AZRAEL
His mansion was silent.
The long driveway lights cut through the night as his car pulled to a stop in front of the towering glass entrance. The driver stepped out first, opening the door, but I had already stepped out before the man could speak.
The cool night air brushed against my face.
I barely noticed.
My mind was somewhere else.
Inside the mansion, the marble floors echoed faintly under my steps. The place was massive high ceilings, dark polished wood, modern art placed with perfect precision along the walls. Everything about it reflected control. Order.
Nothing in this house existed without purpose.
I loosened the collar of my shirt slightly as I walked toward the large living area.
Yet my mind kept returning to one thing.
Seraphina.
The way she had looked at me earlier.
The way her composure had cracked for just a moment when I stepped closer.
I stopped beside the massive window overlooking the city.
My reflection stared back at me in the dark glass.
Sharp cheekbones.
Cold eyes.
Perfect control.
But my jaw tightened slightly.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
For a brief moment he allowed the memory to replay.
Her sitting there.
Trying to stay calm.
Trying not to react to me.
But I had seen it.
The subtle shift in her breathing.
The small tremble in her voice.
Her shivering legs.
Her wet panties between her legs .
Her harden nipples.
Fuck and those calm and cute mourns .
"Haa"
My fingers flexed slightly at my side.
"He rarely allowed reactions like that."
"Rarely allowed anyone to affect him."
And yet tonight…
My mind replayed the moment when I had stepped close enough to brush that loose strand of hair away from her face.
Her eyes had widened just slightly.
That small, involuntary reaction had stayed with me the entire drive home.
"His gaze darkened."
I turned away from the window and walked toward the bar, pouring myself a glass of water instead of whiskey.
Control.
That was what mattered.
Seraphina was interesting.
Dangerously interesting.
But interest was not weakness.
I leaned against the counter slightly, the muscles along my shoulders relaxing for only a second before tightening again.
Because the truth was simple.
I had felt it too.
That pull between us.
That tension that could easily spiral into something neither of us controlled.
And I did not like losing control.
My fingers tapped once against the glass before I drank.
"The cool water did nothing to quiet his thoughts."
I remembered the moment I had walked out of her apartment.
He had known exactly what he was doing.
Leaving her there.
Letting the tension stay unfinished.
Letting her think about it.
But the problem was…
I had been thinking about it too.
I tightened my jaw again slightly at that realization.
For a man who built empires on calculated decisions, that small lack of emotional distance irritated me more than I cared to admit.
A soft knock echoed through the quiet mansion.
I returned my expression instantly to its usual calm.
"Come in."
The door opened carefully.
My assistant stepped inside, holding a tablet and a stack of documents.
"The man stopped a few feet away, clearly respectful of the quiet authority Azrael carried.
"Sir," the assistant said. "Apologies for the late interruption."
I set the glass down slowly.
"What is it?"
My assistant stepped forward slightly, placing the documents on the table.
"Important paperwork from the office. The contract revisions you requested earlier today."
I glanced at the papers.
My mind shifted instantly back into work mode.
I picked up the top document, scanning the details quickly.
"Legal approved this?" I asked calmly.
"Yes, sir. But they require your final signature before the morning meeting."
I nodded once.
His expression unreadable again.
Business.
That was simpler.
Cleaner.
No emotional complications.
Yet even as I read the contract details, one quiet thought lingered somewhere in the back of his mind.
Seraphina.
And the unfinished tension between us.
I signed the first document with a smooth motion.
The night was far from over.
And somehow…
I had the feeling that neither was she.