Chapter 9

Amelia

The quiet of my penthouse bedroom felt heavier than the dinner downstairs.

For two hours, I had stood at Lucian’s side, smiling for his board members, playing the charming, dutiful wife while his uncle Arthur watched my every move like a hawk. The moment the last executive left and the private elevator doors shut, I retreated to my room, my head throbbing from the pressure.

I pulled my phone out of my evening bag—and my blood ran cold.

Fourteen missed calls. All from Maya.

My hands shook as I dialled her back. She answered on the very first ring.

"You finally decided to pick up my calls!" Maya’s voice burst through the receiver, frantic and breathless. "I've been trying to get through to you for two hours!"

"I’m so sorry, Maya," I whispered, pressing my back against the locked bedroom door and dropping my voice even lower. "I was trapped at the board dinner downstairs. My phone was on silent. What happened? Is Theo okay?"

"Theo is fine; he’s watching cartoons, but Amy... something crazy happened," Maya breathed, her voice tight with anxiety. "About an hour ago, a fleet of black SUVs pulled up outside our hotel. A team of men in suits came up to the room. I thought we were about to be arrested or worse!"

My heart slammed against my ribs. "What? Who were they?"

"They introduced themselves as private security working directly for Lucian Rhodes," Maya said, her tone laced with sheer disbelief. "They said Mr Rhodes had secured a private residence for us. Before I could even pack Theo's things properly, they escorted us out the back service elevator, put us in a tinted car, and drove us to this townhouse in the northern suburbs!"

A cold gasp caught in my throat. My vision blurred for a second as the room tilted around me.

"Amy, I didn't let them see Theo's face," Maya added quickly. "I kept his hoodie pulled down the entire time, but... Amy, how did Lucian find us? Why did he send his men to move us here?"

"I... I don't know," I choked out, my mind spinning into complete chaos.

He knew.

He knew where Maya and Theo had gone after leaving my old apartment. He had known the entire time we were sitting at that dinner table, smiling at his board members and playing happy newlyweds. He had already found them, already moved them, and hadn't dropped a single hint to my face.

"Stay there, Maya," I begged softly, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Keep the doors locked. Don't let anyone in. I'll figure this out."

"Be careful, Amy," Maya whispered before hanging up.

I dropped the phone onto the bed, staggering toward the vanity. My reflection looked ghostly pale, my eyes wide with sheer panic.

How much does he know? Did his security team see Theo? Does he know Theo is his?

Thoughts raced through my brain like wildfire. Should I confront him? Should I demand to know why he had his men move my family? Or should I play dumb and pretend I had no idea Maya was moved? If I showed too much fear, he would know I was guarding something big.

A firm, knock echoed off the wood of my bedroom door Amelia

I flinched, my breath locking in my lungs.

“Amelia." Lucian’s voice came through the thick panel, deep, smooth, and entirely unbothered.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, smoothing down my dress and unlatching the lock. I pulled the door open just a few inches, leaning against the frame to hide my shaking hands.

"Lucian," I said, forcing my tone to stay even. "The dinner is over. Is there something else you need?"

Lucian stood in the hallway, his jacket off, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He looked completely relaxed, holding a single black leather folder in his hand.

"Pack a bag for the office," he said calmly, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "Starting Monday at eight sharp, you're coming to Rhodes Global Tower. You will be working directly beside me as my Senior Executive Secretary."

I stared at him, my jaw tightening in immediate resistance. "Excuse me? That wasn't part of the deal. I have my own life, Lucian. I have my own career and personal matters to attend to."

Lucian didn't look angry. He just lifted his head slightly, his gaze dropping to the leather folder in his hands.

"You mean the personal matters currently residing in a townhouse in the northern suburbs?" he asked softly.

The air left my lungs completely. The hallway went dead silent.

Lucian opened the folder, pulling out a crisp photograph and holding it up between two fingers.

It was a still frame from a camera—Maya stepping down the back door escape of my old building, holding Theo's hand in a red hoodie.

"You didn't tell me you had a child," Lucian said, his voice dropping into a cold, dangerous rumble as he stepped closer. "And if I hadn't figured it out myself, you would have happily kept him hidden while taking my money to pay off your parents' debt."

My throat felt bone-dry. Hot tears pricked the back of my eyes, but I forced myself not to break. "Well..you—"

"I don't like hidden liabilities, Amelia," he cut me off, his eyes burning into mine with sharp intensity. "My uncle Arthur is looking for any scandal to destroy my position before the board vote. A hidden child popping up in the press would ruin everything we built tonight."

"He's not a liability!" I snapped, my protective mother instincts flaring up through my fear. "He has nothing to do with your company or your family!"

"He has everything to do with you," Lucian countered smoothly. "Which makes him my business. I secured that townhouse to keep him—and your ex-boyfriend's past—completely out of the press's sight. But to make sure you aren't making any more reckless moves, you will be working where I can see you."

He thought Theo was Carter’s son. The realisation hit me like a splash of freezing water. He had looked at the timeline, seen my ex-boyfriend's name, and assumed the worst.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, letting him believe the lie. It was safer for Theo if Lucian believed he was just another man's kid rather than his own heir.

"And what are people going to say?" I challenged, crossing my arms to cover the tremble in my chest. "The great Lucian Rhodes makes his new wife work as his secretary? The media will tear that story apart!"

A faint, sharp smirk touched the corner of Lucian's mouth.

"The media will see a devoted power couple," Lucian said, taking one more step until he was looming over me, his shadow wrapping around me. "They will see a billionaire chairman who trusts his wife enough to run his inner circle, and a wife who stands by her husband twelve hours a day. It shuts down any rumour that our marriage is a fake arrangement."

He reached out, closing the folder and tapping it gently against my arm.

"Your shift will be strictly eight to six," Lucian added, his tone leaving zero room for argument. "At six o'clock every evening, you are off the clock. You can go to the townhouse, spend the night with the boy, and do whatever you need to do. I won't interfere with your evenings."

I looked at him, my head spinning. He was offering me safety for Theo, a comfortable life for Maya, and guaranteed evening freedom—in exchange for standing by his side during business hours.

"Eight to six," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "And my son stays completely out of your family's sight?"

"He remains safe, comfortable, and completely protected," Lucian confirmed. "Do we have an understanding, Mrs Rhodes?"

I looked into those cold, dark eyes—the exact eyes my son had inherited—and made my choice.

"We have an understanding," I said quietly.

Lucian gave a single, satisfied nod, stepping back toward his wing. "Good. Get some rest; we will see each other on Monday.”

He turned and walked down the hall, leaving me alone in the doorway with my heart pounding against my ribs, knowing I had just stepped right into the lion's den.