LOGIN[Elena's POV]"Give me twenty minutes," I said to Noah. "I'm coming back."A silence on the line. Two full seconds of it."Twenty minutes," Noah said. Then the call ended.I lowered the phone. Nicole was already watching me from across the hallway, arms crossed, reading my face the way she'd learned to do in high school when she needed to know if I was actually okay or just performing okay."Adrian set up a flight," she said. "Private. Leaving in two hours. He wants all three of us on it , you, me, your mom. Europe. He said it's the only clean move right now.""Take it," I said.Nicole's arms dropped. "El, ""Take it. Both of you." I looked toward the room where Mom was resting. "Noah and Adrian , whatever's between them now, it's not going to resolve tonight. Get my Mom somewhere safe. I'll follow when I can.""And if Noah doesn't let you leave?"I didn't answer that.Nicole grabbed my arm. "Elena. He thinks you stole from him. He thinks you're carrying someone else's baby and handed
[Elena's POV]I read it twice.The white skull seal. The one Jake had sent me to steal, while Caroline slipped in to take it herself, using me as nothing more than a distraction.They'd forged Noah's authorization with it. Pulled his own guards off the weapon warehouse, cleared the path, and walked Iron Vultures' remnants straight through the front door. Or made it look that way.Either way, the order had Noah's name on it.My phone lit up with a call.Noah.I stared at his name on the screen for one full second. The call I'd been trying to make for three hours.I picked up."Elena Campbell!!!!" His voice was low and dangerous. "Where are you?""I can explain everything," I said. "Noah, the seal...""Where. Are. You."[Noah's POV]"Boss! Urgent!"Dario bypassed the seated family elders, breaking every established protocol of a Marlowe Enterprises meeting. He walked straight to the head of the table and slid a single sheet of paper over my quarterly financial reports."We lost the Broo
[Elena's POV]The east garden ran along the oldest section of the estate wall, where the stone had settled unevenly over decades and the ivy had grown thick enough to obscure the top.I found the ladder propped against the wall near the potting shed. It had been there all week. I'd walked past it four times without registering it as anything useful.I registered it now.I moved it quietly to the least visible section of the wall, the corner where the security camera had a blind spot I'd noticed months ago when I was sketching the garden.I climbed carefully, keeping my weight even, one hand braced against the stone.At the top, I sat for a moment. The drop on the other side was manageable, a meter and a half to soft grass. I lowered myself as far as my arms would reach, let go, and landed with bent knees, absorbing the impact through my legs.The jar traveled straight up my spine. I pressed a hand to my stomach on instinct, then made myself move.A dark blue Aston Martin idled at the
[Elena's POV]Noah was gone before I woke up.I knew it the second I reached across the mattress and felt cold sheets. No indent. No warmth. He'd left early enough that the pillow had already reset.I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.Last night I'd looked him in the eye and said no, not telling him I had his baby. And he'd known I was lying. I could see it in the way his thumb stilled against my jaw, the fractional tightening around his eyes before he stepped back.Noah Marlowe had spent thirty years learning to read people, and I'd given him exactly enough truth to confirm the lie.Caleb was in the downstairs hallway when I came down. He stood with his good arm holding a tablet, the bandaged shoulder still visible under his jacket. He looked up when I reached the bottom step."Morning," I said."Miss Campbell." His voice was exactly what it had been in month one, flat, professional, nothing behind it. He looked back at his tablet. "The Boss has a board meeting at Marlo
[Noah's POV]The photograph arrived at six-fourteen the next morning.I sat behind my desk. The new security chief, Dario, had just left the morning briefing files. The estate was secure, but my instincts hummed with a low, constant irritation.Elena was hiding something.She spent the last three days avoiding my direct gaze. Flinching at noises. Going to bed early and resting her hand flat against her stomach when she thought no one watched. I assumed the graduation ceremony brought up old stress.I gave her space. I gave her the gentle touch she asked for last night, swallowing my own rougher instincts to give her what she needed.My personal phone vibrated on the polished wood.An unknown number. A single image attachment. No text.I tapped the screen.Elena, fully dressed, stepping out of Room 14. Jake's suite. The security camera timestamp read 11:47 PM.The air in my office evaporated. I set the phone face-down on the desk. I didn't break the glass or reach for my weapon. The fr
[Elena's POV]Room 14 was a guest suite on the east wing. I knocked twice.Jake opened the door. Dark circles hung under his eyes, the skin of his face pale from lack of sleep and raw panic. He stepped back, leaving the doorway clear.The air inside smelled stale, like burnt coffee and nervous sweat."You're pregnant," Jake stated. He didn't bother locking the door."You searched a bathroom cabinet in your uncle's private suite." I kept my voice flat, refusing to give him an inch. "Do you understand what happens when Noah finds out you trespassed in his territory?"Jake crossed his arms. The muscle in his jaw twitched. "He doesn't want kids. He told me himself. When I show him the test, and tell him about who the father is...""I don't have time for your delusions," I cut him off. "Who do you think the father is, Jake?"He dropped his arms, stepping right into my space. "I narrowed it down to two. First option: Adrian. Your little Vulture thug."A short, dry laugh scraped my throat. L
[Nicole's POV]My cab had been stuck in the same spot on 5th Avenue for twenty minutes.I sighed, blowing a stray strand of red-brown hair out of my face. Outside, the sounds of honking horns and shouting drivers were creating a symphony of New York rage.I checked my phone again. No reply from Ele
[Noah's POV]"Where is my baby boy, Noah! Jake is just a kid!!! Where is he?"Monica's screeching voice drilled into my temples, worse than the hangover I didn't have. She was pacing the Persian rug of my father's study, clutching a handkerchief she hadn't actually used to wipe any tears."For the
[Noah's POV]Ungrateful little wretch.I drove like a madman, weaving through traffic, cutting off pedestrians. My mind was a storm of fury. I would drag her back. I would lock her in the penthouse this time. I would tie her to the bed if I had to. She wanted to play games? Fine.I dialed her numbe
[Elena's POV]My face flushed at his words.I bit my lower lip, trying to stifle the sounds trying to escape my throat. The contrast was maddening, the biting cold of the night air nipping at my exposed skin, warring with the scorching heat of Noah's body possessing mine.Noah's hands were below an







