Chapter 7 7

Edlyn woke up to the sound of silence.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, painting long golden stripes across the white marble floor. Her phone, the new one Camden had given her, was sitting on the nightstand, untouched. There were no missed calls from Julian, no voicemails from Chloe. He had cut them out of her life as cleanly as a surgeon.

She felt a strange emptiness. For three years, their drama had been the soundtrack to her life. The silence was unnerving.

A single message notification glowed on the screen. It was from an unknown number.

She tapped it open.

He knows.

That was it. Two words. Her blood ran cold. It had to be from Sienna. She was the only one who knew everything, the only one she'd given her new number to.

He knows.

Julian. He must have seen the news from the Gala. He knew about Camden.

Edlyn walked into the kitchen. A tray was waiting on the island: coffee, fresh fruit, and a single red rose in a crystal vase. Beside it was a small, velvet-wrapped box.

Her hands trembled as she opened it. Inside, nestled on a bed of black satin, was her mother's Cartier brooch. The diamonds glittered, perfect and unharmed.

A note lay beneath it, written in Camden's sharp, decisive handwriting.

A loose end. Tied.

He had done it. He had sent his man, and he had retrieved it, just as he said he would. No drama, no negotiation. Just a problem, solved.

She pinned the brooch to her simple silk robe. The weight of it was familiar, comforting. But the relief was short-lived, overshadowed by Sienna's cryptic text.

The elevator chimed, and Camden walked in. He was already dressed in a suit, his tie perfectly knotted. He didn't look like he had been at a gala until 2 a.m. He looked like a machine that had just been recharged.

"Good morning," he said, heading straight for the espresso machine. "The press is having a field day. Our engagement is the front-page story on every society blog."

"Julian knows," she said, her voice tight.

He didn't turn around. "I am aware. He attempted to get past security at the lobby of this building an hour ago. He was carrying a bouquet of roses."

He was trying to spin it. The Repentant Lover arc.

"He won't give up," she said. "He'll try to create a scene. He'll tell everyone I left him for you, for your money."

Camden finally turned, an espresso cup in his hand. "Let him," he said, his eyes cold. "He thinks he is playing checkers. He doesn't realize we are playing chess. His next move is predictable. He will try to humiliate you publicly. And we will be ready."

He looked at the brooch on her robe. "That was a gift. Not a weapon. Do not wear your sentiment like armor, Edlyn. It's a weakness."

He left for his office without another word. She stood in the silent kitchen, the smell of coffee and roses filling the air. He had given her back a piece of her past, only to warn her not to cling to it.