\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 121\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
38%9\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted the glass of strawberry juice to my lips and took a small sip, hoping the sweetness would help calm my nerves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of tasting sweet, it was so bitter that I almost winced. The juice didn\u2019t even go down right, sticking halfway in my throat, forcing me to swallow hard just to keep it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
God, someone just kill me already.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If there was ever a time I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole, it was now. I\u2019d do anything to get out of this painfully uncomfortable moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced sideways, my heart hammering in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades sat beside me, looking far too relaxed for my liking. His long fingers rested lazily along the table as he leaned back, one leg crossed over the other, that infuriatingly smug smirk playing on his lips. His eyes were locked on Roman, sharp and taunting, like he was enjoying every second of this silent standoff\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman, on the other hand, was his complete opposite, he was quiet, and composed, but his calmness was the kind that made the air feel heavy. The space between them crackled with tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And judging by the way people were staring, I wasn\u2019t the only one who noticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From nearby tables, whispers began to spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHoly hell, look at them. They\u2019re both so hot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre they brothers? They look kind of alike, one\u2019s got that cold CEO vibe, and the other looks like he could ruin your life and you\u2019d thank him for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019re fighting for her attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way. Over her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course over her. Look at her, she\u2019s stunning. Lucky girl, having two literal gods fight for her attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, but who would you pick? The amused one or the composed one?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, the amused one is definitely trouble, but the best kind. He looks like the type who\u2019d destroy the world just for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue. But the quiet one? He seems like the kind of man who\u2019d protect her in his own way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their voices were loud enough for me to hear every humiliating word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to crawl under the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sighed, setting my drink down and rubbing my temple. If I\u2019d known it would turn into this, I never would\u2019ve brought Roman here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And seriously, how the hell did Hades even get here?\u00a0<\/p>\n
How long had he been here, just watching us before making his grand entrance like this was some kind of show?\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
O\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:51 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 121\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached for my drink again, taking another sip just to distract myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<8%8\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow are you doing, princess?\u201d Hades asked, his voice laced with that arrogance that always managed to twist something deep in my stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026huh?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning, you were limping when you got out of bed,\u201d he said casually, as if he were commenting on the weather. \u201cI was starting to wonder if I might\u2019ve been too rough on you last night.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit me like a slap, stealing the air from my lungs. I choked, the drink went down the wrong way, burning my throat as I coughed violently, trying to breathe. Both men moved at once, hands outstretched, Roman offering a pristine white handkerchief, Hades a sleek black one, their gazes briefly clashing over me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, staring at Hades in disbelief, too stunned to even react.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No. Fucking. Way. Did this man just\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had the audacity to smile. That slow, wicked curve of his lips that always screamed trouble. \u201cHere you go, princess,\u201d he drawled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He did. He actually fucking said that in front of everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even the nearby table went quiet, faces turning pink. I caught a woman whispering, her tone dripping with curiosity, \u201cOh my\u2026 I wonder just how hard he went to make her limp.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face burned crimson as I shot Hades a glare through watery eyes, heat prickling up my neck. I was completely speechless, and the worst part? He looked like he was enjoying every damn second of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ignoring his offered handkerchief, Lreached for Roman\u2019s instead T-thank you,\u201d I managed, still coughing slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman gave a small nod. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hades\u2019 smirk deepen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I brought the handkerchief to my mouth, still trying to calm myself down. My heartbeat was pounding in my chest, but I forced myself to breathe, and appear collected even though my insides were in knots. My gaze flicked between the two men, both of them sitting across from me like the world had narrowed down to this single table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment, I lowered the handkerchief and murmured, \u201cThank you. I\u2019ll return this after washing it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades leaned back slightly, his voice detached. \u201cNo need,\u201d he said, pushing his own handkerchief forward. \u201cHe can have mine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roman turned to him with a blank, deadpan stare. For a second, I thought he might say something sharp, but instead, he just looked back at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll wait for it,\u201d he said simply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cO-okay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades didn\u2019t react. He just shrugged and leaned back, as though his brother\u2019s dismissal didn\u2019t bother him in the slightest. There was something different in the way he looked at Roman. Normally, Hades looked at people as if they were prey, as if he was constantly measuring people, deciding whether they were worth his attention or not. But with Roman, it wasn\u2019t like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades seemed strangely calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And if I wasn\u2019t mistaken, there was even a hint of something almost like affection beneath that look. It wasn\u2019t obvious, but I\u2019d spent enough time around Hades to read the subtle shifts in his mood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
III\u00a0<\/p>\n
O\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:51 Fri, Jan 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 121\u00a0<\/p>\n
He might not show it, but he seemed genuinely content sitting across from his brother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or maybe I was overthinking it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
8%\u00a0<\/p>\n
55 vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my hands in my lap, trying to summon some courage Roman wasn\u2019t stupid, he had to know something was going on between us already. I might as well just get it off my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up, meeting his steady gaze. My throat felt tight, but I spoke anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how this might sound to you,\u201d I began, \u201cbut I\u2019m getting married to your brother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
AD\u00a0<\/p>\n
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20:51 Fri, Jan 9<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 121 \u00a0 Chapter 121\u00a0 Violet\u00a0 38%9\u00a0 55 vouchers\u00a0 I lifted the glass […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}