Cold Steel.

Sera’s POV

Adrian stood towering over our booth like a vengeful god, his chest heaving, his dark eyes burning with a fury that made my throat lock up.

On the floor behind him, Milan scrambled to his feet, wiping blood from his lips while four armed men closed in around him.

“What the fuck are you doing with him, Victoria?”

Adrian’s voice didn't just rattle the glass on the table, it shattered what little courage I had left. My brain kicked into survival mode. I couldn't tell him the truth. If I told him Milan knew I wasn't Victoria—

I swallowed the lump of terror in my throat, forcing my voice to stay steady as I locked eyes with Adrian.

“He called me!” I blurted out, letting my voice shake with terror. “He claimed he had proof about who was leaking the company's files to the press! He said if I agreed to sit and spend some time with him, and give him some money, he would give me the name of the leaker so I could give it to you.”

At this point, I was a professional liar. Maybe if I took up a career in lying, I wouldn't be this broke and trying to escape poverty with an arranged marriage.

“You have to believe me, Adrian. I was just trying to do something useful so you would see me as someone important and not just a clause in your business deal with my father,” I whimpered in fake tears.

Adrian’s jaw clenched so hard I thought his jaw would shatter. He slowly turned his head to glare down at Milan.

Milan’s eyes flashed with a mixture of shock and dark amusement, but he was smart enough not to blow his own cover in front of five loaded weapons.

If he admitted to blackmailing me over my identity right here in public, Adrian would likely put a bullet through his skull before he finished his speech.

“Is that true, Rojer?” Adrian growled, stepping towards him. “You’re blackmailing my wife?!”

Milan brushed off his jacket with a bitter laugh. “I was merely offering a private business deal, Adrian. Your wife seemed very eager to protect your precious stock value.”

“Touch her again,” Adrian warned, his voice dropping into a tone so dark it sent a shiver straight down my spine, “and watch me destroy everything you hold dear.”

Without another word, Adrian jerked his head at his men. Two of them grabbed Milan’s arms, shoving him out of the lounge towards the exit.

I let out a shaky breath, placing a trembling hand against my chest—but before I could stand up, a tall man stepped into my line of sight.

It was Gerald.

I had heard his cold, menacing voice over the phone last night, but seeing him up close in the dim light of the lounge made my skin crawl. His facial features were etched in stone.

“Sir, the car is waiting outside,” Gerald said smoothly to Adrian. “I'll escort Mrs. Kingsley down.”

“Do it,” Adrian snapped, turning his back to me as he pulled out his phone to take a business call.

Gerald turned his gaze back to me.

The moment our eyes met, a strange, suffocating chill settled over my body. He didn't bow his head, nor did he offer the respectful smile that every other employee used when addressing the boss’s wife.

Instead, his dark eyes scanned my face with pure, unadulterated disdain. It was a look of cold contempt, like he was staring at a swipe of mud stain that had ruined his carefully cleaned floor.

“Let's go, ma'am,” Gerald said. His tone was polite on the surface, but underneath, it dripped with biting disrespect.

I stood up from the booth, smoothing down my coat. As I tried to walk past him, Gerald reached out and grabbed my upper arm to guide me forward.

His fingers pinched into my flesh through my coat, enough for me to feel it. It wasn't a protective touch, it was a painful restraint.

A wave of intense discomfort washed over me immediately. “Let me go.”

I tried to pull my arm back, glancing up at him. “I can walk on my own, thank you.”

Gerald didn't let go. In fact, he leaned in slightly as we walked down the stairs lowering his voice so only I could hear.

“You're creating a lot of unnecessary noise for my boss,” Gerald murmured, his voice entirely flat, without any pretense. “It'll be best you remain invincible.”

What?

My head snapped up to him, but Gerald kept his chin up, his eyes fixed straight ahead as if he hadn't spoken at all.

This was just our first meeting ever, why did he hate me so much?

He was supposed to be loyal to the boss and respectful to the family. But the way he looked at me, and the hostility rolling off his body, it felt personal. It felt like he knew I didn't belong in this world, or perhaps he simply despised the fact that I got married to Adrian.

I wanted to snap back, to remind him of who I am, but the real truth held my tongue. I was an impostor. If I started a war with Adrian's most trusted executive, I would only draw more eyes to my past.

So I kept my mouth shut, swallowing the bitter taste of helplessness.

We stepped out of the lounge and Gerald pulled the car door open for me. I entered and sat at the back seat, sliding closer to the window as much as I could.

Seconds later, Adrian sat beside me, slamming the door shut.

Gerald sat in the front passenger seat, closing his door, and the driver instantly slammed his foot on the gas, driving us away from Grand Central.

The silence inside the car was suffocating.

Adrian didn't look at me. He stared straight out the front windshield, his hand resting on his knee, his knuckles white from clenching his fist so hard. The tension radiating off his body was like a dark aura, choking the air right out of my lungs.

“Adrian…” I began softly, making sure I sounded as convincing as possible. “I was only trying to help—”

“Shut up, Victoria,” Adrian cut me off with a cold voice that made the hairs on my arms stand up.

He didn't raise his voice. He didn't shout. But the absolute detachment in his tone was ten times worse than his anger.

He slowly turned his head to look at me. His eyes were completely stripped of all the passion, warmth, and intense desire we had shared just days ago in Paris. He looked at me like I was a stranger who had crossed a dangerois line.

“You want to play the dutiful wife so bad, huh? So bad that you run around my city making side deals with my enemies.”

“Adrian, please…”

“Starting now,” Adrian growled, leaning in close until I felt his hot minty breath on my cheeks, “you stay locked in your suite in the estate. You don't step outside. You don't make phone calls. And if you attempt to slip past my security detail one more time…”

He paused, his eyes narrowing at me.

“...I will dump you back in your father's house right where you belong.”

Then he leaned in even further and slammed his mouth down on mine.