Chapter 5 Terms of survival.

Sleep did not come.

Ariella lay awake long after the house settled, staring at the ceiling as shadows crawled across it. Every sound felt amplified-the distant hum of generators, the faint echo of footsteps somewhere below, the whisper of trees brushing against glass.

She kept seeing the photograph.

Herself, frozen in a moment she didn't know had been stolen.

We know who you are.

The words pressed against her chest like a weight.

By morning, she had made a decision.

She found Lucien in the study just after sunrise.

He was already awake, already dressed, already working. Of course he was. Men like him didn't wait for problems to arrive-they anticipated them, shaped them, controlled them.

Ariella closed the door behind her.

Lucien didn't look up. "You should be resting."

"I should be informed," she replied.

That got his attention.

He set the tablet aside and leaned back slightly, studying her. "You're upset."

"I'm furious."

"Understandable."

"No," she corrected. "It's deliberate."

Lucien's eyes narrowed. "Careful."

She stepped closer, stopping directly across from his desk. "This arrangement ends today."

A pause.

"Excuse me?" he said calmly.

"You heard me."

Lucien folded his hands. "You don't get to terminate a contract you didn't negotiate."

"That's exactly the problem."

Silence stretched. Dangerous silence.

"You answered his call," Lucien said quietly. "Against my instruction."

"He called me."

"You put yourself at risk."

"I already was at risk," she shot back. "You just didn't bother telling me."

Lucien stood, slowly. The movement was controlled, but it shifted the balance of the room.

"I told you what was necessary."

"You told me what was convenient."

His jaw tightened. "You're alive because of this marriage."

"And trapped because of it."

He held her gaze. "You would have been dead without it."

The words landed hard.

Ariella inhaled slowly. "Then we're done pretending this is about protection."

Lucien said nothing.

"This is a war," she continued. "And you dragged me onto the battlefield blindfolded."

"I dragged you behind cover."

"You chained me there."

Lucien's voice dropped. "What do you want?"

The question was sharp. Direct. Dangerous.

Ariella didn't hesitate. "Terms."

Something flickered in his eyes-surprise, perhaps. Or respect.

"You want to renegotiate?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You don't have leverage."

She smiled thinly. "You think I don't?"

Lucien waited.

She took a breath. "Elias Crowe contacted me. Directly. That means whatever game this is, I'm no longer a side piece."

"You were never-"

"Don't," she cut in. "You used my vulnerability to force compliance. I won't be compliant anymore."

Lucien studied her carefully now, like a man reassessing a risk.

"What are your terms?" he asked.

"One," she said, holding up a finger. "No more secrets that involve my safety. If I'm a target, I deserve the full picture."

"That's not how this world works."

"Then adjust."

"Two," she continued, undeterred. "I choose where I go and who I see. Your guards advise-not command."

Lucien exhaled sharply. "Absolutely not."

"Then this conversation ends."

"You'll put yourself in danger."

"I already am."

A beat.

"Three," she said. "I want access."

"To what?"

"Information. Files. Names. I don't care if it's filtered-but I won't be clueless."

Lucien's eyes hardened. "You're asking for things that could get you killed."

She leaned forward. "I'm already on the list."

Silence pressed in again.

Lucien walked past her, stopping at the window. He stared out at the estate like it might give him answers.

"You're not built for this," he said quietly.

Ariella followed him. "You don't know what I'm built for."

He turned. "I know what this world does to people like you."

"People like me?"

"People with consciences."

Her voice softened, but didn't weaken. "Then maybe that's exactly why you need me informed."

Lucien studied her for a long moment.

Then, slowly, he nodded once.

"One condition," he said.

She stiffened. "Of course."

"You follow my lead when it matters," he continued. "No impulsive decisions. No heroics."

She met his gaze. "And you stop deciding for me."

A pause.

"Agreed," he said.

The word felt heavy. Binding.

Ariella let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Good," she said. "Then we start now."

Lucien raised a brow. "Now?"

"My mother," she said. "You flagged her accounts."

"Yes."

"Fix it."

"It's already in motion."

"And Elias Crowe?"

Lucien's expression darkened. "He doesn't move without purpose."

"Which means I'm not the prize," she said slowly. "I'm the doorway."

Lucien didn't deny it.

Ariella's phone buzzed on the desk.

They both looked down.

A message.

Unknown Contact

You should tell your husband thank you. I've never enjoyed a game more.

Lucien's jaw clenched.

"He's provoking you," Ariella said.

"He's testing boundaries."

"And you hate that you can't control him."

Lucien looked at her sharply.

She met his gaze. "You're not the only one who can play."

Before he could respond, Helena appeared in the doorway, pale.

"Mr. Blackwood," she said. "There's been an incident."

Lucien turned instantly. "Where?"

"Downtown," Helena replied. "One of our shell companies. Financial breach. Public."

Lucien swore softly. "Crowe."

Helena nodded. "The press is already circling."

Ariella's stomach dropped. "This is because of me."

"No," Lucien said grimly. "This is because he wants me distracted."

Helena hesitated. "There's more."

Lucien's gaze sharpened. "Say it."

"The breach wasn't just financial," she said. "They leaked documents."

"What kind?"

Helena looked at Ariella.

Lucien followed her gaze.

Ariella's pulse spiked. "What documents?"

Helena swallowed. "Marriage-related ones."

The room went still.

Lucien's voice was dangerously calm. "Define related."

"The original negotiation file," Helena said quietly. "Including... the clause."

Ariella's blood ran cold. "What clause?"

Lucien closed his eyes briefly.

"Lucien," Ariella said, voice tight. "What clause?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"The one," he said, "that explains why you were chosen."

The words echoed in her head.

Chosen.

Not random. Not convenient.

Intentional.

Her phone buzzed again.

Another message.

Read the fine print, Mrs. Blackwood.

Your husband did.

Ariella stared at Lucien, dread pooling in her chest.

"What did you sign me into?" she whispered.

Lucien didn't answer.

And in that silence, she realized the truth was worse than she'd imagined.