Take a bite of the Forbidden Love

Chapter 2

The heavy winter snow of New York fell in thick, silent sheets, blanketing the grounds of the Goh's Blue Mansion in a deceptively peaceful white. Inside, the estate hummed with the staggeringly wealthy prestige of the Goh family's real estate empire, but Levitt had spent the last four years learning how to occupy as little space within it as possible.

Now a fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration student at Pace University, she was home for winter break. Four years of higher education hadn't just taught her macroeconomics; it had taught her how to meticulously suppress the suffocating, forbidden feelings she had developed for Demetrius.

Demetrius had long since finished his architecture degree. Instead of comfortably coasting on the family's real estate fortune, he had chosen his own path, fiercely establishing his own architectural firm. Though Peter and Renee supported him, Demetrius remained fiercely independent—and entirely cold and distant toward Levitt. Or so she thought.

Every Christmas and New Year's Eve, while the mansion filled with high-society laughter and clinking champagne flutes, Levitt would slip out into the freezing night. Her destination was always a small, struggling animal shelter a few blocks away. For four years, she had secretly funded the shelter by cutting her own college allowance to the bone, skipping meals just to afford kibble for the strays she had personally rescued.

What she didn't know was that Demetrius had noticed her absences from the very beginning. He had followed her, watched her from the shadows, and quietly matched—then quadrupled—her donations to ensure the shelter never went under, all while keeping his name strictly off the records.

Tonight, the biting New York wind howled like a stray wolf. In her frantic hurry to see the animals she had missed so terribly during the semester, Levitt had completely forgotten her heavy outer winter coat, rushing out in only a thin sweater and a scarf.

On her walk back to the mansion, the adrenaline faded, and the brutal, dangerously cold reality of winter struck. She shivered violently, her teeth chattering, her hands tucked deep into her pockets as the wind cut right through her.

Suddenly, a heavy, enveloping warmth dropped over her shoulders.

Levitt gasped, stumbling back slightly as the thick, wool layers of her forgotten winter coat were securely wrapped around her. A pair of large, strong hands adjusted the collar, blocking out the freezing air. She blinked through the falling snow and found herself staring into the dark, piercing eyes of Demetrius. He looked entirely unaffected by the storm, though his dark hair was dusted with white.

"Don't forget it next time," Demetrius said, his voice a low, gravelly baritone that cut through the whistling wind. He adjusted the lapels firmly, his knuckles briefly brushing against her cold chin.

Levitt's heart hammered against her ribs, a dangerous contrast to the freezing night. "Uncle Demetrius... how did you know I was here?"

He didn't answer. He simply stared down at her with an unreadable, intense gaze that made her breath hitch. Realizing he had no intention of explaining himself, and too exhausted from the cold to press further, Levitt quieted.

"Thank you," she stammered, remembering he had come to give her winter coat. Her fingers fidgeting, overcome by the nervousness that always gripped her whenever he was close.

Demetrius looked away, breaking the spell before he did something he shouldn't. "Let's go home." The words were tight, a sharp contrast to the suffocating urge demanding he wrap his arms around her instead.

Without another word, he fell into step beside her. Side by side, they walked back to the mansion in a heavy, charged silence, the snow crunching beneath their boots.

The moment they slipped through the back doors, the mansion's central heating rushed over Levitt's frozen skin. Shivering violently from the delayed reaction to the cold, she immediately hurried upstairs to wash off the bitter winter chill.

She took a long, blistering hot shower, letting the steam thaw her bones. Exhausted, sleepy, and feeling completely drained, she slipped into a comfortable, lightweight silk lingerie dress. Needing something to soothe her racing mind, she tiptoed down to the kitchen, brewed a warm cup of lavender tea, and brought it back upstairs.

The heat of the shower, the biting cold from earlier, and the calming properties of the lavender tea hit her all at once. Her eyes felt impossibly heavy as she walked down the dimly lit hallway. Blinded by sheer exhaustion, her mind drifted, and she turned the brass doorknob of the room immediately preceding her own.

She didn't notice the sleek, minimalist architectural sketches resting on the desk or the distinct, subtle scent of cedar and rain. She simply saw a massive, inviting bed. Setting her empty teacup on the nightstand, Levitt crawled under the heavy duvet, her eyes closing the moment her head hit the pillow. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door clicked open.

Demetrius stepped out, a towel slung low around his hips, steam billowing out behind him. He rubbed a hand through his damp hair, his mind preoccupied with his firm's latest blueprints, when he suddenly froze.

There, buried deep beneath his dark gray comforter, was Levitt.

Her dark hair was spread across his pillow, her face softened by deep sleep, the straps of her silk lingerie dress slipping slightly off her shoulder.

Demetrius stood motionless by the edge of the bed. For four long years, he had kept his distance, playing the role of the cold, untouchable younger 'uncle' while watching over her from the periphery. He looked at her peaceful face, his jaw tightening as the familiar, fiercely suppressed ache flared to life in his chest. He knew she had mistaken his room for hers in her exhaustion. She was entirely defenseless.

Slowly, deliberately, Demetrius dropped the towel and slipped into a pair of sweatpants. He walked over to the side of the bed and slid beneath the heavy duvet.

The mattress shifted, but Levitt only stirred slightly, unconsciously seeking the sudden radiating warmth beside her. She curled inward, her hand lightly resting against his chest.

Demetrius didn't push her away. Instead, he pulled the covers up to her shoulders, his arm settling securely around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. In the dark silence of the room, he closed his eyes, finally letting down the guard he had held up for years.