MasukThe car rolled through the estate gates as the first light of dawn touched the horizon.Brianna sat in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the house ahead. The windows were dark. The gardens were still. Everything looked the same as it had the night she arrived.Everything was different.Dawson parked the car. He sat for a moment, his hands on the wheel, his jaw tight."The staff will have heard," he said."About what?""About last night. About the fight. About the Grey Office." He turned to look at her. "People talk. They always talk."She reached for his hand."Then we deal with it."He squeezed her hand. Then he let go.The kitchen was empty when they walked in.The coffee pot was full. The bread was out. Someone had been here recently, but they had left in a hurry.Dawson walked to the window. Looked out at the garden."We need to talk to my father.""About what?""About Eric. About the deal. About what happens next."The door opened. A maid walked in. She saw them and stopped.
They made it to the stairs before the lights came on.Dawson froze. Brianna pressed against his back. The hallway blazed with light, every fixture burning, every shadow gone.Eric stood at the bottom of the stairs. His hands were in his pockets. His smile was wide."Going somewhere?"Dawson moved in front of Brianna. His body blocked hers."Move, Eric.""I don't think I will." Eric climbed the first step. Then the second. "You see, I've made a deal. A very expensive deal. And you're trying to take what's mine.""She's not yours.""She will be. By morning." Eric stopped three steps below them. "Your father agreed. Ten million euros. A seat on the board. And the girl." He tilted his head. "You can't fight your father's decisions. You never could."Dawson's hands curled into fists."I'm not fighting my father. I'm fighting you."Eric laughed. "Same thing."He took another step.Dawson moved.It happened fast. One second Eric was on the stairs, smiling. The next, Dawson had him by the col
The hallway was dark.Dawson had not left the house. After walking out of the study, he had stood in the shadows near the stairs, his hands shaking, his chest heaving. He had heard his father on the phone. Prepare the guest room. We're having a visitor.He knew who the visitor was. He knew what his father had done.And then he heard Eric's voice.Dawson moved closer to the study door. It was cracked open, just enough to see the firelight flickering inside. He could hear them talking. Laughing. Making deals.His father's voice: Ten million. A seat on the board. And the girl.Eric's voice: The girl will be at your villa by morning.Dawson's blood turned to ice.They were selling her. His father and Eric. Selling Brianna like she was cargo, like she was a shipment, like she was nothing.He heard his father laugh. You're making a mistake. The girl is not just a leash. She's a weapon.Eric: Once I have her, I won't need you anymore.Dawson's hands curled into fists. His whole body was shak
The study was warm, the fire crackling, the whiskey amber in Declan's glass.Eric stood by the window, watching the gardens darken. He had been waiting for this moment for years. The old man was finally desperate enough to deal."I've been thinking about your proposal," Declan said.Eric turned. "And?"Declan swirled his drink. "The girl. What makes you think she's worth anything to me?"Eric walked toward the desk. He did not sit. He stood across from Declan, his hands in his pockets, his smile easy."She's worth everything to your son. And your son is worth everything to you. Whether you admit it or not."Declan laughed. It was a cold sound."You think I care about Dawson?""I think you care about control. And Dawson has been slipping out of your control for years. The girl is the leash." Eric leaned on the desk. "Give her to me, and I'll give you back your son."Declan set his glass down. He studied Eric's face."And what will you do with her?"Eric's smile widened. "That's my busi
Eric found Declan in the study.The old man was sitting behind his desk, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his eyes fixed on the fire. He did not look up when Eric walked in. He did not acknowledge him at all.Eric closed the door. Leaned against it."You've been avoiding me."Declan took a sip of his whiskey. "I've been busy.""Busy covering your tracks? Destroying evidence? Making sure no one can tie you to the Governor's death?"Declan set his glass down. He looked at Eric. His eyes were cold."What do you want?"Eric pushed off the door. Walked toward the desk. Stopped in front of it."I want the girl."Declan's face did not change."Brianna.""Who else?"Declan leaned back in his chair. He studied Eric for a long moment."She's not mine to give.""She's not yours to keep either. She's a pawn. A tool. A way to control your son." Eric leaned on the desk. "Name your price."Declan laughed. It was a dry sound."You think I need your money?""I think you need what I have. Protection. Si
Eric's office was on the second floor.Brianna had never been inside it before. The walls were lined with books she doubted he had read. A large desk sat in the center, covered in papers and screens. A window looked out over the garden where she had walked with Dawson on that first morning.She sat in the chair across from the desk. Her hands were in her lap. Her face was still.Eric stood by the window, his back to her, his hands behind his back."You're not going to fight me?""Would it make a difference?"He turned. His smile was thin."No.""Then why waste the energy?"He laughed. It was a dry sound, not warm."You really are different from your mother. She would have been begging by now. Crying. Promising anything.""My mother is weak. I'm not."He walked toward her. Stopped in front of the desk. Leaned on it."We'll see."He put her to work.The ledgers were on a small table in the corner of his office. Old records. Years of them. He wanted her to find discrepancies, to track pa
Eloise stood in the doorway of Brianna's room, her gown still rustling from the drive back from the gala, her makeup smudged beneath her eyes. She looked smaller than Brianna remembered. Smaller than she had looked at the wedding, smaller than she had looked in the kitchen of their old apartment wh
The hallway was quiet again.Brianna's heart was still pounding, her lips still tingling from the kiss, her body still pressed against the wall where Dawson had backed her. She could feel his hands on her waist, his breath on her cheek, the weight of everything that had just happened settling betwe
The dress hung on the back of her door like a ghost.Brianna had found it in the back of her closet that morning, buried under clothes she never wore. Simple. Navy blue. Long sleeves. A neckline that didn't invite attention. It belonged to Dawson's mother, left behind in a room that had been untouc
The estate felt different when Brianna got back that night.Quieter. Darker. Like the walls themselves were waiting for something.She walked through the massive foyer, her footsteps echoing on the marble. No sign of Dawson. No sign of anyone. Just the soft hum of the house settling around her.Her







