Chapter 1
The living room lights were off. Only a few rays of the dim evening sun slanted in from the French windows, casting long bands of light on the floor. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams.
No one answered.
My heart skipped a beat, and my movements froze as I changed my shoes.
This wasn't normal.
Usually, at this time, my mother, Evelyn, would either be watching the news in the living room or handling documents in her study. The house was unnervingly quiet, so quiet it made my heart panic.
I tiptoed up to the second floor, my heartbeat amplifying with each step on the staircase.
My mother's bedroom door was slightly ajar. Just as I was about to push it, a suppressed, fragmented sound slipped through the c***k, sending a current through my entire body.
I knew that sound all too well.
It was my mother's voice.
But it was completely different from what I was used to hearing.
Normally, she was the high and mighty Mayor Reed, her voice cool and authoritative, carrying an unquestionable sense of command.
But now, that voice had shed its usual strength, becoming sticky and moist, mixed with a hint of pained pleading.
My hand froze in mid-air. My blood seemed to solidify.
Reason told me to leave immediately, to pretend I hadn't heard anything.
But my body felt nailed to the spot. As if possessed, I brought my eye to the c***k in the door.
Inside the bedroom, it was a mess.
My mother's expensive professional suit was carelessly thrown on the carpet, crumpled like discarded trash.
And she herself, the mayor who was always immaculate and radiant in public, was now kneeling by the bed in a humiliating posture.
A man's back occupied my entire field of vision.
He was tall, wearing a black silk robe that was loosely tied, revealing a strong, tan back and a smooth waistline.
He sat on the edge of the bed, holding a glass of red wine in one hand. His other hand was pinching my mother's chin.
"Evelyn, you know I don't like disobedient people."
The man's voice was deep and magnetic, tinged with a playful smile. Each word was like a small hammer, striking hard on my heart.
"Julian, I'm begging you, just give me a little more time..." my mother's voice was choked with sobs, a humility and vulnerability I had never seen before. "The project, I'm really trying my best..."
The man named "Julian" let out a soft chuckle, swirling the wine glass. The crimson liquid traced an eerie arc on the glass wall.
"Time? Mayor Reed, you're talking to me about time?"
He leaned down, close to my mother's ear, his voice dropping lower, carrying a deadly danger. "Don't you forget who gave you a push to get where you are today. I can push you up, and I can naturally pull you down."
My mother's body trembled visibly, her face pale as a sheet.
"And," the man paused, his gaze sweeping over my mother's body like a venomous snake, finally landing in the direction of my partially open door. A meaningful smile played on his lips. "I hear your precious son is a senior in high school this year? He must be quite a looker?"
Boom.My mind went completely blank.
He saw me!
I was terrified, taking a sharp step back. My heel hit the wall with a dull thud.
"Who is at the door?" my mother turned around in alarm.
The door creaked open, pulled from the inside.
I stumbled and fell to the floor. I looked up and met a pair of bottomless eyes.
The man stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light. I couldn't see his face clearly, only feel an almost tangible pressure that nearly suffocated me.
He looked down at me, his eyes showing no surprise, but rather the excitement and cruelty of a predator spotting its prey.
"Oh? So this is your precious son, Liam?"
He licked his lips, his voice laced with undisguised desire. "He certainly is good-looking. Even more... delicious than I imagined."
My mother scrambled over, shielding me behind her like a lioness protecting her cub, even though she herself was trembling.
"Julian Croft! Don't you touch him! He doesn't know anything!"
Julian Croft laughed, the sound echoing harshly in the empty corridor.
"Doesn't know? Well, he knows now, doesn't he?"
He bent down, reaching out to touch my face.
I instinctively turned my head to avoid him.
His hand froze in mid-air, and his eyes instantly turned cold.
"Little one, quite a temper."
He straightened up, adjusted his robe, and turned his gaze to my mother, his tone becoming icy and cruel. "Evelyn, it seems I need to raise the stakes."
He paused, his eyes falling on me again, like he was sizing up a piece of merchandise.
"How about this, I'll give you two choices."
Julian Croft held up two fingers, speaking slowly. "First, that South End project, approve it for me tomorrow. Second..."
His gaze shifted back and forth between my face and my mother's pale face. Finally, a cruel smile spread across his lips.
"Let your son come to my room tonight, in your place."
