Mag-log inClara’s POV"Clara, take Camille and run to the north exit right now." Nikolai shouted loudly over the noise of the alarms."I am not leaving you here with him." I said."You have to leave me. I will guard the rear and buy you time." Nikolai ordered."He has too many men with him. They will kill you." I argued."Just do what I say. Drag her through the exhibits and do not stop until you reach the service tunnels." Nikolai yelled.He raised his gun and aimed it down the dark hallway to cover our escape. I looked at Camille. She was standing completely still. She was staring at Victor in the bright spotlight."Move your feet, Camille." I commanded."He is really alive. He is going to kill me." Camille whispered.I grabbed her arm. I pulled her into the dark aisle between the heavy wooden storage crates."Let go of my arm." Camille said."Keep your voice down. They will hear us." I replied."I cannot see anything in this dark. I am going to trip." Camille complained."Hold onto my hand a
Nikolai’s POV"That is impossible. He is dead. I saw the dental records and the charred bone fragments myself." Camille whispered, her voice cracking as she stared up at the speaker in the ceiling."The devil does not die in a simple warehouse fire, Camille. You should know that better than anyone else." I said, stepping closer to the glass partition of the VIP lounge."Nikolai, what do we do now? The main security guards at the front entrance are drawing their weapons." Clara said through my earpiece. Her voice was steady, but I could hear the rapid pattern of her breathing."Get away from the marble pillar right now, Clara. Walk toward the service alcove on your left side. Do not run. Just move smoothly." I ordered into my microphone."I am moving. But there are men in black tactical uniforms coming up the grand staircase. They do not look like the standard museum staff. They have automatic rifles." Clara reported."Those are Victor's personal recovery teams. They are not here to pr
Clara’s POV"Step forward and place your right hand flat on the glass pad." The security guard commanded in a loud voice."Of course. Right here?" I asked."Yes ma'am. Keep your fingers spread wide. Hold it steady for exactly three seconds." The guard instructed."One, two, three." I counted out loud.The machine beeped twice. A green light flashed above the scanner."Verification successful. Welcome to the museum, Ms. Vance. Enjoy the charity auction tonight." The guard said."Thank you so much. I will." I replied politely.I walked through the metal turnstiles. The museum foyer was massive. White marble floors stretched out in every direction. Gold and silver banners hung from the high ceiling. A deep red carpet covered the main staircase. It was a very luxurious setup. The visual aesthetic was purely high fashion, heavily utilizing a black, gold, silver, and deep red color palette.I raised my hand and pressed my finger against my earpiece."Nikolai, are you listening?" I whispered
Clara’s POV“Do you think the zipper is going to hold, or should I call Marcus’s courier back for a different size?” I asked, my voice cutting through the deep, heavy silence of the bedroom.The high-rise apartment was completely quiet around us, save for the low, distant hum of the city traffic moving far below the glass windows. It was exactly midnight. In less than twenty-four hours, we would be walking directly into the grand ballroom of the plaza, risking every single thing we had left to pull Camille off her stolen throne.“The zipper is fine,” Nikolai’s deep voice answered from the doorway.I stopped adjusting the fabric and looked up into the full-length mirror mounted on the closet door. Nikolai had frozen completely on the threshold, his shoulder leaning heavily against the wooden frame. His dark eyes were completely fixed on my reflection, shifting from a cold tactical glaze into something incredibly dark and heavy as they traced the entirely exposed skin of my spine.The s
Nikolai’s POV“You ruined my morning, Nikolai,” Camille said, her voice crackling slightly through the terminal speaker.“You lost eight percent of your market value in an hour,” I said, leaning closer to the microphone. “I told you that you did not know who you were dealing with.”“The board is in a complete panic,” she said, her breathing sounding fast and rattled over the encrypted channel. “They are demanding a full internal audit of the holding group before the opening bell on Monday morning. You think you have won this round, do you not?”“I know I have,” I said.“Do not be so certain,” Camille snapped, her tone sharpening with venom. “You leaked a single document from three years ago. If you release anything else, the trading regulators will halt all transactions for the Novarion Group completely. If the company goes under, your precious little ledger becomes entirely worthless.”“I have enough data to ensure you spend the next thirty years in a federal penitentiary,” I told he
Clara’s POV“Clara, please, you need to listen to me while my head is still clear,” my mother whispered, her dry fingers tightening weakly around my wrist.“Do not force yourself to sit up, Mom,” I said, leaning closer to the medical bed and pressing a cool damp cloth against her forehead. “The doctor said you need complete rest. The sedatives are barely out of your system.”“No, there is no time for resting,” she insisted, her breathing shallow but her eyes completely focused for the first time in days. “Before the men took me from the clinic, before that terrible fire at the shipyard even happened, she came to my room.”I froze, the damp cloth slipping slightly in my hand. “Who came to your room, Mom?”“The woman from the corporate office,” she rasped, her chest heaving as she struggled to draw a deep breath. “Victor’s wife. Camille. She did not come alone. She brought two lawyers and a massive stack of legal folders.”“Camille went to your private clinic?” I asked, my pulse taking
POV: ClaraThe greenhouse smelled of damp earth and rot, a heavy scent that stuck to the back of my throat. It was supposed to be a sanctuary, a glass-walled escape from the marble and steel of the mansion, but even here the air felt thin.I found my mother sitting on a stone bench, her hands folde
Clara's POVThe black SUV pulled up the circular driveway, and my stomach performed a slow, agonizing flip. My parents stepped out, looking so small against the backdrop of the Draven estate.My mother looked even more slender than the last time I had seen her, her kind face was etched with that pe
POV: Nikolai The beach at six in the morning was grey and flat, the tide pulling back from the sand in long, slow sheets.Victor walked ahead, hands behind his back, talking. Quinn kept pace beside him, nodding at the right intervals. I walked a half step behind them both, which was where Victor p
POV: Clara The Draven beach house looked like something that was built to intimidate people rather than welcome them.It had floor-to-ceiling glass walls which reflected the setting sun. Apparently Victor loved it here, so of course I hated it on sight.He parked with a satisfied sigh and turned t







