All Chapters of Dangerous Desire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The police station smelled like old paper and cold coffee — nothing like the sleek, controlled world Lena was used to. She sat beside Alexander in a cramped waiting area, her fingers twisting in her lap while officers moved around them with quiet urgency.Alexander hadn’t let go of her hand since they arrived.“Detective Hale will see you now,” an officer finally said.They followed him into a small interview room. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and a camera blinked in the corner. A woman with sharp eyes and a calm expression sat behind the table.“I’m Detective Mira Hale,” she said. “Thank you for coming so quickly. Mr. Knight, Miss Carter — please sit.”Lena sank into her chair, her nerves raw. Alexander sat next to her, posture straight, jaw clenched.Detective Hale folded her hands. “We reviewed the photos and the threatening notes you brought. This isn’t a prank. Whoever did this wanted to scare you.”Lena’s voice trembled. “Do you know who?”“We’re working on it,” the detec

The drive to Alexander’s penthouse was silent — not peaceful, but tense, heavy, wrapped in fear neither of them dared to name. Lena stared out the window as the city lights blurred past, her heartbeat an unsteady rhythm.Danger wasn’t just at work anymore.It had followed her home.Inside her home.She wasn’t safe anywhere.Alexander kept one hand on the wheel, the other gripping the console so tightly his knuckles turned white. Every red light seemed to agitate him. Every shadow made him look twice.When they finally reached his building — a tall tower of glass and steel — Alexander parked and was out of the car before she could unbuckle. He rushed to her side, opening the door and placing a firm hand at the small of her back.“Stay close,” he said quietly.Inside the private elevator, he pressed his thumb to a scanner. As the doors closed and the elevator rose smoothly, Lena felt the pressure inside her chest loosen — just a little.“Alex,” she whispered shakily. “What if they follo

The sound of Marcus Hale’s voice through the intercom felt like ice sliding down Lena’s spine.Alexander froze completely. Not breathing. Not blinking.Just… frozen.Lena had never seen him like this.Not afraid — but something close. Something that made the hairs on her arms rise.“Alex?” she whispered.He snapped back into motion and hit the speaker button again.“How did you find my address, Marcus?”A low, amused chuckle drifted through the intercom.“Alexander… you forget who taught you how to hide.”Lena’s heart hammered.This wasn’t just a rival.This was someone who knew him. Knew his secrets.Knew his weaknesses.Alexander’s voice hardened. “You’re not coming inside.”“Relax,” Marcus said smoothly. “If I wanted in, I’d already be standing in your living room.”Lena’s breath caught.Alexander moved in front of her, blocking her from the door like he expected Marcus to burst through it.“State your business and leave,” Alexander said.“You know why I’m here,” Marcus replied. “Y

Lena’s blood turned to ice.The picture on her phone showed her lying on Alexander’s guest bed, curled under the blanket, unaware. Peaceful. Vulnerable.A picture that could only have been taken inside the penthouse.Her breath hitched, panic clawing up her throat. “Alex… how— how is that even possible?”Alexander didn’t answer.He didn’t have to.She could see it in his eyes—the moment fury replaced shock, the moment he fully realized:Someone had been in this penthouse while she slept.He moved with sudden, explosive purpose.“Stay here,” he growled.“Alex—wait!” she cried, but he was already storming down the hallway.He threw on the lights, scanning every corner of the bedroom, checking the windows, checking the vents, ripping open the closet doors.Then he dropped to his knees and looked under the bed. Nothing.Lena stood frozen in the doorway, trembling uncontrollably. “Alex, what if they’re still—”“They’re not,” he said sharply.But his voice was shaking.He circled the room a

Lena followed Alexander and Mrs. Ward through the dim hallway, her heart hammering harder with every step. The house was quiet—too quiet—like it was holding its breath with them.They stopped at a heavy wooden door Lena hadn’t noticed before. It was older than the rest of the house, carved with symbols she didn’t recognize.Mrs. Ward placed a hand on Alexander’s arm.“You don’t have to show her,” she murmured.Alexander’s jaw tightened. “She deserves the truth.”Mrs. Ward nodded once, her eyes softening as she stepped aside.Alexander reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brass key—old, worn, and cold-looking. His fingers lingered on it for a moment… as if it held a piece of pain he couldn’t let go.He unlocked the door and pushed it open.The room inside was dark at first. He flipped a switch, and dim lights flickered on.Lena gasped.It wasn’t a bedroom.It wasn’t a study.It was a surveillance room.Screens lined the walls, some on, some black. Dozens of camera feeds — the