RUTHLESS DEVOTION: THE EMPIRE BETWEEN US

BEAUTIFUL DECEPTION

The air inside the boutique showroom didn't just thin, it turned to pure, suffocating friction.

What Amilah felt next was the slow, scorching heat of his warm palms sliding beneath her collar, his long fingers unbuttoning her silk blouse one loop at a time.

The sensation ripped through her heavy sleepiness like a physical shockwave. Gasping against his lips, she quickly clamped her hands over his wrists, her fingers desperately trying to halt the steady, devastating advance of his touch.

Lowin broke the kiss, but he didn't pull away. He hovered a mere millimeter from her face, his lips brushing hers with every ragged breath. His broad chest was heaving up and down in heavy, uneven rhythms. Looking at him up close under the soft morning light, Amilah felt her breath hitch, his piercing silver eyes had completely darkened, turning a predatory, pitch-black shade that instantly made her spine tingle. It was the exact same untamed look he had worn that night in his private penthouse.

Her hand moved involuntarily, as if she were operating completely under a spell. Her fingers traced the sharp, unyielding line of his jaw, completely captivated by the dangerous proximity of him.

A low, gravelly vibration rumbled in Lowin's throat. "Should we continue, or should you admire me first, little bird?"

Before she could even process his mocking words, his other hand sneaked sinfully high beneath her skirt, which had already ridden up to her mid-thigh.

Amilah bit her lower lip so hard. Her body was betraying her yet again, pulsing with a sudden, demanding ache she couldn't suppress.

Seeing her defenses completely crumble into a flush of raw, breathless shyness, Lowin let out a low chuckle, finding her fierce resistance thoroughly endearing.

"Beryl... Beryl and Zaria will be here soon," Amilah whispered frantically, lowering her gaze because looking into his dark eyes felt like drowning. "We shouldn't."

"But you challenged him," Lowin murmured, his lips branding her heated jawline as his fingers glided deeper, tracking the sensitive skin toward her inner thigh. "And he doesn't back down from a challenge."

"I didn't mean it," she pleaded pitifully, her voice dropping to a breathless whine as his hand moved higher. Desperate to break the suffocating physical tension before she lost her mind entirely, her eyes darted over his shoulder. They landed on her open desk drawer, spotting the edge of the corporate document she had been stressing over.

"I-I assume you're a busy man. Can you help me with this proposal?"

Lowin paused, tracking her frantic line of sight. His dark eyes instantly recognized the heavy, gold-crested folder sitting inside the drawer.

"What about it?" he asked, his tone dropping into a smooth, professional drawl, though his fingers remained pinned against her inner thigh.

"I don't know if I should sign it or not," Amilah stammered, trying to latch onto any shred of business logic. "And given the way you somehow know my name and exactly where I work... it means reviewing a document like this is a piece of cake for you."

Lowin's lips twitched with dark amusement. "What do you want to know?"

"If the proposal is worth signing. If it's safe."

"It is."

Amilah let out a breathless, incredulous laugh.

"You haven't even looked at it!"

Lowin stared at her for a lingering, heavy second, leaning forward to steal a sharp, possessive peck from her swollen lips.

"The headline says Vance Empire, so it is worth it. I know the CEO personally, and he is a good person. I am sure he means no harm."

Amilah arched an eyebrow, her heartbeat hammering against her ribs. "Really? You know him? Then what's his name?"

"Lowin Vance," he murmured against her skin, his long fingers beginning to draw agonizingly slow, deliberate circles on her inner thigh.

"I'll sign it then," Amilah gasped out, her hands gripping his tailored shoulders for balance. "But what about you? What should I call you?"

He let out a deep, wicked chuckle that vibrated right against her chest. He surged forward, capturing her lips again with an intense, suffocating kiss that cut off any further questions.

"Call me hubby," he whispered against her mouth.

Amilah's mind went completely blank. Hubby? Who on earth names their child Hubby? Before her brain could even begin unraveling the ridiculousness of the name, a sharp gasp was ripped from her throat.

His hand had effortlessly slid down, finding the metal zipper of her skirt and tugging it down with a sharp zip. Before a single word of protest could form on her tongue, his warm, dominant fingers slid past her lace underwear, finding the entrance of her untouched safe haven. His thumb deliberately grazed her hypersensitive bud, causing her to jerk her head backward, her spine arching off the desk as her hands gripped the hard muscle of his chest.

