Ruined By Your Blood

Chapter 18: The Invisible Third Party

The loud, rhythmic beep from the house's central AI broke the quiet in the bedroom at exactly 5:45 AM.

"Attention. Security Chief Evans is starting a weekly security check. Sector lock codes will change in fifteen minutes."

Sienna's eyes opened suddenly, and she felt a rush of fear. "s**t," she whispered, her voice rough from sleep and their recent intimacy. She sat up quickly and pushed the heavy blankets away. "Larcus is checking the rooms early. He follows your father everywhere, Luther. If his computer records my body entering your room during a system reset, your father will find out before breakfast."

Luther did not panic. He sat up in bed looking calm and strong. The soft morning light showed his shoulders and the dark marks—a hickey on his neck from their intimacy. He had a small, relaxed smile on his face.

"Relax, Sweetheart," Luther murmured. "Evans is thorough, but he cannot read minds. Just climb through the eastern balcony ledge."

"The eastern ledge is right in front of the courtyard cameras, Luther!" Sienna's hands trembling slightly as she buttoned her black top. "If I'm caught—"

She stopped. Luther moved very fast, and his body was suddenly in front of her, blocking her way. Before she could say anything, his hands grabbed her waist and pulled her close against his warm chest.

"Luther, let go," she breathed, even though her hands moved to touch his wide shoulders. "We don't have time for this."

He did not let go. Instead, he held her tighter in a strong, protective hug, pressing her face against his neck. "Stop running, Sienna. Look at me."

Sienna resisted for a moment, trying to stay professional. But as his warmth surrounded her, she let go of her feelings.

She let out a long, shaky breath and rested her head on his shoulder. She put her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair, finally letting herself feel all her emotions. She was no longer just a secret agent on a dangerous mission. She belonged to him.

"I won't," she whispered softly. "What have you done to me? I can't stop wanting you near me. It's like my body remembers you even when I try to resist." she spoke with such honesty that it even surprised her.

Luther leaned his head down, pressing a deep, lingering kiss into her hair, his hand gently stroking the length of her spine.

"Then come closer," he whispered softly near her ear. "I told you I won't let you go, and you won't let me go either. You don't need to control yourself. If you want me, keep on wanting me. I'm completely yours."

She looked up at him and slowly pressed her lips to his, holding the kiss for a moment before letting go.

"I love you," they both whispered in unison.

They looked at each other and stayed silent for a long time. The air felt warm and full of the things they had finally shared. She lifted her hand to his face, tracing the line of his cheek with her palm. He caught her fingers pressing them against his skin, and closed his eyes for a second.

"I love you," Luther said again, slower this time. "More than I thought I could."

-

By 9:30 AM, Sienna had resumed her position in the estate's private study. She stood perfectly straight in the corner, looking calm and expressionless as a bodyguard. Luther sat at his desk, waiting.

The big doors opened, and Ivy Durkan walked in. As she promised at the dinner, she brought a thick paper folder with a wax seal.

"I brought the housing draft documents, Luther," Ivy said softly, placing the folder on the desk. "Everything we talked about. The illegal shipping lists, the fake building rules... it is all here."

"You do not have to come here, but thank you." Luther pulled the folder to himself and broke the wax seal with his thumb. He looked through the first few pages, reading the secret transaction lists. "These signatures on the lower area eviction papers lead straight to the city's money office."

Ivy leaning over the desk slightly. "They are masking the forced displacements as 'urban safety upgrades' to take corporate money. People are losing their homes just so they can build private roads for illegal goods. It makes me sick."

Luther looked at her with a serious face. "We need the unredacted master key to unlock the secondary ledger, Ivy. This information only shows the fraud, not where the money went."

"The main key is saved directly inside their private computer," she's pointing to the pages. "You cannot hack it from far away. You must go there and take it from their system physically."

Suddenly, the study doors opened.

The atmosphere in the room became very cold when Larcus walked in. His sharp eyes looked straight at the files on Luther's desk.

"A private meeting? How efficient," Larcus murmured with a threatening tone. He walked to the desk, looked at the files, and then looked at Ivy. "Miss Ivy, I didn't know you were close with Mr. Luther. I didn't realize you could visit his house whenever you want without any schedule." He did not gave a change to answer, he looked to Luther. "Also, the security footage from six o'clock this morning shows your badge, Sienna, entering this area while the wing was locked. You moved without permission today?"

The room became completely silent. Ivy quickly hid what she was really doing. She put on a perfect, polite smile to look elegant and hide the fact that she was giving secret files to Luther.

