Chapter 3 3

I didn't sleep.

I lay curled beneath the weighted silence of Marcus's arm draped over my waist, my body still and breath shallow, afraid that even blinking too loudly might wake him. His breathing was heavy with the aftermath of bourbon and violence, his chest rising and falling in a rhythm that mocked peace.

My cheek pulsed in time with my heartbeat. Every movement stung. But it wasn't the ache in my bones that kept me awake, it was the business card.

Sebastian Hale's name burned into my memory like a warning sign.

The morning light had barely begun to bleed through the curtains when I slipped out from under Marcus's arm. He stirred but didn't wake. I moved like I had a thousand times before: slowly, silently, like prey, ignoring the pain in my feet.

The bathroom door clicked shut behind me. I locked it.

Only then did I breathe.

The mirror was cruel.

Swollen lip. A red shadow creeping across my jaw. The faint beginnings of a bruise already blooming at my temple like a dark flower. I touched it carefully and flinched at the sting.

I reached for the concealer, the same way I did most mornings. It was a routine now. Just another step in becoming Isla Langford, the polished wife, the composed hostess, the woman whose pain lived beneath the surface.

But no amount of foundation could cover the truth: Marcus was escalating.

And now someone else was in the crosshairs.

I had to protect Sebastian. Even if he didn't know he was in danger. I wasn't capable of protecting myself but i don't want to drag anyone into my battles.

Even if he'd barely looked at me more than any other assistant.

Even if the only connection between us was a moment too long, a glance too sharp, a kindness too rare.

I scrubbed the thought from my mind. It didn't matter what Sebastian Hale had done-or hadn't done. What mattered was what Marcus thought he'd done. That was enough to get someone killed.

I wasn't going to get someone killed because of me.

By the time I stepped into the kitchen, the housekeeper was humming softly to herself, frying eggs and pretending not to notice the bruises that weren't quite hidden. I thanked her, took my breakfast in a to-go container, and left before Marcus stirred.

At the office, I kept my head down.

The receptionist gave me a polite smile. The security guard nodded. I smiled back, mechanical. They didn't know. They never did.

The elevator doors closed around me like a shield. My fingers trembled as I pressed the button for the 24th floor. Not from fear this time, but from the realization that the safest place for me today...was work.

Sebastian's floor was already humming with energy when I stepped out. Phones rang. Laptops clicked. The smell of roasted coffee clung to the air.

I moved quickly to my desk, booted my computer, and buried myself in reports. I was good at disappearing. It was one of my more valuable skills.

But halfway through organizing the quarterly investor notes, a shadow passed over my desk.

I didn't have to look up to know it was him.

"Langford," Sebastian said.

I glanced up. "Mr. Hale."

I stood up.

His expression didn't change, but his gaze lingered. Too long. Not with the softness of concern, but with the sharpness of noticing something was off.

"You're early," he said.

"I had work to catch up on."

His eyes dropped briefly to the side of my face. I'd done a good job. Not perfect. The makeup cracked slightly near my temple where the bruise ran deepest. He didn't mention it.

Instead, he nodded. "Conference room in ten. Bring the numbers for the Maxwell account."

"Yes, sir."

He turned and walked away, but I felt the air shift around me. Like something unsaid was circling. Watching. Waiting. I sat down back.

In the meeting, I kept to the edges of the room. Quiet. Efficient. Sebastian didn't look at me once after I handed him the notes. He was all business, composed, clear, intimidating in the way powerful men often are. But his fingers tapped twice against the table when I passed him the folder.

It wasn't a habit I'd seen before.

I filed it away.

Afterwards, he dismissed the others. But as I started to follow them out, his voice stopped me.

"Langford, stay a moment."

Did he notice the limp in my walk?

Was he still going to talk about the gala night?

I turned, slow and cautious.

The door clicked shut behind the last employee. Silence settled between us.

Sebastian didn't sit. He stood by the table, watching me, not intently, not suspiciously. But with that same quiet stillness I'd seen the night of the gala, when he followed me outside for air. Like he was waiting to see if I'd offer something unspoken.

I didn't.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes." I lied, smoothly.

A pause. Then, "You left something at the event."

My spine straightened. "I did?"

He reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a different card, one of mine. Not his.

My business contact, the one I'd given to a vendor that night.

Relief and panic mingled in my chest.

"I didn't want to assume," he said, offering it, his eyes carefully scanning through my features

I took it. Our fingers didn't touch, but they could have. And for the briefest second, I wondered if he'd meant for them to.

What was I thinking of...?

"Thank you," I said. "That was thoughtful."

He tilted his head. "Most people don't use cards anymore. You're old-fashioned."

"I like things that feel solid," I said before I could stop myself.

His eyes flicked to mine. "And safe?"

I swallowed. "Safe is a luxury."

I meant that. It was a luxury I can't afford.

Another silence. It stretched a little too long.

He finally looked away, adjusting his watch. "We'll be meeting with the Paragon Group tomorrow. Wear something that says we don't take no for an answer."

That was it? No comment on the bruise. No kindness. Just a subtle return to structure.

I started to feel I was hoping for too much.

I nodded. "Understood."

When I left, i tried really hard to not limp, I didn't glance back. But my heart was beating a little faster. Not from anything he'd said.

From what he hadn't.

He'd noticed. And he was choosing not to ask.

Or maybe...he was choosing to wait.

*****

Back at home, I moved like a ghost.

The card was gone from beneath the rug. Marcus had cleaned up. The shattered glass. The blood. The evidence.

But not the threat.

Dinner was quiet. Too quiet. And that scared me.

Marcus barely spoke. Barely looked at me.

Which was worse than yelling.

It meant he was thinking.

And Marcus Langford only ever thought in one direction.

Control.

When he finally did speak, his words were slow. Calculated.

"I hear Hale's quite the strategist. Built his empire young."

I froze.

He didn't look at me. Just kept cutting his steak.

"I imagine a man like that knows exactly what he wants," he continued. "Doesn't waste time."

I forced my grip to loosen on the fork.

"I wouldn't know," I said, voice even. "I only take notes."

A smile curled his lips. Not kind. Knowing.

"I suppose we'll see, won't we?"

I pushed my meal away. I'd lost the appetite.

I excused myself shortly after, stomach churning. I made it to the bedroom, locked the door behind me, and sat on the edge of the bed, pulse hammering in my throat.

He was circling.

Not just me now.

Sebastian too.

And all I could do was wait.

Not for affection.

Not for help.

But for the moment Marcus made his move.

Because he would.

And when he did, someone wouldn't walk away.