The Day After
1613 Words
I woke up to sunlight and the feeling of being watched.
My eyes opened to find Silas propped up on one elbow, looking down at me. Behind me, Julian's arm was still draped over my waist, his breathing deep and even in sleep.
"Morning," Silas said quietly.
"Morning." My voice was rough with sleep. "How long have you been awake?"
"An hour. Maybe more. I was watching you sleep."
"That's not creepy at all."
He smiled. "You look different when you sleep. Younger. More innocent. It's easy to forget you're nineteen when you're awake. When you look at me with those eyes that have already seen too much."
"Whose fault is that?"
"Mine. Julian's. Your own, for being curious enough to walk into my office that first night." His hand traced my jawline. "But I'm not apologizing. Because this, right here, is worth whatever darkness we had to walk through to get it."
Behind me, Julian stirred. "Are you two having deep conversations without me?"
"Just admiring our girl," Silas said.
"Our girl." Julian's arm tightened around me. "I like the sound of that."
"Don't get too comfortable. We still have to figure out how this works in practice." Silas sat up. "Elena can't stay hidden forever. She has a life. School. Friends. A mother who's going to start asking questions."
"So we bring her back into the world," Julian said. "Carefully. With security. But we bring her back."
"Agreed. But the rules need to be clear. Between all of us." Silas looked at me. "What do you want, Elena? How do you see this working?"
I sat up, pulling the sheet around myself. "I want to go back to campus. Actually go, not just online classes. I want to see my friends. Live my life."
"With both of us," Julian added.
"Yes. With both of you. But not as a secret. I'm tired of hiding."
"The press conference already made you mine publicly," Silas said. "Making it known you're also with Julian complicates the narrative."
"Then we change the narrative. We own it." I looked between them. "You're both powerful men. Act like it. Tell the world you're sharing me and dare anyone to say something about it."
Julian laughed. "I love when she gets like this. All commanding."
"It's impractical," Silas said. But I heard the consideration in his voice. "The scandal alone would--"
"Would what? You've survived worse scandals. And honestly, after yesterday's press conference and the photos Dante released, people already think I'm with both of you. We might as well own the truth."
"She has a point," Julian said.
Silas stood, walked to the window. "If we do this, there are conditions. Non-negotiable."
"What conditions?"
"Security. Always. You don't go anywhere without Thomas or someone I trust. Campus, coffee shops, anywhere. You're protected at all times."
"Fine."
"Second condition. Your schedule coordinates with ours. If Julian has you Tuesday nights, I have you Wednesdays. We work together to make sure you're... satisfied. Regularly."
Heat flooded through me at the implication.
"I can live with that."
"Third condition. Complete honesty. Between all three of us. No secrets. No hiding. If something's wrong, you tell us. If someone threatens you, you tell us. Immediately."
"Agreed."
"Then we try it. We bring you back to campus. Let you have your life. And see if we can make this work." Silas turned back to us. "But Elena, the moment it becomes dangerous, the moment Dante makes another move, you come back here. You let us protect you. No arguments."
"Deal."
Julian pulled me back against him. "So my girlfriend is also dating my father. That's going to make family dinners interesting."
"We're not dating," Silas said. "We're in a mutually beneficial arrangement that involves exclusivity, cohabitation, and regular s****l activity."
"That's literally dating."
"It's more complex than dating."
"You're both overthinking this," I said. "We're together. All three of us. That's the only label that matters."
My new phone vibrated on the nightstand. Silas had given it back last night, said I could keep it as long as I followed the rules.
I reached for it. A text from a number I didn't recognize.
Unknown: Hope you enjoyed your little threesome. Did Daddy and son take turns? Or did they use you at the same time? - D
My blood ran cold.
"What is it?" Silas saw my expression.
I showed him the message.
His face darkened. "Dante."
"How does he know?" I asked. "The bedroom doesn't have windows. The curtains were closed. How could he possibly--"
"He doesn't know," Julian said, reading over Silas's shoulder. "He's guessing. Trying to get a reaction."
