A Sovereign Debt

Chapter 5

Xavier did not blink. He set his wine glass down with a slow, deliberate click against the marble tabletop. The silence in the dining room was no longer a weight. It was a wire stretched to the breaking point.

"A partner," Xavier repeated. He leaned forward. The candlelight caught the sharp angles of his face. "A partner implies equality, Lydia. You are a signature on a debt. You are a body in a house. You are not my equal."

"Then stop treating me like a threat," I said. I took a sip of the water. It was cold and sharp. "You locked the basement door because you were afraid I would see the truth. You keep Silas at my heels because you are afraid I will run. If I am just in debt, why the surveillance? Why the photos from five years ago?"

Xavier stood up. He did not look angry. He looked hungry. "I am not afraid of you running. I am interested to see how far you will go before you realize the cage is the safest place for you."

He walked toward the door. "Dress for a gala tomorrow night.

Marcus Thorne will be there. Try not to look like a victim when he speaks to you."

He left before I could respond. I stayed at the table until the food grew cold. I thought about Marcus. He had been my friend. He had been the only person who warned me about the Knight family before the crash. Now I know why. He wasn't a hero. He was just another player trying to win a piece of the board.

The next evening, the glass mansion was a hive of silent activity. A stylist arrived at four. She did not speak. She brushed my hair until it shone like ink. She painted my lips a dark, bruised red. She held up a dress made of silver sequins that felt like chainmail. It was heavy and cold.

"Mr. Knight requested this," she said. It was the only thing she whispered all afternoon.

I stepped into the dress. It fit perfectly. Xavier knew my measurements better than I did. I looked in the full-length mirror. I looked like a weapon. I looked like something designed to hurt.

Silas met me at the top of the stairs. He wore a tuxedo that made him look even more like a wall of stone. He led me down to the foyer where Xavier waited. Xavier was in black.

He looked at me, and for a second, his composure wavered. His eyes darkened.

"Don't leave my side," he said. He reached out and gripped my arm. His hand was firm. It was a claim.

We drove to the city in a different car. It was armored. Two more cars followed us. The gala was held at the Museum of Art. The building was a fortress of pillars and lights.

Photographers lined the red carpet. The flashes were blinding.

Xavier pulled me close. I felt the heat of his body through the silver fabric. He smiled for the cameras. It was a perfect, fake smile. I mirrored it. I kept my chin high. I kept my eyes cold.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of lilies and expensive perfume. People parted like the sea. They whispered as we passed.

"Is that the Voss girl?"

"I heard her father is in a cage."

"Look at the diamonds. He bought her well."

I ignored them. I focused on the weight of Xavier’s hand on my waist. We moved through the crowd like predators.

Xavier spoke to senators and CEOs. He talked about mergers and acquisitions. He talked about the future of the city like he already owned the dirt beneath it.

Then I saw him.

Marcus Thorne stood by the bar. He looked older. There was a scar near his temple that hadn't been there a month ago.

He saw me and his glass paused halfway to his lips. He didn't look at Xavier. He looked straight at me.

"Excuse me," I said to Xavier.

Xavier’s grip tightened. "No."

"I need to use the restroom," I lied. "Unless you want to follow me there, too."

Xavier looked at Marcus. He looked back at me. "Five minutes, Lydia. Silas will be at the door. If you stay longer, I will come in and get you."

He let go. I walked away. I didn't head for the restrooms. I circled the Roman statues until I reached the back of the bar.

Marcus was waiting in the shadows of a marble pillar.

"Lydia," he whispered. He reached for my hand. I pulled it back.

"Don't," I said. "Is it true? Were you using me to get to him?"

Marcus looked pained. "It started that way. But then I saw what he was doing to your father. I tried to warn you. I tried to stop the crash, but Xavier is faster than anyone I've ever seen."

"He said you were an enemy of the house."

"I am an enemy of his monopoly," Marcus said. He stepped closer. "Listen to me. The contract is a lie. He didn't just buy your debt. He bought the voting rights to the Voss shares in the energy sector. He needs your signature on a secondary document to finalize the takeover. If you sign it, he wins everything. He will discard you the moment the ink is dry."

"He says he wants a partner," I said.

Marcus laughed. It was a dry, bitter sound. "He wants a trophy he can control. Look at yourself, Lydia. You're wearing his colors. You're living in a glass cage. He is watching us right now."

I looked over my shoulder. Silas was standing ten feet away. He wasn't hiding. He was watching Marcus like he was a target.

"He saved my father's life," I said.

"He put your father in that position," Marcus hissed. "I have a car waiting at the back entrance. The guards are distracted by the press. Come with me now. I can get you to London. I can get your life back."

I looked at the exit. I thought about the gray sea and the cold glass mansion. I thought about the photos in the basement. I thought about my mother’s betrayal.

Then I looked at Xavier. He was across the room, watching me. He wasn't talking to the senator anymore. He was standing perfectly still. He looked like he was waiting for me to make a choice.