Emily barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw flashes — the gleam of the gun in Lucas's hand, the look in his eyes right before he pulled the trigger.
It wasn't fear that kept her awake. Not entirely.
It was him.
By morning, the rain had stopped, but the house still felt heavy with the scent of smoke and metal. The hallways were quieter than usual, yet the silence felt wrong — too deliberate, too controlled.
Someone had cleaned the blood. Someone had made sure nothing from the night before remained.
As if it had never happened.
She sat on the edge of the bed, fingers twisted in the sheets.
Was this what his life was like? Violence followed by calm, danger hidden under luxury?
Her stomach knotted. She needed to understand what she had gotten herself into.
When she finally stepped out, two men in suits stood near the stairs. They gave her a polite nod — too polite — and didn't move as she passed. Their earpieces glinted under the chandelier light.
Down the hall, voices murmured behind a partially open door.
She recognized one of them instantly.
"How the hell did they get through?"
Lucas.
Emily froze.
"We're still running diagnostics, sir," another man said — older, nervous. "The external sensors didn't register the breach until—"
"Until they were already inside," Lucas cut in, his voice low and sharp. "My house is supposed to be untouchable. Someone fed them clearance codes."
The man stammered. "We think it might've been one of the lower guards, possibly—"
"Names."
That single word carried the weight of command — quiet, but absolute.
Emily edged closer, careful not to let the floor creak. Through the narrow opening, she caught a glimpse of Lucas — standing by the desk, sleeves rolled up, his posture deceptively calm. His head of security stood opposite him, pale and sweating.
"If someone inside this house betrayed me," Lucas said slowly, "I want them found. And I want them alive."
"Alive?" the man echoed.
Lucas's gaze lifted — cold and precise.
"I need to know who they work for before they stop breathing."
A silence fell. Emily's throat tightened.
This was the other side of him — the man beneath the control. The one she'd seen in flashes, now fully awake.
The head of security nodded quickly, relief and fear warring on his face. "Yes, sir. We'll find the source."
"You'll do more than that," Lucas said. "You'll rebuild every layer of protection from the ground up. If this happens again, I'll assume the breach started with you."
The man swallowed hard. "Understood."
Lucas dismissed him with a nod, then turned away, bracing his hands against the edge of the desk. His jaw tightened, a flicker of frustration breaking through the calm.
For the first time, Emily saw it — not just control, but exhaustion.
He looked like someone fighting a war that never ended.
When the door finally shut, Emily stepped back quickly, pressing herself against the wall. Her heart was racing.
Someone had given away clearance codes. That meant whoever had sent those men knew Lucas's security system — maybe even someone inside his company.
Someone close.
She didn't belong in this world, but somehow, she'd been dragged into the middle of it.
The floor creaked softly behind her. Emily spun around — and froze.
Lucas was standing there.
His eyes met hers, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.
"I wasn't— I didn't mean to—" she started, but her words stumbled over each other.
"You were listening."
It wasn't an accusation, not exactly. More like a statement of fact.
She hesitated, then nodded. "You said someone fed them codes."
His expression didn't change. "You heard more than that."
"Are you in danger?" she asked, her voice trembling despite herself.
Something flickered behind his gaze — amusement, maybe, or fatigue. "You make it sound like that's new."
He stepped closer, his presence filling the narrow hallway. The scent of gunpowder still clung faintly to him, though he'd changed clothes.
"Don't go wandering," he said. "Not until I know who I can trust."
Her pulse stuttered. "You don't trust me either, do you?"
He didn't answer right away. Then, softly, "Trust isn't something I give easily."
She looked at him — the man who'd saved her life and caged her in the same breath. "Then why keep me here?"
"Because someone out there thinks killing you will hurt me."
His voice was low, almost a whisper. "And I don't intend to find out why."
Emily's breath caught. "What does that even mean?"
He didn't reply. His eyes lingered on her face a moment longer, then he turned and walked away — leaving her standing in the silence, heart racing, head spinning.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady herself.
Lucas Vale wasn't just dangerous. He was hunted — and surrounded by people who wanted him destroyed.
But what terrified her most wasn't his enemies.
It was the part of her that wanted to understand him.
The part that wanted to stay.