Late at night, a photo of my fiancé, Julian, embracing and kissing a supermodel on a yacht in Miami, hit the headlines on TMZ.

But when I confronted him, his fiancée, he just tapped the ash from his cigar, a cruel smirk on his face. "She's just a toy for a bit of fun. Is she really worth all this drama?"

"I've got plenty of pets like her at my club. Pick one for yourself, have some fun, and stay out of my business."

"After all, you're the woman I'm going to marry, not my master. Don't think you can leash me like a dog."

I simply nodded. But as I browsed through a gallery of handsome men, my eyes locked on a figure huddled in the corner. He was covered in gashes, having just lost an underground boxing match. Even beaten within an inch of his life, Ryder's defiance remained unbroken.

Julian's head of security called him a vicious, masterless dog that no one could tame.

But all it took was a beckoning finger for him to obediently crawl to my side, ready to be shaped into whatever I desired.

Later, after I dumped him, Julian was filled with regret, willingly offering to become my dog.

But Ryder held me tight, his voice low and wounded.

"Master, you promised me. You said I'd be the only dog you'd ever have."

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1

"You promised. Don't even think about taking it back."

"Still not answering? You still pissed?"

"Babe, you're really pissed this time, aren't you? Quite the temper."

"She's just a toy, not someone I'd ever take seriously. She's no threat to you, so what's the big deal?"

Staring at the texts Julian sent every five minutes, I curled my lip but didn't reply.

It wasn't that I was still fuming over his tryst with the model. My attention was completely captivated by the profiles of the toned, alluring men on the tablet the head of security had handed me.

One was a feral Latino, another a gently submissive European.

A truly difficult choice.

As I was still hesitating, the phone suddenly rang.

It was Julian again.

I answered, annoyed. On the other end, his voice was as languid as ever.

"You haven't been replying. I was starting to think you'd been kidnapped."

"Alex is throwing a party in the Hamptons tonight. Told me to bring you. He wants to apologize."

"Even if the great Miss Vance is still mad at me, you can't just blow off an old college classmate, can you?"

I didn't answer, asking instead, "That promise you made me last night... does it still stand?"

As Julian fell silent on the other end, my gaze suddenly skipped past a parade of handsome faces and landed on an unremarkable profile at the very end of the file.

His body wasn't the most muscular, but he had a different kind of lean, powerful build. Two bodyguards were holding him up; he was covered in fresh wounds, and thick iron chains were fastened around his neck and limbs.

But it was his face that truly caught me. Unlike his powerful body, it had a delicate, androgynous beauty I couldn't look away from.

It wasn't until Julian's voice on the phone soured with anger that I snapped out of my trance.

"I've promised you a lot of things, babe. Which one are you talking about?"

He bit out the word "babe"—the same way he used to when we were intimate and I'd slightly displeased him, right before he'd bite my skin to "punish" me.

But I pretended not to hear the hostility in his tone and chuckled softly. "What else could it be?"

"You said I could pick a pet to play with, too."

"What's wrong, Julian? Don't tell me you're going back on your word already."

It wasn't like I was trying to pick a fight.

Last night, I had just finished up the final details of a new design project at my studio and decided to scroll through some gossip to unwind.

And then I became the gossip.

The photo of Julian and a young model kissing on a yacht in Miami had beaten out a slew of Hollywood celebrity breakups and makeups to claim the top trending spot. The comment section was full of people tagging me.

After all, our engagement ceremony three years ago had been just as grand, so every time Julian’s scandals hit the papers, they dragged me out for a side-by-side with his latest flame.

I usually didn't care much. After all, his previous flings didn't involve such compromising photos. Even if something was going on, I would just turn a blind eye.

But this time, Julian, who had always disliked being pestered by women, actually allowed such an intimate photo to leak.

Could he have actually fallen for her?

It was deep into the night, but I still drove straight to his private club, where a flying lace panty nearly hit me in the face.

A scene straight out of an R-rated movie was unfolding in the room. Julian's hands were roaming restlessly over the nearly naked model's body.

But when I suddenly flipped on the lights, he ignored the woman's scream and instead raised an eyebrow at me with a smirk, his expression utterly calm.

Five minutes later, the model, wrapped in a blanket, was "escorted" out by his assistant. Before she left, she shot me a venomous glare.

The moment I saw her face clearly, I froze for a second, but I didn't say anything.

And Julian, wearing a half-open silk robe and holding a cigar, blew out a plume of smoke and reached out to grab my arm.

When I dodged him, he froze for a moment, then leaned back onto the sofa, extinguished his cigar, and smiled wickedly.

