Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

The woman stepping out of the car was like the sun itself, drawing every gaze her way. Her makeup was flawless, highlighting her striking features.

Ignoring the cold, stern man beside her, she brushed past him without a glance. But just as she moved, he pulled her back into his arms.

Her brows knitted in frustration, and she struggled briefly, but with so many eyes on them, she had to relent. There was no comparing their strength-she knew that too well.

His arm tightened around her waist, his sharp features softening slightly as though it had taken a great weight off him to have her close. A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"Mr. Coleman... Mr. Coleman..." someone whispered.

"Shh! Quiet! Don't you know how unpredictable he is? If you upset him, you'll regret it. No one makes it in Clothville by crossing him."

The lively atmosphere instantly turned somber. To the uninitiated, he might have been mistaken for a celebrity. But his presence was something else entirely-an icy, suffocating pressure.

If he was ice, then the woman in his grip was fire-two elements that should have repelled one another. Yet, standing side by side, they looked inexplicably right, as if they were always meant to be together.

Marcos, mid-conversation with Denis Vukic, caught sight of them. His brows rose in mild surprise. He hadn't expected Aurora to be connected to someone like this. Nicholas Coleman-a name that could send chills down the spines of both saints and sinners.

Denis, who rarely visited Clothville, wasn't familiar with Nick's reputation. And Nick, ever discreet, let his name do the heavy lifting while his face remained a mystery to most.

From across the room, Asher, chatting casually with Aurora, caught sight of him too. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, well. Little fox, who's that? You've been busy making connections since you got back, haven't you?"

that surrounded Nick, as if

lightly. "He's a friend of Julian's. Helped me out once. People

Asher repeated, his tone laced with

stood tense in Nick's hold. "Back when Zachary got into trouble at the casino, Nick stepped in. Of course, Julian was the one who called him. Without that connection, I doubt he would've lifted

studying Nick's rigid grip on Irene. "Looks like he's still helping

knowingly. "Subtlety isn't

had spotted Aurora and Julian and made to approach them,

hi," she hissed, her irritation barely hidden. Nick's reply was

rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then move faster," she snapped, tugging his hand

a faint, almost imperceptible smile. To

frigid Mr. Coleman...

ties with him for good. Yet here he was

for you! He hadn't changed much-still cold, still domineering. But there was something different now. In the past, even the smallest infraction would have unleashed

had come today to support Aurora's new perfume launch. Given her connection to Julian, it was the polite thing to do. Dressed to perfection, she had barely stepped

had been waiting, his expression unreadable as his sharp gaze swept over her. "You're going

moved across the city to avoid him, and

its bold red paint a reflection of her fiery personality. "I have a car," she bit out, her eyes

silent command. The bodyguard drew his gun and fired, the sharp crack of the shot shattering the air.

rigid as the familiar sound of gunfire echoed in her ears. No matter how many times she'd heard it before, it still sent a shiver

with an icy calm.

turned sharply on her heel. "Fine. I'll

through the air, low and deliberate. "Do you think there's

this city that would dare