Twice Burned Twice Desired

"And here I thought ghosts didn't exist."

When he heard that voice, Dominic Stones turned; it was a voice that had whispered his name in the dark for five years.

As he found himself looking at the lady he had once sworn to love, his hold on his champagne flute became more firm. The lady he had discarded.

It felt like a kick to the stomach to see Elena Silvers standing in front of him, poised, untouchable, and magnificent.

The tempest seething within him was concealed behind a false grin. "Elena," he remarked with ease, his tone indicating that her presence did not cause any commotion. "I almost didn't recognize you."

She cocked her head, a little smile teasing her lips. "Is that so?" What had previously been warmth was now nothing but cold in her emerald-green eyes. "It's unfortunate." "I quickly recognized you. Some things are constant."

Studying her, Dominic took in the change. The kind, trusting lady who previously regarded him as her whole universe was no longer there. In red silk, this Elena exuded confidence in every step, making her deadly. A face sharpened by experience was framed by her long, dark chestnut hair, and the caution in her eyes was reflected in the deep tint of her full lips.

Her personality has evolved.

Nevertheless, there was still a part of her that stirred something dark and restless within him.

He blew out a quick breath. "What are you doing here?"

She sipped her wine slowly before responding, "Oh, don't worry, Dominic. I'm not here for nostalgia. As she moved closer, he could smell her aroma, which was both familiar and frighteningly novel. "I'm here to do business. I think Silvers Enterprises and Stones Holdings will be interacting often in the near future."

Dominic clinched his jaw. There was a sharp, unwanted ripple in his head as he heard the term Silvers Enterprises. The latest and most fierce rival of his business.

When Elena saw the insight appear in his eyes, she grinned. "You didn't know, did you?" There was humor in her voice. "That the woman you left for dead now owns the company threatening to rip yours apart?"

An itch of uneasiness slithered through him, and his chest constricted. "So this is revenge?"

Her brow was delicately arched. "Revenge? No, Dominic. This is just ordinary business." She spoke softly on his skin as she drew closer. "But I'll admit... watching you sweat is a satisfying bonus."

The throng surrounding them moved before he could reply, and a recognizable voice broke the tense silence.

"Darling, Dominic! What a catch."

Miranda.

Her whole body became stiff, and Elena's grin disappeared. She curled her fingers around the stem of her glass, whitening her knuckles as Dominic watched.

As she walked toward them, Miranda Stones' platinum-blonde hair glistened in the golden chandelier lights, and her ice-blue eyes briefly met Elena's with a smug flash.

"Elena," Miranda crooned, seeming to be shocked."I was unaware of your return to the city. In my opinion, you would rather vanish when things were too... challenging.

Elena maintained a constant expression, but Dominic saw that her breathing was deliberate and delayed, like a predator waiting for an opportunity to attack.

"Miranda," Elena whispered, her voice silky smooth but piercing through."Still meddling in things that don't concern you, I see."

Miranda grinned wider. "Oh, darling, everything concerning my brother concerns me." She gave Dominic a sidelong look. "Especially old flames who refuse to stay buried."

Dominic became impatient. He cautioned, "Miranda," but she only chuckled and turned back to Elena.

"Oh, I'm good. Miranda went on, sipping her wine, "I'm just admiring the audacity." "After all, it takes a special kind of delusion to think you can walk back into this world unscathed."

When Elena spoke, her words were like velvet-wrapped poison, yet her lips opened slightly as if she would chuckle. "You believe that I returned to be friendlier?".. "I returned, sweetheart, to destroy everything with fire."

Between them, a dense, uncompromising silence hung. Its weight was pushing on Dominic's flesh.

Miranda pondered, idly twirling her glass. "Big words," she said. "But then again, you always were good at pretending to be stronger than you are."

Elena remained calm. Rather, she stepped slowly forward, reaching a point where Miranda had to raise her chin to look her in the eye.

"Oh, I'm not pretending."

As swiftly as she had emerged, Elena took a step back and drained the last of her wine. "Miranda, enjoy the celebration. We're going to see each other a lot in the near future.**

As she turned, she walked away, her silk dress grazing Dominic's arm.

With all of his attention focused on Elena's retreat, Dominic hardly noticed what Miranda was saying next.

His lady.

The non-existent lady who disappeared.

She was prepared to accept everything from him now that she was on an equal footing with him.

As she vanished into the throng, a single idea struck him with a startling intensity-

Elena Silvers's return was not sudden.

Her goal was blood.

Dominic whirled abruptly, his mouth clenched, toward Miranda. "What the hell was that?"

Smiling, Miranda sipped her champagne as if nothing had occurred. "Oh, Dominic, please. Did you really believe she would be gone forever?"

With a steady heat starting in his chest, his fingers flexed over his glass.

"You knew she was back." His tone was husky and menacing.

Miranda's mouth quirked up. "I certainly did. I make it a point to track out my adversaries. You, however, seem dreadfully unprepared.**

He squeezed harder.

Elena had caught him off guard.

Not only by going back, but by getting up. by evolving into something greater than his previous state.

A lady who now threatened everything he had created.

Everything had to be known to him.

"Elicit the duration of her return. Get all the information you can on Silvers Enterprises," he said.

He nodded sharply and slid into the throng, his right-hand man, Nathan, who had been hovering just out of earshot.

Miranda gave a little chuckle. * "Brother, you look shaken." You're still affected by her, don't you?

His eyes scanned the room, ignoring her.

But Elena could not be found.

She had, nevertheless, made her mark.

He was still able to sense the cold in her eyes and the fire of her words.

The lady Elena Silvers was no longer disposable.

She was returning to the board as a queen, and she had every intention of overthrowing his realm.

Dominic Stones was determined to prevent it from occurring.