"Chief Evans, I had to manually check the courtyard cameras for blind spots during your automatic scan," Sienna lied perfectly, speaking in a cold, professional tone. "It is my job to protect this area. I cannot wait for your automatic systems to work when the codes reset."

"You are as careful as ever, Nilsson."

Ivy smoothly picked up her designer handbag and put the strap on her shoulder. She had no intention of lingering under Larcus's suspicious gaze, yet she carefully controlled her movements to ensure she didn't look like she was rushing to escape.

"Well, now that the foundation details we discussed have been delivered, I must excuse myself," Ivy lied, her tone light, airy, and thoroughly professional. "I have a lunch meeting with the zoning board in twenty minutes, and the traffic in the upper district will be terrible." She gave Luther a quick, polite nod and walked toward the door.

Larcus watched the door close, then looked directly at Luther while tapping his finger hard on the wood desk.

"Since we are alone," Larcus stated. "Gabriel Sterling is having a private birthday party tonight at his home, the Riverside Pavilion. It looks like a fancy charity event, but that is a lie. He is using his birthday reception to quietly auction off the physical copies of those shipping manifests to the highest-bidding elites in the sector. You need to attend the party."

Luther laughed mockingly. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, looking bored and cynical. "I don't care about Sterling's big birthday, Evans, and I have no interest in going to another one of these silly, fancy parties. Find someone else to talk to the rich people. I'm busy."

Larcus's eyes narrowed and spoke in a low, serious voice. "This is not a choice, Luther. Senator Vaughan has ordered this. Sterling's event area is fully locked down for the celebration. There are armed guards at every exit and fingerprint scanners at the gates. We cannot sneak a secret team into the building without setting off an alarm."

Larcus stepped closer. "Mr. Vaughan is unable to attend, and we cannot proceed without an elite member present. We also need to monitor the Sterlings and their activities, which cannot be done properly without the appropriate representation. Your father does not like his investments left unprotected in a room full of sharks. So, you are going."

Luther clenched his jaw. "Fine. If my father wants me to act, he can have it. But I'm doing this my way."

Luther slowly turned his head to look at Sienna.

"Sienna won't stay in the security room," Luther said. He kept looking at Sienna, even though he was arguing with Marcus. "Tonight, she is coming to the party as my official date. We will play the part of a wealthy elite couple looking to invest in Sterling's shipping lines. It gives us total access to the VIP suites, and it keeps my security exactly where it needs to be."

Larcus stood up and fixed his coat. "Senator Vaughan approves of creativity, Luther. But he does not approve of failure. If Sienna slips up—if Gabriel Sterling suspects for one second that she isn't who you say she is—the entire operation collapses. And I will be the one holding the blade when your father demands accountability."

"I expected that, Evans," Luther said calmly. "The stylists will have her ready by five."

Larcus nodded without emotion, turned around, and left the room. His loud footsteps grew quieter as he walked down the hallway.

-

At the same time, while walking, Larcus takes his phone and holds it to his ear.

"Report, Evans," a voice commanded.

"The preparation for Gabriel Sterling's birthday celebration tonight is moving forward, Senator,"

"And Luther?"

"He was rude as usual, sir. However, because the checkpoints at Sterling's camp are totally closed, I had to let Luther change his plan. He is bringing his main bodyguard, Sienna, undercover as his date. This ensures we can get close to the VIP rooms."

A quiet, serious sound came from the Arthur. "Let him, he has always been a disappointment socially, but he gets the job done. Just ensure the girl understands that she is an operative, not a guest. If she embarrasses the Vaughan name, she won't live to see the sunrise."

"She understands her boundaries, Mr. Vaughan." Larcus stopped to check a secret, private file on his device. "Now, regarding the other matter you tasked me with. The problem in the top medicine shipping records."

"Did you track the source of the altered biometric health data?" The Senator's tone instantly sharpened.

"Yes, Mr. Vaughan. For the past month, someone has been collecting secret files to blackmail our political leaders about their illnesses and drug problems. This is a new kind of threat. Whoever is paying for this has as much money as our own group."

"Is that so. Then we cannot let a third group get that much power over the city. Use the party at the Pavilion tonight to look for connections. Gabriel might not know anything, but some of his elite guests are definitely part of this secret group. Find where they start, Evans. We will check Sterling's records first, but once we control those shipping lines, we will find this new group and destroy them completely."

"I will do it, Mr. Vaughan."