LOGINThe door slams shut behind Nora with a finality that echoes through the office like a gunshot. David stands frozen for a second, fingers still wet from her, cock still hard and aching against his open trousers.
Maya’s name glows on the screen like a taunt. He swipes to answer, voice flat. “This better be important.” Maya’s laugh comes through the speaker. “Good morning to you too, sunshine. You sound like someone just stole your favourite toy.” David drags a hand down his face, turning away from the desk where Nora’s scent still lingers. “You have impeccable timing.” “I do try.” There’s a rustle on her end, the sound of papers being shifted. “I found something. Some old documents buried in the archives of the offshore holding company Vincent used to funnel the first tranche of capital into Calder Investments.” David walks to the window, city sprawling indifferent below. “Go on.”Vincent's hand doesn't waver. The gun stays level, pointed straight at David's chest, and the hallway light catches the metal in a way that makes it look colder than it already is. My heart slams against my ribs so hard I feel it in my throat. “Vincent,” I say, my voice instinctively calm. “What the hell are you doing?” He doesn't even blink. His eyes stay locked on David. "You think you can just walk back into her life? Show up at our building, touch my wife, and I'm supposed to stand here like it's nothing?" David doesn’t move. Not a step back. Not a flinch. His head tilts slightly, eyes locked on Vincent’s hand, his posture loose like he’s watching weather roll in rather than a loaded weapon. But he doesn't respond. “Put the gun down, Vincent.” I say, louder this time. Vincent’s jaw is clenched so tight I can see the muscle jumping. His finger rests dangerously close to the trigger. “You want to know what I’m doing?” he says. “I’m fixing this.” “By pulling a gun on my ex-hu
I grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white as I speed through the city streets, David in the passenger seat beside me. "Turn left at the next light," he says quietly, glancing at his phone's GPS. "It'll shave off a few minutes." I nod without speaking and make the turn, the hospital coming into view ahead. My mind races with possibilities, each one worse than the last. I brushed Lucy's fever the other night off as a bug, but the fact that the doctor wanted to speak about it in person... it changes everything. I park in the first spot I see, not caring if it's legal, and we're out of the car before the engine fully stops. David keeps pace with me as we hurry through the sliding doors into the bright, sterile lobby. The smell of antiseptic hits me immediately, bringing back memories I try to push down. Memories of another hospital visit, another child, another loss that still haunts me every day. “Slow down,” he says quietly when I take the corner too fast. “We’re no
Vincent is still asleep beside me when I slip out of bed at six the next morning. Lucy is curled against his chest, her small hand fisted in his T-shirt, breathing slow and even. The sight of them together usually steadies me. This morning it only makes the knot in my stomach tighten. I pad into the kitchen in bare feet, close the door softly behind me, and pour coffee with shaking hands. The anonymous text sits on my phone like a live wire. I’ve read it so many times the words have lost their shape. “Daddy’s protection is gone, princess. It’s time to pay your father’s debts. Where’s the ledger?” Even dead, Malcolm still finds a way to fuck up my life. The man I spent my childhood watching from behind half-closed doors while he conducted business in smoke-filled rooms. The man who taught me how to lie convincingly before I learned how to read. The man whose empire David and I dismantled eight years ago in a single, brut
The apartment still smells like strangers when the last uniformed officer finally leaves. Dust from overturned cushions hangs in the air, mixing with the faint chemical scent of fingerprint powder. Vincent stands in the doorway of the master bedroom, arms crossed, watching the two detectives pack up their kits.“This place has been turned upside down,” the officer says mildly, flipping open a notepad. “But you’re saying nothing is missing?”“Yes,” I say for the third time. “Nothing.”“Nothing missing,” the older one says again, like repetition will make it true. “Drawers rifled through, closets searched, but no valuables taken. Even the jewellery box was intact. No forced entry beyond the front door. Alarm was disabled cleanly, which means someone knew the code or had a bypass. We’ll run the serials on the disabled panel, but these days that’s usually a cloned fob. Happens more often than you’d think.”Vincent nods once. “And the vandalism? The slashed cushions, the broken frames?”“C
The elevator ride down from David’s office feels endless. My thighs are still slick beneath my dress, my lips swollen from taking him, my body humming with the orgasm he wrung out of me like it was nothing. I press my back against the mirrored wall and close my eyes, trying to breathe through the shame that’s clawing up my throat. I let him touch me. I let him bend me over his desk. I begged for it. And the second Maya’s name lit up his phone, the spell shattered like cheap glass. I can still feel his fingers inside me, the way he curled them, the way he owned every sound I made. And I hate myself for how much I wanted it. I hate that even now, standing here alone in this metal box, my clit throbs at the memory.“Stupid,” I mutter under my breath. “So incredibly stupid.” The doors slide open on the lobby level. I force my legs to move, heels clicking across marble like I’m someone who has her shit together. I’m not
The door slams shut behind Nora with a finality that echoes through the office like a gunshot. David stands frozen for a second, fingers still wet from her, cock still hard and aching against his open trousers. Maya’s name glows on the screen like a taunt. He swipes to answer, voice flat. “This better be important.” Maya’s laugh comes through the speaker. “Good morning to you too, sunshine. You sound like someone just stole your favourite toy.” David drags a hand down his face, turning away from the desk where Nora’s scent still lingers. “You have impeccable timing.” “I do try.” There’s a rustle on her end, the sound of papers being shifted. “I found something. Some old documents buried in the archives of the offshore holding company Vincent used to funnel the first tranche of capital into Calder Investments.” David walks to the window, city sprawling indifferent below. “Go on.”







