Terms of Surrender

Situation Analysis: Tess

The snick of the key turning in the lock was heavy, heavier than the massive door closing. I went back to the east wing alone, trying not to shake. The fear that Darian’s presence during the phone call had kept at bay was rushing to get back in.

I sank onto the edge of the oversized bed in the suite, my legs finally giving out. My cold anger was completely replaced by a chilling, visceral terror. He knew nothing about my family, but his threat felt final. He didn’t see himself as simply a man. Instead, he thought himself a sovereign power that acted with impunity. And maybe it was true. If he could erase my existence with just a few phone calls, he could certainly enact a threat against my loved ones.

I was certain my sister would have recognized the professional cadence and strange language I used. However, she was prepared for me to be overworked, not kidnapped by a man who moves unnaturally fast and growls when he’s angry. Darian’s threat forced a chilling realization though: I couldn’t rely on outside help. If I made another move to contact my family, I risked bringing them into his line of fire. The only way to protect my family is to comply.

I pushed myself up, forcing myself to move. At the bay window, I ran my fingers over the ivy that climbed the wall. Moonlight was filtering in between the leaves now. The vast, glittering sprawl of the city stretched below. It was a beautiful, shimmering symbol of the world I could no longer touch.

He wanted me safe. He wanted me whole. That was my leverage. I translated his words “biological imperative” into financial risk. He seen me as an asset he needed to control to survive. That meant I had value. Assets could be leveraged. His greatest weakness was this alleged bond. My physical or emotional distress apparently caused him pain. My greatest weakness was my family. I needed to neutralize his leverage while maximizing mine.

I tried to analyze his contradictions. He growled and made commands, yet he provided a luxurious suite, food, and even my luggage. He seemed to be a man at war with an animal. The man provided comfort while the animal demanded obedience. I had to be agreeable enough to avoid the animal’s fury, but demanding enough to gain information.

I opened my luggage and pulled out a set of silk pajamas. There was no point in sleeping, but I could at least be comfortable while I used this time. I was no longer paralyzed by my fear. Instead, I was choosing to let it fuel me.

I sat at the gilded desk and pulled out the financial files I still had. I started flipping through the dense spreadsheets for Whitmore Terra Acquisitions, searching for anything that smelled of territory rather than profit.

I found it buried in a schedule of corporate land acquisitions: a series of enormous, unflagged purchases over the last decade in remote, low-density areas across the state. Acres of mountain wilderness, coastal scrubland, and deep forest. Land that’s never been developed, never resold, and holds no visible value for corporate expansion. It wasn’t a business acquisition, it was a territory acquisition.

The realization sent a cold spike of clarity through my terror. He thought I was a prisoner, but he had a spy instead. He thought he won tonight because of my fear, but I would find the truth in his empire.