"What brings you here? I thought you were married to your work."

"Let me guess, my little fiancée saw the news on TMZ, got jealous, and rushed over to stake her claim, didn't she?"

I brushed off his teasing with a cold smile. "What, it looks like you've actually taken a liking to this one?"

"Makes sense. After all, it's not every day you find a cheap copy that looks so much like Claire."

At the mention of "Claire," his relaxed expression instantly tightened.

The next second, he gripped my neck tightly. But no matter how hard he squeezed, even as I was on the verge of suffocating, I didn't beg him once.

Just as I was about to pass out, he abruptly released his grip. I gasped for air, my vision swimming back into focus just as he grabbed my wrist again.

He had returned to his usual nonchalant demeanor, puffing on a new cigar, his eyes slightly hazed over. His thumb rubbed forcefully at the tattoo on my wrist.

It used to be my unique star sign, inked just for me, but now it was altered into Claire's initial.

"She's just a toy, an amusement. Is she really worth all this drama?"

"I have as many of these little toys as I want. If you like them too, pick one and take it home, entertain yourself, and stay out of my business."

"After all, you're the woman I'm going to marry, not my master. Don't think you can leash me like a dog."

He flicked his ash, his voice deceptively casual. "I'll let it slide this time, but Chloe, I'm not a patient man."

"If you bring her up again, you'll force my hand."

"And I won't go easy on you."

His words were still flippant, but I could feel the chill behind them.

But thinking of the marks on my neck and that altered tattoo, I couldn't swallow my anger.

So, when my eyes landed on that man, despite hearing the displeasure in Julian's voice, I still nodded to the head of security beside me.

"I'm done looking. I'll take him."

The moment I said that, Julian hung up.

I paid him no mind, instead saying firmly to the head of security, who wore a troubled expression, "Your boss personally promised this to me."

"Just give him to me. I'll handle the rest."

"It's not that, Miss Vance. You don't understand. This guy, Ryder... he's from Brooklyn, and his personality is, let's just say, vicious and unstable."

"He's already severely injured three of the club's clients and even killed an opponent in the ring. We were actually planning to dispose of him tomorrow."

"Dispose of him?"

Staring at that face, which was covered in blood and grime but still couldn't hide its stunning beauty, I raised my voice without thinking.

What a joke. For years, I’d put up with Julian for two simple reasons: his family's immense power, and a face that was, even in our circle, my absolute type.

Now that I'd seen a face that surpassed his, how could I possibly let it go?

Still, if he was truly that untamable, it would be a problem.

As I was pondering how to tame this beast, the head of security suddenly nodded at the guard by the cage.

Before I could react, the guard pulled out a terrifying electric baton and brought it down viciously on Ryder.

He was already covered in wounds, lying on the ground half-dead. Although his body instinctively tried to dodge, the baton still smashed cruelly against his leg.

In an instant, a roar of agony tore from his throat, like the last cry of a dying beast.

That sound of absolute agony, to my ears, sounded so damn sweet.

But just as I was about to claim him, the head of security suddenly said, "Miss Vance, I hear the Vance Group is collaborating with Mr. Julian on a massive real estate project."

"Your brother, Ethan, has been eyeing that project for a long time, but Mr. Julian insists on working with you directly."

"Mr. Julian may be having a bit of a scandal right now, but at the end of the day, which man in our circle is completely clean?"

"The Vance family isn't his best option for a marriage alliance, but he insisted on you. He knows you."

"What good will it do you to anger him now over a little plaything? Besides, there are so many obedient men out there. Why insist on the one he's already marked for disposal?"

"Miss Vance, you're a smart woman. You should think very carefully about my words."

My gaze turned cold, and I was about to teach this insolent prick a lesson, but on second thought, what he said, though presumptuous, wasn't entirely without reason.

From a purely business standpoint, falling out with Julian over a man wasn't a smart trade.

But as I hesitated, a scar-covered hand suddenly grabbed my heel.

I subconsciously wanted to step back, but my gaze met a pair of eyes, weak yet strikingly beautiful.

The man said nothing, just looked at me with a half-pleading gaze. Seeing my silence, he dejectedly retracted his hand.

Only then did I realize he hadn't actually touched me. His fingers had only hovered over my skin, leaving the spot he'd "touched" just as smooth as before.

The head of security frowned, about to order the guard to drag Ryder away.

But the next second, I leaned down and took hold of the hand that had wanted to, but dared not, touch me. I gave a soft, knowing smile.

"Ryder, is it?"

"From today on, you're my dog."

"For life. No take-backs."