Claimed By the billionaire

chapter 3

Evan shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips as he tossed his medical bag onto the table. "Well, my medicines are completely useless now, clearly, you handled the... therapeutic aftercare perfectly." He leaned back, his eyes gleaming with intense curiosity.

"So, who is she, Athan? Who’s the woman who actually managed to capture the heart of the stone-cold Athan Gray?"

Athan didn't look back as he walked over to the mahogany bar. He picked up a crystal decanter, poured a generous amber splash of whiskey into a glass, and swallowed it in one brutal gulp.

Evan watched him, expecting the usual wall of silence. In the global business empire, Athan Gray was a myth clad in a bespoke suit—famed for his ruthless efficiency, absolute detachment, and an icy demeanor that never thawed for anyone. He didn't explain himself, and he certainly didn't gossip.

But with a heavy thud, Athan set his empty glass down on the marble counter. "Rachel Stewart."

Evan froze, his jaw practically dropping. He knew exactly who Rachel was. It wasn't because her family held any massive prestige, but because her name had been plastered all over the elite social circles for weeks.

She was Dominic Vance’s long-term fiancée. More infamously, she was the centerpiece of the most humiliating public scandal of the year—Dominic had just thrown a multi-million-dollar grand wedding for his first love, utterly discarding Rachel while she was still technically his promised bride.

And everyone knew that Athan Gray and Dominic Vance were bitter, cutthroat rivals.

Evan’s eyes narrowed as he tried to piece it together.

"If this is just a game to get back at Dominic, you went after the wrong pawn, Athan. You should’ve gone after his precious first love, not the fiancée he just abandoned. Why choose Rachel?"

Athan let out a low, dangerous scoff, his knuckles tightening around his glass.

"Dominic Vance isn't worth a single second of my time. This has nothing to do with a petty business rivalry."

Evan raised an eyebrow, stepping dangerously close to the line.

"Did you even know she was engaged before last night? Because taking another man’s woman... that makes you a homewrecker, Athan."

The air in the room instantly turned sub-zero.

Athan slowly turned his head, fixing Evan with a gaze so dark and lethal it felt like a physical weight pressing down on the room. The absolute, unvarnished malice in his eyes made Evan’s breath catch in his throat.

"Leave," Athan said, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly quiet whisper. "Before I rip out your tongue and make sure you never speak again."

Evan swallowed hard, raising his hands in a silent apology. He knew he had overstepped. Without another word, he grabbed his medical bag and swiftly exited the villa, leaving the titan alone with his thoughts.

Upstairs, the heavy velvet curtains kept the master bedroom bathed in a soft, dim twilight.

Rachel’s eyelids fluttered open. The overwhelming heat in her blood had finally vanished, leaving her body feeling exhausted but clear-headed. She slowly pushed herself up against the silk pillows, the plush duvet slipping down past her shoulders.

That was when she noticed what she was wearing—a luxurious, emerald-green silk nightgown that definitely hadn't belonged to her yesterday.

As the fabric shifted, her eyes caught the faint, pink marks tracing across her collarbone and shoulders. A sudden ache between her thighs confirmed the terrifying truth. It had been her first time.

For five years, she had saved herself for Dominic, holding onto a foolish, naive dream—only to give her innocence to a complete stranger in the back of a sports car.

Memories of the previous night came rushing back in a vivid, burning flood. She remembered the warehouse, Dominic’s icy rejection on the phone, the frantic escape... and then, Athan. Worse than the shame of the act itself was the humiliating realization of *how* it happened: she was the one who had initiated it. She had climbed onto his lap. She had begged him.

Suddenly, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.

Rachel’s muscles tensed in panic. She knew that powerful, deliberate stride instantly.

Driven by pure instinct and a desperate need to avoid the incoming confrontation, she scrambled back beneath the covers, squeezed her eyes shut, and forced her breathing to slow, pretending to be fast asleep.

The heavy oak door clicked open. The footsteps moved closer, sinking softly into the thick carpet until they stopped right at the bedside.

Rachel held her breath, but she could feel the sheer intensity of Athan’s gaze burning into her face, seeing right through her pathetic facade.

"You’ve already slept in my bed and driven my car to its limits,and you've given me your first time." Athan’s deep, velvety voice rumbled through the quiet room, laced with a trace of dark amusement. "Don't tell me you're planning to lie there and pretend it never happened."

Realizing the game was up, Rachel reluctantly opened her eyes, her cheeks burning with a fierce, hot blush. She sat up slowly, clutching the duvet tightly against her chest, unable to meet his piercing eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice tight and nervous. "I... I was drugged. I completely lost my mind, and I didn't mean to force myself onto you or cause all this trouble. Please... tell me what I can do to repay you for saving me. And for... everything else."

Athan tilted his head, a dangerous, mocking smirk playing on his lips as he stepped closer. "Repay me? And what exactly do you think you have that could possibly interest me, Rachel?"

Faltering under his commanding presence, she looked around the opulence of the room. "I don't know... I could buy you dinner? To start?"

Athan let out a low, husky scoff, stepping up to the very edge of the mattress. "Do I look like a man who needs a woman to buy him a cheap dinner?"

Before she could respond, he leaned down, his large, warm hand reaching out to capture her chin. His thumb brushed against her lower lip, forcing her to look up into his mesmerizing, dark eyes.

"I spent the entire night satisfying your cravings," Athan whispered, his voice dripping with raw temptation. "Now, it's your turn to satisfy mine."

With a seamless, powerful movement, he tugged the duvet away, gripped her waist, and pulled her right out of the bed, positioning her securely across his lap as he sat on the edge of the mattress. Rachel gasped, her hands automatically coming up to rest against his broad, solid chest.

Athan didn't give her a chance to protest. He leaned in and crashed his lips against hers, tasting her deeply, his touch possessive and demanding.

Rachel’s mind spun as the familiar, intoxicating scent of him filled her senses. He pulled away slightly, trailing his lips down the sensitive skin of her neck, before gently nipping at her earlobe.

A soft, breathless gasp escaped Rachel’s lips, her fingers involuntarily curling into his shirt.

Athan chuckled darkly against her skin, his hands sliding up the smooth silk of her nightgown to grip her waist tightly.

"Now, Rachel... it's your turn to take the lead."