Lana held Dean’s gaze, her pulse hammering.
The fire behind her crackled, throwing sharp-edged shadows across the room, but all she could focus on was the man standing in front of her.
Dean’s smirk was slow, deliberate, but there was something dangerous lurking beneath it.
Her answer had been clear.
No.
She didn’t need him.
But the way his eyes darkened told her he wasn’t convinced.
Dean had built his empire on the idea that everyone needed him. That he was the foundation on which they stood. The moment someone stopped believing that? They became a threat.
And he didn’t tolerate threats.
Dean exhaled, tilting his head slightly. “No?” he echoed, voice smooth. “That’s a bold statement, Lana.”
She forced herself to remain still, every instinct screaming at her to measure every movem
