Ella's POV
My head throbbed like I had been hamered twice. I blinked at the ceiling above me, moon-carved, detailed molding, and soft recessed lighting. Lavish. Quiet. Cold air brushed my skin, and I was instantly confused.
Where the hell am I? Not my room. Not Selene's. Not the club either- "Fuck…" I groaned, rubbing my temples. "My head—" I turned to my side. And then I froze. My heart stopped. My soul probably tried to leave my body.
Sitting casually on a low leather sofa by the wall, like some kind of Greek tragedy turned cover model, was Sylus. Shirtless. Drinking coffee. Wet hair falling onto his forehead, forearm flexing as he lifted the mug, the tattoo running down the side of his arm taunting my entire nervous system.Veins. Sharp jawline. Slight slouch. Dead eyes.
"No. No-no-no." I sat up quickly, my hand flying to my chest, checking. Clothes on. The dress is still here. Shoes off, but fine. Body-no soreness. No suspicious aches.Okay. Okay, we're good.No chaos. No scandal.
Just... Sylus. And me. In his place? I peeked again. Still shirtless. Still annoyingly attractive. And now… walking over. My inner self was not okay. Get a grip, Ella! Stop staring at his back. Stop tracing those damn vein on his bicep. Stop imagining what that wet hair would feel like between your fingers. Fuck why am I so delusional!
He approached slowly, his expression unreadable, classic Sylus. Cold, unreadable, always three seconds away from ruining your emotional stability. "How are you feeling?"His voice was low. Polished. Slightly rough around the edges like midnight whiskey. I swallowed. "I-I'm fine," I croaked out. Voice? Dignity? Gone.
He gave a faint nod. "I'll get you something for the hangover," he muttered, already turning. And I don't know what came over me, maybe it was instinct, desperation, maybe the leftover buzz still in my bloodstream, but I reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Wait—" My fingers curled around him before I could think it through. He paused . Slowly turned. My voice dropped, small and uncertain. "How… how did I end up here?" There it was again. That strange weight between us. He is standing, and here I was sitting. His bare chest was just inches away. His skin was warm beneath my palm. His eyes… unreadable but focused on me.
I realized my hand was still wrapped around his wrist. "Oh god." I quickly let go, fingers jerking back like I touched fire. My heart was racing, and I had no idea if it was from panic or… something else. Sylus didn't flinch. Didn't blink. He just… looked at me. Cool. Calm. Like he hadn't just caught me gawking at his tattoo like a starved idiot.
"I found you passed out," he said, tone even, like he was reading off a police report. "Didn't know where you lived. Couldn't get your phone to unlock. So I brought you here."
I exhaled. A wave of relief slammed into me like a damn tsunami. "Thank god…" I muttered, rubbing my forehead. And then I made the mistake of glancing up. He was still staring at me, head tilted slightly, like he was analyzing every tiny movement I made. "Why?" he asked, voice lower now. "Were you expecting something else?" My brain short-circuited.
"Wha-no—! Of course not—" I could feel my face heating, cheeks burning so fast it was criminal. My voice cracked. So did my dignity. He stepped in slightly, just enough to close a bit of the space. His expression didn't change, but his voice dropped again, a calm, controlled velvet.
"Don't worry." He held my gaze. "I wouldn't do anything without your consent."
Consent. The way he said that word? Dark. Gentle. Serious. Like a promise. Damn. Consent. Why did that make my stomach flip? I had to escape before I lost all brain function. I pushed the covers aside and slid off the bed, and holy heightdifference . Up close like this, standing, it hit me. I barely reached his shoulder. He was like… 6'3 of sculpted intimidation, and I was out here looking like a confused 5'5 teen with morning breath and smeared eyeliner.
"Um. Thanks. For helping me," I blurted. "I'll just… take my leave now." I snatched my phone off the nightstand like it was a weapon, refusing to make eye contact again. He didn't say a word. Just followed behind me as I walked to the door. No touch. No teasing.Just that silent presence like a shadow with a heartbeat. He opened the door, stepped aside. Nodded once, "Goodbye, Ella." I turned back briefly. He didn't wave, didn't smirkJust stood there. Sharp-jawed, wet-haired, shirtless demon.
