Chapter 5

Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was 2:00 AM in Manhattan.

Dalton shifted his weight on the narrow sofa, the leather creaking under him. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Audriana's lifeless eyes from his past life. The nightmare refused to let him go.

He sat up abruptly. He ran a frustrated hand through his messy hair and stood up, walking straight toward the outdoor terrace.

The freezing wind and sharp rain hit his face. Dalton pulled a cigar from his case and lit it. The red cherry glowed fiercely in the pitch-black night.

He forced his mind to focus on the timeline. The attacks on his company were about to begin, orchestrated by the last person anyone would suspect. The first domino was already falling.

Dalton blew a thick cloud of smoke into the rain. His eyes were dead and cold. This time, he was going to crush the invisible enemy until there was nothing left but dust.

Inside the master bedroom, Audriana was also wide awake. Her eyes were red and swollen as she stared blankly at the dark ceiling.

The phone on the nightstand suddenly vibrated violently against the wood.

The screen lit up the dark room. The caller ID flashed: Chadwick.

Audriana stared at the name. The name that used to bring her comfort now made her stomach churn with disgust.

She took a deep, shaky breath. She swiped her finger across the glass and pressed the phone to her ear. She didn't say a word.

Chadwick's panicked, hushed voice immediately spilled through the speaker.

"Audriana, baby, listen to me. Tonight was a setup. It's a huge misunderstanding!"

He kept talking, his voice dripping with fake desperation. "I was tricked! I didn't know that drink was spiked. You have to forgive me, please!"

Audriana listened to the pathetic lies. An invisible hand squeezed her lungs, making it hard to breathe. The pain was dull but suffocating.

She cut him off. Her voice was hoarse, but the tone was absolute steel.

"We are done."

Chadwick's tone shifted instantly. The panic vanished, replaced by a nasty, vicious sneer.

"If you dump me," Chadwick threatened, "I'll go to the press. I'll tell everyone about your little sister. I'll tell them how desperate you are for her medical money."

Audriana's eyes widened. The mention of Kimora hit her like a live wire. Her sadness evaporated, instantly replaced by a fierce, protective rage.

"If you touch one hair on Kimora's head," Audriana hissed, her voice trembling with fury, "I will make you regret you were ever born."

She didn't wait for his response. She pulled the phone away, ended the call, and permanently blocked his number.

The adrenaline crashed. Her entire body went limp. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and buried her face in the duvet.

A muffled, broken sob echoed in the large, empty bedroom. She was mourning the two years she had wasted on a monster.

He turned away from the railing and walked back inside, the freezing silence of the penthouse unnerving him. As he crossed the living room in long strides and passed the master bedroom door, a faint, muffled sound stopped him in his tracks. Crying.

His hand stopped mid-air. The ash from his cigar broke off, falling onto the expensive hardwood floor.

He pivoted slowly, his chest tightening as he stopped right in front of the master bedroom door. His hand reached out and gripped the cold metal handle.

He wanted to go in. He wanted to pull her into his arms and take the pain away.

But he stopped. He didn't push the handle down. His rational mind screamed at him that walking in now would only humiliate her further. She needed to grieve.

Dalton slowly let go of the handle. He leaned his broad shoulder against the doorframe. He stood there in the dark, separated by a single piece of wood, listening to her cry for half an hour.

Slowly, the sobs faded. Her breathing leveled out into the steady rhythm of sleep.

Dalton pulled his phone from his pocket. He opened the text thread with Simon.

Find every single debt Chadwick Kowalski owes. Buy them all. Bankrupt him by morning.

He walked back to the sofa and sat down. His dark eyes locked onto the bedroom door, burning with a heavy, obsessive possessiveness.

Hours passed. The sky outside turned a pale, bruised purple. The first light of dawn broke through the clouds, spilling into the penthouse.

A tiny, almost silent click came from the bedroom door.

Audriana was leaving.