The Threats
773 Words
The morning after the gala, Anna woke to a text that made her blood run cold.
“I know what you’re hiding. Keep your mouth shut, or your mother’s surgery will fail”
Her hands shook. Her phone almost fell down
She read it again. And again, trying to control her tears
It couldn’t be.
Not now, not when everything was finally starting to settle, and she knew the only person who could do it, “was Victor”
She remembered her mother, she made time to see her mother. Her mother’s health depended on her making the right choices, and now someone was threatening it.
Anna swallowed hard and looked around her apartment, the one she had rented months ago, She panicked. She had no one to turn to… except one man.
Triston Black.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She needed him.
And she hated that she did.
The moment she arrived at Black’s Enterprise, Triston was already waiting in his office, reviewing documents.
His presence made the room feel smaller, heavier, more dangerous.
Anna closed the door and tried to steady her voice. “Mr Black…” she called softly.
He looked up, and she froze. His eyes were sharp, like he could see right through her.
Something happened?
She bit her lip. I… I got a message this morning. About my mother.
He looked at her again, this time not a cold stare, but with soft assuring eyes, the first sign of real emotion she had seen on him in weeks. He set his pen down slowly.
Show me.
She hesitated, then handed him her phone. He read the message.
Victor Hale.
Triston looked angry, but calm
No one threatens my wife, he said quietly. The words were cold. Intentional.
Anna’s heart raced faster when he mentioned her as ‘His Wife’
She knew the contract said sixty days.
She knew she shouldn’t feel flustered. But hearing him say it… It hit differently, for a moment, she felt it was real, she felt like his wife.
I don’t even know how he…
He’s smart, Triston interrupted. And dangerous. But he won’t touch her.
You mean my mother? Anna asked, voice shaking.
Yes, he said while standing.
His presence filled the office. She felt it, and it made her knees weaken.
I will handle him. You don’t confront him alone.
Anna looked at him. How can you protect me from someone who knows me so well?
Triston stepped closer.
Because I am ‘Mr Black’ and I can find any information about anyone.
Her stomach twirled, She wanted to step back. She didn’t.
You don’t know me, she said softly, almost a whisper.
I’m learning, he replied.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then he said, low and deliberate, You will not let fear rule you. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
Anna looked at him.
She wanted to argue.
She wanted to push him away.
But the truth was, she needed him, more than she wanted to admit.
I… I, she stuttered, then stopped. Words failed her.
Triston’s hand brushed briefly against hers
The contact made her heart race.
Sit, he said, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk.
As Anna obeyed, she felt something different between them.
The rules, the contract, for a while, she felt like it wasn’t a contract, but a real marriage.
Triston leaned forward. I’ve already arranged something, he said. Your mother’s surgery will be fully covered, No interruptions, no threats, Nothing will stop it.
Anna wanted to cry. She felt relieved and emotional.
You… you don’t have to do that, she whispered.
I want to, he replied.
But before she could process what happened, his phone buzzed.
A message from someone unknown. He looked at it
Victor Hale.
Triston’s hand tightened around the phone. His voice dropped into a whisper that made Anna shiver:
He’s coming.
Anna’s stomach dropped.
She tried to stand, but he gently pressed a hand to her shoulder, keeping her seated. You’re not alone Anna, I promise I’ll handle him.
Her heart raced, but it wasn’t fear that made her heart beat, It was him. His closeness. His dominance. His attention.
And for the first time since she had signed that contract, Anna realised she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted sixty days.
She might already be in too deep.
Outside the office, a war had already begun.
Victor Hale had made his move.
But he didn’t know the storm he had unleashed.
Because the woman he thought he could control was married to the most dangerous man in the city.
And Triston Black has never lost.
Not ever.
- Writer
