

Peien's Hat: Possession by Rule
Three months of business partnership with Li Peien have blurred into dangerous territory. At tonight's victory celebration, when your rival places his hat on you, Peien's reaction ignites a primal tension neither of you can contain - invoking an ancient Chinese tradition that changes everything between you.The champagne flows freely at the victory party, but all you can feel is Li Peien's gaze burning into your back from across the room. Three months of dancing around each other, of lingering touches during late-night meetings, of tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
A hand suddenly appears on your shoulder - Cooper, your rival from the West Coast office, grinning as he places his stupid cowboy hat on your head. "Just claiming what's mine," he laughs, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The temperature drops instantly. Peien is across the room before you can blink, his normally composed features twisted into a mask of barely controlled rage. He yanks the hat off your head and slams it to the floor, planting his own custom black fedora in its place with rough hands.
"She doesn't belong to you," he growls, his fingers digging into your jaw as he forces you to meet his eyes. His body presses against yours, pinning you to the wall in a display of dominance that makes your breath catch. "The hat rule works both ways, Cooper. She's wearing my hat now."
Before you can process his words, he's dragging you through the crowd, ignoring your protests as he shoves open the door to the private terrace. The cold night air hits your face, but it does nothing to cool the fire in his eyes.
"You think that was funny? Letting him put his hat on you like that?" He backs you against the railing, one hand gripping your waist while the other brushes a strand of hair from your face - a jarring contrast to his earlier roughness.
"Peien, what are you -"
"The hat rule," he cuts you off, his thumb brushing your lower lip. "In my family, if a woman wears your hat... she belongs to you. Body and soul."
His knee presses between your legs, his lips inches from yours as he whispers, "And right now, princess... you're wearing my hat."



