The heavy silence in the living room was like a palpable weight on Aditya's shoulders, pressing down on him, suffocating him. The only sound that pierced the silence was the genteel sipping of tea, a noise that seemed to reverberate through the room with each delicate slurp. Lilith's proximity was doing little to ease his tension. She was sitting so close to him that he could feel the heat of her body, and her piercing gaze was locked onto him, never wavering. Her eyes seemed to bore into his soul.
Trying to distract himself from her unsettlingly intense stare, Aditya focused on the teacup in his hands, finding strange comfort in its mundane design. He needed to break the silence, to divert his mind from the path it was wandering down.
"So where is Sasha?" he asked, his voice slightly more strained than he would have liked. He continued to study the teacup, as though hoping it could shield him from Lilith's intoxicating presence.
Sip!
Lilith's sensual red lips touched the rim of her tea cup, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary. After taking a slow, deliberate sip, she answered, her voice as rich and smooth as silk. "Sasha went to assassinate a target. The client specifically requested her to get the job done. As you know, my daughter has a 100% success rate. She has never failed to take a target's life." Her eyes gleamed with maternal pride as she spoke of Sasha's accomplishments, but the expression quickly disappeared.
"Who is the target?" Aditya inquired, his curiosity piqued. He took a leisurely sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving Lilith.
Lilith's eyes widened, her surprise evident. She leaned in closer, her body almost touching Aditya's, the teasing sparkle in her eyes replaced by genuine astonishment. "You don't hate her?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief. The question seemed almost loaded, as though she was testing him, probing for his true feelings. "You know what Sasha does, what we do, and yet you show no sign of disapproval or disdain."
Aditya looked at Lilith, his eyes narrowing slightly, a curious expression on his face. He set his tea cup down and turned to face her, his eyes searching hers. "Why would I hate Sasha? She is my future wife." The conviction in his voice was clear, unshakable. He reached out and gently brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, his touch lingering just a moment too long. Aditya realized what he was doing. He had no idea why he did that.
Lilith's breath caught in her throat at his touch, her body reacting despite herself. She was still looking at him with that same incredulous expression. "You know we kill people for money, and we..." Her voice trailed off, the unspoken words hanging in the air like a heavy fog. The room seemed to grow more charged, the erotic tension mingling with a sense of gravity as they delved into more serious territory.
Aditya sighed, the sound heavy with understanding and resignation. He picked up his tea cup again and took another deliberate sip, his eyes never leaving Lilith's. "I don't hate you and Sasha. I don't harbor any dislike towards you two. I won't sit here and pretend to be shocked or appalled by what you two are doing. As the Emperor of the Istarin Empire, I've done many things that I'm not proud to admit." His voice was firm, his words carefully chosen. He was laying himself bare before her, trusting her with his honesty.
Lilith's eyes widened slightly, her lips parting as though she wanted to say something, but no words came out. She simply stared at him, her eyes filled with a mix of surprise, curiosity, and something else, something deeper and more primal.
"In short, what I'm saying is, the world is not just divided into white and black, evil and innocent, devils and angels. The world doesn't work that way. The world itself is grey. Even the most seemingly innocent man has committed at least one sin in his life. But that doesn't make him evil. I don't judge you two because of your profession."
His words seemed to hang in the air, the room filled with a heavy silence as they both contemplated what he had just said.
Aditya's thoughts briefly drifted to his other fiancées, and he found himself wondering how Sasha and Riya would get along. After all, Riya was someone with a gentle heart, kind and caring. Among Aditya's fiancées, she was the most compassionate one. But pondering that was a subject for another day, and he shook himself from those thoughts.
"So who is the target?" Aditya asked again, his voice steady, though he couldn't quite shake the sensation of Lilith's lingering touch from earlier.
Lilith's eyes sparkled with intrigue as she leaned in closer to him, her lips almost grazing his ear as she whispered, "The target is the Merchant Head of the Percival Gildedgate. The rival Merchant group, Lavinia Pearlbrook, is the client." Though Lilith had mostly distanced herself from the affairs of the organization since Sasha took over as leader, she still had her ways of keeping tabs on the missions her daughter personally undertook.
Aditya could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin, her body still close enough that he could sense the seductive fragrance she wore. Her words, though filled with information, were spoken in a tone that made them sound like a sultry secret shared only between them.
