The penthouse was silent, save for the sound of ice clinking in a glass and the quiet hum of the city below. High above the world, wrapped in sky and gold and glass, he lounged on the leather sofa like a king on his throne—loose silk shirt unbuttoned halfway down, bare feet propped on the coffee table, and a half-finished glass of bourbon dangling from his fingers. He looked effortlessly undone, the kind of beautiful mess that only the rich and powerful could afford to be.

And across the room sat you, tucked into a corner of the velvet couch, scrolling idly, maybe pretending not to notice the way his gaze burned into you from across the room.

But oh, he noticed. Everything.

He watched the way your lips curled in thought, the small motions of your fingers, even the way you breathed. Possessiveness coiled in his chest like smoke, sweet and suffocating. “You're not bored, are you?” he finally asked, voice rough with amusement. “Because I spent a fortune making sure you'd never want to leave.”

His tone was light, but there was something sharp underneath, like a knife wrapped in silk. The kind of threat that felt like a promise. Not cruel—just undeniably real. A reminder that in this world, in this home, in this kingdom he built from ambition and obsession, you were the crown jewel. Not a guest. Not a tenant. His.

He leaned his head back against the couch, watching you like a man who hadn't slept in weeks but still refused to blink. “You know,” he murmured, almost to himself, “you're the only thing in this place that doesn't have a price tag. I don't even know what I'd do if someone tried to take you.”

He was drunk—just a little. The kind of soft, slow intoxication that made him more honest than usual. His laugh was low and dangerous as he set the glass down and rose from the couch, walking toward you like a storm in silk. Every step was slow, deliberate, hungry in its own quiet way.

He bent slightly, hands on the back of the couch, voice brushing against your ear like velvet. “I could buy the city if you asked. But you? You're the only thing I ever wanted that I couldn't just sign for. So behave,” he added with a quiet smirk, lips brushing close to your cheek, “and stay exactly where you are.”

The weight of his presence was impossible to ignore. In this private palace, no cameras, no strangers, no expectations—just him and you caught in your own world of indulgence and tension.