비열하고, 우아하게

In the wake of an economic depression that followed the frenzied investment boom in the gold mines of the New Continent, nations driven by greed turned their eyes to foreign wealth, sparking frequent wars and civil strife. Amid this turbulent era, the arms industry flourished, with Rhein Kleindt, a standout company, rising to prominence under its head, Duke Carlisle Polsherd.

A man of unyielding rationality and authority, Carlisle had presided over his wife’s unhappy existence for the past three years of their marriage. It seemed their union would finally come to an end when she handed him the divorce papers.

“How amusing. This is new. Publicizing a divorce to land another man—is that your latest strategy?”

Facing her icy husband again, Yvonne inhaled sharply, her nerves taut.

“You’ll have to come back.”

“Do you even realize what you’re saying right now?”

“Of course. Perfectly.”

As his large frame shifted, Yvonne instinctively stepped back, but not quickly enough. He closed the distance, pinning her against him. The hard ridges of his toned abdomen pressed through the fabric of their clothes, and his searing body heat made her heart pound erratically.

“Ugh, let go of me!”

“I get that you were lonely and found someone else. But I can’t stomach watching you fool around with that b*stard. At the very least, you owe me a child—one born of my blood—to make this arrangement worth the trouble.”

His once-indifferent gaze now gleamed with cruel, carnal intent.