The rain-slicked pavement outside the Hale Foundation's gala reflected the city's neon pulse, but Katherine Voss moved through the crowd like a blade through silk, her black dress clinging to every curve with deliberate intent. She'd come straight from the breakup dinner where Ethan had smirked over his wine, confessing his affair as if it were a minor inconvenience, and the fury still burned hot in her veins, fueling the sway of her hips as she slipped into the private lounge reserved for the elite. Victor Hale stood at the bar, a towering silhouette in tailored charcoal, his silver-streaked hair catching the low light, his eyes—sharp, predatory—locking onto hers the moment she entered. The air thickened with the scent of aged whiskey and his cologne, something dark and woodsy that made her pulse quicken despite the storm inside her.

"Ms. Voss," Victor said, his voice a low rumble that cut through the distant chatter, extending a hand that dwarfed hers when she took it. His grip lingered, warm and possessive, sending an unexpected spark up her arm. Katherine's rage flared anew—Ethan's betrayal, the smug entitlement that had shattered their engagement, the way he'd dismissed her like some disposable asset—but she channeled it into a smile, leaning in just enough for her breasts to brush his forearm. "Victor. I didn't expect to see you here without your son." The words dripped with edge, but his gaze dropped to the swell of her cleavage before snapping back, a flicker of hunger igniting behind his authoritative facade. He was 52, commanding in every inch, yet something primal stirred as her fingers traced the rim of his glass, their proximity charged with unspoken tension.

Katherine's motivation hardened like steel in her core: revenge through seduction, reclaiming power by claiming the father Ethan idolized. Victor's hand settled at the small of her back, guiding her toward a shadowed alcove, his touch firm and electric, hinting at the obsession already taking root. "Ethan's choices don't define this family," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear, and for the first time that night, her anger twisted into something hotter, more dangerous—a mutual pull that promised to consume them both.

Victor's breath lingered against her ear, sending a shiver down Katherine's spine that pooled low in her belly, igniting a heat she hadn't anticipated amid her calculated fury. She turned into him, her body pressing closer in the shadowed alcove as her hand slid up his chest, fingers tracing the hard plane of muscle beneath his crisp shirt. "Then show me what defines it," she whispered, her lips brushing his jaw, the faint stubble scraping her skin in a way that made her nipples tighten against the thin fabric of her dress. His hand at the small of her back dipped lower, cupping the curve of her ass with possessive intent, pulling her flush against the growing ridge of his cock straining against his trousers. The air between them crackled, thick with the scent of whiskey and her own rising arousal, a slick warmth gathering between her thighs as she arched into his touch.

Dinner became an afterthought in the private lounge he'd reserved, the table set with flickering candles and untouched plates of seared steak and wine, but their focus narrowed to the velvet banquette where he guided her. Katherine straddled his lap, her dress hiked up as Victor's strong hands gripped her hips, thumbs pressing into the soft flesh as he ground her down against his thick, throbbing cock. She moaned softly at the friction, her pussy aching and wet, the lace of her panties clinging to her swollen folds while his mouth claimed hers in a deep, hungry kiss. Tongues tangling, teeth nipping, his fingers deftly slipped beneath the fabric to stroke her slick entrance, circling her clit with deliberate pressure that sent sparks of pleasure racing through her veins. Revenge fueled her every move—claiming this powerful man as her own—but the unexpected rush of genuine desire made her hips roll harder, her breasts heaving as his free hand freed one from her dress to suckle a taut nipple, teeth grazing the sensitive peak.

Victor's eyes darkened with raw fascination, his breath ragged as he watched her, the way her body responded to his dominance revealing a hunger that matched his own growing obsession. "You're mine now," he

Vengeance in Silk and Shadow