chapter 11

SIERRA’S POV

A note. For me.

The words did not feel real. They bounced around my hollow head as I stared at Marcus. His face was serious, carved from stone.

Louis moved before I could. He stepped between me and the door, his back a solid wall. “Where is it?” His voice was calm, too calm. The kind of calm that comes before a storm.

“Security has it. They didn’t touch it. They’re waiting for you.”

Louis nodded once. He turned to me. His eyes were dark, unreadable. “Stay here. Lock the door behind me. Do not open it for anyone but me.”

“But the guests—” I started.

“The guests can wait.” He cut me off, his tone leaving no room for argument. He looked at Marcus. “Stay with her.”

Then he was gone, the kitchen door swinging shut behind him.

Silence rushed in, thick and heavy. Marcus stood by the door, his arms crossed. He did not look at me. He just stared straight ahead, a soldier on guard.

My legs felt weak. I leaned against the cold steel of the refrigerator. Someone had come to the gate. Someone had left a note for me. In the middle of Louis Trevane’s dinner party.

It could only be one person.

Victor.

My hands started to shake. I clasped them together, pressing them against my stomach. What did the note say? A warning? A threat against Katie? I felt sick. I should have run the second I saw him in the hallway. I should have taken Katie and disappeared.

But I had stayed. Because of the money. Because of a stupid, foolish hope that I could handle this.

The kitchen timer went off, a shrill beep for the soufflés. I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat. Marcus didn’t even flinch.

I moved on autopilot. I put on oven mitts and pulled the ramekins out. The chocolate smelled rich and perfect. They had risen beautifully. A small, stupid victory. I set them on the rack to cool, my movements mechanical.

“You’re very calm,” Marcus said suddenly. His voice was flat.

I looked at him. “What?”

“For someone who just had a threat delivered to their door. You’re very calm.”

I swallowed. “I’m scared out of my mind. I just hide it well.”

He studied me for a long moment. “Why are you here, Miss Savalini?”

The question felt like a trap. “To cook. It’s my job.”

“Louis has never hired a live-in chef before. He values his privacy. Above all else.” He took a slow step into the room. “And yet, here you are. After one interview. With a child at home.”

Ice trickled down my spine. He knew about Katie. Of course he did. He was Louis’s manager. He would have done a background check.

“My daughter has nothing to do with this,” I said, my voice tight.

“Doesn’t she?” He stopped a few feet away. “Louis is not a simple man. His world is complicated. Dangerous, even. Bringing a child into it… is irresponsible.”

Anger cut through my fear. “I didn’t *bring* her into anything. I’m here to work. To give her a better life. That’s all.”

“Is it?” His gaze was piercing. “Because the way he looks at you is not the way an employer looks at staff. And the way you look at him… You know him. From before.”

I turned away, busying myself with wiping the already-clean counter. “You’re imagining things.”

“I don’t imagine things. I manage risks. And you, Miss Savalini, are a risk.”

Before I could answer, the door opened. Louis walked back in. He held a single, plain white envelope in his hand. His face was a mask, but his eyes were thunderous.

He looked at Marcus. “Leave us.”

Marcus hesitated, then gave a short nod and left, closing the door softly behind him.

We were alone again. The air felt charged, ready to ignite.

Louis held up the envelope. “It has your name on it. Typed. No return address.” He didn’t give it to me. “The security footage at the gate was disabled. Professionally.”

My mouth was dry. “What does it say?”

He just looked at me. “You tell me.”

“How would I know?”

“Because I think you know exactly who sent it.” He took a step closer. “Victor Hale. You reacted to him today. You were terrified of him. Why?”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “He’s a scary man. He touched me.”

“It’s more than that.” Louis’s voice was low, insistent. “He knew your name. When I went out there, the guard said the man at the gate asked for you specifically. ‘Give this to the chef. Sierra.’ How did he know your name, Sierra? He was only here for an hour. I never introduced you.”

My mind raced, scrambling for a lie. It wouldn’t come. I was so tired of lying.

Louis saw my panic. His expression softened, just a fraction. “I am not your enemy. But I cannot protect you if you do not tell me the truth. What does Victor Hale want with you?”

A sob built in my chest. I pressed my lips together to keep it in. I looked at the envelope in his hand. It looked so innocent. So small.

“Open it,” I whispered.

He didn’t move. “I want you to tell me first.”

“I can’t.” The words were a broken sound.

“You can.” He moved closer until he was right in front of me. He didn’t touch me. He just stood there, a solid presence in the spinning room. “Whatever it is, it ends tonight. I promise you that. But I need you to trust me.”

Trust him. The man who had forgotten me. The man who lived in a world of billions and blackmail. Could I trust him with Katie’s life?

I looked into his eyes. I saw the man from the hotel room, the one who had looked at me like I was everything. I also saw the billionaire, hard and capable. And I saw something else, something new. A protectiveness that felt real.

It was the biggest gamble of my life.

I took a shaky breath. “He’s threatening me.”

“Why?”

“Because…” I closed my eyes. The truth clawed its way up, desperate to get out. “Because he knows I have a connection to you. He thinks he can use me to hurt you.”

“What connection?” His voice was barely a breath.

I opened my eyes. The words were on my tongue. *We have a child. We have a daughter.*

But the kitchen door burst open.

Celeste stood there, her perfect face flushed with anger. “Louis! What is the meaning of this? Our guests are waiting for dessert! And you are in here… with the *help*?” Her venomous gaze landed on me.

Louis didn’t even look at her. His eyes were locked on mine, waiting for my answer.

But the moment was gone. The wall was back up.

He turned to Celeste, his expression turning cold and dismissive. “The dessert will be out shortly. Go back to the guests.”

“I will not! This is unacceptable! You disappear for twenty minutes, and I find you hiding in the kitchen with this… this girl!”

“Celeste.” Louis’s voice cut through the air like a whip. “Leave. Now.”

She stared at him, shocked. Then her eyes narrowed. She looked from him to me, and a nasty understanding dawned on her face. She smiled, a cruel, knowing smile.

“Oh, I see. How pathetic.” She spat the words at me. “You think you’re special? You’re just another distraction. He’ll be done with you by next week.”

She turned and left, slamming the door so hard the ramekins rattled.

The silence she left behind was worse than her words.

Louis ran a hand over his face. He looked tired. For the first time, he looked like a man, not a monument.

He held the envelope out to me finally. “It’s yours.”

I took it with trembling fingers. It was light. Too light.

“You don’t have to open it now,” he said quietly. “Serve the dessert. Finish the night. Then… we will talk. No more running. No more lies.”

He walked to the door. Before he left, he looked back. “And Sierra? Whatever that note says… you are not alone. Not anymore.”

He left, and I was left holding the envelope, his promise hanging in the air like a fragile hope.

I looked down at my name, typed neatly on the front.

With a deep breath, I slid my finger under the flap and tore it open.

Inside was a single, glossy photograph.

It was a picture of Katie. Taken today, outside Jasmine’s house. She was smiling, holding a yellow balloon.

Underneath, in neat block letters, were two words:

STAY QUIET.

The world tilted. I grabbed the counter to keep from falling. The photo fluttered from my hand onto the floor.

Victor wasn’t just threatening me.

He was watching my daughter.