Alicia’s POV
Something happened.
And somehow…
I know it has to do with me.
I’m halfway down the staircase when I hear voices.
Not normal voices.
Raised.
Sharp.
That alone is enough to make me pause.
Maxim doesn’t raise his voice.
Ever.
I move slowly, stopping just before the hallway opens into his office.
The door is slightly open.
I shouldn’t listen.
I know that.
But—
“You overstepped.”
Maxim’s voice.
Low.
But not calm.
There’s something in it I’ve never heard before.
Anger.
Real anger.
“I did what needed to be done,” another voice replies.
I recognize it immediately.
The man from before.
The one who cornered me.
My stomach tightens.
“I told you to leave her alone,” Maxim says.
“And I told you—she’s a risk,” the man shoots back.
There’s no fear in his voice.