Lowin let out a low groan, trailing hot, branding kisses down her inviting neck as his fingers slowly slid into her slick core. He cupped her jaw, forcing her to face him, forcing her to look directly into his dark, blazing eyes while his fingers moved with a rhythmic, torturous slowness inside her.

Amilah's breathing came hot and sharp. Her chest heaved violently. She bit her lower lip until it went numb, desperately trying to prevent her soft, embarrassing moans from escaping into the empty boutique.

He leaned down to her ear, his breath a scorching trail of heat.

"Don't hold it in... I want to hear you."

To punish her restraint, he drove his fingers deeper, hooking her g-spot. A loud, breathless moan finally broke through her lips. A victorious, devastatingly handsome smile spread across Lowin's face.

"Good girl."

Without taking his fingers out of her tight core, he used his free hand to reach down and unzip his trousers, freeing his thick, rigid manhood. The sheer size of him made Amilah's eyes widen in primal panic. Lowin pulled her skirt completely up around her waist, dragging her body to the edge of the polished mahogany desk until she was forced to sit flush against his standing frame, her thighs parting wide to accommodate him.

Slowly and deliberately, he withdrew his fingers, replacing them instantly as he guided his heavy length against her opening. Amilah was completely under his spell, the dark fire consuming her lower belly wanted nothing but him. She returned his kiss with equal intensity, her thighs opening even wider to give him full access.

With one smooth, heavy thrust, he entered her.

Lowin let out a deep, guttural groan as her virginal muscles gripped him like a vice. The realization that he was the first and only man to ever touch her sent a wild, savage wave of excitement straight to the beast inside him. He captured her mouth again, increasing his pace, his thrusts turning deep, hard, and possessive. He wanted to hear her say his name. But even in his madness, he kept his control, he couldn't let her know his true identity until that corporate merger was safely signed.

He groaned with each powerful thrust, going completely crazy every time her back arched and her nails dug into his skin. The pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain. Unwilling to let the intoxicating feeling end too quickly, Lowin suddenly gripped her hips and pulled completely out of her.

Amilah's eyes flew wide open, a flash of pure, shameless frustration crossing her beautiful face.

"Why... why did you stop?" she gasped out, her voice dripping with unfulfilled desire.

Lowin chuckled, a dark, breathless sound. "I'm not planning to stop, sweetheart."

In one seamless movement, he scooped her up into his powerful arms, stepped across the office, and laid her down on the plush leather sofa. Within seconds, he unbuttoned the remaining loops of her blouse and deftly unhooked her lace bra. The tempting, pristine sight of her bare body beneath him made his Adam's apple throb violently.

He cupped her breast, his warm tongue trailing searing kisses down her cleavage before latching onto her rigid n****e, teasing it until Amilah was writhing beneath him, begging for release. Unable to take the torture any longer, Lowin guided his manhood back to her soaking entrance and thrust into her core with all his might.

Amilah completely abandoned her restraint. She didn't care anymore, this mystery man was driving her into insanity. She wrapped her slender legs tightly around his waist, her manicured nails digging deep into his broad back as he hit her g-spot with every single, devastating thrust. The tiny office was filled with the rhythmic sound of leather squeaking, heavy groans, and her loud, breathless moans. Within minutes of the frantic pace, the tension snapped, and they both collapsed into a blinding, synchronous release.

They lay tangled together on the narrow sofa, their bodies coated in a fine sheen of sweat, trying to catch their ragged breath.

The moment sanity returned to Amilah's brain, panic set in. She quickly scrambled off the sofa, her face burning with realization. She tied her messy hair back into a swift bun and began frantically straightening her disheveled clothes. Lowin remained stretched out on the leather, his hands clasped casually behind his head, watching her frantic movements with an intensely satisfied smirk.

"You really like running, don't you?" Lowin murmured.

"I have work, and you just came in here to completely distract me!" Amilah fired back, her voice tight with rising frustration as she tried to fix her blouse. "And... are you seriously not planning to tell me who you are?!"

Anger flashed in her chest. She had just had reckless, mind-shattering s*x at dawn in her own office with a completely handsome stranger. She buried her face in her hands, a wave of disbelief hitting her. How had she managed to preserve her virginity for twenty-four years, only to throw caution to the wind for a man whose actual name she didn't even know?

Lowin rose smoothly from the sofa, entirely unbothered by his nudity. He picked up her discarded lace bra from the floor and handed it to her, stealing a quick, teasing peck from her flushed lips.

"I told you. Call me hubby."

