Chapter 12: The Intrusion
726 Words
The sun hadn’t even cleared the horizon when the peace of the sanctuary was shattered. It wasn't the lights that woke me this time, but the sound of Jace’s voice—sharp, lethal, and projecting from the lounge area of the suite.
"You have exactly thirty seconds to explain how you bypassed my security, or I will have you removed in zip-ties."
I scrambled out of bed, my heart hammering. I threw on the silk robe Jace had left for me and hurried into the lounge. Standing by the glass balcony doors was a man I recognized instantly: Marcus Sterling. He was the heir to the Sterling empire we had just dismantled, and he looked like a man with nothing left to lose.
"I didn't need to bypass security, Jace," Marcus sneered, his eyes flicking to me as I entered the room. A greasy smile spread across his face. "The Vances still have friends in this building. I came to see if the rumors were true. I didn't believe the Ice Queen had actually turned my father’s rival's daughter into a... what are they calling you? A 'Shadow'?"
I froze. Marcus had always been a predator in the social circles of Lagos, but here, in Jace’s private space, he looked like a common thief.
Jace stepped in front of me. She was still in her black silk slip, her hair loose, yet she had never looked more terrifying. The air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "Elena is my Associate. She is under my command and my protection. You are a trespasser."
"Protection?" Marcus laughed, taking a step forward. "You’ve got her living in your bedroom, Jace. That’s not protection; that’s a scandal. If the board finds out you’re using Vance’s debt to keep his daughter as a plaything, your CEO chair will be empty by noon."
He turned his gaze back to me, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "Elena, come with me. My family still has enough leverage to get you away from her. You don't have to be her slave. You can be a Vance again."
For a second, the old life flashed before my eyes. The parties, the freedom, the lack of rules. But then I looked at Jace’s back—the rigid, unyielding line of her shoulders. I remembered the way she had worked the tension out of my neck. I remembered that she was the only one who saw the girl in the library.
"I’m not a Vance anymore," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. I stepped out from behind Jace, standing at her side. "I am an Associate at Vantage Holdings. And you are a man who just broke three different privacy laws. I suggest you leave before the Director decides to stop being polite."
Jace’s hand found mine, her fingers interlacing with mine in a crushing, possessive grip. A small, dark smile touched her lips. "You heard her, Marcus. She chose the command."
Jace reached for the intercom on the wall. "Security. Floor 50. Now."
As the guards dragged a shouting Marcus Sterling out of the suite, the silence that followed was heavy with a new kind of tension. Jace didn't let go of my hand. She turned to me, her eyes searching mine with an intensity that made me breathless.
"You could have gone with him," she whispered. "He offered you your old life back."
"My old life was a lie," I replied, looking up at her. "In this room, with these rules... I actually know who I am. Even if I'm yours."
Jace’s grip tightened. She pulled me toward her, her other hand coming up to cup the back of my head. "You are more than mine, Elena. You are the only thing in this city that I will not lose. But Marcus is right about one thing—the board will come for us now. They’ll try to use you to get to me."
She leaned down, her forehead resting against mine. "The rules are going to get harder. The discipline will be absolute. I need the world to see you as a weapon, not a victim. Can you handle that?"
"Yes, Jace," I breathed.
"Good," she murmured, her lips grazing mine for a fleeting, electric second. "Then get dressed. Today, we show the board why they should never have questioned my Associate."
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