The doorman called while I was still in the car.
"Ms. Gordon, there's a Mr. Jensen in the lobby. He says it's urgent."
I stared out the window. Traffic crawled down Fifth Avenue. The city was all brake lights and shadows.
"Did you let him up?"
"No, ma'am. He's insisting he'll wait."
I should have told him to have Elliott removed. Should have called security. Should have ended it there.
But I didn't.
"Let him into the foyer," I said quietly. "I'll be there in ten minutes."
I ended the call.
Nico glanced at me from the front seat. His eyes found mine in the rearview mirror.
"Are you certain?"
I nodded.
He didn't ask again.
---
The elevator opened directly into my penthouse foyer. White marble floors. A single orchid on the console table. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park.
Elliott stood in the center of the room.
He looked terrible.
His suit was wrinkled. His tie hung loose. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. He hadn't shaved.
When he saw me, he dropped to his knees.
Right there on the marble.
His hands clasped in front of him like he was praying.
"Jayla." His voice cracked. "Thank you. Thank you for seeing me."
I set my bag on the console table. Didn't look at him yet.
I walked past him into the living room. Sat down in the chair by the window. Crossed my legs.
Then I looked at him.
"You have five minutes."
He crawled forward on his knees. Actually crawled. Like the marble was burning him and the only relief was getting closer to me.
"I was manipulated," he said. The words came fast. Rehearsed. "Siena twisted everything. She made me think you were threatening her. I wasn't thinking clearly. I was protecting someone I thought needed protecting."
I didn't blink.
"I never meant to hurt you." His voice dropped. Softer now. "You have to believe that. The storage closet—God, Jayla, I didn't know. I forgot about your claustrophobia. I was angry and I wasn't thinking and I—"
"You forgot."
The words came out flat. Cold.
He flinched.
"I pulled you out of an elevator," he said. "Remember? You couldn't breathe. You were shaking. I held you until the paramedics came. I would never—"
"But you did."
Silence.
He swallowed hard. His hands twisted together.
"I'm a different man now," he said. "I see it. I see what I did. I see what I lost." He looked up at me. His eyes were wet. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I'll do anything. Anything, Jayla. Just tell me what you need."
I let the silence stretch.
Five seconds. Ten. Twenty.
He started to speak again. I raised one finger.
He stopped.
I uncrossed my legs. Leaned forward slightly.
"You want to prove you've changed?"
"Yes." The word came out desperate. "Yes. Anything."
I tilted my head. Studied him.
"Then marry her."
He blinked. "What?"
"Marry Siena Morales."
The color drained from his face.
"Jayla, I don't—"
"You said Siena manipulated you." My voice stayed even. Calm. "You said she has some hold over you that made you act irrationally. So break it."
I stood. Walked to the window. Looked out at the park.
"Marry her," I said again. "Make it legal. Public. Bind yourself to the woman who destroyed us. Live with that choice. Confront it every single day."
I turned back to face him.
"Do that, and I'll consider reopening a door."
He stared at me. His mouth opened. Closed.
"You want me to marry Siena," he said slowly. "To prove I'm serious about you."
"I want you to prove you can neutralize the hold she has on you. That you can make a hard choice and live with it. That you're willing to sacrifice something real."
I walked back to my chair. Sat down.
"Or don't," I said quietly. "Walk away. Forget this conversation. Move on with your life."
I met his eyes.
"But if you do, you'll never hear from me again."
The silence that followed was absolute.
I could see him thinking. See the calculation happening behind his eyes.
He wasn't thinking about Siena.
He wasn't thinking about love.
He was thinking about my empire. My resources. My name.
He was thinking about what he could get back.
"Okay," he said.
I raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"
"I'll do it." He nodded. Fast. Certain. "I'll marry her. I'll prove it to you."
No hesitation.
No question about why.
No moment of doubt.
Just greed.
Naked. Immediate. Perfect.
I smiled.
Not the smile I used to give him.
Something colder.
Something sharp.
"Then we have an understanding," I said softly.
He stood. His legs shook slightly. He steadied himself against the back of the sofa.
"Thank you," he said. "Jayla, I won't let you down. I'll fix this. I'll fix everything."
I didn't stand.
I watched him cross the foyer. Watched him step into the elevator.
The doors closed.
I sat alone in the silence.
Outside, the park stretched dark and endless.
I picked up my phone.
Opened a new contact.
Margot Flynn. My attorney.
I typed four words.
*Draft the documents.*
Then I set the phone down.
Leaned back in my chair.
And smiled.