Chapter 10
858 Words
•|• Alexsander's POV •|•
After what I said Victor studied me closely.
“You’re worried about crossing a line.”
The fact that he sounded surprised irritated me.
“I do have lines.”
“Rarely when it comes to business.”
“She isn’t business.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Victor went very still.
So did I.
The weight of that sentence settled heavily inside the SUV.
Because it was true.
That was exactly the problem.
I exhaled slowly and adjusted the silver watch on my wrist.
“Get someone on Elijah Arnold instead.”
Victor nodded immediately, returning to familiar territory. “Background check?”
“Everything.”
“Financials?”
“Yes.”
“Family?”
“Yes.”
“Criminal history?”
I looked out the window again.
“Especially that.”
Victor pulled out his phone instantly, already typing messages.
“I’ll have a preliminary report by morning.”
“I want the full file first thing tomorrow.”
“It’ll be done.”
The city became quieter as we moved farther from the crowded streets.
Rain began tapping softly against the windows.
I watched droplets race down the glass while my thoughts drifted back to her again.
Thessira.
Even her name stayed in my head too easily.
I remembered the subtle tremble in her breathing when I stepped closer earlier.
The way her eyes flashed with defiance even while nervous.
Most women around powerful men either melted or performed.
She did neither.
She resisted me instinctively.
And somehow that only made me want to know her more.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Victor finished sending his messages before speaking again.
“If Arnold really is her husband, what then?”
“He isn’t.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
I looked at him flatly.
“I’m not.”
Victor sighed quietly. “You sound personally invested already.”
That annoyed me because it was true.
I rarely thought about anyone after walking away from them.
Usually people became irrelevant the moment they left my sight.
Yet Thessira lingered.
Like smoke trapped in my lungs.
I could still hear her voice.
Still picture her standing protectively near that front door.
Still feel the strange pull in my chest when she looked at me.
I rubbed my jaw slowly.
“There’s more to her story.”
Victor nodded once. “You think Arnold is part of it?”
“Yes.”
“You think he’s dangerous?”
“I think he’s hiding something too.”
Because Elijah Arnold had reacted too strongly.
A normal husband would have been irritated.
Protective.
Territorial.
But Elijah had looked prepared for war.
As if my presence threatened far more than his marriage.
That reaction alone told me enough.
Something was hidden inside that house.
And every instinct I possessed told me Thessira was standing in front of it like a shield.
The SUV entered the private underground entrance leading toward my penthouse building.
Security gates opened instantly.
Victor finally turned fully in his seat.
“There’s another issue.”
I raised a brow.
“Bennett Enterprises.”
“What about it?”
“Your interest in one of their employees could complicate negotiations.”
I almost laughed at the understatement.
Complicate.
That was one word for it.
Nathan Bennett already disliked me.
The feeling was mutual.
Our partnership discussions had been tense from the beginning, but manageable.
Now?
Now there was a woman involved.
A woman Nathan clearly trusted.
And judging from the way he watched me during meetings lately, he had already noticed my attention drifting toward her.
That could become problematic.
Very quickly.
Still…
I wasn’t backing away.
Not when every instinct in me screamed that Thessira mattered.
To what exactly, I didn’t know yet.
But I would.
The SUV came to a smooth stop.
One of the guards stepped forward immediately to open my door.
Before exiting, Victor spoke again.
“You know what this looks like, don’t you?”
I paused.
“A fixation.”
His honesty would have offended another man.
I respected it.
I stepped out of the vehicle slowly, adjusting my coat against the rain.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe this was becoming dangerous faster than expected.
But as I looked up toward the storm-dark sky, only one thought repeated in my head.
Married.
No.
That wasn’t the truth.
I had built empires by reading people correctly.
And Thessira Volkov—
I stopped mid-thought.
Volkov?
A dark chuckle nearly escaped me.
Interesting.
The woman had already invaded my thoughts deeply enough that my mind attached my surname to hers naturally.
That alone should have alarmed me.
Instead, it made something possessive unfurl slowly inside my chest.
I entered the elevator alone while security remained outside.
The doors slid shut.
Silence surrounded me instantly.
Then the memory returned again.
Her eyes.
Her fear.
Her lie.
I loosened my tie slightly, staring at my reflection in the mirrored elevator walls.
“You’re hiding something, little wolf,” I murmured quietly.
And I intended to uncover every piece of it.
No matter how long it took.
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