Alesia's POV.
I sat on the chair in the terrace, hands trembling as I stared at the city lights. It was gorgeous—soft gold spilling over dark rooftops, the kind of view people would kill for.
He's here.
I gripped my dress even tighter, fingers digging into the fabric as my lungs froze in my chest. My eyes squeezed shut on reflex, as if not seeing him would make him less real.
But I still felt him. I opened my eyes and turned.
He had stopped just inside the bedroom doors, moonlight cutting across his face. Slowly he pulled off his watch, then the heavy onyx ring, letting both fall onto the side table with a soft clink. His gaze locked on mine, dark and deliberate, and slid down my body, taking in every inch of the crimson dress, every inch of me.
He chuckled, low and amused, before making his way toward me.
"I didn't think I was that scary," he murmured, stopping right in front of me. "Look at you… trembling so much at the sight of me?"
He pulled out his chair and sat, eyes never leaving mine. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he lifted the silver dome from my plate. The scent of truffle and perfectly seared beef rose between us.
"Let's eat."
Ten minutes of silence stretched like a garrote. My fork scraped porcelain, moving food in circles. He ate with infuriating calm, cutting each bite with surgical precision, as if dining with a terrified woman was the most natural thing in the world.
Finally he spoke, "Is the food not to your liking?"
I froze.
He set his knife down, the sound sharp. "Bring Eliza here."
Panic surged. "It's to my liking," I blurted.
He arched a single brow, waiting.
"I'll eat," I whispered, stabbing a piece of meat and forcing it past my lips. It tasted like ash.
He watched me chew, swallow, and take another bite. Only when I'd managed three did he lean back, satisfied.
I forced myself to take another bite so he wouldn't call Eliza again. I swallowed hard, my throat tight, hands trembling just enough to betray me. I would hate myself if he harms her because of me.
He noticed. Of course he did.
"Do I scare you that much? Do you prefer me gone? I'm sure you must have been thrilled for the last two days?"
Thrilled was an understatement.
I stabbed another piece of steak and shoved it into my mouth just to keep from answering. The silence was safer than whatever might come out if I opened my lips.
Jericho watched me chew, amused.
"You know most women—"
"How about you go find those 'most women' and leave me and my husband the hell alone?" The words exploded out before I could stop them. "If they're lining up to spread their legs for you, why chase the one who wants nothing to do with you?"
His fork paused halfway to his mouth. The candlelight caught the slow curl of a smile that wasn't friendly at all.
"I didn't force you to sign that contract. I gave you a choice".
"You put a gun to my husband's head and called it a choice!"
He leaned forward, voice dropping low. "Your husband took my money, lost it, then offered you up like a poker chip when he couldn't pay. Did I beg him to gamble? Did I twist his arm to sit at my table? No. He chose. And I simply collected."
"That doesn't make what you did right."
Jericho's gaze sharpened, his jaw ticking. "You think I enjoy dragging people into my business? If your husband had even tried to fix his mess, we wouldn't be sitting here." He leaned forward. "Best believe, Alesia, I would have died before I let another man take you away from me."
My breath caught.
My fork slipped from my fingers. I refused to let his words stick to me. Yeah, he was right. He had the money, power and everything to do as he pleased. What does my Antonio have?
"If my husband had even half your—"
"Say husband one more time," he cut in, "and I will have his head delivered here on that silver platter before dessert."
My pulse hammered so hard I felt it in my teeth.
He set his fork down, the clink deafening.
"He could have worked the debt off. Could have crawled on his knees and begged. Instead he drank, whored, and gambled more. I saved you, Alesia. Another creditor would have passed you around his crew until there was nothing left to recognize." His gaze raked over me, possessive and furious. "Be grateful it was me."
"Grateful?" I choked out the word.
"Yes, Luna. Be grateful to your alpha". He drained his wine, set the glass down with finality. Luna?
"One month," he said.
I blinked. "What?"
"Spend a month with me, forget the three months" he said, voice dangerously calm. "Give me thirty days. Eat at my table. Sleep under my roof. Breathe my air. Dance for me, dance with me. Let me show you what loyalty actually looks like."
"I don't—"
"After that," he continued, ignoring my interruption, "I'll send you back to your so-called righteous husband's house."
My heartbeat stuttered. "You… you'll let me go?"
"If that's what you want."
I stared at him suspiciously, that sounded too easy. He wouldn't ask me to sleep with him right? Was he planning to harm my husband?
"What's the catch?" I whispered.
His smirk returned. "The catch," he said, "is whether he'll still want you after you've spent a month with another man."
My breath froze.
Jericho leaned back in his chair.
"Thirty days," he repeated. "Then you're free to run back to the man who sold you. Let's see, if he's as faithful to you… as you are to him."