I shouldn’t have said yes. Yet here I am—seated across from Julian in the most exclusive restaurant in the city, a smile plastered on my face, my stomach churning like a storm.
The lights are dim, the music soft, and the air smells like aged wine and scandal. He raises his glass in a toast, and I follow suit, pretending not to notice the possessive gleam in his eyes.
"To us," he says smoothly.
To hell, I want to say. Instead, I clink my glass gently and sip.
“So,” Julian begins, leaning back casually. “I’ve noticed a shift in you lately. Less fire. Less fight. What changed?”
You tried to ruin me. I cross my legs and rest my hands in my lap to hide the trembling. “I’m just exhausted. Work’s been insane.”
He studies me for a moment too long, and I know he doesn’t buy it.
"You’ve been seeing him again, haven’t you?” His voice drops low. “Kade."
I nearly choke on my wine.
“What?” I laugh, but it sounds brittle. “Julian, seriously? You’re jealous of a ghost?”
His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “He’s not a ghost, Alina. He’s a cockroach. Always crawling back at the worst times.”
I grit my teeth. “Kade has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Lie. And he knows it. Julian’s fingers tap against the tablecloth. “I warned you before. Loyalty matters. You were doing so well... but now, I wonder.”
The waiter arrives, breaking the tension with a silver tray of filet mignon and overpriced truffle risotto. But I’ve lost my appetite.
I pick at my food while Julian talks about acquisitions and political favors, but all I hear are sirens in my head. He knows. Or at least suspects. And that means I have less time than I thought. I excuse myself to the restroom and slip my phone from my clutch, fingers shaking.
Me: He knows. He’s on edge. I’ll stall.
Kade: Get out of there now.
Me: Too late. He’s watching. If I move too fast, he’ll know.
No reply. I wash my face with cold water and look at my reflection. I see fear. But under that? Rage. I walk back to the table calmer, rehearsed, a mask firmly in place.
Julian smiles like he’s already won. “Feeling better?”
I nod. “Much.”
He leans forward. “You know, I was thinking… how funny life is. First I lose Leo, and now I see the same thing happening with you.”
The mention of Leo—my best friend, his stepbrother—hits me like a gut punch. I flinch. That was deliberate. He sees it. He enjoys it.
Julian lowers his voice. “Don’t forget who gave you everything, Alina. That law firm you manage under my stepbrother’s name, the position you have in the fashion industry, that clout. Your future. I can take it all back.”
There it is. The threat. Naked and unapologetic.
And yet I still smile. “Noted.”
He grins and reaches across the table to touch my hand, but I pull away casually.
“My driver will take you home,” he says. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
The implication sinks into my spine like ice.
I force another smile. “So thoughtful of you.”
BACK at my apartment, I triple-check the locks before pacing the living room. I’m still shaking when I hear the knock. Three soft raps. It's Kade. I open the door, and he slides in without a word, pulling me into him.
“I told you not to go,” he mutters against my hair.
“And I told you I could handle him.”
“You were lying. I saw your hands.”
I push away. “I got what we needed. He’s desperate. And angry. Which means we’re close.”
Kade drags his hand through his hair. “He mentioned Leo, didn’t he?”
My throat tightens. I nod.
He slams his fist into the wall. “Bastard’s playing dirty now. He always blamed me for Leo’s death.”
“Was he wrong?” I whisper before I can stop myself.
Kade freezes. His eyes narrow. “You think I killed him?”
“No—” I shake my head quickly. “I just—”
“You still don’t know what really happened that night.”
“Then tell me!” I shout. “Because all I remember is you disappearing right after the funeral, leaving me and Leo’s family to clean up the mess!”
He turns his back to me, breathing hard. “I tried to save him, Alina. But he wouldn’t listen. He made a deal with someone powerful… and when it all went south, Julian offered him a way out. Leo refused. I didn’t.”
That silences me.
“I thought protecting Leo meant walking away,” Kade says. “But I was wrong. And Julian made me pay for it. Just like he’s making you pay now.”
I drop onto the couch, my knees weak. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Would you have believed me?”
I don’t answer.
Kade kneels in front of me. “I know I don’t deserve your trust. But I’m here now. And I’m not running again.”
We stay like that for a moment, the tension melting into something heavier—something harder to define. His hand brushes mine. I don’t pull away.
Then his phone buzzes. He stands, reading the message. His face goes pale.
“What is it?” I ask, alarmed.
“They’ve got Trixie.”
My blood runs cold.
“She followed a lead—on Julian’s secret account, the one funding everything. Someone must’ve been tailing her. The message says if we want her alive… we have to give up the files.”
A pause.
“And me.”
