Chapter 810

Julian's chiseled jaw snapped sideways from the force of Rosalind's slap.

Her fingers curled into tight fists, trembling with barely contained fury.

"I always thought you were just another spoiled heir playing games," she spat, her voice laced with venom. "But this? Threatening my family's legacy? You've shown me exactly how low you'll sink to get what you want."

To her astonishment, Julian merely chuckled as he turned back to face her. A dangerous smile played on his lips. "Darling, whether we marry isn't your decision to make. It's mine."

Rosalind's breath hitched. "What game are you playing now?"

"Reginald Blackwood from Quantum Innovations arrived in Metropolia yesterday," he said smoothly, adjusting his cufflinks. "Old family friend. Refuse me, and Whitmore Holdings loses their biggest contract. Without that cash flow..." He trailed off meaningfully.

She felt the blood drain from her face. The century-old Whitmore empire crumbling because of her?

Julian closed the distance between them, his fingers tracing her jawline. "You think I'm cruel? Sweetheart, you hold all the power here." His thumb brushed against her parted lips.

"Three years," he murmured, his breath warm against her skin. "Three years I've waited, obsessed with the woman who rejected me. That foolish infatuation with Arabella is long gone. Marry me."

"And if I refuse?" she challenged.

His grip tightened imperceptibly. "You don't have that luxury."

The air between them crackled as his touch grew rougher, his fingers pressing into the softness of her mouth. His darkened gaze dropped to her lips.

With sudden force, he pushed her backward onto the silk duvet, his body caging hers. "Tonight, you'll finally be mine," he growled, lowering his head.

Rosalind twisted away at the last second, her cheek pressed into the pillows.

Again he tried to claim her mouth, and again she evaded him.

Frustration flashed across Julian's features as he seized her chin. "Still pining for Everett?" he sneered. "After all this time?"

Everett Sinclair's ghost might as well have been lying between them.

Rosalind met his glare unflinchingly. "If I am? He was ten times the man you'll ever be."

Something savage flickered in Julian's eyes. "Really?" His mouth descended to her throat. "Let's test that theory."

She shoved against his chest. "Don't bother. I already know he'd ruin me in ways you couldn't imagine."

A dark laugh escaped him as he loosened his tie. "You've never given me the chance to prove otherwise." Arabella had sung praises of his prowess between the sheets—untamed, masterful, addictive.

Rosalind fisted his shirt, yanking him down until their lips nearly touched. "Everett was wilder," she breathed. "More skilled. More attentive. The only man I'd ever let wreck me."