The class went on for several hours, and Ivy tried to focus on her business management course, meticulously taking notes because she wanted to graduate quickly and gain financial independence so she wouldn't have to rely on David.
After class, Niki took Ivy to lunch in the open-air cafeteria, where all the popular students usually gathered to show off their looks or gossip about the latest campus drama.
As they sat enjoying their salads and orange juice, a handsome man from the legal department named Arlo approached their table with a charming smile, prompting Niki to give Ivy a nudge with her elbow.
Arlo was the type of guy who always seemed to be the center of attention, and his presence at their table naturally attracted the attention of the other students present. "Hey, Ivy. I almost didn't recognize you in class, you look so different and... so much fresher today," Arlo greeted her in a soft yet alluring tone, standing close enough for her to smell his expensive, masculine perfume.
He continued to bow to her, offering compliment after compliment that should have flattered her, but oddly, Ivy found his attention to be a tad bland compared to the tension she felt whenever David ranked high. She tried to respond politely, laughing at his jokes, but her mind kept wandering back to home, wondering what David was doing and whether he was still mad at her.
Meanwhile, in his luxurious office on the top floor of a downtown office building, David sat behind a spacious desk, completely oblivious to the stack of financial reports in front of him. He kept glancing at his phone, refraining from calling Ivy just to make sure she wasn't with another man who might have some lewd thoughts.
The image of Ivy laughing with her friends on campus, her skimpy outfits and her figure captivating her, made David's blood boil with unwarranted jealousy. He felt as if his possessions were on public display, and the illicit sense of ownership that was growing inside him demanded that he act immediately to bring her back under his wing.
"Shit," David cursed under his breath as he tossed his gold pen onto the table. He stood up and walked to the large window overlooking the city, trying to catch his breath. He realized he had crossed a line, that his feelings for Ivy had mutated into something far more dangerous than mere guardianship.
He wanted her not just to protect him, but to dominate him, to ensure that no other man would ever see what he saw every morning at the dinner table.
The hunger for her presence was so palpable that he could feel the throbbing in his temples intensifying, prompting him to leave early today despite his scheduled meeting.
That evening, Ivy returned home feeling slightly calmer after a long day out, but that calm was quickly shattered when she saw David's car parked neatly in the garage. She stepped into the quiet house, finding the living room lights on but no sign of David.
As she headed for the stairs, she heard footsteps.
A heavy bang sounded from the kitchen, and David emerged, his face much darker and more tense than it had been this morning.
He had already removed his jacket, wearing only a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, giving off a simultaneously masculine and threatening impression.
"You're late, Ivy. Didn't your class end two hours ago?" David asked in a cold, flat voice, standing directly in Ivy's path to the stairs, forcing her to stop and stare.
David's eyes returned to Ivy's slightly disheveled appearance. The thin layer of sweat on her neck and the few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail made her look even more seductive in his eyes.
Ivy sighed, trying to remain calm, even though she could feel David's domineering aura beginning to weigh her down. "I'm having lunch with Niki and some other friends, David. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm an adult and can manage my own time without having to report to you every minute," Ivy replied defiantly. She tried to step past him, but he quickly grabbed her arm, not hard, but strong enough to make her gasp and look into his eyes, which were gleaming with emotion.
"Having lunch with friends, or deliberately showing off your body to the guys on campus so they'll compliment you?" David hissed right in Ivy's face, making her smell the faint scent of alcohol on his breath, indicating he had probably had a few drinks to calm his nerves.
"You know exactly what you're doing this morning by dressing like that, Ivy. Are you trying to get a reaction out of me, or are you really the center of attention of all the men who are thirsting for your body?"
Ivy's face flushed with anger and embarrassment at David's vulgar accusation. "You're too much! You have no right to dictate what I wear or who I talk to! You're just my stepfather, David, stop acting like you own me!" Ivy shouted, trying to break free from David's grip, but her efforts were futile, as he was far superior to her.
The touch of their skin reignited the fire they had extinguished with anger earlier that morning. David pulled Ivy closer until their bodies were touching, allowing Ivy to feel his strong heartbeat through his shirt. "Stepfather? You're right, that's the label the world gives us, but what I'm feeling right now has nothing to do with being a father, Ivy," David whispered, his voice now husky and full of suppressed passion.
He lowered his head, his nose touching her fragrant neck, inhaling the vanilla scent that had been haunting him since this morning. "You drove me crazy today, you deliberately tortured me with the image of you leaving this house in that thin cloth, and now you have to face the consequences."
Ivy's knees truly felt weak this time, not from fear, but from the overwhelming sensation that coursed through her body as she felt David's profound intimacy.
She no longer tried to struggle; instead, her hands unconsciously clenched David's shirt sleeves, seeking support to keep herself from falling to the floor. "David... stop... this isn't right," she whispered weakly, though her heart screamed otherwise.
Her inner conflict reached its peak as she realized that she would rather be in David's possessive grip than have freedom from any man in the world.
David released Ivy's arms only to cup her face with both of his, forcing her to stare into the depths of his eyes, filled with obsession and overwhelming desire.
"Nothing about us has been right from the start, Ivy. We're both broken, we're both drowning in this grief, so why don't we just drown together?" David said before finally connecting their lips in a kiss that was far rougher and more demanding than the one the night before.
The kiss was a claim, a sign that from now on, Ivy was his and no one was to touch her but him.
In the silence of the house, which was beginning to be shrouded in the darkness of the afternoon, they both surrendered to forbidden passion once again, ignoring all norms and promises that had ever existed. Ivy felt David's hands begin to move towards her waist, pulling her tank top up slightly to feel his bare skin, while Ivy could only moan lowly into the kiss, letting herself be swept away by the dominance of the man she should have called 'Daddy'. That day, Ivy learned that the freedom she sought outside was nothing compared to the sweet prison created by David's embrace inside this house.
And for David, he finally realized that he would never be able to let Ivy go, no matter how great the sin.