an edge of steel. “Meeting Vaughn alone was reckless.”
The words sliced through the brief moment of accord. Georgia’s spine stiffened, but she held her ground. The disapproval in his tone was clear, but she noticed his hands had curled into fists on the desk, not from anger, but from something that looked remarkably like concern.
Georgia recognized the familiar tension building in Adrian’s shoulders. His disapproval meant punishment would follow; she’d learned to read the signs in his posture, the way his fingers curled against the desk’s surface. Ten strikes, maybe more for meeting Vaughn alone.
But the flash drive and notes before him held information worth every mark she’d earn. The evidence could save his empire, protect everything he’d built. Her skin tingled with anticipation, but she pushed the sensation aside.
“I made a calculated decision. Vaughn wouldn’t have revealed his plan if you were there. Sometimes protection requires risk.”
Adrian’s jaw clenched. His sleeve pulled tight across his forearm as he reached for the flash drive.
“This isn’t just about your company anymore.” Georgia’s voice grew firm. “My reputation, my designs, they’re tied to Adler Capital now. I won’t stand by while Vaughn tries to destroy what we’ve built.”
The leather of Adrian’s chair creaked as he leaned back, studying her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. His fingers traced the edge of her written notes, following the connections she’d mapped between shell companies and hidden accounts.
“What we’ve built,” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous.
Adrian rose from his chair, his movements fluid yet predatory. “Your meeting with Vaughn wasn’t just about gathering information.” His words sliced into her like a blade. “You placed yourself in his reach without protection.”
Georgia’s throat tightened as Adrian circled the desk. The flash drive and her notes lay forgotten on its surface as he approached. Her fingers curled into her palms, but she forced herself to remain still.
“Come.” The single word carried enough weight to root her feet to the floor, but Adrian’s hand on her lower back guided her from his office into the adjacent private lounge.
The city sprawled below them through floor-to-ceiling windows, a sea of lights that usually captivated her attention.
Adrian’s hand fell away as he positioned her in the center of the room. The soft lighting cast his features in shadow, but she felt the intensity of his gaze as he stepped back.
“You went to him alone.” Each word fell like ice between them. “After everything, you chose to keep this from me.”
Georgia’s pulse thundered in her ears. She recognized the dangerous edge in his voice, the careful control that masked something darker underneath. The space between them crackled with tension as she waited for what would come next.
“Remove your clothes.” Adrian’s voice cut through the silence. “Slowly.”
Georgia’s fingers trembled at the top button of her blouse. The city lights cast shadows across the room, turning the windows into dark mirrors that reflected her hesitation. One by one, she slipped each button free, the silk whispering against her skin.
Adrian stood motionless, his expression unreadable as she let the blouse fall. The cool air raised goosebumps across her exposed shoulders. Her skirt followed, pooling at her feet with a soft rustle.
Each piece of clothing stripped away another layer of her defenses. She unclasped her bra, letting it slide down her arms. The lace of her underwear offered little protection against Adrian’s steady gaze. Her panties were the last barrier, and she pushed them down.
Adrian stepped back, creating distance that only heightened her exposure. His silence weighed heavier than any touch, forcing her to confront her nakedness under his scrutiny.
“Face the window.”
Georgia turned toward the vast expanse of glass. The city sprawled before her, countless windows glowing in the darkness. Her heart skipped. Somewhere in those distant towers, someone might look across and see her silhouette against the light.
She hesitated, her eyes catching on a lit office in a nearby building. The possibility, however remote, of being seen sent her pulse racing. Yet she remained in place, understanding that this vulnerability, this edge of risk, was part of her punishment.
Georgia’s pulse spiked as his image appeared in the glass, a ghost of control made real and undeniable in the light. His suit-clad form towered over her naked body, the contrast between them stark and deliberate. The city lights painted shadows across his features, but his eyes remained sharp, focused entirely on her.
“Twenty-four hours.” His voice carried the weight of judgment. “You’ll remain as you are now, within these walls.”
Georgia’s stomach dropped. The coolness radiating from the glass brushed her heated skin as she processed his words. Her fingers twitched with the instinct to cover herself, but she kept her arms at her sides.
“The staff will be dismissed.” Adrian’s hand brushed her shoulder, light enough to make her shiver. “But you will join me for meals. Both breakfast and dinner. Just like this.”
The flush crept up her neck, spreading across her chest as his meaning sank in. Her reflection showed every reaction she couldn’t hide: the widening of her eyes, the tremor in her lips, the way her skin reddened with embarrassment.
His fingertips drifted down her arm, making her skin prickle with awareness of her nakedness. “Consider it motivation to be more… forthcoming in the future.”
