His Rules, My Game.

Lenora's POV "I've been f*****g Serena for five months." Those words hit me right in the face like a physical blow, even though they're not directed at me. I lean on the wall in the hallway outside the private room at the bridal boutique, my wedding dress clutched firmly. My entire body shivers as I listen to my fiancé brag about his infidelity to his friends like it's something to celebrate. "Five months?" I hear one of them choke out a hysteric laughter. "Dude, what about Lenora? The wedding's in a week." "Lenora's not a problem…” Julian says and I can imagine the wide grin on his face. "She's so desperate for her father's approval that she wouldn't notice if I was screwing her sister in front of her. The marriage is purely business anyway. Richard promised me board positions and access to Sterling assets once we're married. Serena's just the bonus." "Is she pregnant?" Another of his friends asks. "Just found out," Julian says, there's so much pride laced in his tone. "We're going to tell Richard after the merger goes through. Once I have what I need from the company. By then, it'll be too late for him to do anything about it." My hands are shaking, My entire body is shaking. The man I’m getting married to is discussing my humiliation like it's a business strategy. My heart races extremely fast, I don't stay to hear anymore. I hastily dump the dress in the changing room and leave the boutique without saying goodbye. I board a taxi back immediately, the drive is a blur of tears and rage. By the time the cab pulls into the driveway of the Sterling mansion, I almost forget to pay the taxi man because I'm furious. I storm into the living room where my father is reviewing documents, my voice shaking with rage that I can barely contain. "Julian's been f*****g Serena. She's pregnant. Five months pregnant.” My father slowly looks up from his desk, his expression unmoved, and that's when I realize something even more devastating than Julian's betrayal. My father already knew, he knew all along and he never bothered to tell me. My father doesn't care. “So?” I scoff at him in disbelief, biting my lower lip to hold back the tears that threaten to fall from my eyes. Crying is not going to get my father to show me any sympathy, it would rather make him irritated. “Really? So you knew and you didn't think telling me was the right thing to do?” I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “Quit acting like a child Lenora. The wedding will happen either ways because what is more important is business.” My father sounds so nonchalant and that makes me realize I’m wasting my time confronting someone who could care less about me. “Forget it. I am calling off the engagement.” I wipe the tears off my cheeks and attempt to walk away but my father's next words cause me to halt in my steps. “Well if you are not going to marry Julian. Then you must at least marry Marcus Rothschild in exchange for his investment in the company.” Richard shifts his gaze back to the screen of his phone. My eyes widen in horror. From my knowledge, Marcus Rothschild is an elderly billionaire, probably as old as my father or even older. “Am I some kind of commodity to you?” I snap at him. “Think about it Lenora, for the sake of the company.” Richard is clearly not listening to anything I'm saying. I feel instant disgust to the point where I can not imagine spending another second in this mansion. Without wasting another second, I leave the mansion with one suitcase. That night, I check into a hotel room that is extremely far from where I stay. I can barely catch a glimpse of sleep, I'm too overwhelmed with everything, Julian's betrayal and my father's obsession to sell me off. So that same night, I go to an upscale club that I've been to before with my parents, it's a famous club where beautiful people with too much money drink overpriced alcohol and pretend their lives mean something. All I need is a means of distraction. Something to get my mind off everything so I order a drink and just like that, I keep ordering until I feel numb. I'm about to take another shot when a man slides onto the stool beside me. He's tall, impeccably dressed in a suit, with ice-blue eyes that pierce right through me. Our eyes meet and I hastily take my eyes off him because his gaze is intimidating. "You look like you're planning someone's murder.” He says in a light tone. I sneak a glance at him, there's no judgment in his tone, just simply observation. "I'm planning several.” I shrug. "Maybe starting with my family." A small smile settles on his face. "That's ambitious. Do you have a timeline?" "Not yet." I admit, clutching the shot glass tight. "But I'm working on it." "Good," he says. "Revenge is better when it's methodical. More painful that way." Something about the way he says it makes it sound like he has experience with this and this alone makes me want to tell him everything. Surprisingly, I find myself opening up to him, I tell him about overhearing my fiancé's confession. I tell him about my father's manipulation. I even tell him about my mother Catherine's death when I was sixteen. "What's your name?" He suddenly asks with a raised brow. “Lenora.” I pause to take in a deep breath. “Lenora Sterling.” The young man clenches his fist and for a moment, I see something dangerous flash across his face, something like recognition. As if he knows exactly who I am and why I matter. Then his poker face returns almost immediately which makes me realize how drunk I am. I must have imagined it. Xavier leans close to me and bites his lower lip seductively. “Well Lenora..” He whispers softly into my ears. “Do you want to get out of here?” Just like that, we leave the club together. He takes me somewhere far away from the club. While in the elevator of his building, he pushes me against the wall and kisses me like he's trying to prove something. His mouth is demanding, his hands are urgent, and I'm reciprocating with months of piled up rage and need. The doors open on his floor, he pulls me close to me. "Tell me you want this," he says, his breathing heavy, his eyes searching mine. "I want this." I whisper softly. "I want to forget." His hands gripped my jaw gently but firmly. "I asked if you want me.” "Yes." I breathe. "I want you." He carries me through his penthouse to his bedroom. The space is as cold and controlled as he is. Expensive and devoid of anything personal. He lays me on his bed and looks down at me like I'm something he's been waiting his entire life to possess, the coldness doesn't matter. He undresses me slowly, methodically, like he's memorizing every inch of my skin. His mouth moves from my collarbone to the inside of my wrist, and I'm gasping slowly before he's even touched me where I need him most. He moves with control, each touch deliberate and possessive. This feels more than just physical, something deeper is happening, something that feels dangerous and real. He buries his face in my neck and holds me like he has every right to keep me forever. Afterward, we lie in the darkness. My head is pressed against his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear, His eyes are shut close peacefully but his right hand is still gripping my hip possessively, like he's afraid I'll disappear. I gaze at him, carefully accessing his physical features but I'm distracted when his phone makes a loud buzz. Out of curiosity, I reach over to the other side of the bed where the phone is lying, my eyes catch a glimpse of the screen in the darkness. It is a news notification. A photo of him at some corporate event. And beneath his name in bold letters were the words: "Xavier Cross, Billionaire CEO of Cross Industries." My blood instantly runs cold as realization slowly hit me. I'm lying in bed with Xavier Cross. The Xavier Cross. The man every business magazine has written about. The man whose company is worth billions. The man whose name is synonymous with ruthlessness and power. But what makes my heart race even more is that Xavier is my father's business rival, the man who's been systematically destroying Sterling Industries for years, stealing deals and acquiring assets that should have been my father's. He's everything my father fears. Xavier Cross could be the weapon I need to burn my entire family to the ground.