Turning around, he effortlessly located his trousers, which he had thrown recklessly across the room during his haze.

Amilah rolled her eyes, realizing there was no point in arguing with the arrogant lunatic. Stomping back over to her desk, she sat down and looked at the gold-embossed Vance Empire proposal. The deadline gave her five more days, but as she looked around her modest boutique, reality set in. Vance Empire was a global juggernaut. If she accepted the merger, she would finally get access to the rare, high-end fabrics she wanted without being on a suffocating budget. More importantly, she could focus on sketching elite designs and supervising, rather than sitting up all night trying to beat deadlines by herself.

With a definitive sigh, she grabbed her pen and signed her elegant signature at the bottom of the page.

Chime.

The front door of the boutique rang softly. Amilah bolted upright, quickly smoothing her skirt, and hurried out of the private office to greet the early client.

Left alone, Lowin pulled out his phone and saw an unread text from Mark.

[Mark]: Boss, your sister just walked inside the boutique.

Out in the showroom, Amilah welcomed the high-society client with a warm smile, entirely hiding the fact that her pulse was still racing.

"Hey, Annah! I didn't expect to see you here in person so early."

Annah smiled back, adjusting her designer sunglasses.

"Hey! I know the big birthday party is tomorrow night, but my family is hosting an intimate dinner tonight to kick off the weekend, and I realized I desperately need a second dress. I thought, why not just come check out your ready-to-wear collection and choose one?"

"Oh, absolutely! You can take a look right over-"

Before Amilah could finish her sentence, the heavy oak door to her private office swung open. Lowin stepped out into the showroom, his suit perfectly back in place, though his hair was slightly windswept.

Annah's jaw nearly hit the polished floor. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to yell his name, but Lowin cut her off with a terrifyingly sharp, warning glint in his silver eyes.

"Ms. Vance," Lowin drawled smoothly, stepping forward to speak before his sister could expose him. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here. Actually, my friend Amilah was just asking me about your brother."

Annah stood utterly paralyzed. What kind of nonsense was her older brother spitting right now? And why did the notoriously cold, ruthless CEO of Vance Empire look so incredibly happy at seven in the morning?

Amilah gasped, her eyes darting between them. "Annah.. you're a Vance?"

Annah blinked, quickly catching onto her brother's strange game. "Yes... I am."

"But your business card... it just said Annah."

"Oh, that," Annah said, casting a sharp, burning glare directly at Lowin. "I don't use my family name in my personal business ventures... thanks to my brother. Every time anyone hears the name Vance, everybody runs in the opposite direction."

Amilah nodded in understanding, completely oblivious to the trap. "But your friend here just told me your brother is a remarkably good person, and that they're close friends."

Annah's eyes narrowed as she looked at Lowin, who was standing there with a smug, untouchable grin. A good person? Lowin Vance? She instantly understood what was happening. Her brilliant, psychotic brother was hiding his identity to play cat-and-mouse with the designer.

To confirm her wild suspicion, Annah asked, "How exactly do you two know each other?"

Amilah's face instantly turned a violent shade of crimson.

Lowin tilted his head, his dark eyes locking onto Amilah with sheer amusement. "How do we know each other, little bird?"

"I... I met him last time at the gala," Amilah stammered, her voice pitching higher.

Annah's inner radar went into overdrive. Looking closely at her brother, she noticed his collar was slightly loose, his hair was messy, and there was a very faint, unmistakable smudge of Amilah's lipstick near his jawline. Oh, my God, Annah thought, suppressing a manic scream of laughter.

He's completely obsessed. "Amilah has a corporate proposal from the Vance Empire," Lowin noted casually, breaking the privacy of their conversation. "Maybe you could drop it off to him on your way out."

Amilah shook her head slightly, her gaze drifting back toward her closed office door where the signed document sat. "Actually, instead of sending it via a courier, maybe we should find another way to deliver it."

Annah's mind reeled at how shameless her brother was. He had used a multi-million-dollar corporate merger just to get into a girl's boutique.

But she couldn't deny she was thoroughly enjoying the chaos.

"A proposal?" Annah asked, a wicked idea forming in her own mind. "You know, instead of me taking it to him... why don't you just come to my private birthday party tomorrow night and hand it over to him yourself?"

Amilah froze. "Oh... I really don't think that's a good idea-"

"We're friends, aren't we?" Annah insisted, stepping forward and grabbing Amilah's hands. "I was going to formally invite you today anyway, so I won't take no for an answer, Amilah. I'll come to pick you up myself at exactly 7:00 PM tomorrow."

