Chapter 4 4

Camden Benjamin's penthouse was not a home; it was a statement. Perched atop a glass needle in Tribeca, it was a monument to wealth and emotional distance. The walls were glass, the furniture was minimalist art, and the only warmth came from the city lights glittering below. It felt safer than the townhouse had ever been.

Edlyn stood in the center of the cavernous living room, feeling like a misplaced museum piece.

"Your belongings from the townhouse will arrive tomorrow," Camden said, walking to the wet bar. He moved with a quiet, predatory grace. He didn't offer her a drink. "You will occupy the east wing. My quarters are in the west. We will maintain separate spaces unless a public appearance requires otherwise."

"Okay," she whispered, the single word feeling loud in the echoing silence.

He poured himself a glass of water, his back to her.

"We need to address the Julian Thorne situation," he said. "He has something of yours."

"My mother's brooch."

"He is using it as leverage to force a meeting." He turned, his gray eyes pinning her in place. "This is precisely the kind of scandal I am paying to avoid. You will not meet him."

"I have to," she insisted, a spark of her old fire returning. "It's all I have left of her."

"Sentiment is a liability, Edlyn," he said coolly. "Giving in to his emotional blackmail will only signal weakness. He will escalate."

"So I should just let him destroy it?" Her voice cracked.

Camden set his glass down. He crossed the room, stopping a few feet from her. He was tall, and the sheer force of his presence was overwhelming.

"No," he said. "You will let me handle it. You are now associated with my name. An attack on you is an attack on my brand. I do not tolerate liabilities."

He handed her a new phone. It was sleek, black, and encrypted.

"Your old number has been deactivated. Thorne can no longer contact you. My head of security, a man named Elias, will retrieve your property. You will focus on your new role."

He gestured to a tablet on the marble coffee table. It displayed a calendar.

"Tomorrow night is the Met Gala. It will be our first public appearance. A file has been prepared for you. It contains the names, histories, and potential conversational topics for every person of consequence we will encounter. You are to memorize it."

Her head spun. The Met Gala. A world away from her quiet life of art restoration and spreadsheets. He wasn't asking her to be his fiancée; he was asking her to be a spy.

"I... I don't have anything to wear," she stammered.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. "That has already been taken care of. A stylist will be here at noon. Your only job, Ms. Harding, is to look beautiful, stay quiet, and not embarrass me."

He turned and walked toward the west wing, leaving her alone in the vast, empty space. She looked out at the city, a sea of infinite lights. She had escaped one cage only to find herself in another, far larger and more luxurious, but a cage nonetheless.