The Glass Legacy

The Viper's Nest

A fleet of armored matte-black SUVs pulled up to the grand entrance of the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, surrounded by a suffocating wall of paparazzi and flashing cameras.

Inside the lead vehicle, the silence was heavy. Aria stared out the tinted window at the chaotic sea of reporters, her stomach twisting into a tight knot. She was used to operating in the absolute dark. Now, Leo was dragging her into the most blinding spotlight on earth.

"Look at me."

Leo’s deep, commanding voice instantly cut through her anxiety. Aria turned her head. He was seated beside her, a vision of lethal perfection in his tailored black tuxedo, completely unbothered by the circus outside.

"They are going to crowd you," Leo warned, his ice-blue eyes darkening as his gaze dropped to the heavy diamond collar resting against her collarbone. "They are going to shout. Ignore them. You look at no one but me, and you don't let go of my arm. Understood?"

"I can handle a few cameras, Thorne," Aria breathed, though her heart was hammering against her ribs.

"I know you can," Leo murmured. He reached across the leather seat, his large hand wrapping securely around hers. The heat of his palm was an instant, grounding anchor. "But tonight, you are mine. Let me protect you."

Marcus opened the heavy door, and the roar of the press flooded the cabin.

Leo stepped out first, his massive frame instantly commanding the chaotic street. The camera flashes exploded into a blinding strobe light, but the noise noticeably hitched when the notoriously cold, completely untouchable Ice Prince reached a hand back into the car.

Aria placed her hand in his and stepped out onto the red carpet.

A collective, stunned gasp rippled through the crowd of photographers and high-society elites. Leo Thorne never brought dates to corporate summits. He certainly never brought women who looked like they were forged from lethal, dark magic. The emerald green silk clung to Aria perfectly, the thigh-high slit exposing miles of leg as she walked, the Thorne diamonds glittering violently under the flashbulbs.

Leo didn't give the press a single second to swarm. He wrapped his thick arm tightly around Aria’s bare waist, pulling her flush against his side, and practically shielded her with his body as he guided her up the steps.

"Who is she, Mr. Thorne?!" a reporter shouted over the din. "Is the Ice Prince finally off the market?"

Leo didn't answer, but his grip on Aria’s waist tightened possessively.

They stepped through the gilded doors and into the grand ballroom. The interior was a masterpiece of old-world opulence—crystal chandeliers, flowing champagne, and hundreds of New York’s most dangerous corporate sharks dressed in couture.

As soon as Leo and Aria entered, the whispers began. Eyes tracked them from every corner of the room.

"Smile, ghost," Leo murmured, his lips brushing the shell of her ear so lightly it looked like a lover's secret to the rest of the room. "The bait is officially in the water."

Aria forced a stunning, razor-sharp smile, leaning into his solid frame. "So, how exactly do we find the mole in a room of five hundred people?"

"We don't," Leo replied, his gaze sweeping the room with the cold, calculating precision of a sniper. "We let the mole see me distracted by a beautiful woman. They will report it to Silas. And then Silas will come to us."

Right on cue, the crowd near the champagne tower parted.

Aria felt the muscles in Leo’s arm instantly turn to absolute granite.

Walking toward them was a man in his late twenties with slicked-back blonde hair, a sharp white tuxedo, and a smug, incredibly punchable smile. Silas Sterling. He looked like a man who believed he had already won the war.

"Leo!" Silas called out smoothly, extending a hand as he approached. "I was beginning to think you’d be brooding in your tower all night. Outstanding opening quarter for Thorne Tech, by the way. Truly... explosive."

It was a veiled threat. He was talking about the virus.

Leo didn't take Silas's hand. He simply stared at the rival CEO with an expression so cold it could have frozen the champagne in the glasses.

Silas chuckled nervously, dropping his hand, and turned his attention to Aria. His eyes raked over the emerald silk and the heavy diamonds with undisguised greed. "And who is this absolute vision? I didn't think the Ice Prince possessed the required hardware for human emotion."

"Watch your eyes, Silas," Leo warned, his voice dropping to a terrifying, gravelly register. "Before I remove them from your skull."

Silas raised his hands in mock surrender, but he smirked at Aria. "Just admiring the view. I’m Silas Sterling. And you are?"

Aria didn't miss a beat. She channeled every ounce of her defiance, tilting her chin up to look down her nose at the rival CEO. She offered a perfectly manicured smile that didn't reach her vivid green eyes.

"I'm the woman who thinks your cybersecurity protocols are embarrassing, Mr. Sterling," Aria purred smoothly, leaning deliberately closer to Leo. "It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Silas’s smug smile instantly faltered.

Leo let out a low, dark chuckle, his arm tightening around Aria’s waist in pure, unfiltered pride. His hacker was absolutely flawless.