I nodded awkwardly and walked away. My heart was still pounding when I got into the elevator.
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Sylus's POV
The door clicked shut. I stood there for a long second, still, jaw tight, pulse hammering behind my ribs like it hadn't stopped racing since last night. Then I exhaled. Sharp. Shaky. Cursed under my breath.
"Fuck." The memory hit me again, her body tucked against mine, those parted lips brushing my neck, her scent all over me. Vanilla. Roses. Wine. Wrapped around me like a drug.
How close I was to losing every shred of control the fucking need of cold shower to calm my body down. She had no idea. How her hands stayed around my neck in sleep.How I sat there in the car with her on my lap, teeth gritted, trying not to press my mouth to her throat like a starving man.
I dragged a hand through my hair and walked to the table, grabbing the coffee I'd barely touched earlier, and took a sip. Bitter. Didn't help. I moved toward the window, drawn like gravity, like something in me still followed her.
And there she was. Small, graceful. That same red dress hugged her body as she walked down the sidewalk. Holding her phone. One hand running through her tangled hair. Still completely unaware of what she was doing to me. I leaned my palm against the glass. Coffee cup in the other hand.
You have no idea, do you, Ella? The effect you have. The crack you've carved into me. "You're not a monster," while my hands were still bloody. The girl who slept against my chest like she was safe in my arms, who stains blood. I clenched my jaw.
"In this world built on sacrifice, I'd burn it all if it meant having you in my arms again." And I've made up my mind."I wantyou, Ella." Not for one night. Not for a fleeting taste.
"I want all of you. Every shade of you, Every version of you, if I could carve my name into your soul and mark you so deeply that no one else could touch what's mine. I would. willingly." The kindness. The fire. The tremble in your voice when you're scared but speak anyway. I want the way your lips part when you're nervous. The look you give when you're annoyed. I want the ache. The madness. The ruin. And I won't chase you. No.
"You'll come to me. All by yourself. Not because I chase, because you won't be able to stay away. That craving inside you? It's already mine. Just like you are.". Just like it's pulling me deeper into this madness. This thing between us…It's not over. It's only just begun.
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Ella's POV
I regretted everything. The sunlight.The espresso.And mostly Selene's smirk. We were sitting at our favorite brunch spot, café chairs too bright for my current mental health, and Selene was watching me over the rim of her mimosa like a predator who'd found blood in the water.
"You're gonna sit there," she said slowly, "after being carried out of a club by Sylus-fucking-Morano, and act like it was nothing?" I sipped my iced Americano slowly as if it were wine lingering from last night. "Please. My head still hurts. Can we not—"
"No, we must." She leaned in dramatically. "I turned around for one second, and you disappeared. Then I hear Alex going, 'Bro, Sylus left with Ella.' LIKE??? GIRL???"
"I passed out," I muttered into my straw. "Yeah. In his arms." She was grinning now."You're telling me the coldest man alive cradled you like some little fragile doll and took you home without even trying anything?" I blinked. "He didn't." Her grin froze for a second."Wait- seriously?" I nodded. "He just… took care of me. Gave me coffee. Didn't touch me like that. Didn't even look at me like that."
She stared. "God. That makes it even hotter." I groaned and dropped my head to the table."As a flashback came across my mind, "I won't do anything without your Consent." flustered i was getting fucking fustured how could he say that with such face card - and oh!"Selene. I wanted to die when I woke up. He was shirtless. There were veins. Tattoos. Wet hair. And I looked like a corpse who lost a bar fight."
She laughed so hard she almost choked on her drink. "Oh my god, stop. STOP. WHATTT SHIRTLESS? Veins? Tattoos???? I can't breathe." Right then, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it absentmindedly. Then sat straight up. Modeling Tryout – Confirmed. Today.4 PMM. The agency I'd applied to weeks ago. The one I'd assumed ghosted me.They wanted me?
Selene paused mid-teasing. "What's that face?" I blinked. "I—I got a callback. For the modeling thing. Today." Her eyes widened. "THE modeling tryout??"
