The morning light was pale, almost indecent and reluctant, while inside the penthouse, darkness fell like lead upon heart and soul; unsaid words weighed heavy in the air and secrets went deep.
He remained silent when I joined him in the study, a marvelous room adorned with a wall of photographs and documents—his empire laid out like a puzzle for him alone to solve. Adrian's jaw worked hard, his eyes sharp enough to carve through flesh.
"You're here early," he muttered without lifting his face.
"I couldn't sleep," I confided, stepping nearer. "After last night… after seeing what you can do."
His gaze finally found mine, and inscrutable things flickered in his stare—was it pain? Regret? I couldn't tell.
"Capable doesn't even begin to describe it," he said in a low voice. "That price is paid for loyalty in my world."
Before I could ask what that meant, the shrill ring of the phone sliced the air. His gaze shadowed as he answered.
"It's her," he said almost inaudibly after a moment of silence. "She's here."
I watched him hang up and turn towards me, the burden of his next words weighing heavy.
"A woman from my past has come," he said. "And she's not exactly happy to see you."
The lump in my throat was solid. I did not want to be caught up in one of Adrian's storms again.
Moments later, the doorbell chimed. The assistant ushered in a woman gliding in with a predator's grace. Tall, ice-blonde hair framed a face carved with sharp beauty and armed with sharper resentment.
Her eyes froze on me. "So, this is the little dove."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Isabella."
The name hit me across the face. Darkness came, for he clearly feared and loathed this woman.
"What are you doing here, Isabella?" Adrian asked.
She smiled, but it was devoid of warmth. "I came for what is mine. You promised me a seat at your empire. Instead, you brought a stray."
The sting of her words pierced straight through me.
"You don't belong here," Isabella said with venom. "You never did."
In a chill voice, Adrian interjected, stepping in front of me. "Enough."
But Isabella's gaze did not falter. "You think you could replace me with her? I built this empire with you. I owned every shadow. And now you let her walk in like she's the queen."
Tension thickened in that air like any minute it could have turned into a knife fight.
I parted my lips to say something, but Adrian silenced me with a look.
"Isabella, this ends now," he said. "Leave before I make you."
Her laughter was dark, the bitterness palpable. "Make me? You never had the guts."
When she stormed out, Adrian turned to me, unreadable.
"You need to know this, Elena," he said softly. "Isabella was more than just a partner. She was part of me… and losing her has broken things inside me I thought dead."
My heart clenched. So the devil I knew was more fractured than I imagined.
"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked.
"Because," he said, stepping close, "if you're going to survive in my world, you need to know the ghosts I carry. And you must understand why letting you in was the most dangerous choice I ever made."
Again that night sleep ran away from me. It was the echo of Isabella's words that haunted the halls of the penthouse, and the feeling of Adrian being vulnerable cracked the armor he wore so well.
For the first time, I saw the man behind the devil—and it was terrifying.