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Chapter thirteen : The warehouse trap

Author: Valia Vaceia
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-12-11 00:01:31

Vanessa didn’t sleep.

She tried, God, she tried but her mind wouldn’t quiet. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photo again. Elise’s hand reaching toward Alexander’s chest. His face too close to hers. The dark hallway. The tension. The doubt.

And then the message.

If you want to know the truth about your husband… come alone tomorrow.

Her heart had been banging around inside her ribcage ever since.

By morning, she felt the weight of everything, fear, confusion, anger, longing like bruises pressed deep under her skin. She dragged herself into the shower, letting the hot water beat over her shoulders, grounding her the way Alexander’s voice had almost done last night.

Almost.

She dressed simply black jeans, a fitted top, her hair pulled back in a low, steadying style. Something functional. Something that didn’t remind her of the gala or of Elise.

She stepped out of her room and froze.

Alexander was waiting in the hallway.

He wore a black shirt, rolled sleeves, buttons undone at
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  • The contracted heart    Chapter twenty three : The velvet snare

    The invitation arrived the next morning.Vanessa stared at the embossed card resting on the marble kitchen counter, its edges sharp enough to feel like a warning.The Harrington Foundation Spring BenefitBlack tie. Press in attendance.Her stomach tightened.Alexander stood behind her, coffee untouched in his hand. He didn’t need to read it to know.“They’re moving faster than I expected,” he said quietly.Vanessa exhaled. “This isn’t just a charity dinner.”“No,” he agreed. “It’s a trap dressed in silk.”She turned to face him. “Then why does it feel like they’re inviting me specifically?”Because they are, he thought but didn’t say.“They want to see you crack,” he said instead. “To watch you misstep. To prove you don’t belong.”Her jaw set. “And if I decline?”“They’ll spin it,” he said. “Fear. Weakness. Something to dissect.”She folded her arms. “So I go.”Alexander studied her carefully. “Only if you want to.”“I do,” she said, surprising even herself. “I won’t keep shrinking to

  • The contracted heart    Chapter twenty two : Public appearances

    The city didn’t wait for wounds to heal.By noon, Vanessa understood that clearly.She stood in front of the bedroom mirror, fingers smoothing down the soft fabric of the dress Alexander’s stylist had laid out for her elegant, understated, deceptively simple. Navy blue. Long sleeves. High neckline. The kind of dress that whispered refinement while hiding every vulnerability beneath it.A shield.Her reflection stared back, composed on the surface, but her eyes gave her away. Too thoughtful. Too aware.A knock sounded.“Come in,” she said softly.Alexander stepped inside, already dressed in a tailored charcoal suit. He looked every inch the man the world feared controlled, powerful, unreadable. But when his gaze landed on her, something warm flickered through the steel.“You look beautiful,” he said.She exhaled. “I feel like I’m walking into a battlefield without armor.&rdq

  • The contracted heart    Chapter twenty one : After the fire

    Dawn arrived quietly.No sirens. No gunfire. No urgent voices crackling through earpieces.Just pale light slipping through the tall windows of the penthouse, touching the city Alexander Cole ruled with a softness that felt almost unreal after the night they’d survived.Vanessa woke slowly, her body heavy, sore in places she didn’t remember hurting. For a moment, confusion wrapped around her then warmth.Solid. Steady. Alive.Alexander.She lay against his chest, his arm draped over her waist with unconscious possession, his breathing deep and even. He hadn’t let go of her since they’d returned hours ago not when Collins’ team debriefed, not when doctors checked them both, not even when exhaustion finally dragged them under.Her fingers curled slightly against his shirt, feeling the rise and fall beneath her palm.We’re alive.The thought came with a rush of emotion so strong her throat tightened.She lifted her head carefully, studying him.In sleep, Alexander looked younger. Less

  • The contracted heart    Chapter twenty : Fire and desire

    The city slept, but Vanessa didn’t. Her body was a taut wire of adrenaline, her senses sharpened to every whisper of movement, every distant siren. Even the wind through the penthouse windows seemed too loud. She couldn’t shake the memory of the warehouse the gun, Elise’s rage, the flash of Alexander’s hand shielding her, the chaos, the near death. Her chest still ached where his body pressed against hers, a lingering reminder of how fragile, how human they were beneath the power, the contracts, the lies.Alexander sat beside her on the leather sofa, the city lights slicing across his sharp features, casting long shadows that made his gaze look even darker. His hand held hers, thumb brushing circles over her palm a steadying rhythm that anchored her, yet sent heat spiraling through her veins.“I hate that they’re still out there,” he said, voice low and rough, almost a growl. “I hate that they’re thinking about you the way they did tonight. That someone could hurt you just because of

  • The contracted heart    Chapter nineteen : The order strikes

    The city’s night skyline glittered like distant stars, but Vanessa barely noticed. Her gaze was fixed on the penthouse windows across the street, the same ones they had barely secured hours ago. The adrenaline from the warehouse ambush had barely faded, and yet her heart refused to settle. Every shadow seemed alive, every sound amplified, every breath a reminder that danger still lurked close.Alexander stood beside her, tall, dark, and lethal. His hand enveloped hers, fingers entwined, thumbs brushing in a constant, grounding rhythm. She had wanted to stay brave. She had wanted to hold herself together. But tonight, the weight of their enemies pressed down like a vice.“They’re not going to stop,” Alexander murmured, his voice low, almost a growl. “The Order doesn’t forgive. They escalate. Always.”Vanessa swallowed, her pulse spiking. “We’ve faced them before. We survived. Tonight... ” Her voice faltered, the words stuck in her throat.“Tonight is different,” he said, eyes scanning

  • The contracted heart    Chapter nineteen : The order strikes

    The city’s night skyline glittered like distant stars, but Vanessa barely noticed. Her gaze was fixed on the penthouse windows across the street, the same ones they had barely secured hours ago. The adrenaline from the warehouse ambush had barely faded, and yet her heart refused to settle. Every shadow seemed alive, every sound amplified, every breath a reminder that danger still lurked close.Alexander stood beside her, tall, dark, and lethal. His hand enveloped hers, fingers entwined, thumbs brushing in a constant, grounding rhythm. She had wanted to stay brave. She had wanted to hold herself together. But tonight, the weight of their enemies pressed down like a vice.“They’re not going to stop,” Alexander murmured, his voice low, almost a growl. “The Order doesn’t forgive. They escalate. Always.”Vanessa swallowed, her pulse spiking. “We’ve faced them before. We survived. Tonight... ” Her voice faltered, the words stuck in her throat.“Tonight is different,” he said, eyes scanning

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