Chapter 14: The Silver Brand
772 Words
The black gown was a masterpiece of restraint and provocation. It was silk, the color of midnight, with a high collar that mimicked the stiff shirts Jace made me wear in the office. It had no back, leaving my skin exposed to the cool air of the penthouse, and the only jewelry Jace allowed was the silver bead cord.
Jace stood behind me in the mirror, her hands resting on my bare waist. She was dressed in a tuxedo that made her look like a lethal shadow. Her dark hair was slicked back, her eyes tracing every curve of the dress she had chosen for me.
"Tonight is not a party, Elena," she murmured, her thumbs tracing the line of my hip bones. "It is a coronation. The Lagos elite believe you are a victim of my greed. We are going to show them that you are the architect of their downfall."
"They'll hate me," I whispered, looking at our reflection. We looked like a power couple from a dark myth.
"Let them hate you," Jace said, her gaze meeting mine in the glass. "Hatred is just fear that has lost its way. As long as you stay at my side, their fear cannot touch you."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Inside was a brooch—a silver falcon, the emblem of Vantage Holdings, encrusted with black diamonds. She pinned it to my collar, her fingers lingering against my throat.
"This is your brand for the night, Associate. It tells everyone in that room that if they speak to you, they are speaking to me. If they touch you, they are touching my fire."
The Eko Hotel ballroom was a sea of gold and silk, the air thick with the scent of lilies and expensive perfume. The moment we stepped onto the red carpet, the flashes of the paparazzi were blinding. I felt the familiar urge to duck my head, to hide as the "Princess" used to do.
But Jace’s hand was firm on the small of my back, a constant, grounding pressure.
"Chin up, Elena," she commanded softly. "You are the smartest woman in this room. Act like it."
We moved through the crowd like a single unit. Jace didn't introduce me as a guest; she introduced me as her "Right Hand." I watched as men who used to ignore me at my father’s parties now scrambled to offer me their cards, their eyes darting nervously to Jace.
Then, I saw him. My father’s former lawyer, a man who had vanished the moment the money ran out. He approached us with a drink in his hand and a fake smile on his face.
"Elena, darling! You look... transformed. I hear Jace has been keeping you very busy." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping. "If you need a way out, your father’s old offshore accounts aren't all empty. We could—"
Jace didn't wait for him to finish. She stepped between us, her presence so cold the man actually shivered.
"Mr. Adenuga," Jace said, her voice a low, terrifying hum. "You are speaking to my Associate. Any discussion regarding her 'former' life or her father’s 'accounts' is a breach of the Non-Disclosure Agreement she signed with me. And since I now own the firm that holds your mortgage, I suggest you walk away before I decide to foreclose."
The man turned pale and beat a hasty retreat. Jace didn't look at him as he left. She turned to me, her hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck, her thumb tracing the silver falcon at my throat.
"You see?" she whispered, her eyes burning with a dark, obsessive pride. "They don't want to save you, Elena. They want to use you. I am the only one who wants to keep you."
The gala went on for hours, but I barely noticed the music or the food. I only noticed the way Jace never left my side, the way her hand seemed to find mine every time I felt a spark of doubt. By the time we left, the headlines were already being written.
The Ice Queen’s Shadow. The Vance Heiress: From Princess to Partner.
As the car pulled away, Jace leaned back into the leather seat, pulling me toward her until my head rested on her shoulder.
"You did well tonight, Associate," she murmured, her lips brushing my forehead. "The world knows who you belong to now. There’s no going back."
"I don't want to go back," I said, and for the first time, I realized it was the absolute truth.
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