Georgia watched their reflections, seeing how vulnerable she looked beside him. The knowledge that she’d spend hours this way, naked while he remained clothed, struck her with the full force of his control. Every minute would remind her of his power, of her place in his world.
Her reflection betrayed her rising color, the way her pulse jumped beneath her skin. The city continued to sparkle beyond the glass, indifferent to her predicament, while Adrian’s shadow loomed behind her, a silent guarantee of the exquisite torment to come.
Adrian’s hand settled on Georgia’s bare shoulder, his touch burning against her exposed skin. “Tell me why you’re being disciplined.”
Georgia’s throat tightened. Pride warred with the knowledge that her actions had crossed a line. The city lights blurred before her as she forced the words out. “I met with Vaughn alone. I didn’t tell you about his invitation or my plans.” Her voice grew stronger. “I put myself at risk. If something had gone wrong, you wouldn’t have known where I was.”
“And?” Adrian’s fingers tightened fractionally.
“I endangered everything you’ve built.” The glass felt cool against her heated skin. “One wrong move and Vaughn could have used me against you.”
Adrian shifted closer, his breath ghosting across her neck. “Did he touch you?” The question carried a razor’s edge beneath its controlled surface.
Georgia’s pulse jumped. “He put his hand on my knee when he offered me the scotch. He touched me there again later—when he explained his plan.”
The muscle in Adrian’s jaw clenched, visible in their reflection. His eyes had turned to ice. “What else?”
“Nothing else.” Georgia kept her voice steady. “But he talked about our marriage.”
“Tell me exactly what he said.” Each word fell like stone between them.
“He called our marriage a contract of convenience,” Georgia watched Adrian’s expression darken as she spoke. “Said you only saw me as another asset, something to control until you tired of me.”
Adrian’s fingers traced down her arm, possessive and warning all at once. “And?”
“He implied you were manipulating everything about my life,” Georgia’s skin prickled under his touch, her voice softening. “That my career, my success—none of it was mine. That it was all you pulling strings.”
Adrian stepped closer, his chest nearly touching her back. The tension radiated from his body, wrapping around her like a physical force. His reflection loomed over hers, dark and commanding against the city lights beyond the glass.
His fingers caught her chin, gentle but unyielding as he tilted her face up. A shiver ran through her as their eyes met in the window’s reflection, the intensity of his gaze holding her captive.
“I trust your loyalty,” Adrian’s voice carried a dangerous edge. “But your actions today put everything at risk—including you. That’s something I won’t accept.”
He moved around her in a slow circle, his gaze raking over every inch of exposed skin. Georgia felt stripped bare under his scrutiny, not just physically, but emotionally. Each pass he made heightened her awareness of her vulnerability.
“You’re not an asset to be managed.” His words carried a possessive heat that made her shiver. “You’re far more valuable than that. When you put yourself in danger, when you hide things from me—” He paused, his jaw tightening. “I protect what’s mine, Georgia. And you belong to me.”
His fingers brushed through her hair, sweeping it back from her shoulder. The gesture felt intimate, claiming. “Tomorrow, you’ll spend the day like this. No clothes, no barriers between us. Every moment will remind you of who you belong to, of the trust you need to place in me.”
A quiet gasp slipped from her lips as his touch sank in, not just to her skin but to something deeper. This wasn’t just about punishment or control; it was about connection, about breaking down the walls between them. His possessiveness spoke of something deeper than ownership, something that made her heart race and her skin flush with heat.
“Stay.” Adrian’s voice cut through the silence, quiet but unyielding. “Remain exactly where you are. Consider the weight of your choices.”
Georgia’s skin prickled in the cool air, her reflection stark against the dark glass. The city stretched endlessly before her, countless windows filled with countless lives, while she stood frozen in place, stripped bare in more ways than one.
Her fingers trembled at her sides, but she kept them still. The urge to cover herself, to shrink away from her exposed reflection, pressed against her resolve. But Adrian’s command held her in place more effectively than physical restraints.
“When I return, you’ll go straight to bed.” His voice carried the edge of authority that brooked no argument. “No diversions. No distractions. You’ll spend the night reflecting on what happens when you keep secrets.”
The soft sound of his footsteps retreated, followed by the subtle click of the door. The silence swelled in his wake, pressing against Georgia’s skin like an invisible weight.
She remained motionless, watching her reflection waver in the glass. The vulnerability of her naked form against the backdrop of the glittering city drove home the lesson with crystal clarity. Every second that ticked by reminded her of the choice she’d made, of the trust she’d abused by meeting Vaughn alone.
The weight of Adrian’s disappointment pressed heavier than his anger ever could. Her skin cooled in the empty room, but she didn’t move, understanding that this moment of absolute exposure was meant to strip away more than just her clothes.