Everything was a deal until divorce novel Chapter 25

25 Crossing the Line

Cassian asked, “Are you sure your wife is really as obsessed with you as you say?”

Cassian loved stirring things up. He knew Dorian’s temper well enough.

Arrogant, sharp–edged, impossible to bend. Cassian honestly wanted to see the day Dorian got trapped by feelings and forced to lower his head.

Work at Vale Group had been piling up, so Dorian spent most of his time at the office going through documents.

When his phone rang, he thought it might be Arden. He picked it up and saw Cassian’s name.

He tapped into the video. As Arden’s conversation with Vivienne played, Dorian’s eyes darkened.

Arden’s classmates were deep into a game of truth or dare when it was her turn. She chose dare. And the dare was not exactly easy.

“Open the private room door and hug the first man you see.”

Arden had been drinking. Not much, but enough to make her head light and her courage grow. With her classmates cheering her on, she took on a heroic expression.

“Just wait and see.”

She walked toward the door and pulled it open. The first thing she saw was a tall man in a white shirt and black pants walking past.

At the same time, the elevator doors at the far end of the second floor opened, and Dorian stepped out.

“Hey, handsome.”

The man in the white shirt stopped and turned around. Arden met a pair of warm, expressive eyes. They felt oddly familiar, though she could not place them.

The moment he saw her, something stirred in his gaze.

The woman he had been searching for all this time had appeared right in front of him, here in Avalen.

He stepped closer, his eyes taking on a faintly invasive edge. “Are you talking to me?”

Inside the room, her classmates caught sight of the tall, striking man and immediately started chanting, “Hug him.”

Arden turned back and put a finger to her lips. The room quieted. She looked up at the man in front of

her.

He was tall and very good–looking.

She nodded. Only two steps separated them. “Can I hug you?”

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Chapter 25 Crossing the Line

Vincent Draven’s dark eyes deepened. He gave her a courteous smile. “You can.”

Lucien stood beside Dorian. Even in the middle of summer, he felt his hair stand on end.

Finished

Because his boss was staring down the hallway at his wife and a strange man with an icy, murderous look. And his wife was about to hug him.

“Boss, that looks like Mrs. Vale, right?”

“I’m not blind.”

Lucien fell silent. Just as Arden lifted her arms, a cold male voice cut in. “Arden, who do you think you’re hugging?”

Vincent Draven and Arden both turned to the right.

When Vincent saw Dorian, a flash of hostility crossed his eyes. When Dorian saw Vincent, his own gaze turned ruthless. This man looked far too much like the Soutaria crime boss he had crossed paths with three years ago.

“Dorian?” Arden asked in surprise. “Why are you here?”

“If I wasn’t,” he replied coolly, “you’d be hugging some other guy, wouldn’t you?”

Arden nodded. The alcohol had left a faint flush on her cheeks. Her clear eyes were misty, making her look soft and tempting at the same time.

“I’m playing a game with my classmates. I have to hug the first man I see.”

The moment Dorian reached her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest. His posture was openly possessive as he looked at Vincent. “She’s mine. Other men don’t get to touch her.”

Vincent glanced at Dorian’s hand, then clicked his tongue. “Yours?”

A crooked smile lifted his lips. “She’s the one who wanted to hug me.”

“Let go of me.” Arden struggled, clearly unhappy with being held.

Vincent added calmly, “She doesn’t seem comfortable with you holding her. Looks like she doesn’t know you that well.”

Dorian looked down at the woman squirming in his arms. His thumb brushed slowly over her lips, his voice low and intimate. “Arden, tell him. Do we know each other or not?”

Behind them, her classmates saw two men with equally striking looks and presence standing there and immediately started cheering again. “Hug one.”

“Arden, your dare’s not done yet.”

They’re both handsome. Hug either one and it counts.”

They were surprisingly considerate.

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Chapter 25 Crossing the Line

But Arden shook her head seriously. “No. The rule is the first man I saw after opening the door.”

She pointed at Vincent and even smiled up at him. “So if I’m hugging anyone, it has to be him.”

Vincent raised a brow at Dorian and even straightened his tic, looking almost flattered.

Dorian’s jaw tightened, his gaze sinking darker. “Arden, try hugging him and see what happens.”

Finished

His grip tightened at her waist. Before she could move, he pulled her fully into his arms, lifted her slightly, and drew her hands up around his neck.

Both his arms locked around her waist as he held her close, his eyes full of dominance and possession.

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