Chapter 213 213

Chapter 213 213
The garage lights flickered as Chloe pulled into her usual spot, the hum of the engine fading into the quiet echo of tires on concrete. She rested her forehead against the steering wheel for a moment, exhaling. It had been a long day, her company in chaos, her reputation torn apart online, and her mind heavy with questions that refused to stop spinning.

When she finally stepped out of the car, her heels clicking against the floor, she froze.
Across the garage, Alexa was striding toward her own car, her long hair swaying behind her, her face sharp with fury.

The two women locked eyes for a moment, a brief yet electric moment.

Alexa's jaw tightened. She muttered something under her breath, something Chloe couldn't quite catch, though the bitterness in it was clear. Then she let out a sharp hiss, turned away, and slammed her car door shut. The sound echoed.

Chloe stood there, stunned, watching as Alexa started the engine and sped off, the red taillights flashing past her like warning signals in the dark.

Her brows furrowed. What was that about? she thought.

Alexa looked furious not just annoyed, but personally angry.

Chloe shook her head, too tired to think deeply about it. The day had already taken too much out of her. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and walked toward the elevator.

She stepped into the penthouse, the weight of the day still heavy on her shoulders. The opulent space, usually a sanctuary, felt uncharacteristically cold and hollow. Her heels clicked against the marble floor, the sound echoing in the silence as she moved with purpose toward the bathroom. Each step was deliberate, as if the act of walking could shake off the lingering exhaustion that clung to her like a second skin.

She rubbed her temples and tried to push away the headlines she'd seen, the looks on the board members' faces, and the whispers she could almost hear even now. She wanted it to stop, but it was the absence of Valerius that truly weighed her down.

In the bathroom, she shed her clothes with practiced efficiency, letting them fall to the floor in a heap. The fabric whispered against the tile, a soft reminder of the day's constraints now discarded. She stepped into the shower, the warm water cascading over her skin, its heat a stark contrast to the chill in her chest. Steam rose around her, clouding the glass doors, but the ache in her heart remained untouched.

She closed her eyes, letting the water run over her face, as if it could wash away the longing that had settled deep within her. But the memory of Valerius, his laugh, his touch, the way he filled the room with his presence was not so easily erased.

Emerging from the shower, she wrapped herself in a plush robe, the softness a poor substitute for the warmth of his embrace. She moved through the halls, her footsteps quiet on the carpeted floor, until she reached the bedroom.

She collapsed onto the bed, the mattress sinking beneath her weight, and stared up at the ceiling. The absence of Valerius was a tangible void, a space she couldn't fill no matter how hard she tried. Restlessness took hold of her, her fingers tracing the sheets as if they could conjure his touch. Her mind wandered, replaying moments they had shared, the sound of his voice as he whispered her name, the feel of his hand on the small of her back.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to feel his presence, but it was only a ghost, a memory that couldn't comfort her. The sheets felt cold beneath her fingertips, and she rose with a determination that bordered on desperation.

She moved to the closet, her steps purposeful, and retrieved her sex toys from a drawer hidden among her lingerie. The act felt both necessary and futile, a mix of longing and resignation. She clutched the toys in her hands, their familiar shapes a poor substitute for the real thing, but it was all she had.

Returning to the bed, she slipped beneath the covers, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm light over her face. The room was quiet, the only sound her own breathing, shallow and uneven. She placed the toys on the bed beside her, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached for the first one.

It was a vibrator, sleek and powerful, a tool she had used before but never with this weight in her chest. She turned it
On, the low hum is a stark contrast to the silence of the room.

Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander back to Valerius, imagining his hands on her, his lips against her skin. She pressed the toy against her clit, the vibrations sending a jolt through her, but it wasn't enough. Not yet.

She reached for another toy, a dildo, its shape and texture a poor imitation of the real thing but sufficient for her needs. She positioned it at her entrance, her breath catching as she pushed it inside. The sensation was familiar, comforting in its way, but it was the memory of Valerius that truly ignited her.

She imagined him behind her, his hands gripping her hips, his breath hot against her ear as he moved inside her. The fantasy was vivid, almost real, and she let herself get lost in it. Her breaths quickened, her body arching as she moved the toys in sync, the vibrator against her clit, the dildo filling her. The tension built, a coil tightening in her core, and she let out a soft moan, her voice barely audible in the quiet room.

She thought of Valerius, of the way he would whisper her name, of the way he would look at her with a hunger that made her feel desired, cherished. The memory was enough to push her over the edge. 

Her climax came in waves, a release that was both physical and emotional. Her body trembled, her cries muffled by the pillow she pressed her face into. It wasn't the same, it could never be the same, but it was something. A momentary escape, a fleeting solace in the midst of his absence. As the waves subsided, she lay there, spent and sated, the toys still in her hands. The memory of Valerius lingered, a bittersweet ache in her chest.

She closed her eyes, a small, bittersweet smile playing on her lips. The toys slipped from her grasp, discarded on the bed as she let herself drift into a restless sleep.

The silence of the penthouse wrapped around her like a shroud, her heart beating fast against the quiet. A single tear slid down her cheek, not of sadness exactly, but of longing,

"I miss you," she whispered into the dim light.

A pause.

Then a voice, low and velvety, from the shadows. "I missed you too."

Chloe froze. Her breath hitched in her throat. Slowly, she turned toward the sound and her eyes widened.

Lucius stood by the window, half-draped in moonlight, his expression unreadable. For a moment, her mind refused to process what she was seeing. Then instinct took over, and she yanked the blanket to her chest, clutching it tightly.

"Lucius?" Her voice trembled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, though his tone was calm. "Relax. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Didn't mean to...?" Her words caught somewhere between anger and embarrassment. "You are in my bedroom!"

Lucius raised his hands in mild surrender, the moonlight catching on his ring. "I am sorry, didn't mean to..."

She blinked, still breathing unevenly. "You... You can't just show up like this."

"I came to tell you something," he said, his tone shifting, deeper now. "I found the person who put out the fake story about your father."

Chloe's anger flickered, replaced by sharp focus. Her grip on the blanket loosened slightly. "What? Who?"

Lucius took a few steps closer, his eyes glinting. "You might want to sit down for this."