Trouble in Paradise

Tparted my lips but couldn't find my voice Just then, the door to the

private dining room was hung open, and before he even walked in, I could aready smell his familiar scent

Nicholas gaze lingered on me for a few seconds

ore he turned to Marcus and sneered. "What exactly are you implying, Mare? That I am somehow beneath the standards of your family?"

I was his ex-wife, after all. So, when Marcus insulted me, he was basically

insulting him as well.

He kicked the chair aside, adjusted his trousers, and sat down. He wrapped his arms around my waist and forced me to sit on his lap while he looked at Marcus with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Marcus stiffened, his expression growing solemn. "Nick, you know I didn't mean it like that. But this is about my family, and he's my younger brother. I just can't-"

"Marc!" Nicholas cut him off. "What you're worried about won't happen. Some things are set in stone, do you understand?"

Marcus let out a sigh and nodded. "In any case, I have my limits. I don't want to see my younger brother involved with a woman who's been divorced!"Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

"So what if I'm divorced?" I retorted, my outward composure belying the tempest within. It wasn't as if being divorced was a crime.

"Marc!" There was a glint in Nicholas' eyes. "Ariana is and always will be my wife!"

"What are you on about?" I struggled with all my might, but he just held me even tighter.

Marcus rose from his seat. "Nick, I hope you can resolve your family issues. soon. I'm not going to risk my younger brother's future over this." With that, The stormed off. "See? No one else wants you but me. Everyone else avoids you like the

plague

Nicholas hands suddenly slipped

under my arms. He lifted me as if he were holding a child, spreading my legs before placing me on his He then leaned in, trapping me between the dining table and his arms, his breathing. growing heavy_

I felt humiliated because the way he was handling me reminded me of Claudia. I wasn't his stepsister. I wasn't the one who liked to cling to him affectionately. Even though we had been through so much together, Claudia was always a thom in my side. Every time I thought about her, I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Let go of me! I don't like this position! Don't impose your habits with others

on mel

He smiled and pressed himself against me, his breath growing warmer. What position do you like, then?"

He abruptly wrapped his arms

around my waist, spun me around to face away from him, and settled me

on his lap. His voice was husky as he asked," What about this position?"

en

Im sure you're not enjoying this any more than I am, are you?" I asked through gritted teeth.

I could feel him growing hard

against me, and it seemed like he was tommenting me to see who would cave first. I knew, without a doubt, that I wouldn't be the one to succumb first.

Sure enough, he loosened his grip on my waist and sounded a bit dejected as he said, "Ariane, I recall how you used to burn with desire for me, so you eem especially cold now!"

Nicholes had this habit of being utterly overbearing, only to turn around and act like the victim. All of a sudden, I couldn't make heads or tails of him. "Will you only let go of me if I'm actually seeing someone else? Do you want me to sleep with someone else? If that's what it takes, I'll do it." 1

If he couldn't forget the Ariana who loved him unconditionally, then id destroy those memories for him.