"Or he has someone inside the house." Silas was already dialing. "Thomas. My office. Five minutes. We have a problem."
He hung up, looked at us. "Get dressed. Both of you. We're having a security meeting."
"Silas, I'm not letting Dante ruin this," I said. "We just figured this out. I'm not going back into hiding because he sent a creepy text."
"You're not hiding. But we are tightening security." He pulled on his pants. "If there's a leak in my staff, I'm finding it. Today."
Twenty minutes later, we were in Silas's office. Thomas stood at attention, three other security personnel beside him.
"Someone's feeding information to Dante Russo," Silas said without preamble. "I want to know who. I want to know how. And I want it handled. Quietly."
"Sir, we've been running background checks on all staff since the photo incident," Thomas said. "Nothing's come up yet."
"Then dig deeper. Bank accounts, phone records, family connections. Someone in this house is talking. Find them."
"Yes, sir."
"In the meantime, Elena's security detail triples. I want someone with her at all times. Even inside the house." Silas looked at me. "I know you won't like it, but it's non-negotiable."
"Fine. But I'm still going to campus tomorrow."
"With security."
"With security," I agreed.
Thomas and his team left to begin their investigation.
Julian poured himself coffee from the bar cart. "So what's the plan for today? Since Elena's world debut as our shared girlfriend is happening tomorrow?"
"Today, we prepare her," Silas said. "Make sure she knows how to handle questions. How to deflect. How to present this in a way that doesn't destroy all three of our reputations."
"Or we could just tell the truth," I said. "That we're together. That it's unconventional but it works for us. That anyone who has a problem with it can f**k off."
Both men stared at me.
"What?" I asked. "You said you wanted me to own my power. To stop being the victim. Well, this is me owning it. I'm not ashamed of being with both of you. Why should I pretend to be?"
Julian grinned. "I really f*****g love her like this."
"It's bold," Silas admitted. "Risky. But it might work."
"It will work. Because I'm going to make it work." I stood. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to call my mother and tell her I'm coming home later today. That I spent the night at a friend's place."
"Elena--" Silas started.
"I'm not telling her the truth. Not yet. But I am going to see her. She's been worried. I owe her that much."
I left the office before either of them could argue.
In the hallway, I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my breathing.
Dante was still out there. Still watching. Still trying to destroy us.
But for the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could handle it.
Because I wasn't alone anymore.
I had both of them.
And together, we were stronger than whatever Dante threw at us.
At least, I hoped we were.
My phone buzzed again. Another text from Dante.
Dante: Tell Silas his security team won't find the leak. Because there isn't one. I don't need inside information when I have cameras he doesn't know about. Sleep well, Elena. I'll be watching.
My hands shook as I stared at the message.
Cameras. He had cameras inside the house.
Which meant he'd seen everything.
Last night. This morning. Everything.
I should tell Silas.
Should show him the message immediately.
But something stopped me.
If Dante had cameras, that meant he had leverage. Real leverage. Video evidence of the three of us together.
If I told Silas now, he'd tear the house apart looking for them. And when he found them, Dante would know we knew. Would release whatever he had before we could stop him.
But if I waited, if I let Dante think I was scared into silence, maybe I could buy us time.
Time to figure out where the cameras were. Time to plan. Time to turn this around.
I deleted the message.
Walked back into Silas's office with a smile on my face.
"Everything okay?" Julian asked.
"Perfect. My mom's fine. She said to come home whenever I'm ready."
"Good." Silas pulled me onto his lap. "Then you have a few more hours with us before you have to face reality."
"And how should we spend those hours?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
Silas's hand slid up my thigh. "I have a few ideas."
Julian locked the office door.
And for the next few hours, I let them distract me from the secret I was keeping.
From the cameras watching us.
From the danger I'd just decided to handle on my own.
Because maybe Silas was right about one thing.
I wasn't someone who could be controlled.
Not by him. Not by Julian. And definitely not by Dante.
I was going to play this game my way.
Even if it destroyed me.
- Writer
