CHAPTER SEVEN: THE FIRST MOVE

Tatiana didn’t go back to her room immediately.

She couldn’t.

The air in the penthouse felt different now—thicker, heavier, like something had shifted out of place and refused to settle again.

Her fingers still gripped the photograph.

Her mother’s accident.

Or what she had always believed was just that.

An accident.

Now it felt like a lie she had been living inside.

Behind her, Lucien and Oscar were still in the hallway.

Neither of them spoke.

Neither of them moved.

Tatiana could feel their eyes on her back, even as she walked away.

She didn’t turn around.

Didn’t want to.

Because something inside her told her—

If she looked again, she would see something she wasn’t ready to face.

⸻

She found herself in the living room again.

Kathy was asleep now, curled up under a blanket.

Sean sat beside her, quieter than before.

Watching.

Always watching.

Tatiana walked over slowly and crouched beside him.

“You okay?” she asked softly.

Sean nodded, but it wasn’t convincing.

“They’re not just guards,” he said.

Tatiana stilled.

“What do you mean?”

Sean leaned closer, lowering his voice.

“They talk like… like something is coming.”

A chill ran down her spine.

Tatiana forced her expression to stay calm.

“You heard them say that?”

Sean nodded again.

“One of them said ‘she won’t wait long.’”

Tatiana’s stomach dropped.

She didn’t need to ask who “she” was.

Miranda.

Her stepmother.

Tatiana exhaled slowly, her hand resting gently on Sean’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’re safe here.”

The words felt thinner now.

Less solid.

Because for the first time—

She wasn’t sure if she believed them.

⸻

Later that afternoon—

The tension in the penthouse didn’t fade.

It sharpened.

Lucien was nowhere to be seen.

Oscar had disappeared just as quietly.

But the guards—

They had doubled.

Tatiana noticed immediately.

Two at the entrance.

Two near the elevator.

One positioned where he could see both hallways.

Not subtle.

Not relaxed.

Prepared.

Tatiana stood near the glass window, watching the city below.

Everything looked normal.

Cars moving.

People walking.

Life continuing like nothing was wrong.

But something was.

She could feel it.

The same way you feel a storm before it breaks.

A soft voice spoke behind her.

“You shouldn’t stand so close to the glass.”

Tatiana turned.

Lucien.

His presence filled the room instantly.

Controlled.

Calm.

But there was something else now.

Tension.

Subtle, but there.

Tatiana crossed her arms.

“Why?”

“In case someone is watching,” he said.

Her lips pressed together.

“They already are, aren’t they?”

Lucien didn’t answer.

That was answer enough.

Tatiana stepped away from the window.

“You knew she would come,” she said.

Lucien met her gaze.

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“You’re still here,” he replied evenly.

Tatiana let out a short, bitter laugh.

“That’s your defense?”

Lucien’s voice lowered.

“It’s the only one that matters.”

Tatiana shook her head.

“No. What matters is that you keep deciding what I should and shouldn’t know.”

Lucien stepped closer.

“I decide what keeps you alive.”

That landed harder than she expected.

Tatiana’s chest tightened.

“I’m not one of your business deals,” she said quietly.

Lucien didn’t look away.

“I know.”

“Then stop treating me like one.”

A pause.

Then—

“I can’t.”

The honesty caught her off guard.

Tatiana frowned.

“…why?”

Lucien’s jaw tightened slightly.

“Because this isn’t just about you anymore.”

Tatiana’s pulse quickened.

“What does that mean?”

Before he could answer—

A sharp sound cut through the room.

A phone.

Not hers.

Lucien’s.

He pulled it out immediately, answering without hesitation.

“Yes.”

Silence.

Then his expression changed.

Not dramatically.

But enough.

Enough for Tatiana to notice.

“Where?” he asked.

Another pause.

Then—

“No. Do not engage.”

Tatiana’s heart started pounding.

“What happened?” she demanded.

Lucien ended the call slowly.

For a moment, he didn’t speak.

That hesitation—

It made everything worse.

“Lucien.”

His eyes met hers.

“They found her.”

Tatiana froze.

“…who?”

But she already knew.

“Miranda,” he said.

The name felt like a blade slicing through the air.

Tatiana’s breath caught.

“Where?”

Lucien’s voice stayed calm.

“Near your old apartment.”

Tatiana’s stomach dropped instantly.

Kathy.

Sean.

If she had gone back—

If they had been there—

Her hands started shaking.

“She’s looking for you,” Lucien continued. “And now she knows you’re not there.”

Tatiana’s voice came out tight.

“So she’ll come here.”

Lucien didn’t answer.

That was answer enough.

Fear curled deep in her chest.

Not the quiet fear she had lived with before.

This was sharper.

Closer.

Real.

“What is she going to do?” Tatiana asked.

Lucien stepped closer.

“Whatever it takes.”

Tatiana’s breath hitched.

“She has people,” he added quietly. “Dangerous ones.”

Tatiana shook her head slightly.

“No… no, she wouldn’t—”

“She already has,” Lucien cut in.

Silence.

Heavy.

Crushing.

Tatiana’s mind raced.

“She’ll come for them,” she whispered.

Lucien didn’t deny it.

Tatiana turned toward the hallway instinctively.

Toward where her siblings were.

“I need to see them.”

“You will,” Lucien said.

But she was already moving.

Fast.

Her heart pounding harder with every step.

⸻

She reached the room and pushed the door open.

Kathy was still asleep.

Sean looked up immediately.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Tatiana forced her breathing to slow.

“Nothing,” she said softly.

Lie.

But she couldn’t let them feel it.

Not yet.

She walked over, brushing Kathy’s hair gently.

“We might have to move again,” she added quietly.

Sean’s face tightened.

“Because of her?”

Tatiana nodded once.

Sean looked down.

“I knew it.”

Tatiana’s chest ached.

She knelt in front of him.

“Listen to me,” she said softly but firmly. “No matter what happens, I’m not letting her take you. Ever.”

Sean studied her face.

Then nodded.

But fear still sat in his eyes.

Tatiana stood slowly.

And that’s when she noticed it.

Something small.

Something easy to miss.

But not now.

Not anymore.

The window.

Slightly open.

Tatiana’s breath stopped.

“No…” she whispered.

She walked toward it slowly.

Carefully.

Her heart pounding louder with each step.

Then she saw it.

On the inside of the glass.

A mark.

Faint.

But deliberate.

A symbol scratched lightly into the surface.

Tatiana’s blood ran cold.

Because she recognized it.

Miranda used to mark things like that.

Places.

People.

Property.

Tatiana’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“She’s been here.”

Behind her—

Lucien appeared instantly.

His expression hardened the second he saw the mark.

“Seal the building,” he said into his earpiece.

Guards moved immediately.

Fast.

Silent.

Efficient.

Tatiana turned to him.

“How did she get here?”

Lucien’s jaw tightened.

“She didn’t.”

Tatiana shook her head.

“No. That’s her mark.”

Lucien’s eyes darkened.

“That means someone else did.”

Silence.

The realization hit all at once.

Someone had gotten inside.

Past security.

Past the guards.

Past everything.

Tatiana’s heart slammed against her ribs.

“Someone is already here,” she whispered.

Lucien’s voice dropped.

“Yes.”

And in that moment—

The penthouse didn’t feel like protection anymore.

It felt like a trap.