LOGINJason got out of bed without another word.I watched him cross the room, still half distracted by everything waiting downstairs.Then he reached the door.And slid the lock into place.I blinked.“Jason—”He turned and walked back toward me with calm purpose.Too calm.Too certain.Something about that made me instinctively move backward across the bed.He reached me in seconds and pushed me gently but firmly back onto the mattress.I let out a startled laugh and tried to slip away.“They’re waiting for us,” I protested, trying to dodge past him.He caught my wrist easily and pinned me in place with nothing but his weight and a look.“They can wait.”I narrowed my eyes.“Jason.”His expression did not change.If anything, it grew more dangerous.More amused.“It is my turn to be with my wife,” he said quietly.The words landed with enough force to still me for a moment.“Everyone else,” he added, leaning closer, “can wait.”I should have argued.I should have insisted we go downstairs
Amber POV Jason sat up fully, awake in an instant. The warmth of sleep vanished from him so quickly it was almost unsettling. He looked at everyone gathered in the doorway and spoke with calm authority. “Please, give us a second to get dressed.” His tone was polite, but it carried the kind of certainty people instinctively listened to. “We’ll meet you downstairs, alright?” The children looked between us, clearly curious and only mildly interested in respecting boundaries. I had already grabbed the blanket and pulled it tightly around myself, suddenly far too aware that half the family was standing in my room. Jason glanced at me from the corner of his eye. He noticed everything. Always. Alice climbed off the bed first. “Don’t take too long,” she said seriously. Alex pointed toward the hall. “There are tacos.” That, apparently, was the true emergency. Rose nodded in agreement and took Alice’s hand. “We’ll save you some,” she promised. Despite everything, I smiled. “
John Stait was still watching me with clear amusement and growing interest.He looked entirely too serious about whatever offer he was considering.That alone was dangerous.I lifted my glass and took a slow sip before setting it down again.Then I met his gaze.“Any job offer,” I said calmly, “will have to wait.”He raised a brow.“Oh?”I nodded once.“Yes.”I let out a quiet breath.For the first time that night, I allowed a hint of exhaustion to show.“I have not had a decent amount of sleep in months.”The truth of it settled more heavily than I expected.Because now that everything had stopped moving—I could feel it.The weight.The fatigue.The strain of surviving one crisis after another without pause.John’s expression shifted.Still interested.But softer now.More understanding.“A fair condition,” he said.Scott lifted his drink.“The smartest thing said all night.”Sierra nodded in agreement.“Sleep first. Negotiate later.”I smiled faintly.“Exactly.”Then I glanced side
The laughter around the table slowly faded, though the warmth of it remained.Even after everything that had happened that night, the room felt lighter now.Less like a battlefield.More like something dangerously close to normal.John Stait remained standing beside the table, one hand resting on the back of an empty chair.His sharp eyes moved between Jason and me with clear interest.“I hear the two of you had an adventure tonight.”The word adventure was doing an incredible amount of work.Jason exhaled quietly, already knowing this was not a man who accepted vague answers.Still, he kept it brief.“We were lured to a warehouse,” he said. “Amber was trapped inside. There were hostages, surveillance systems, and multiple explosives placed across several estates.”John’s expression sharpened.“Emilian Becker was behind it,” Jason continued. “We neutralized the situation.”Again—brief.Controlled.Suspiciously incomplete.John Stait looked unimpressed by the summary.Then his gaze sh
The table erupted.Scott nearly choked on his drink.Sierra covered her mouth, laughing openly now.Several members of the team began talking at once, trying to process what I had just implied.Jason only stared at me.Half accusation.Half disbelief.And something else beneath it.Something dangerously amused.I was enjoying that expression far too much.Then the room shifted.Not loudly.Not dramatically.But the kind of shift that happens when someone important enters a space and everyone notices before they speak.Conversations lowered.Several people straightened instinctively.Even Scott looked toward the entrance.I followed their gaze.A man in his late fifties walked in with the easy confidence of someone long accustomed to command.Well dressed.Sharp-eyed.Silver at the temples.The kind of presence that did not need introduction.I knew immediately who he had to be.John Stait.Secretary of Defense.Ana Buenfila’s father.He had apparently arrived in time to hear the last
A few people around the table laughed.Jason rubbed a hand over his face.Scott looked delighted.Before anyone else could speak, a woman seated across from me stood and walked around the table.She was poised, athletic, and carried herself with the quiet confidence of someone who knew exactly what she could do.She extended her hand.“I’m Sierra.”I took it.“Amber.”She smiled warmly.Unlike the others, who seemed half in awe and half intimidated by Jason, Sierra looked completely at ease.“I’m on Scott’s team,” she said as she sat beside me. “And I’ve worked with Jason before.”There was familiarity in her tone, but no awkwardness, no hidden agenda.Just respect.And an immediate friendliness toward me that I appreciated more than I expected.“Perfect,” I said. “Then you can answer my questions.”Jason muttered something under his breath.Scott laughed openly.Sierra crossed one leg over the other and glanced at Jason with clear amusement.“Where would you like me to start?”I tilt
As Jason gently woke Alex, I noticed something that made my spine straighten. Ms. Patric was holding a small recording device. Not just a tablet. A separate recorder. She turned it in her hand casually, but I saw the red indicator light. Without drawing attention to myself, I reached into the
It did not take long for Victoria to fabricate a lie, but the explosion didn’t come from the board.It came from a live broadcast.Victoria stood behind a polished podium, composed as ever. Cameras flashed. Reporters leaned forward.“I did not intend to involve myself publicly,” she began, voice s
They called her in. No delay. No warning. The door opened ten minutes later. Amelie walked in looking immaculate — refreshed, polished, perfectly styled. Not a trace of nerves in her posture. At least not until her eyes landed on me. For a fraction of a second, the color drained from her face
We didn’t warn them. We simply arrived. Jason walked at my side. The children stayed close, Marcus just behind us — calm, immovable, inevitable. The moment we entered the company lobby, the air shifted. Whispers followed us. Phones were lowered. Eyes widened. “Call the board,” I instructed t







