The late-afternoon light slanted through the tall windows of Zane’s office, striping the polished desk with gold and shadow. He sat in his leather chair, sleeves rolled back, pen poised above a column of numbers.Contracts that were dry, necessary, predictable. He liked predictable.The phone on the corner of his desk buzzed, the vibration sharp against the wood. He almost ignored it, until he saw the name flashing on the screen.Roman Velez. His hand froze mid-note, pen tip bleeding a small pool of ink onto the page. He wondered why Roman would call him. Or why he had his direct line. He picked up, his tone clipped. “Roman.”“We need to meet.” Roman’s voice was calm, deliberate. The kind of calm that meant trouble.Zane leaned back slowly, weighing the sound of it. “I’m busy.”“You’ll make time.” A pause. “It’s about Alessia.”A muscle jumped in Zane’s jaw. Roman had a way of saying her name like it was still his to claim, like the divorce hadn’t happened, like the ink on the cust
The automatic doors hissed open, letting in the faint smell of antiseptic and something sharper that made Alessia’s stomach turn. She hugged her bag closer, head down, trying to keep her breathing even. The ultrasound appointment wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. Just a routine check. Just her and the baby.Except… he was there.Roman leaned against the reception counter like he owned the place. Crisp suit, tie knotted too perfectly, dark hair pushed back as if he’d stepped out of some high-profile meeting just to taunt her. His gaze slid over her slow, deliberate, like she’d walked in wearing a dress made of glass.“Alessia,” he said, her name rolling out like a challenge.She didn’t stop walking. “What are you doing here?”“Coming with you.” He straightened, falling into step beside her. “It’s my child too.”A bitter laugh threatened, but she swallowed it. “You weren’t invited.”His jaw flexed. “I don’t need an invitation.”The nurse called her name, and before Alessia could shut hi
The city was turning dark, neon buzzing on like it couldn’t wait. Rain threatened somewhere up high, thick air smelling like wet concrete. Zane kept his cap low, his face shadowed. Across the street, Roman’s glass tower stabbed into the sky, cold and ruthless. It swallowed everything.Inside, marble floors gleamed, the smell of leather and coffee thick in the air. People whispered deals, heels clicking, voices low but tense. Zane moved like a ghost—unseen, unwanted, stepping into Roman’s world.A hand on his shoulder made him turn. Sasha. Used to be Roman’s right hand with the law, now Zane’s secret weapon.“He’s desperate,” she said, voice tight, like steel wrapped in silk. “Pushing through deals that’ll crush anyone in his way. Trying to squeeze us dry.”Zane’s eyes cut sharp. “Who’s in? When’s it done?”Sasha pulled out her phone, fingers fast. “The merger closes next week. And get this—Roman filed emergency custody papers. Fast track. No warning.”Zane felt ice crawl down his spin
The next day. “I am being watched.” Zane muttered as he walked around his office. He cleared his throat and sat behind the large oak desk, reviewing contracts when an envelope slid silently under the door.He didn’t look up. Without hesitation, he reached down and picked it up. The envelope was heavy, unmarked, with no return address.With precise fingers, he tore it open and pulled out a stack of photos. The images were dark and grainy: a man lying face down in a rain-slicked alley, clothes soaked in blood. On the back of one photo, scrawled in rough handwriting, was a single word: Belgrave.Zane’s face tightened, but he didn’t flinch. The name Belgrave stirred memories he had buried deep memories he never intended to share with Alessia. The man in those photos was no ordinary threat. He was the ghost from Zane’s past, the man Zane had been hunting for years.Alessia’s father.Except Alessia believed her father was dead. She never knew the truth that Belgrave had disappeared, pre
Back at home.The door to the shower clicked shut behind Alessia and the hot water roared to life, steam curling thickly around the white tiles. She stood beneath the spray, hands pressing hard against the cool tile wall as if she could push the weight of the day away. The media’s flashing cameras, the press’s sharp tongues, the ever-present pressure pressing on her chest — and underneath it all, the steady thrum of new life inside her. A life she barely felt ready to protect.The sound of a quiet knock pulled her from the fog of her thoughts. Lena’s voice came soft but firm.“Alessia, are you alright?”She wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door. Lena’s eyes flicked over her with a mix of concern and something else: steel beneath silk.“I’m tired,” Alessia whispered, hair dripping down her shoulders.Lena nodded slowly, stepping inside. “I know this isn’t easy. But you’re stronger than you think. Remember, Zane’s here. For you. And the baby.”Alessia managed a small, frag
Alessia felt empty, her shoulders slumped. Her eyes had bags. The house around her felt less like a sanctuary and more like a battlefield. Every whispered rumor, every leaked story, every sideways glance carried the weight of the war she never wanted to fight.She stopped and turned to face Zane. His eyes were steady, as always controlled, like a man who built walls around his heart to keep the world out. But tonight, there was something else there. Exhaustion? Sadness? A flicker of doubt?“This isn’t your fight,” she said quietly, voice barely above the steady tick of the grandfather clock. “You can walk away. You don’t have to burn yourself down for me.”Zane’s gaze sharpened. “Don’t insult me like that.”Alessia swallowed hard, the lump rising in her throat heavier than usual. “I’m serious.”He stepped closer, voice low. “I don’t get to walk away from you.”She looked down, biting her lip. “I’m not the prize here. I’m the war.”“And I’m the soldier,” he said simply.The room was