CHAPTER ELEVEN: was it worth it?

HOPE

I didn’t remember when he pulled away—only that my lips still tingled from his kiss.

Ace’s hands lingered on my waist for a moment longer, his eyes unreadable and dark as ever. Then, just like that, he took a single step back, dragging the air out of my lungs with him.

“We’ll pretend that didn’t happen,” he said.

His voice was clipped. Cold. Like he hadn’t just kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him alive.

“Oh,” I managed, swallowing the ball of emotion threatening to rise.

It was the right thing. We were playing with fire, and we both knew it. But still… his tone felt like ice.

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a sleek black phone—new, slim, untraceable. He tossed it to me.

“You’re my assistant now. Use that. Your schedule’s already been loaded in. You'll have access to specific rooms, but only the ones you need. Don’t overstep. Understood?"

I nodded, gripping the phone tighter than I should. “Yes… Ace.”

His name tasted different now.

He gave a quick nod, already putting emotional distance between us like the moment hadn’t happened. As if my heart hadn’t just gone sprinting into oncoming traffic.

“I have a few meetings to attend. Bob will take you on-site for the protester follow-up tomorrow. Handle it.”

With that, he turned away, dismissing me like I was just another intern.

*******

By the time I found Bob in the garage waiting with a matte black SUV, I’d buried every last thought about Ace. At least… almost every thought.

Bob raised a brow as I approached. “You clean up well.”

“You say that like you’ve seen me dirty,” I replied dryly.

He chuckled. “I meant the suit.”

I glanced down at the Mason Enterprise-branded blazer and pants Ace had arranged for me. A far cry from the maid uniform I’d worn not long ago.

We rode in silence for a bit. I pretended to check my phone while stealing glances at Bob. He was humming to a song on the radio—something old and smooth. Unbothered. Carefree.

It wasn’t until we stopped for lunch at a quiet seafood place that he finally relaxed into something human.

“You’re adjusting faster than I expected,” he said between bites of grilled shrimp. “Didn’t think you’d last a week around Ace.”

I smirked, stabbing at my salad. “What makes you think I’m not still planning to run?”

He tilted his head, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “If you were, you wouldn’t be eating lunch with me.”

“Fair.”

We ate in a comfortable silence after that. Bob wasn’t as easy to read as I initially thought. But here, outside the walls of the mansion, something cracked a little. I could see him—really see him—for the first time.

“I know you think I’m the lazy one,” he said suddenly, staring into his glass. “The useless brother.”

I paused, unsure how to respond.

“But I fought for my place here,” he added, softer. “I wasn’t born with full rights to the name. My mother was a fling. A slip-up, to everyone else. But Ace’s father took me in anyway. That kind of thing doesn’t happen in families like ours.”

I leaned back, processing. “You’re grateful.”

“I have to be. Doesn’t mean I agree with everything that goes on, but... I won’t betray them.”

There was no threat in his tone, just truth. A quiet, weary kind of truth that carried more weight than any warning.

And for the first time, I didn’t see the charming, easy-going Bob who cracked jokes at dinner.

I saw the shadow of a man who’d learned to survive by smiling through everything.

And I respected him a little more for it.

Just as I was about to ask Bob more about his time in the family, I noticed him stiffen, eyes narrowing on something—or someone—outside the restaurant window.

“What is it?” I asked, following his line of sight.

He didn’t answer immediately, just leaned slightly forward. “That’s Evan. Works in logistics.”

I squinted. “The one who handles port clearance?”

“Yeah.” Bob dropped his napkin, now fully alert. “But who the hell is that?”

A man in a plain hoodie and jeans had just handed Evan a sealed envelope. They didn’t shake hands. No conversation. Just a quick exchange in the alleyway between two buildings. Shady didn’t even begin to cover it.

My pulse picked up. “Should we follow?”

Bob was already on his feet. “Let’s go.”

We ditched the bill and slipped out through the side exit. Keeping a distance, we trailed Evan and the mystery man down the block. When the stranger peeled off toward the parking lot, Bob motioned for me to stay with Evan while he circled to tail him.

I stuck to the shadows, watching Evan double back and head toward the employee parking garage. Just as he reached for his car door, I spotted a small emblem on the envelope tucked under his arm—an overlapping C and E.

Cranes Electronics.

My stomach turned. I waited until Bob returned, his expression grim.

“Got a photo of his plates,” he said. “No doubt in my mind—he’s not one of ours. I’ve seen him before. Cranes.”

I exhaled, leaning against the concrete pillar. “So it’s not just speculation anymore. They’re not just copying our products—they have someone inside.”

Bob nodded slowly. “And now we know who.”

The air between us thickened with implication. A part of me was already running through next steps: evidence, chain of command, how to get this to Ace without tipping off Evan.

But then Bob turned to me, hands sliding into his pockets.

“This is your project, Hope. I can step in if you want me to, but… you found the trail. Whether or not you report Evan to Ace—it’s your call.”

I blinked. “You’re letting me take the lead?”

He shrugged. “You’ve earned it. Ace wouldn’t have put you on this if he didn’t think you could handle it.”

For a second, I didn’t know what to say. Coming from Bob—someone who was born into the Mason name, half-blood or not—it meant something.

And maybe… just maybe, I was beginning to understand that this world didn’t revolve around guns and brute force. It needed sharp eyes. Clean moves. Strategy.

My kind of battlefield.

“I’ll take it from here,” I said finally, squaring my shoulders.

Bob nodded, satisfied. “Just don’t get caught being the hero.”

A faint smirk touched my lips. “I’ll leave that to you.”

We parted ways after that, but as I headed back to the office alone, my mind raced. I had a name. A face. A decision to make.

*******

I sat in my new office—if I could even call it that—staring blankly at the Cranes Electronics report on my screen. My fingers were frozen on the keyboard, the cursor blinking like it was mocking me.

Expose Evan to Ace and earn more of his trust.

Or play a riskier card and use him for something bigger.

My eyes drifted to the second drawer of my desk, where the burner phone was buried beneath a stack of blank folders. I hadn’t touched it since the night I called in, but now it practically buzzed with potential.

This could be it. My chance to finally give the Bureau something solid. Something that justifies the months I’ve spent undercover.

Evan could be a gold mine if I played this right. His link to Cranes might be deeper than a few exchanged envelopes. Maybe he’d been feeding them intel for months—maybe even years. And if I confronted him alone, there was a slim chance I could pull something out of him. Information. Leverage. Anything.

But it would be dangerous. If Ace found out, I’d be toast. No amount of soft touches or late-night tension would save me from that.

I leaned back, pressing my fingertips to my temples.

Was it worth it?