The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 1235

Hearing Alaric murmur Hertha's name, Georgia felt as if her heart had been stabbed, a cocktail of pain, anger, resentment, and jealousy coursing through her.

Her breathing was once tense with anticipation, but now heaved with indignant fury.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks—if she didn't seize tonight's opportunity, she'd lose her chance to become his bride forever!

Alaric's heart had wandered towards Hertha. Georgia knew her path to his life would only get tougher if he had feelings for Hertha.

She had been smitten with Alaric since childhood, and had finally managed to broker a potential union between the Reeds and the Falconers.

But Alaric seemed indifferent to her, avoiding her at every turn.

Her heart ached, but this only fueled her determination. She took a deep breath and continued to peel off his shirt, even as Alaric caught her hands, trying to stop her. She brushed his hands aside and persisted in undressing him.

"Hertha, don't play with fire..." Alaric's last shred of reason resisted, but his body was already betraying him, his voice husky, his chest burning up.

At the mention of Hertha's name, Georgia's heart twisted with pain, but she pressed on, slipping off his trousers.

She whispered softly, "Pretend I'm Hertha. You brought me to your room, surely not just to sleep? Wouldn't it be a disservice to your passion if we didn't do anything?"

Alaric's head spun, his eyes hardly able to open, thinking he must be dreaming, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Georgia leaned in, her lips inching towards Alaric's. The closer she got, the more she felt his feverish breath.

Just as their lips were about to meet, the bedside phone rang out abruptly. The shrill tone broke through the tension, halting Georgia's advances.

Annoyed, she glanced at the phone, tempted to ignore it, but the insistent ringing continued.

Roused by the noise, Alaric stirred. Georgia was startled, quickly straightened up and picked up the phone, her voice low and tense. "Hello, what is it?"

After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Georgia straightened her attire, cast a glance at Alaric on the bed and exited the room, taking the room key with her.

No sooner had Georgia left than Hertha, lying in another bed, felt a sudden surge of nausea. She bolted upright and dashed into the bathroom, retching uncontrollably.

After vomiting until she was dizzy and weak, she stumbled back into the dimly lit room. Unable to see clearly, she made her way to Alaric's bed, tripping over the edge and collapsing onto it.

She landed solidly on Alaric.

"Ugh!" Alaric, deep in slumber, grunted as Hertha's weight pressed down on him. With a swift roll, he reversed their positions, pinning Hertha beneath him.

"Hertha, I gave you a chance to say no, and you didn't take it," he growled. "Now, let's see if I'm as rough or as gentle as you think!"

With that, he bent down and fiercely captured Hertha's lips with his own.