Chapter 2 - The Choice at the Door
Sebastian stood up from the edge of the bed so fast the mattress seemed to rebound with a sigh. He walked over to the mahogany wardrobe, pulling out a crisp white dress shirt and slipping it on with sharp, mechanical efficiency.
“You have to leave, Valerie,” he said, his back to me as he buttoned his cuffs.
The words hit me like physical blows. After everything that had passed between us in the dark—after the whispered promises, the vulnerability, the shattered boundaries of my innocence—he was dismissing me like an inconvenience in a crisis.
“Leave?” I echoed, my voice shaking as I clutched the sheet tighter. “Just like that? You spend all night breaking every rule you ever set, and the second your empire catches fire, I’m just collateral damage to be cleared out of the room?”
Sebastian stopped buttoning his cuff. He turned around, his face a mask of absolute, chilling control, though I could see the storm raging in his eyes.
“This isn't about what happened between us, Valerie,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “This is about a federal wiretap and a syndicate war that is about to explode across this city. If you stay in this tower twenty minutes longer, you aren't just a guest anymore. You’re a target.”
“I didn't ask to be wrapped in cotton wool, Sebastian!” I shouted, throwing off the sheet and standing up, ignoring the raw ache in my limbs and the humiliation of my nakedness before him. “You brought me into your world. You whispered about nine times in one night like you owned the skyline. You don't get to treat me like a queen at midnight and a liability by sunrise!”
Sebastian crossed the room in two long strides, his large hands gripping my bare shoulders with a force that wasn't gentle, but anchored me in place.
“Listen to me,” he growled, his face inches from mine. “My enemies don't fight fair. If they find out you spent last night in this bed, they won't just interrogate you—they will use you to break me. And I will not let you die because of my war.”
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Before I could answer, the heavy oak double doors of the penthouse suite exploded inward with a deafening crash of splintering wood and shattered brass locks.
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