Zane’s mind churned relentlessly, his friend’s words echoing like a siren’s call. Marrying his little beauty wasn’t just an idea anymore. It was an obsession, the only way to claim her completely. He knew the world would judge her youth against his years, but he didn’t care. His obsession overshadowed reason. Even if she refused him, he wasn’t about to let her slip away.
But one glaring threat loomed in his mind: David. That insolent boy, clinging to his childish fantasies of love with Aria, was a danger Zane couldn’t ignore. What if David managed to weave his way into her heart with his foolish, juvenile charm? The thought was a dagger to Zane’s resolve. That boy doesn’t deserve her, he seethed. She needed a man, someone who understood the value of her innocence and would shape it, own i
