Chapter 7: Day one

*The quickest way into a fortress isn't through the front gate. It's through the people who think they're safe inside it*

Raze’s pov

The Carringtons eat breakfast like kings.

The dining room alone is bigger than the apartment I grew up in, with a table long enough to seat twenty people and chandeliers dripping from the ceiling.

Old Money has a smell.

Polished wood, fresh flowers, and the confidence that comes from never worrying about tomorrow.

It still doesn't impress me. I built my own kingdom. I just don't decorate it like Versailles threw up on it.

I walk in with one hand tucked into my pocket, dressed in black slacks and a fitted black turtleneck tank top with the sleeves rolled to my forearms. My hair is still damp from the shower, and judging by the way one of the maids nearly drops a serving tray before catching herself, I clean up just fine.

I grin.

The grin dies of course when I see Everette’s current Spanish beau, who is already sitting at the dining table and gorging himself on smoked salmon and fresh berries.

"Muchas gracias, cariño, leave the coffee right here," Jacque says with a heavy, melodic Madrid accent, offering a casual wave of his hand to a passing maid who blushes before hurrying away.

I watch the display, silently admiring the guy's total lack of shame while knowing full well that his cozy little free ride in this mansion is ticking down by the minute.

"Mister Raze." Adam appears beside me. The man still moves like a ghost. It’s unnerving.

"I trust you rested well. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Nothing at all, Adam." I pull out a chair and drop into it. "The room is perfect. Though I did spend five minutes looking for a way to open the curtains before realizing the it opens with a button. Rich people are allergic to doing anything themselves."

A chuckle escapes him despite the professional posture.

"Breakfast is served, sir. I remembered how you liked your eggs the last time you stayed here."

I place a hand over my heart. "Adam, you're the closest thing I've ever had to a fairy godfather."

"That is what I tell him."

I glance across the table to Jacque.

"I tell Señor Adam all the time." He points his fork toward the elderly butler. "If I stay here forever, I become butler too. Look at this place. I get free food, a beautiful house, an' everyone says thank you. It’s paradise."

I catch the cheerful grin he sends across the table, and I return it with a razor-sharp smile of my own that conceals the sheer delight pulsing through my veins.

"Sure you would like to live here forever," I murmur under my breath.

Jacque pauses mid-chew, his thick eyebrows knitting together as he gives me a puzzled look. "What? "

"Nothing at all, my friend," I say innocently, tapping the edge of my juice glass before picking up my fork.

He nods. But I know he heard me just fine.

"So... Raze, yes?" he asks. "Where are you from?"

"Here and there."

Before he can ask another question, Theodore Carrington walks into the room. He catches sight of me sitting comfortably alongside his son's lover, and takes a visible double-take before he recovers, his jaw tightening into a hard line as he silently moves toward the head seat without acknowledging either of us.

Before the old man can even settle in his throne, Serena glides in, draped in a black pantsuit and killer high heels that clicks rhythmically against the marble floor. She stops in her tracks, folding her arms over her chest as her gaze sweeps across the table.

"I guess anyone eats at our family table now."

Jacques coughs awkwardly, grabs an apple and a croissant, then rises so fast his chair nearly tips backward.

"I... uh... I have somewhere to be."

Serena’s glare follows him as he walks out and Everette walks in.

White dress shirt.

Forest-green tie.

Dark tailored trousers.

Orange hair neatly swept back, making those impossible green eyes stand out even more. He looks every inch Theodore Carrington's perfect heir, polished and respectable, carrying a leather portfolio under one arm like he was born walking into boardrooms.

I hate how good he has become at pretending.

Everette barely glances in my direction. "Morning, Dad."

Theodore hums without looking up from his newspaper.

"I have meetings," Everette continues while grabbing nothing more than an apple. "I'll eat at work."

He turns and walks away, not even acknowledging I exist.

Cute.

I wipe my mouth with a napkin and stand. "If you'll excuse me."

I catch up with him halfway down the front hallway, sunlight pouring through towering windows onto polished marble floors.

"Eve." He slows but doesn't stop. "I need to talk to you."

He stops and turns around, one hand adjusting the cuff of his shirt as if he has better things. “What is it? I'm busy. And you should be too, if you’re supposed to be working for me."

I almost laugh, as I take in his expression. He looks like an awkward genius trying very hard to cosplay as an ice king. "You look adorable pretending to be intimidating."

A muscle jumps along his jaw. "I don't have time for this."

He turns again and I walk into his path to stop him. "Are you avoiding me?"

"Why would I?"

Which translates to yes.

"We need to discuss how this arrangement works." I say. "I'm the one saving your company, remember?"

"There is nothing to talk about, Raze," he says flatly, refusing to break eye contact. "My legal team says we have to roll with it to make the merger look authentic, so we will roll with it."

"And what about being seen in public together, attending charity functions, actually looking like a couple who is about to be married?" I push, taking another step into his personal space to see how long his formidable act lasts. "The very least we can do is practice so we don't look like total idiots."

I see his body freeze as I close the distance, his eyes widening slightly before he takes a step backward to keep his space.

"Ooh, that's definitely not selling the romance, love," I grin, letting my eyes trail down his neck to see him swallow before locking back onto his flushed face.

His expression hardens. "That won't be necessary. I have a boyfriend, and I don't intend to make him uncomfortable here. When public appearances are required, we'll attend them. Until then, this house is large enough for us to avoid each other." He checks the time on his phone. "I have to go."

Dismissed.

I stand there watching him disappear through the front doors, my hand clenching into a fist inside my pocket. Nobody dismisses me, especially not a gorgeous corporate prince who thinks he holds all the cards. The old Everette would've argued with me for another ten minutes just to prove he was right. This version keeps every wall reinforced, every emotion locked behind perfectly chosen words.

Well……nobody said this was going to be easy,

Fine.

We'll play his game.

I turn around to see Jacques coming down the stairs with a bag slung over one shoulder, humming softly to himself while scrolling through his phone.

A smile spreads across my face.

If the front door is locked—

You try a window.

“Hey, Jacque," I say, blocking his path with a charming smile.

He looks up.

"We need to talk."