MasukEden’s POVThe "secure facility" for Claire wasn't a prison in the traditional sense, but as I stood in the surveillance room of the mountain fortress, watching the live feed, I knew it was a death sentence for the life she loved. The camera showed a luxury suite in the sub-level of the estate—silk sheets, gourmet food, and no windows. Claire was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands, the mountain of Klaus’s cash still sitting on the nightstand where the guards had dumped it."She’s safe, Eden. That’s what you wanted, isn't it?"I didn't have to turn around to know it was Felix. His voice always carried that razor-sharp tone like a scalpel. He stepped up behind me, his chest brushing my back, his hands sliding around my waist to rest flat against my stomach."She’s a prisoner," I whispered, my eyes fixed on the screen. "Because of me.""She’s collateral," Felix corrected, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. "In our world, anyone who can be used to make you flinch is
Daniel’s POVThe silent alarm on my phone didn't just vibrate; it felt like a thermal spike against my thigh. It was the proximity alert tied to Eden’s biometric tracker, triggered by a sudden, sustained spike in her heart rate. She was at the restaurant—the one place I allowed her a tether of freedom, but the data streaming to my screen told a story of pure, systemic terror.I didn't call her. I called Silas."She’s been breached," I said, my voice dropping into that cold, empty place I reserved for war. "Klaus is on the grid. He just walked into the cafe. Secure the perimeter. No one leaves alive if they touch her.""I'm already three minutes out," Silas growled, the roar of a high-performance engine bleeding through the line. "If he lays a finger on her, I’ll burn that block to the ground."By the time I reached the street corner, the extraction was already in motion. Two black SUVs had swerved onto the curb, effectively bottlenecking the street. Pedestrians scattered like pigeons.
Eden’s POVThe city had a way of feeling like a cage, even when the doors were wide open. After the intensity of the mansion and the silent, heavy gravity of the Schmidt men, I needed a pocket of the world that didn't smell like expensive cigars or ancient, possessive bloodlines. I needed Claire.Claire’s restaurant was a small, bustling sanctuary in the heart of the city—the kind of place where you could smell garlic, fresh herbs, and honest work. It was the only place where I felt like Eden, not the "Asset" or the centrepiece of a Pact, but just a woman sitting at a scarred wooden table.I was nursing a glass of water, watching Claire move behind the counter with the effortless grace of someone who owned her space. She caught my eye and winked, a silent promise that she’d be over the moment the lunch rush dipped. I tried to relax, but a prickle of unease crawled up my spine. It was a sensation I had grown accustomed to lately, the feeling of being watched, not by the protective, hun
Lilian’s POVThe city felt like it was closing in on me. The neon lights of Manhattan, once so welcoming and full of promise, now felt like cold, judgemental eyes. Every shadow seemed to hold a secret I wasn’t privy to. I had run out of allies. I had run out of secrets. But the questions Daniel had left me with were like glass shards in my mind, cutting deeper every time I tried to ignore them.Brothers. A father. An Asset.I needed to know how deep the rot went. I needed to know if fighting for my place next to Daniel meant I would eventually be forced to submit to Luca—or worse, to men I hadn’t even met yet. The thought of Luca's hands on me made my skin crawl, but the thought of losing the Schmidt empire made me feel like I was disappearing entirely.There was only one man left who played in the same dark, filthy circles as the Schmidts, even if he was a scavenger compared to their apex predator status.Klaus.The elevator ride up to his penthouse was suffocating. I checked my refl
Lilian’s POVThe drive to the Schmidt Tower was a blur of frantic, triumphant energy. I had the video. I had the proof that would finally tear the golden girl from her pedestal. I had seen Luca’s raw, pulsing arrogance by the pool, but I brushed it off as the bravado of a boy who knew he’d been caught. Daniel was different. Daniel was a man of order, a man who protected his territory with a lethal, quiet intensity. He wouldn't tolerate his son’s hands—or anything else—on the woman he had claimed.I bypassed his secretary with a sharp glare, pushing through the heavy oak doors of his top-floor office. Daniel was behind his desk, the skyline of Manhattan sprawling behind him like a kingdom. He didn't look up immediately. He was signing a stack of documents, the scratching of his pen the only sound in the room."You need to see this, Daniel," I said, my voice trembling with the weight of my victory.He paused, finally lifting his gaze. His eyes were cold, as they always were when they la
Lilian’s POVThe drive to the Schmidt estate was fuelled by a cold desperation. For three days, the whispers had been growing louder in the circles I clawed my way into. Eden was back. Not just back, but ensconced in Daniel’s world like she belonged there. I knew Daniel’s schedule like a prayer; on a Tuesday afternoon, he was buried in board meetings at the Schmidt Tower, miles away from the silent walls of his mansion. He wouldn't be there to shield her. He wouldn't be there to lie for her.I stepped out of my car, smoothing my designer skirt. The security at the gate had been surprisingly lax—or perhaps they had simply been told to let the "ghost" in. I walked through the foyer, my heels clicking sharply against the marble. The house felt empty, draped in a heavy, expensive silence that made the hair on my arms stand up. I checked the parlor, the dining room, and Daniel’s study. Nothing.I followed the trail of discarded clothes toward the rear of the house, where the floor-to-ceili
Eden’s POVThe door to Daniel’s study closed behind me with a soft click, but the weight of that sound followed me down the hallway like something much louder had just been sealed shut, like a decision had been placed on the table and left there waiting for me to either claim it or run from it.I d
Eden's POVDaniel hauled me up like a sack of potatoes, slinging me over his broad shoulder. My heavy tits slapped against his cheek with every step, nipples scraping his stubbled jaw. Blood rushed to my head, face dangling down his back, perfect view of his ass flexing in those wet trunks. But low
Daniel’s POVThe iron scent of the basement clung to me like a second skin. It was in the fibers of my shirt, under my fingernails, and coating the back of my throat. Violence, when done in such a way, has a way of lingering. It is a primitive residue.I looked at Eden. She was standing in the cente
Chapter 5: The Architecture of Silence (Continued)Daniel’s POVThe library was the heart of the estate, a room of dark oak, leather-bound history, and a silence so thick it felt like it had its own pulse. I led Eden inside, my hand firm on her elbow. I could feel the tremors still vibrating throug







