He laid me down like I was something sacred.
The air between us crackled—hot, electric—as his eyes locked onto mine. My pulse thrummed against the fire building in my veins, not just from the Aphrodite's… but from him.
Leo hovered over me, his breath shallow. "Are you sure?" he asked, voice rough with restraint.
I nodded slowly, lifting my hand to cup his face. "It's not just the drug. I want this. I want you."
His resolve shattered in a heartbeat.
He kissed me.
Not in a rush. Not in desperation. It was slow, deep, deliberate. His lips moved over mine like a promise—one he intended to keep for a lifetime.
I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer as he pressed his body against mine. I could feel every inch of him—every inch of us—aligned, electrified. His mouth traced down my neck, lingering at my collarbone, where he whispered, "You're burning, Melody. Let me take the heat."
His hands slid beneath the fabric of my blouse, fingers brushing my waist with featherlight reverence. He undressed me as if unwrapping a secret he already knew by heart—inch by inch, he revealed my skin to the cool air and his warm gaze.
And when he kissed me again, lower this time, the heat between my legs pulsed so vividly I arched toward him, a soft gasp slipping past my lips. He grinned against my skin, the kind of grin that said he knew exactly what he was doing—and that he loved doing it for me.
"Leo," I whispered, a moan tangled in my throat. "Please…"
He answered with a slow thrust of his hips, not yet inside me, but enough to make me shiver. "Tell me what you want."
"You," I breathed. "All of you."
Clothes fell away—his shirt, my skirt, barriers slipping like silk as our bodies pressed flush. His mouth claimed mine again as his hand slid between my thighs, parting me with delicate precision, drawing a whimper from me that echoed in the quiet room.
When he finally entered me, it was with one slow, deep motion—so full, so close I forgot where he ended and I began.
My body trembled beneath him, hips rising to meet each movement. He didn't just make love to me—he worshipped me. Every kiss. Every breath. Every thrust. It wasn't just pleasure—it was something far more dangerous.
It was surrender.
I cried out his name as waves of ecstasy rolled through me, his voice murmuring my name against my skin like a mantra. "Melody… you're mine."
We moved as one, over and over, until the fire in me was tamed not by exhaustion—but by love. When we collapsed together, slick with sweat, tangled in sheets and breathless heartbeats, he pulled me close, his arms strong around my waist.
"I'll always come for you," he whispered. "No matter what they throw at us."
And I believed him.
Because in that room, on that bed, I hadn't just given him my body.
I'd given him my soul.
The Next Morning
Sunlight streamed gently through the sheer curtains, warming my skin before my eyes even opened. I stirred against the soft sheets, my limbs tangled with Leo's. His arm was wrapped protectively around my waist, our bodies still close—like we hadn't moved at all from the night before.
His fingers brushed the side of my thigh, then trailed lazily to my hip. "Morning," he whispered against the curve of my neck, his voice low and gravelly from sleep.
I hummed, turning slightly to face him. "I could get used to waking up like this."
He smiled and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, tender and lingering. "You okay? After… everything?"
I nodded slowly. "Better than okay. Last night wasn't just about heat, Leo. It was about you… choosing me. And me choosing you, even when the world wants to twist us apart."
Before he could respond, his phone buzzed sharply against the nightstand. A groan escaped his throat as he reached for it, his brow furrowing as he read the notifications.
"Damn," he muttered.
"What is it?"
He sat up, the sheet slipping down his torso. He handed me the phone, the screen already open to a news alert:
BREAKING: GENNA RIVERA FOUND UNCONSCIOUS IN HOTEL SUITE — MYSTERIOUS VISITOR AND ATTEMPTED BLACKMAIL EXPOSED
My heart jumped. I scanned the article. The hotel staff had found her unconscious in a private suite, security footage captured a man sneaking into the room shortly after she collapsed. There were also allegations of a planned media setup—fabricated photos of a cheating scandal between me and the unnamed man.
"What…" I whispered. "They figured it out?"
Leo nodded. "The PR team worked overnight with security. The guy she called in? He confessed after being questioned. Apparently, Genna paid him to stage intimate photos and leak them to gossip outlets. But he turned on her when things went too far."
I clutched the sheets to my chest, pulse racing. "So everything she planned… it's exposed?"
Leo's eyes darkened. "Yeah. And she's done. Her agency dropped her. The networks too. She tried to use my name to climb back up the ladder—but she didn't count on you being smarter."
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You outplayed her. You didn't just survive her venom… you turned it into her downfall."
I swallowed hard, tears stinging behind my eyes. "I only did it because I had something to protect."
Leo's hand found mine, intertwining our fingers. "You protected us, Melody. And I swear… I'll protect you now, no matter what comes next."
I nodded, resting my head against his shoulder as the warmth of the morning wrapped around us like a vow.
Together, we didn't just wake from a night of passion.
We woke to a future no longer shadowed by lies.
Elsewhere in the city, the morning wasn't as peaceful.
Inside the sleek glass tower of Starveil Entertainment, tension sizzled like a live wire. Genna sat on the edge of a leather couch in the CEO's private office, legs crossed tightly, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses even though the blinds were drawn.
Across from her, the CEO, a sharp-eyed woman in her forties named Mireille Han, slammed a stack of printed tabloids onto the desk.
"This is what you brought to my company?" she hissed. "Fabricated photos. Staged affairs. Drugging a public figure's fiancée? Are you completely out of your mind, Genna?"
Genna's jaw tightened. "It was just meant to be a distraction. Something to pull the attention back to me. I didn't expect it to go that far."
"Oh, you didn't expect it?" Mireille snapped, her voice climbing in fury. "You lied. You manipulated. You staged a full-blown assault on Melody Violet's image and endangered Leo Cyprus' name—do you realize what you've done? You've crossed legal lines and moral ones."
"I just wanted what I lost back," Genna muttered bitterly. "It was supposed to be mine. That life. That spotlight. Him."
Mireille's eyes narrowed, disgust curling her lips. "You were once a rising star. Now? You're a liability. Our investors are pulling out of your next drama. Sponsors have dropped your endorsements. The board is demanding an official statement—and we will give them one."
Genna stood abruptly. "You're going to throw me under the bus?"
"No, Genna." Mireille stepped forward, her voice cold as steel. "You threw yourself there. You want fame so badly you poisoned someone for it. That's not ambition. That's obsession. And I won't let this company burn with you."
There was a silence so sharp it could've cut through stone.
Then Mireille slid an envelope across the desk.
"Effective immediately. Your contract is terminated. We'll release a public statement condemning your actions. You can try to recover on your own time—but Starveil Entertainment will have no part in it."
Genna stared at the envelope, her hands trembling as she reached for it. Her fingers stopped just short.
"This isn't over," she whispered. "He'll see me again. I'll make him remember."
Mireille's laugh was dry and bitter. "The only place he'll see you is in the headlines—under 'Disgraced.'"
As Genna stormed out of the office, the door slammed behind her with a reverberating thud. Her heels echoed down the hallway like a fading crown falling from grace.
But behind her…
The empire she tried to build with lies?
Was already crumbling.