A Sovereign Debt

Chapter 4

I stayed in the basement for hours. I read the files. I learned that my father hadn't just been unlucky. He had been a thief.

He had embezzled millions from the Knight estate when Xavier was just a boy.

Xavier wasn't just a billionaire with a grudge. He was a son seeking justice.

But I was the one paying for a crime I didn't commit.

I went back upstairs. The house felt different now. The transparency of the glass was a lie. This house was built on layers of secrets.

I found Silas in the hallway. He was checking the security panels.

"I want to speak to Marcus Thorne," I said.

Silas stopped. He looked at me with his stone face. "Marcus Thorne is an enemy of this house."

"He was my friend."

"He was a man trying to get close to Xavier through you," Silas said. "Everyone in your life had a motive, Lydia. Except for me. I am just the help.”

"Help me then. Give me a phone.”

"No."

I walked past him. I went to the dining room. I grabbed a crystal vase from the sideboard and threw it at the glass wall.

The vase shattered. The glass wall didn't even scratch. It was reinforced. It was bulletproof.

"Nothing breaks here unless Mr. Knight wants it to," Silas said from the doorway.

I slumped onto the floor. I sat among the shards of crystal. I didn't cry. I didn't have any tears left. I just felt a cold, hard anger growing in the pit of my stomach.

If Xavier wanted a perfect wife, I would give him one. I would be the most obedient, beautiful, and silent doll he had ever seen. I would learn his schedule. I would learn his business.

I would find the one thing he didn't want me to see.

Every predator has a weakness.

I stood up. I brushed the dust off my leggings. I looked at Silas.

"Tell Mr. Knight I will be ready for dinner at eight. And tell him I like the blue dress, too."

Silas narrowed his eyes. He didn't say anything. He just watched me walk back to my room.

I spent the afternoon staring at the ocean. I watched the waves break against the rocks. They were relentless. They never stopped hitting the stone until the stone changed shape.

I put on the blue dress. It was silk. It felt like water against my skin. I did my hair. I put on the diamonds Xavier had left on the vanity.

I looked at the mirror. I didn't see Lydia Voss. I saw a sovereign debt.

I walked downstairs at exactly eight. Xavier was waiting at the table. He stood up when I entered. He looked at the dress. He looked at the diamonds.

"You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you, Xavier," I said. I sat down. I picked up my napkin. "Shall we talk about the merger you're planning for next month?"

Xavier froze. He stared at me. For the first time, he looked surprised.

"How do you know about that?"

"You left your tablet logged in this morning. You should be more careful with your security, Xavier. Even in a house made of glass, people can still see things they aren't supposed to."

I smiled at him. It was his smile. Cold. Precise. Dangerous.

Xavier sat down. He leaned back in his chair. A slow, dark grin spread across his face.

"Maybe I didn't buy a doll after all," he whispered.

"No," I said. I cut a piece of steak. "You bought a partner.

You just haven't realized it yet."

The tension in the room changed. It wasn't just about debt anymore. It was a challenge.

We ate in silence, but the silence was different. It was a standoff. I watched him. He watched me.

I knew then that the year wouldn't be about survival. It would be about who broke first.

And I didn't plan on it being me.