The Man I Was Supposed To Hate

“Look at me,” he ordered, his voice low and commandingly dark.” Beg for it.” Marceline’s laugh was breathless, defiant, and utterly wrecked. “Go to hell.” Claude’s mouth curved-sharp, wicked, entirely devoid of his usual polish. He’s leaning down until his lips brushed the sensitive shell of her ear.”Beg.”She glared up at him, her chest rising and falling in harsh gasps. For one agonizing second, years of stubborn pride warred with pure, unadulterated need. Then the champagne, the years of suffocating tension, and the heavy, exquisite pressure of him between her thighs broke through her defense.”…Please,” she whispered. He didn’t move an inch. “Please what?”” Fuck me, Claude,” she snarled, the words coming out half a furious demand, half a broken plea. “Please—“—At seven, Marceline Laurent vanished without a trace, leaving Paris high society to assume the worst. At fifteen, she returned-alive, changed, and harboring dark questions about her adoptive brother’s death, Elliot Paget an Auclair Employee. Now twenty-four, Marceline lives a double life. To the public, she is “Celine,” a polished fashion influencer and brand strategist, to her family, she is the emotional anchor and owner of a massive 15% voting stake in Maison Laurent, gifted to her by her late grandfather. Marceline’s world is built on three strict rules: never show vulnerability, protect her inheritance from corporate vultures, and never-under any circumstances-trust an Auclair. Then there’s Claude Toussaint Auclair. Immaculate, brilliant, and infuriatingly charming, Claude is the golden heir to the Auclair empire and the man who’s family Marceline holds secretly responsible for her adoptive stepbrother’s tragic death. For years, she treats him like a stain on the marble floorboards. But when a night of high-strung tension and champagne leads to a disastrous, explosive lapse in judgment, the icy distance between them shatters overnight. With her family on the brink of ruin, Marceline’s only leverage is the inheritance she longs to abandon. To outmaneuver the real villains, she must align with the one man she swore to hate-a partner who understands the lethal game of corporate warfare, and who isn’t about to let her fight it alone. — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: The Man I Was Supposed To Hate — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