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Alexander pulled a sleek, heavy titanium card from his inner pocket and tossed it onto the ivory tablecloth. It clattered against the crystal water glass, sliding to a halt inches from the restored silver cuff link box. / Chapter 2 / 30

Chapter 2 - The Seduction of ChaosWithin ninety minutes, the glass-walled dining room of the Grant estate had transformed from a solemn, candlelit shrine of marital neglect into an underground VIP club.

The bass from a high-end portable sound system thumped against the floor-to-ceiling windows, vibrating the glass as sleet continued to tap outside. Twelve professionally trained, impeccably sculpted male dancers moved fluidly through the open-concept living and dining areas, laughing, pouring vintage champagne, and surrounding Erin as she sat regally at the head of the dining table.

She had kicked off her heels. She wore her dark blue dress like a queen’s armor, a glass of thousand-dollar Krug champagne in one hand, while a dancer named Leo—with eyes the color of whiskey and a smile that could melt glaciers—poured another round into her glass.

“To new beginnings,” Leo purred, leaning close, his voice warm against her ear.

“To burning down the past,” Erin corrected with a radiant, intoxicating smile, clinking her glass against his.

Her phone buzzed violently on the marble table.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

The text notifications from the black card’s banking app began flooding in back-to-back.

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Erin didn't even glance at the screen. She simply laughed, tossing a handful of rose petals into the air as the music swelled, entirely abandoning the submissive, quiet wife Alexander thought he had left behind.

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