📖 Chapter 10: Open War
1089 Words
The city woke up to headlines.
Not arrests.
Not scandals.
But a silent shift in power.
By morning, three of Adrian’s major investors had withdrawn funding.
By noon, two of his shipping routes were frozen due to “regulatory concerns.”
By evening, rumors spread that his company was under quiet audit.
Dylan blackwood had made his move.
And he did it without raising his voice once.
---
Kristen – 8:15 AM
Kristen stood in the penthouse kitchen, scrolling through financial news with shaking fingers.
She didn’t understand everything.
But she understood enough.
This wasn’t coincidence.
Dylan walked in, already dressed in a charcoal suit. Calm. Focused.
Strategic.
“You did this,” she said quietly.
“I corrected an imbalance,” he replied.
“You’re destroying him.”
“I’m reminding him who he challenged.”
Her stomach tightened.
“This is because of me.”
“No,” Dylan said sharply. “This is because he underestimated me.”
She set the tablet down.
“This won’t end quietly.”
“It was never going to.”
Silence.
“You promised you wouldn’t hurt Lila,” she said carefully.
“And I won’t.”
His eyes met hers.
“But Adrian is not Lila.”
There it was.
The line.
---
Adrian – 10:42 AM
Adrian slammed his office door shut.
“This is retaliation,” he snapped at his assistant.
“They’re saying it’s unrelated regulatory review—”
“It’s not unrelated!”
He knew Dylan’s style.
Clean.
Legal.
Untraceable.
He wasn’t attacking with violence.
He was dismantling infrastructure.
And worse—
He was doing it publicly.
Adrian grabbed his phone.
Dialed Lila.
“He’s escalating,” he said immediately.
“I saw,” she replied.
“You need to talk to Kristen.”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“She’s choosing him.”
Silence.
Adrian exhaled sharply. “Then we push harder.”
There was hesitation on the other end.
“What do you mean?” Lila asked slowly.
“I mean we stop playing defense.”
---
The Penthouse – Night
Kristen felt it before she saw it.
The tension.
Dylan stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, city lights reflecting in his eyes.
“You’re expecting something,” she said.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“They’ll respond tonight.”
Her heart skipped.
“How?”
He turned to face her fully.
“When men like Adrian start losing publicly, they make emotional decisions.”
“Revenge?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re ready?”
“I’m always ready.”
That confidence both comforted and terrified her.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
Lila.
Kristen hesitated.
Then answered.
“Are you safe?” Lila asked immediately.
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t be there.”
“Lila—”
“He’s manipulating everything,” Lila pressed. “Adrian’s company is collapsing.”
Kristen closed her eyes.
“You knew this would happen.”
“I didn’t think he’d move this fast.”
“Then you don’t know him.”
There was silence.
“Kristen… if things get worse—”
A loud crash shattered the sentence.
The penthouse lights flickered.
Kristen gasped.
Dylan moved instantly.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered.
The security alarm blared.
“What was that?” she whispered.
“Message,” he replied coldly.
He walked toward the hallway.
Kristen followed despite herself.
One of the outer balcony windows had shattered.
Not from inside.
From outside.
A bullet hole marked the glass.
Her blood ran cold.
“Oh my God.”
Dylan’s expression didn’t change.
He examined the angle calmly.
“Professional,” he murmured.
“Adrian?” she asked.
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“This is someone trying to accelerate the conflict.”
Security rushed in.
“Sir, we’re scanning surrounding buildings.”
“Do it,” Dylan ordered.
Kristen’s hands trembled.
“This is because of the war,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“And you’re still calm?”
He looked at her then.
Truly looked at her.
“This is not new to me.”
The realization hit her.
He had lived in danger long before she entered his life.
“You’re scared,” he observed quietly.
“Yes.”
He stepped closer.
Lowered his voice.
“I won’t let anything touch you.”
The promise wasn’t romantic.
It was absolute.
---
Across the City
Adrian stared at the news alert on his screen.
“Attempted attack on Vale residence.”
He frowned.
“That wasn’t us,” he muttered.
Lila’s voice trembled through the phone. “Then who was it?”
Adrian felt something cold settle in his chest.
“If it wasn’t us… then someone else wants him destabilized.”
Which meant—
There was a third player.
---
Back at the Penthouse
Kristen sat on the couch, trying to steady her breathing.
“This isn’t just between you and Adrian,” she said slowly.
“No.”
Dylan’s jaw tightened.
“It never was.”
She looked up at him.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
He hesitated.
Just slightly.
“There are people,” he said carefully, “who benefited from my arrest.”
Her pulse quickened.
“Competitors?”
“Enemies.”
The word echoed.
“And now they think you’re vulnerable.”
“Yes.”
Silence stretched.
“And are you?” she asked.
His eyes darkened.
“Never mistake temporary chaos for weakness.”
Her heart beat faster.
“You’re enjoying this,” she realized softly.
Not the attack.
Not the danger.
The challenge.
His empire was being tested.
And Dylan Blackwood thrived under pressure.
“I don’t enjoy threats,” he said.
“But I do enjoy crushing them.”
Her breath caught.
This was the real him.
Not the husband.
Not the controlled businessman.
The war strategist.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
She froze.
Dylan noticed instantly.
“Answer it.”
Her fingers trembled as she lifted it to her ear.
Silence.
Then—
A distorted voice.
“You married into something bigger than you understand.”
Her blood ran cold.
“Who is this?”
“You should ask your husband about the Montenegro deal.”
The line went dead.
Kristen’s hand dropped slowly.
Dylan’s face had gone completely still.
“What is the Montenegro deal?” she whispered.
For the first time since she met him—
He didn’t answer immediately.
Which meant it mattered.
And whatever Montenegro was…
It was the real reason the war had begun.
---
- Writer
