Chapter 4

I didn’t sleep that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—Daniel, standing in my office with those blue eyes full of a thousand things unsaid. And then, behind him, the man under the streetlight, faceless and silent, was watching me.

By morning, my chest felt like a vise. Exhaustion, fear, anger, they all tangled inside me, but one thought cut through it all.

Daniel knew something.

He had looked at that envelope like it wasn’t a mystery at all, like he recognized the handwriting, like he’d been expecting it. And he refused to tell me why.

I couldn’t let that go.

I found him the next day at a café downtown.

I didn’t even know how I knew he’d be there. It was instinct, or maybe anger, guiding me. His name had surfaced again and again in newspapers and business blogs for years. Daniel Logan, the billionaire. Daniel Logan, the empire-builder. And now he was in New York, my city.

He was seated at a corner table, sipping black coffee as though he didn’t carry a hundred secrets in his chest. Heads turned when he walked in, but he didn’t seem to notice or care.

I walked straight up to him, my pulse hammering.

“You owe me answers,” I said.

He looked up, calm as if he’d been waiting for me. “Sit down, Jane.”

The familiarity in his voice rattled me. Once upon a time, he’d said my name like it was a promise. Now it sounded like a command.

I sat anyway.

“You knew about the letter,” I said flatly. “You knew who sent it.”

His jaw worked. “It’s not that simple.”

I leaned forward. “Then make it simple. Because right now, I’m drowning. My nonprofit is on the brink of collapse, my father is dying, and someone is sending me threats. So either you start talking, or I walk out and you never get another chance.”

His eyes flicked past me. For the briefest moment, something hard crossed his face, fear, maybe? Or recognition.

“Jane,” he said carefully, “there are people who would use you to get to me. Powerful people. That letter wasn’t random.”

“Use me? For what?”

Before he could answer, a new voice cut through the air.

“Daniel.”

I turned, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.

The man standing there was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark gray suit that screamed money and menace. There was a charm in his smile, but it was the charm of poison, beautiful, deceptive, and fatal.

Daniel’s entire body went rigid.

“Pierce,” he said.

The man’s gaze slid to me, and I felt stripped bare. His eyes lingered on me with unsettling interest, as though I were an object on display.

“And this must be Jane Riley,” he said smoothly. “I’ve heard so much.”

My stomach flipped. “Who are you?”

“Jonathan Pierce,” he replied, offering a hand I didn’t take. “An old… acquaintance of Daniel’s.”

Acquaintance. The word dripped with threat.

Daniel’s voice was like steel. “We’re in the middle of something. Leave.”

Pierce chuckled. “Relax, Logan. I’m just introducing myself to your… friend.” His gaze returned to me. “You’ve built quite the noble little mission here in the city. A nonprofit for children, yes? Very touching.”

The way he said it made me feel small. Insignificant.

I forced myself to hold his stare. “It’s not little. It matters.”

He smiled wider. “Of course. Everything matters to someone.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “But in this city, causes like yours only survive when backed by the right allies. Choose carefully.”

My blood ran cold. The words were almost identical to the letter.

CHOOSE YOUR SIDE, JANE.

Pierce straightened, adjusting his cufflinks. “Think about it. People like Daniel… they make promises they can’t keep. But me? I always keep mine.”

Daniel’s hand curled into a fist on the table. “Get out, Pierce.”

Pierce’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Enjoy your coffee, Logan. Miss Riley.”

And just like that, he was gone.

The silence he left behind was suffocating.

I turned back to Daniel, my voice shaking. “That was him, wasn’t it? The one who sent the letter.”

Daniel didn’t answer immediately. His jaw was tight, his shoulders coiled like springs.

Finally, he said, “Jonathan Pierce is dangerous. More dangerous than you know. You need to stay away from him.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Stay away? He walked right up to me, Daniel. He knows who I am. He knows everything about me.”

His eyes met mine, fierce and unyielding. “That’s why I came back. To protect you.”

The words hit me like a blow. For a moment, I saw the boy I’d loved, the boy who once swore he’d never let me fall.

But then the memory of his betrayal burned through. “You don’t get to say that,” I whispered. “Not after the way you left me.”

Pain flickered in his gaze, but he didn’t argue.

“Jane,” he said instead, his voice low and urgent. “Pierce won’t stop. He’ll come after everything you care about, your nonprofit, family, and even you. He plays games with people’s lives. That letter was just the beginning.”

I swallowed hard, my chest tight. “Then tell me the truth. Why did you leave all those years ago? Was it because of him?”

Daniel’s silence was my answer.

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor.

“If you can’t tell me the truth, then I don’t want your help,” I said. My voice cracked, but I kept my back straight. “I’ll figure this out myself.”

I walked out before he could stop me.

But as I stepped into the cool air, a shiver raced down my spine.

Because across the street, under another flickering streetlight, stood the same faceless man from last night. Watching me.

And this time, he smiled.

My breath caught. He lifted a gloved hand and tapped his wrist, as if wearing a watch, and was reminding me of something.

Time.

I froze, realization slicing through me. The eviction notice. The overdue medical bills. The threats. Everything in my life was running out.

He mouthed a single word I barely caught, but it was enough to make my knees weaken.

“Expiry.”

The streetlight flickered, and he was gone.