It was 2:00 AM when Cora stepped out of the private elevator onto the penthouse floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. She had booked this room using the very last of the hush money Axel had thrown at her months ago. She hadn't dared to return to her cramped Brooklyn apartment tonight, terrified that Axel would hunt her down there after the gala. She needed a neutral, highly secure fortress just for one night. The thick, plush carpet absorbed the sound of her heels. The hallway was dead silent, the air smelling faintly of lavender and expensive floor wax.
She dragged her exhausted body toward her suite-paid for by the last of the hush money Axel had thrown at her months ago. She dug her keycard out of her purse.
Before she could slide it into the slot, she noticed a sliver of light bleeding out from under the door.
Her stomach plummeted.
Before she could step back, the door was violently yanked open from the inside. A large hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of her rented green dress, and hauled her into the room.
Cora let out a sharp cry as she was thrown backward. Her spine slammed against the hard wood of the entryway wall. Her purse clattered to the floor.
Axel Malone stood over her. His tuxedo jacket was gone. His bowtie hung loose around his neck. His eyes were bloodshot, and the stench of stale alcohol rolled off him in waves.
He slammed the door shut and locked it. He planted his hands on the wall on either side of her head, caging her in.
"Where the hell have you been?" Axel roared, spit flying from his lips.
Cora winced as the pain in her spine radiated outward. She looked up at the man she had once loved, feeling nothing but a profound, sickening disgust.
"It's your wedding night, Axel," Cora said, her voice dripping with ice. "Shouldn't you be in Aubrey's bed? Or did she lock you out already?"
The taunt hit its mark. Axel's face contorted in rage. He grabbed her shoulders, his fingers digging painfully into her flesh.
"Everything I did today, I did for us!" he screamed, shaking her. "I married Aubrey to get the Mayer family's backing! I need their board seats to take down Jace! Once I have the company, I can give you everything!"
Cora stared at him. He was completely delusional. He actually believed his own lies.
She let out a harsh, barking laugh. "You didn't do this for us. You did this because you're a pathetic, insecure bastard who would sell his own soul to pretend he's a real Bauer."
Axel froze. The word bastard was his ultimate trigger. He raised his hand, his palm open, ready to strike her across the face.
Cora didn't flinch. She stared right into his bloodshot eyes, her chin raised. "Do it," she whispered.
Axel's hand trembled in the air. He couldn't do it. He dropped his hand, his expression twisting into a pathetic, desperate mask. He reached out and tried to stroke her cheek.
"Cora, baby, please," he begged, his voice cracking. "Just come back to the apartment. Stop fighting me."
Cora felt bile rise in her throat. She violently slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me. Get out of my room before I call hotel security."
The rejection snapped whatever thread of sanity Axel had left. His face hardened into a mask of pure malice. "You think you can just walk away? I own your contract, Cora. I will blacklist you. I will make sure you never work in this town again. You'll be begging on the streets."
"I'm not afraid of you anymore," Cora spat.
Axel lunged at her again. Cora reacted purely on instinct. She grabbed the heavy bronze vase sitting on the entryway console table and swung it with all her might.
The bronze connected with Axel's shoulder with a sickening thud.
Axel yelled in pain, stumbling backward and clutching his arm.
Cora didn't hesitate. She ripped the door open and bolted into the hallway.
She didn't make it far. Axel charged after her, his hand clamping down on her wrist just as she reached the center of the long corridor. He yanked her back, his face twisted in a vicious snarl.
"You crazy bitch!" he hissed, trying to drag her back toward the open door.
Ding.
The soft chime of the VIP elevator at the far end of the hall cut through the struggle.
The polished steel doors slid open.
Jace Bauer stepped out. He wasn't just passing through; this was his domain. He held a sleek, black keycard in his hand, his long strides carrying him purposefully toward the Presidential Suite at the end of the corridor. He had removed his tuxedo jacket. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms. He looked tired, dangerous, and utterly untouchable.
The struggle in the hallway ceased instantly.
Axel froze. The rage drained from his face, replaced by a sudden, paralyzing terror. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a freight train.
Jace paused. His cold, dead eyes swept over the scene. He saw Axel's hand wrapped like a vice around Cora's wrist. He saw Cora's torn dress and disheveled hair.
He didn't look surprised. He didn't look angry. He looked profoundly bored.
Jace broke eye contact, dismissing them entirely, and began walking down the hallway toward the presidential suite. He didn't speed up. He didn't slow down. He walked past them as if they were nothing more than stains on the carpet.
The sheer weight of Jace's indifference hit Axel like a physical blow. Axel's grip on Cora's wrist loosened.
Cora ripped her arm free. She rubbed her bruised skin, her mind racing. Jace was ignoring her. He was playing his part of the cold, unfeeling CEO perfectly.
But Cora needed Axel to back off permanently. She needed to use the weapon she had just acquired.
She took a step back from Axel, raising her voice just enough so it would carry down the quiet hall.
"Look at him, Axel," Cora said, her voice laced with cruel triumph. "Look at the man who actually owns the world. That's why I'm leaving you. "
The words echoed off the walls.
Thirty feet away, Jace stopped. He had just slid his keycard into the door of the presidential suite.
He turned his head slowly. He looked back down the hallway, his dark eyes locking onto Cora. The look he gave her was unreadable-a mix of warning, dark amusement, and a chilling promise of retribution.
Then, he pushed his door open and disappeared inside.
Axel stood frozen, his face pale, his chest heaving. He looked from the closed door of the presidential suite back to Cora. He spat a vile curse at her feet, turned around, and practically ran toward the elevators.
Cora stood alone in the hallway, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She had drawn the battle lines.