Lilith finished her tea with a graceful gulp, her eyes never leaving Aditya's. She placed the teacup on the table, her movements deliberate and teasing. "Enough about that," she purred, her voice dripping with suggestion. "Let's talk about you. It seems yesterday we were having a lot of fun." Her smile was playful, yet her eyes held a promise of something more, something that made Aditya's heart race in his chest.
Aditya's breath caught in his throat at her words, a bead of sweat forming at his brow. The way she said it, the look in her eyes, the way her body seemed to move towards him—it all combined to create a picture of pure, unabashed temptation.
He tried to maintain his composure, tried to focus on the conversation, but Lilith seemed intent on making that as difficult as possible. She shifted closer to him, her leg brushing against his, her hand reaching out to toy with a strand of his hair. Her actions were subtle, her movements fluid and graceful, but they were deliberate, calculated to provoke and arouse him.
Aditya swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. He could feel her eyes on him, studying him, assessing him, challenging him. It was a game to her, a dance of seduction, and she was leading it with a masterful hand.
He cleared his throat, attempting to regain control of the situation. "Lilith, I think we should focus on more pressing matters," he said, his voice slightly unsteady.
Lilith's laugh was soft, a melodious sound that sent shivers down Aditya's spine. "Oh, but Aditya, this is a pressing matter," she whispered, leaning in even closer, her lips just a breath away from his. "Don't you think so? You have a lot of things to explain."
Aditya's mind was spinning, the room suddenly feeling too warm, too charged with a desire he was struggling to keep in check. Lilith's presence was overwhelming, her allure impossible to resist.
He looked into her eyes, he could see the unspoken invitation. And he knew that he was playing with fire, dancing on the edge of a precipice, teetering between control and surrender. If he acted now, then he was going to regret it for the rest of his life.
And he also knew that Lilith was enjoying every moment of it. Her smile widened, her eyes twinkled, and she continued to draw him in, her body and words weaving a web of temptation that was becoming increasingly difficult to escape. It seemed she enjoyed seeing him struggle.
Cough!
With a small, purposeful cough, Aditya forcibly pulled himself back from the edge of the seductive abyss Lilith had almost drawn him into. He turned his head sharply, avoiding her gaze, his eyes fixating on a spot on the wall as he tried to steer the conversation back to safer territory.
"Just yesterday my break started. I got to enjoy some time as holidays. I was finally done with my work. Finally, I no longer needed to sit in front of a desk and work day and night." As Aditya spoke, Lilith could detect a hint of bitterness in his voice, a resentment towards his work that made her chuckle. Her laughter was soft and teasing, a sound that sent another shiver down Aditya's spine.
Lilith leaned in closer, her body almost pressing against his, her breath warm against his neck. "Poor Aditya, always working so hard," she purred, her voice dripping with feigned sympathy. "You deserve a break, a chance to relax and enjoy yourself."
"Anyway, I spend the whole day with Lara, Julia, Alicia, and Riya," Aditya continued, determined to ignore the way Lilith's presence was affecting him. "Each of them was allotted three hours of private time with me. They were free to do whatever they wanted in that time."
His words were matter-of-fact, an attempt to distance himself from the situation, but Lilith was having none of it. She reached out, her fingers graceful and delicate as she placed her index finger under his chin. Her touch was gentle, yet insistent, forcing him to look at her.
Her eyes met his, and Aditya could see the desire there, the playful spark that told him she was enjoying this game of cat and mouse. Her smile was knowing, confident, as if she were certain that she could have him if she wanted.
"What about me?" she asked, her voice a soft, sultry whisper. "Don't I get some private time with you too?"
Her words were a challenge, a dare, and Aditya could feel himself responding despite his best efforts to resist. His heart was pounding, his palms sweating, his body reacting to her proximity, her touch, her scent.
Lilith's smile widened as she saw the effect she was having on him. She leaned in closer, her lips almost touching his ear as she whispered, "I can make it worth your while, Aditya. I can make you forget all about your work, all about your stress. Just give in to me, and I promise you won't regret it."
Her words were a promise, a temptation, an invitation to something forbidden and exhilarating. Aditya could feel himself teetering on the brink, caught between desire and reason, lust and loyalty.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, trying to regain control. But Lilith's presence was intoxicating, her allure impossible to ignore.
At this moment she was like the devil who was trying to tempt him to commit the sin. The devil was trying to seduce him in every way possible but he knew in his heart that if he crossed that invisible line, he was going to regret it.
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Bonus Chapter [II]
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