"7:00 PM?" Amilah frowned. "Isn't that a bit late for a business meeting?"

"Don't worry, you can just spend the night at the estate," Annah said, flashing a sweet, innocent smile that perfectly masked her inner mischief.

"Only my inner circle will be present, along with my dad's close business partners. My brother will probably show up... actually, now I am completely sure he will."

Amilah looked toward her office door, then at Annah's eager face. Reluctantly, she sighed. "Okay... I'll be there."

Lowin stood in the background, internally amazed by his sister's sudden acting skills. Well, he thought, a dark, victorious smile spreading across his face, I guess I'm going to thoroughly enjoy a family birthday party tomorrow. A thousand predatory schemes began running through his high-functioning brain.

He stepped closer to Amilah, leaning down to deliberately press a soft, lingering kiss right against her flushed cheek. "See you very soon, little bird."

Annah was having the time of her life. If she told her mother and father about this without proof, they would think she had lost her mind. While Lowin was leaned over, whispering to a bright-red Amilah, Annah slyly pulled out her phone, angled it below her purse, and snapped a perfect photo of the untouchable Lowin Vance looking softly at a woman.

She instantly opened her mother's chat and shared the image. Within two seconds, the typing bubbles appeared.

[Mom]: Tell me this isn't photo shopped right now, Annah.

[Annah]: It's 100% real, Mom! I'm standing right in front of them. And guess what? She's spending the night at the mansion tomorrow for my birthday.

[Mom]: That brat didn't even tell me he already has a woman!

Annah quickly slid her phone back into her purse, pretending to admire a nearby evening gown while keeping her ears completely glued to the couple behind her.

Amilah glared at the mystery man, her hands balled into fists.

"Are you mad at me, little bird?" Lowin teased.

"Just leave," Amilah hissed under her breath. "And don't ever come back here unannounced. Actually, I don't want to see your arrogant face ever again."

Lowin chuckled, tilting his head with a lethal, possessive charm. "I'm afraid that won't be possible, sweetheart. Actually... from now on, we will be seeing each other every single day."

"Dream on," she snapped.

With a low, confident laugh, Lowin turned on his heel and walked out of the boutique, his stride radiating the power of a king who had already won the war.

Annah immediately rushed over to Amilah's side the second the door chimed shut. "I think he really likes you."

"He is a total psycho," Amilah groaned, rubbing her temples. Suddenly, a thought struck her. She grabbed Annah's arm. "Wait... he said he knows your brother personally. Tell me his name. What is that lunatic's actual name?"

Annah gasped dramatically, playing her part perfectly. "I-I can't! If he finds out I told you, he'll kill me. As you said, he is a total psycho, and I absolutely do not want to be in his bad books."

Amilah let go, groaning in deep frustration. "Yes, yes, you're right. Argh! This lunatic is so incredibly annoying!"

Annah secretly savored Amilah's burning curiosity, realizing just how desperately the designer wanted to unmask the man who had just dismantled her restraint.

In the back seat of the speeding Porsche, Lowin pulled out his phone and dialed his father's direct number.

The heavy, authoritative voice of Jared Vance echoed through the speaker. "To what do I owe this rare pleasure, Lowin?"

"I want to renovate the executive guest luxury suites at the family mansion," Lowin stated smoothly, his eyes fixed on the city skyline. "And I want the construction to begin tomorrow in the afternoon."

Jared paused on the other end, his brow furrowing deeply at the bizarre timing. "Tomorrow in the afternoon? Lowin, tomorrow is Annah's birthday. We have guests coming to the estate. If you start the renovations that late in the day, the workers won't finish in time, and the guest rooms won't be ready to accommodate anyone for the night."

A slow, victorious smirk curled Lowin's lips. That was exactly the plan. If the rooms were entirely unusable by the evening, his little bird would have absolutely nowhere else to sleep. She would be forced to walk straight into his private quarters.

"I know," Lowin replied, his silver eyes flashing with dark anticipation.

Jared sighed heavily on the other end, recognizing the stubborn, uncompromising tone of his son. He didn't know what game the young CEO was playing, but he knew better than to cross him when his mind was set. "Fine. Do your thing."

The call went dead. Lowin leaned his head back against the plush leather seat, a cold, triumphant smile spreading across his face as the Porsche tore down the highway. His little bird was flying directly into his kingdom, entirely of her own free will.