I nodded, still stunned. "Holy shit. I- can I even do it?" Selene grabbed both my hands across the table. "Okay, listen to me, you gorgeous little disaster. You're going to go. You're going to kill it. And if I see you hesitate for one second, I will call Sylus and make him drag you there just like yesterday~." "Selene!!" My voice carried embarrassment.
"Shirtless," her voice teased, "…okay, okay, got it! now just stop ittt." I hit her arm playfully.
The next day passed in a haze. Coffee runs. Tulip arrangements. Petal dust on my apron at the flower shop. But beneath it all, there was this constant flutter in my chest.
I passed!! I kept texting Selene updates between customers, giddy and a little breathless.She replied with enough screaming emojis to crack a keyboard, and then Friday came. The morning air was crisp. I arrived at the garden shoot early, the team already prepping the space, vines twisted into archways, warm light filtering through silk-covered reflectors.
I stepped into the dress. Soft ivory. Watercolor floral prints danced across the fabric like whispers. Off-shoulder. Cinched at the waist. Light as breath. My lips were tinted.My hair rolled into soft waves, pinned behind one ear with a delicate petal clip.
And then the camera clicked. I moved slowly. Natural. Like I belonged in this exact moment, draped across the garden bench, sunlight kissing my collarbones, the fabric pooling around me like a story written in flowers. The photographer whispered under his breath."She's a natural…" I didn't hear much after that. Everything melted into light, scent, and breeze. I just… existed. Freely. Softly. Fully.
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The deal was signed. In a glass-walled boardroom overlooking the skyline, signatures were exchanged, hands were shaken, and champagne was poured into crystal flutes. The CEO of JINXÉ Paris leaned back in his chair, smiling. "A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Sylus. We're honored to have you as part of our investor circle."
Sylus simply nodded, fingers still curled loosely around the champagne glass he hadn't touched. His suit was sharp black, crisp. His expression was unreadable. "If you'd like, Mr. Sylus, I can walk you through a few of our creative departments. We're running a soft shoot for one of our upcoming campaigns." Sylus gave a short nod, adjusting the cuff of his suit."Sure." They walked through polished corridors, Workers in several departments, stylists darting with pins and palettes. The air shifted the moment they entered the shooting area wing, lighter, warmer, full of subtle floral scent and sun-drenched energy, and then he saw her.
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Sylus Pov~
I wasn't even looking for her. I was just scanning the space casually, half-bored, really, when my gaze caught the shooting area. Light filters. A garden setup. Something… airy. And then I saw her.
Ella.
Holy- My steps halted entirely, my heartbeat picked up a pace, my eyes glued to her. There she was, standing beneath a cloudy set with warm light pouring from the side, wrapped in an off-shoulder gown painted in brushstroke florals—soft pink and ivory dancing across the fabric like something from another era.
Hair rolled behind one shoulder. Bare collarbones kissed by golden light. fuck.She was moving slowly, subtly, with a calm I'd never seen in her before. This wasn't the Ella I had carried out of a club with flushed cheeks and slurred words. Not the anxious girl who'd woken up in my penthouse, clutching her head.
This was different. Untouchable. A fucking goddess. I swallowed hard, pulse thudding in my ears. The CEO excused himself with a quiet, "Give me a minute, just a quick call," but I didn't respond, I didn't even nod. I just leaned against the wall, frozen, watching her.
Every camera flash lit up parts of her I'd never see: in her elegance, her strength, her strange, etherealcalm. And just as I was trying to breathe through the chaos in my chest—
Her eyes met mine. Surprised expression as if her eyes asked mine what I was doing here? Her posture faltered just slightly, lips parting like she'd seen a ghost, and maybe she had.
Because I wasn't supposed to be there. Not watching her like this. Not seeing this side of her. And definitely not wanting her even more than I already did. But god help me…
I did. This version of her was wrecking every leftover sanity I had. A pure chaos. A pure temptation, I was already feeling like falling to my knees. A madness I'd gladly be consumed by. Oh Ella..... Eres Mia.