Chapter 3 What burns beneath silence

Juliet's POV

The big ballroom at the LaRusso house sparkled with lights from fancy chandeliers.

Rich people in suits and dresses talked and laughed at the charity party. But under it all, old fights simmered. I stood at the edge of the crowd in my green dress that fit my body tight.

I felt the pain of my family's broken past. My dad, Mr. Romano, once had a big company. But Dominic LaRusso ruined it with his mean business ways. Now we lived in the dark.

Once, my family had stood among people like this!!!

My father, Mr. Romano, as they used to call him with respect, had owned a thriving company, built from years of sacrifice and sleepless nights. Until Dominic LaRusso destroyed it. Contracts twisted. Deals stolen. Courts bought. Everything my father had built was stripped away in silence.

And now, here we were, invited guests in the house of the man who broke us.

My fingers curled at my side as I searched the room. Dominic LaRusso stood near the center, calm and untouchable in a dark suit that screamed power. He laughed easily, shaking hands, accepting praise.

The sound cut through me like glass.

Before I could stop him, All of a sudden, my dad rushed into the middle of the room.

"You stole my company. You stole my life!" his voice cracked. "Look at us now. Look at what you did!"

His face was red with anger. 'You thief!' he yelled, pointing at Dominic LaRusso.

Gasps rippled through the guests. Whispers sparked instantly.

Dominic didn't raise his voice. He didn't even look surprised. He stood there, composed, eyes cold, as security moved in.

"My apologies," Dominic said calmly. "This man is unwell."

That was it.

Guards escorted my father away as he shouted one last time, his voice breaking in a way I would never forget.

Shame burned my skin.

I couldn't breathe. I turned and fled through the side doors, ignoring the stares, the whispers that followed me like shadows. Outside, the garden was quiet, bathed in moonlight. The cool night air filled my lungs, but my heart refused to slow.

I sat on a stone bench. Tears hurt my eyes. Then I heard steps on the gravel. Ryan LaRusso came out of the dark. His Jet black hair was messy. His strong jaw looked worried. He was 29, the son who would take over his dad's business.

He had wide shoulders and eyes that saw right into me. 'Juliet,' he said quiet, sitting next to me. 'That was bad. I'm sorry.'

I wiped my face. Anger came up. 'Your dad broke mine. And now this? My family is a joke because of him.'

Ryan touched my arm. It sent a spark I didn't want. 'It's not that easy. Our dads' fight isn't ours.' We talked, our pain matching.

Then he held my face. His thumb touched my lip. 'I like you, Juliet. More than I should.' The air got heavy. I leaned in even though I knew better. Our lips met in a slow kiss that started something wrong.

His mouth took mine harder. Our tongues touched. But I pulled away, out of breath. 'We can't.' He nodded, his eyes dark. We went our ways into the night.

The next morning, sun came into my apartment. But I didn't sleep. The kiss stayed in my mind, soft at first, then strong. Ryan's hands on my waist felt good.

Guilt hurt my stomach as I got ready for work at the marketing place. It was safe ground where I looked at buying patterns, away from family mess.

By noon, I couldn't focus. Then Ryan showed up at my door with two coffees.

'Truce?' he said with a smile that made me weak. I took the cup. Our fingers stayed close. 'What are you doing here?'

'Talking to you,' he said, leaning on my desk. We talked about work numbers and looks we stole. His knee touched mine under the table. Small touches grew, his hand on my back when he showed a chart. My breath stopped when his fingers brushed my leg. By the end of the day, the office was empty. We were alone in the low light. 'This pull between us,' he said low, 'it's too much.' I looked at him. My heart beat fast. 'For me too.'

Over the next weeks, things got wild. We fought hot in meetings, then joked in the elevator.

Secret messages came on my phone at night. One night, rain hit the city hard.

We stayed late on a new buying plan. The room felt full of want we didn't say. Ryan put down the papers. His voice was deep. 'Juliet, I feel it strong. I can't stop it.' My heart raced. I walked to him and kissed him hard. My hands grabbed his shirt.

He made a sound and pulled me on his lap in the chair. His hard dick pressed against me through our clothes.

'Fuck, Juliet,' he said rough. His hands moved over me. He pulled up my skirt to show my lace panties. I moved on him, moaning as he ripped the panties away.

His two fingers went into my wet pussy. I gasped and rode his hand. But he wasn't soft.

'You want it rough? I'll do it.' He turned me and bent me over the desk. Papers fell. His belt opened. Pants down. He took out his thick cock. It had veins and the tip leaked.

He pushed into me from behind hard. It stretched me tight. I cried out. Hurt mixed with good as he held my hips tight, maybe leaving marks.

He hit me fast. 'Take it,' he said with each slap of his balls on my ass. The sound filled the empty office. I pushed back. My nails scratched the desk. My breasts came out of my blouse as he reached to twist my nipples hard.

Sweat covered us. He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back to bite my neck. He left a mark. 'You're mine now. No matter what our families think.'

He turned me on my back. Spread my legs wide. Put them over his shoulders.

His cock went deeper, hitting the end with every hard push. My wet covered him. I scratched his back. My legs shook as I got close.

'Harder, Ryan, fuck me harder!' He did it like a wild thing. His thumb rubbed my clit until I broke. My pussy squeezed him in shakes. He kept going for his own. Then he went all the way in and came. Hot cum filled me deep. No safe stuff. No pull out. We fell down, breathing hard. His seed came out of me as we came back to real life.

After, we got dressed quiet. But the heat between us grew even more.

Weeks went by. Our wrong love got deeper in the mess, nights we took fast, quiet words in dark spots.

I worked hard to forget the shame. But I felt tired all the time, Mornings I got sick, throwing up over the sink. My hands shook in talks. Sleep pulled me down.

Worst, my period didn't come. It always did on time. One missed, then two...

And whatever this was, it felt like a dream.