The ring sat on the velvet like a sleeping curse. Gold, delicate, and chillingly familiar. Cambria couldn't tear her eyes away from it.
It was the same ring Maddox had placed on her finger the night he'd promised her forever just days before he'd shattered that promise on the altar of his ambition.
But now it had returned, like a ghost with unfinished business. And the message beneath it bled malice.
"You were never supposed to survive."
She read it again, her fingers trembling, the blood-red ink already staining her thoughts. This wasn't just a threat. It was a warning a promise from someone who had watched her long enough to know exactly how to hurt her.
"Elara," she called, her voice cold steel wrapped in silk.
The woman came from the other room, holding a glass of wine and an open laptop, but the moment she saw Cambria's face, her smile dropped. "What happened?"
Cambria handed her the box in silence.
Elara studied the ring first, then the note. Her brows furrowed, her voice low. "That's not just intimidation. That's…personal."
"It's Elena," Cambria whispered, her voice cracking for the first time. "She's back."
Elara's jaw tensed. "If that woman's in play, we're dealing with something far worse than just corporate revenge. She doesn't attack reputations she destroys legacies."
Cambria stared out the window of the suite, the city glittering below like a sea of secrets. "Then we're done hiding."
Three hours later, the gala was in full swing.
Held at the Empire Trust Museum, the Thorne Foundation's annual charity gala was the event of the season. Power brokers, media moguls, and trust-fund elite moved through the marble halls like a symphony of wealth and deception.
And then Cambria arrived.
The red dress was a weapon backless, sculpted, and commanding. Her hair was swept up in a crown of curls, her heels sharp enough to kill. She didn't sneak into this world anymore. She owned it.
Heads turned.
Whispers followed.
Elara flanked her like a blade in a velvet sheath, eyes scanning the crowd.
"Security's on high alert," she murmured. "No sign of Elena yet, but Maddox is here."
"I know," Cambria said, her voice calm. "Let's make him come to me."
Maddox spotted her from across the room.
His breath caught.
Every step she took was a declaration she was no longer the woman he left behind. She was power-wrapped in vengeance, and every man in that room noticed.
Including his father.
Malcolm Thorne's eyes narrowed as he leaned toward his son. "What the hell is she doing here?"
"She belongs here," Maddox said without turning.
"She's dangerous."
"She's right."
Malcolm stiffened. "Excuse me?"
Maddox finally turned to face him. "You built an empire on silence and secrets. She's just bringing light to the rot we ignored."
"I built this empire to protect you," Malcolm snapped. "From people like her."
"No," Maddox said softly, watching Cambria move through the crowd like a queen. "You tried to protect your legacy. I lost the only woman I ever loved in the process."
When Maddox finally approached Cambria, she didn't flinch.
"Why are you here?" he asked quietly, his gaze locked on hers.
"To remind you that I don't run from threats anymore," she replied, her tone smooth as glass. "Not yours. Not your father's. And certainly not your mother's."
Maddox's breath hitched. "She contacted you?"
Cambria pulled the note from her clutch and handed it to him. "Recognize the handwriting?"
He read the words and paled.
"Elena doesn't make empty threats," he said after a beat. "If she's back, she's not just after you she's coming for everything."
"Then maybe," Cambria whispered, stepping closer, "we finally have a common enemy."
For the first time since their kiss, they were aligned however briefly.
"I need to talk to you. Privately," Maddox said. "There are things you don't know."
Cambria nodded. "Then make it worth my time."
They slipped away to the rooftop garden above the museum silent, hidden from the noise below. The city stretched out before them like a glittering battlefield.
"She hated you from the start," Maddox said, his voice raw. "Not because of who you were but because you reminded her of herself. Ambitious. Beautiful. Unapologetic."
"And you let her win," Cambria replied, staring into the skyline. "You let her tear me down."
"I didn't know how to fight her then," he admitted. "But I do now."
Cambria turned to him. "Then tell me the truth. All of it."
Maddox exhaled slowly. "My mother isn't just a socialite with influence. She's the reason three of my father's competitors went bankrupt in under six months. She plays long games dangerous ones. And she doesn't leave witnesses."
"Why now?" Cambria asked. "Why send the ring now?"
"Because we're close," he whispered. "To expose the offshore account she used to funnel bribes. Elara's been digging in the right places."
Cambria's heart dropped. "So this isn't just about us."
Maddox nodded grimly. "It never was."
Suddenly, a flash of movement by the garden gate caught their attention.
A woman in a long black coat. Watching.
Then gone.
Maddox took off instantly, sprinting toward the gate but by the time he reached it, the woman had vanished into the night.
He returned, breathless. "She was here."
"Elena?" Cambria asked.
He didn't answer.
But the look in his eyes told her everything.
As the gala ended and guests departed, Cambria and Elara returned to the suite only to find the door already open.
Inside, every screen in the room flickered with static.
Then a voice echoed from the speakers. Soft. Measured.
"You've declared war, darling. I hope you know what that costs."
On-screen, an image appeared.
It was Cambria's sister.
Tied to a chair. Gagged.
And behind her, a gloved hand held a blade to her throat.
Cambria froze.
The screen went black.
And the only sound was Elara's whisper
"She's not just after the crown, Cambria. She's after blood."