Chapter 4 Enemies Within the Walls

By morning, the estate looked untouched.

The shattered window had been replaced.

The blood had been cleaned.

The bullet holes sealed and painted over.

As if violence could be edited out like a public relations mistake.

Eleanor Whitmore stood in the hallway outside Sebastian's private study and understood something with chilling clarity:

This was not the first time someone had tried to kill him.

And it would not be the last.

Inside the study, voices were low but tense.

"Trajectory confirms the shooter was positioned beyond the tree line," a man said.

Ellie recognized him. Marcus Hale, head of security. Former military. Efficient. Loyal.

Or at least he appeared that way.

"The angle suggests they knew which room you were in," Marcus continued.

A beat of silence followed.

Which meant one thing.

Inside information.

Ellie stepped into the room.

Sebastian stood near the fireplace, one hand in his pocket, expression unreadable.

He looked composed.

Too composed.

"Was anyone detained?" she asked.

Marcus glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to Sebastian.

"No, ma'am. The shooter was gone within ninety seconds."

"Professional," Sebastian said calmly.

Marcus nodded.

"Very."

Ellie folded her arms.

"Then we assume someone here told them where to aim."

The room went still.

Marcus's posture stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"Are you suggesting internal compromise?" he asked carefully.

"I'm suggesting," Ellie replied coolly, "that snipers don't guess which window to shoot."

Sebastian's gaze flicked between them.

Thoughtful.

Measured.

"Run a full internal audit," he instructed Marcus. "Discreetly."

Marcus hesitated a fraction of a second too long.

"Yes, sir."

When he left, the silence felt heavier.

"You suspect him," Sebastian observed.

"I suspect everyone."

A faint approval flickered in his eyes.

"You're adapting quickly."

"I prefer being alive."

He stepped closer, studying her.

"You didn't panic last night."

"I was busy not dying."

"That isn't what I meant."

His gaze softened slightly.

"You didn't run."

Her chest tightened.

"I told you," she said quietly. "I don't."

A moment passed between them.

Charged.

Unspoken.

He reached out before he seemed to realize he was doing it.

His fingers brushed lightly against her wrist.

Testing.

Asking.

She didn't pull away.

Not this time.

"You should move into my wing," he said quietly.

Her pulse jumped.

"That wasn't part of the agreement."

"Security protocol has changed."

"So has proximity."

His thumb shifted slightly against her skin.

The contact was minimal.

But deliberate.

"You think I can't control myself?" he asked softly.

The air thickened.

"I think," she replied carefully, "that lines blur when people almost die together."

A pause.

His jaw tightened, not in anger.

In restraint.

"You will have your own bedroom," he said evenly. "Attached to mine. Private access corridor. Increased surveillance."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I double security around your current room and accept the vulnerability."

Vulnerability.

The word hung there.

He was offering protection.

But he was also offering closeness.

And that was far more dangerous.

"I'll move," she said finally.

Relief flickered through his eyes, quickly masked.

"Good."

By noon, the media had shifted focus.

Attempted assassination.

Anonymous sources.

Speculation.

Damien Rhodes held a press interview outside his own Manhattan tower.

Ellie watched it from the estate's media room.

"Violence has no place in corporate disagreement," Damien said solemnly to reporters. "My thoughts are with Mr. Calloway and his fiancée."

His fiancée.

The word still felt foreign.

Damien continued, "I hope this incident does not distract from necessary leadership conversations at Calloway Industries."

Necessary leadership conversations.

Translation: board vote still happening.

Sebastian stood beside her, silent.

"He's accelerating the timeline," Ellie said.

"Yes."

"He benefits from chaos."

"Yes."

She turned to face him.

"Why haven't you removed him from the board?"

"Because removing him without evidence would fracture investor confidence."

"So you're playing chess."

"I always am."

"And he just knocked over a piece."

His gaze darkened.

"Yes."

Her phone buzzed.

This time it was Oliver.

She stepped into the hallway to answer.

"Ellie, what the hell is happening?" Oliver demanded immediately.

"You've seen the news."

"I've seen everything. Engagement. Assassination attempt. Are you out of your mind?"

