Chapter 2: The Devil’s Claim
507 Kata
The door of the luxury penthouse on the eighty-eighth floor closed with a final electronic click. Inside the vast space, illuminated only by the dim glow of Jakarta’s city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, I felt like a rabbit herded straight into a wolf’s lair.
“Take off your dress, Elara.”
Adrian’s voice was calm, yet carried an authority that allowed no defiance. He stood near his private bar, pouring bourbon into a crystal glass without once taking his eyes off me.
I clenched the wilted white rose bouquet in my hands. “Adrian, we need to talk about the contract—”
Clack!
The glass was set down harshly on the table. Adrian stepped toward me. Each stride of his shoes across the marble floor sounded like a death knell in my ears. He stopped right in front of me, the scent of alcohol and expensive tobacco now mixed with something far more dangerous—the desire of a man who had waited too long.
“The contract?” Adrian let out a low, dark chuckle. His rough index finger traced my jaw, slid down my neck, and stopped at my exposed collarbone. “That contract exists only to make sure your family can never take you back. But tonight? Tonight is about me collecting what I’m owed.”
“W-what do you mean?” My voice trembled.
“Ten years, Elara.” Adrian suddenly grasped my waist, pulling me against his solid frame. I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat clashing with mine that raced out of control. “For ten years, I’ve imagined the moment I could finally keep you where you belong.”
His hand moved to the back of my gown, finding the hidden zipper. With one swift, practiced motion, the fabric loosened, sliding down until the expensive dress pooled at my feet, leaving me exposed beneath his gaze.
The cold air brushed my skin, yet Adrian’s eyes felt like fire. His gaze traveled slowly over me with an intensity that made it impossible to breathe.
“Adrian, please…”
“Don’t beg, sweetheart. It only makes me want to break you even more,” he murmured hoarsely near my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
He lifted me effortlessly, as if my weight meant nothing, and placed me onto the wide bed. Before I could move away, Adrian was already above me, his presence overwhelming, his grip unyielding.
“You are mine, Elara,” he said quietly, but each word felt like a verdict. “Every breath you take, every moment you try to escape… all of it belongs to me.”
His closeness erased the distance between us, leaving no room for denial, no space for freedom. In his eyes, I saw something far more terrifying than desire.
Possession.
Under the dim crystal lights, I finally understood why people called him the Devil. He didn’t merely take what he wanted—he made you realize that once you belonged to him, there was no way back.
- Penulis
