CHAPTER NINE
1187 Words
Elena’s POV
The explosion kept replaying in my head, the fire, the smoke, and the sound of glass shattering.
Victor Kane hadn’t even tried to hide the message.
This was war.
I sat on the couch with my knees pulled slightly toward my chest while Ethan paced the living room.
He had already been on three phone calls, with the security teams, Business contacts, and Davis Whitmore.
Every time he hung up, the tension in the room grew heavier.
Finally, he stopped pacing.
“You’re not leaving this apartment tomorrow,” Ethan said.
I lifted my head.
“What?”
“It’s not safe.”
“Ethan…..”
“No.”
His voice was calm but firm.
“You’re the center of Victor’s strategy now.”
That sentence made something inside me snap.
“I’m not a chess piece,” I said sharply.
His gaze shifted to me.
“And I’m not hiding here while people try to kill me.”
“That’s exactly what you should do.”
“No.”
The word came out stronger than I expected. And silence filled the room. Ethan studied me carefully.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
I stood up.
“If this war is happening because of me… then I’m not going to sit quietly while you fight it alone.”
For a moment he said nothing, then he walked closer.
Dangerously close.
“You think this is bravery?” he asked quietly.
“I think this is survival.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“People die in wars, Elena.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you so determined to walk into one?”
My heart was racing now.
“Because hiding won’t save me.”
The words hung between us. And something in Ethan’s expression shifted, though not anger or frustration but respect.
“You’re stubborn,” he said softly.
“Maybe.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“I might like that about you.”
My breath caught again.
The tension between us had been building all night and now it felt impossible to ignore.
Ethan’s POV
I shouldn’t want her this much, not now and definitely not during a war. But Elena standing there, defiant, brave, refusing to hide, did something dangerous to my self-control.
“You realize,” I said slowly, “that if you step into this world… there’s no going back.”
Her chin lifted.
“I already stepped into it when I married you.”
That answer hit harder than expected.
Before I could stop myself, I reached for her. My hand slid gently to the back of her neck. She didn’t pull away. Her breath caught slightly as I pulled her closer.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” I murmured.
“So are you,” she replied
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Then maybe we should stop pretending we’re not.”
And then I kissed her again. This time the kiss was different, not cautious nor hesitant, rather it was deeper, and more intense.
Her hands slid up to my shoulders as she leaned into me, and the warmth of her body against mine made it harder to think about anything except her. For a moment the war disappeared, including Victor, Vanessa, and the danger outside. None of it mattered. Only Elena.
When the kiss finally broke, we were both breathing harder. Her cheeks were flushed.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” she whispered.
“Why?”
“Because it makes it hard to remember we’re in danger.”
My lips curved slightly.
“Trust me,” I said quietly.
“I remember.”
Marcus Hale’s POV
Watching people fall in love during a war was always fascinating. From the rooftop across the street, I lowered my binoculars slightly.
Ethan Carter was exactly what the rumors said. He is protective, calculating, and dangerous.
But Elena Hart? She was the real surprise. Victor believed she was weak. A pawn, someone who could be manipulated. But Victor was wrong. And Victor rarely liked being wrong.
My phone buzzed again, another message. And it reads; “Prepare phase two.”
I frowned slightly.
Because phase two meant escalation. Which meant Elena was about to become more than bait. She was about to become a target.
I sighed quietly.
“That’s unfortunate,” I muttered between my breath.
Because there was one small problem with Victor’s plan. I don’t like unnecessary casualties. Especially not innocent ones.
And Elena Hart didn’t look like someone who deserved to be dragged into a criminal empire war.
Davis Whitmore’s POV
I arrived at Ethan’s penthouse thirty minutes later.
The moment the door opened, I could already feel the tension inside.
“Davis,” Ethan said.
I stepped inside and nodded.
“Elena.”
She gave a polite but nervous smile. I placed a folder on the table.
“We have bigger problems than Victor.”
Ethan crossed his arms.
“Explain.”
I opened the file, and Inside were surveillance photos. Elena leaned forward slightly. And then her face turned pale, because the photo showed Vanessa standing beside Victor Kane. But that wasn’t the shocking part.
The shocking part was who else was in the picture.
Ethan’s eyes darkened immediately.
“That’s impossible.”
Elena looked between us.
“What?” she asked
I exhaled slowly.
“That man beside Victor…”
She swallowed.
“Yes?”
“…is the real investor behind your husband’s largest company.”
There was silence. Then Ethan said quietly,
“Which means Vanessa didn’t just betray us.”
My voice was grim.
“She infiltrated your entire empire.
Elena’s POV
The room started spinning slightly.
Vanessa, my cousin and family, had been secretly working with Victor. And now we were discovering she might be connected to Ethan’s business empire too.
“How long?” I whispered.
Davis looked at Ethan.
“Years.”
That answer made my stomach twist.
“So she planned everything,” I said slowly.
“The marriage…”
“The war…”
“Everything.”
Ethan’s expression had turned dangerously calm again, which I was beginning to realize meant he was furious.
“Then we end this,” he said quietly.
Davis nodded.
“I agree.”
I looked at both of them.
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”
Before either of them could answer…
A loud CRACK echoed through the apartment, the window behind us shattered, glass exploded across the floor, and a small metal object rolled across the marble tiles.
My heart stopped.
“Ethan—” I called out
His eyes widened.
“Get down!”
The object blinked red.
Once.
Twice.
A grenade.
Ethan’s POV
I lunged toward Elena as the grenade’s timer began counting down on the blinking device.
Davis grabbed the table and flipped it over as cover.
Outside the window, hidden in the shadows, Marcus Hale watched silently.
Because this time… Victor hadn’t sent a warning.
If Vanessa has infiltrated my empire and Victor is willing to bomb the penthouse… who inside our circle can I still trust?
- Writer