"Possibly."

"Tell me you're not emotionally involved."

She hesitated.

Too long.

"Ellie."

"It's strategic," she said carefully.

"Strategic doesn't bleed."

Her chest tightened.

"I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine."

"I can handle this."

A pause.

"Just remember who you were before him," Oliver said quietly.

The call ended.

She stood there longer than necessary.

Who was she before him?

Certain.

Detached.

Safe.

Inside the bedroom wing, her belongings had already been relocated.

Efficient.

Seamless.

The new room was elegant but less personal than the one she had occupied.

Through a private door, she could see the entrance to Sebastian's suite.

Too close.

Too intimate.

She stepped inside her new room and closed the door firmly.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

This was still a contract.

Still controlled.

Still temporary.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

She opened the door.

Sebastian stood there, jacket removed, sleeves rolled again.

There was something restless about him tonight.

"The board has moved the vote to Friday," he said.

"That's three days."

"Yes."

"Damien pushed it."

"Yes."

She studied his face.

"You expected this."

"I anticipated escalation."

"And the shooting?"

A flicker of something dark crossed his expression.

"That was meant to destabilize me."

"Did it?"

He looked at her.

"No."

The honesty in his voice unsettled her.

"Are you ever afraid?" she asked suddenly.

A long silence.

"Of losing control," he admitted quietly. "Yes."

She stepped closer without realizing.

"You didn't lose control last night."

"I almost did."

Her breath hitched.

"Because of the shooter?"

His eyes dropped briefly to her lips.

"No."

The word felt heavier than it should have.

Silence wrapped around them.

Thick.

Electric.

"If this becomes personal," she whispered, "we both lose objectivity."

"Yes."

"And if it already is?"

His restraint snapped just slightly.

He reached up, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

The touch was slow.

Intentional.

Her pulse roared in her ears.

"Tell me to stop," he murmured.

She should have.

She didn't.

The space between them dissolved.

Not a kiss.

Not yet.

But close enough that she felt the warmth of his breath against her skin.

A loud crash echoed from downstairs.

Both of them froze.

Voices shouted.

Running footsteps.

Sebastian pulled away instantly.

Control restored.

"Stay here," he ordered.

"I'm not staying anywhere."

He didn't argue this time.

They moved quickly down the hallway.

Marcus stood in the foyer, holding a tablet.

"There's been a breach in the security system," he said.

Sebastian's eyes hardened.

"External?"

Marcus hesitated.

"No, sir."

Ellie's stomach dropped.

"Internal override," Marcus finished.

Silence.

Deadly silence.

"Who has access to override codes?" Sebastian asked calmly.

"Only three people," Marcus replied.

"Yourself. Me. And..."

He stopped.

"And?" Ellie pressed.

Marcus's gaze shifted toward Sebastian.

"Your late fiancée had emergency clearance," he finished.

The implication hung in the air.

"She's dead," Ellie said carefully.

"Yes."

Marcus swallowed.

"But her access was never fully revoked."

Sebastian's expression changed.

Not fear.

Something colder.

"Meaning someone has been using Lydia's credentials," Ellie whispered.

"Yes," Marcus confirmed.

Which meant...

Whoever killed Lydia.

Was inside the system.

Inside the company.

Inside the war.

Sebastian's jaw tightened.

"Trace the override," he ordered.

"We're trying," Marcus said. "But whoever did it knew exactly which logs to erase."

Professional.

Strategic.

Personal.

Ellie felt the pieces clicking into place.

"Damien," she said quietly.

Sebastian didn't respond.

But his silence was agreement.

Suddenly, the lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then the estate went completely dark.

For one suspended second, there was nothing but silence.

Then...

The emergency generators failed.

Pitch black.

Ellie felt Sebastian's hand find hers instantly.

Firm.

Protective.

Not strategic.

Instinctive.

"Stay close," he murmured.

In the darkness, she could hear it.

Footsteps.

Not security.

Not Marcus.

Different.

Measured.

Inside the house.

Someone had breached the perimeter.

And this time,

They hadn't come from a distance.

They were already within the walls.