Chapter 4

Adelbert Price waved a dismissive hand at his Chief of Staff. Josephus backed out of the room, and the heavy mahogany doors clicked shut.

The silence in the Oval Office was absolute, heavy with the weight of global power. Price took off his reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sit down, Eloise," Price said, his voice a low, exhausted rumble. He gestured to the cream-colored couches in the center of the room.

Eloise didn't move toward the couches. She stood her ground. Slowly, she reached up and unbuttoned the top of the cashmere coat. She let the heavy fabric slide off her shoulders, pooling on the floor.

Underneath, her silk dress was shredded, exposing her bruised knees. But that wasn't what she wanted him to see. She pulled the torn neckline of her dress down just an inch.

Right below her collarbone, a thick, jagged mass of scar tissue marred her pale skin.

Price's pupils dilated. His jaw tightened.

Two years ago. A campaign rally in Ohio. The crack of a sniper rifle. Eloise had shoved him down, taking the hollow-point bullet meant for his heart.

"My family tells everyone I'm unstable," Eloise said, her voice ringing clear and cold in the quiet room. "They say the PTSD from this bullet made me hysterical. They use it to keep me medicated. To keep me quiet."

Price looked away, unable to stare at the physical proof of his own survival. "Eloise. I owe you my life. You know that. But breaking into the West Wing at midnight..."

"I need an executive memorandum," Eloise interrupted, stepping closer to the desk. "Drafted and signed by you. Tonight. I want absolute, unchallengeable autonomy over my personal trust fund, and a federal injunction preventing my father from forcing me into any marriage."

Price frowned, the politician in him instantly recoiling. "That's a family matter. The White House cannot legally interfere with a sitting Senator's domestic affairs. The optics-"

"The optics?" Eloise let out a sharp, humorless laugh. She leaned over the Resolute Desk, planting her hands on the polished wood. "Mr. President, if I am forced to marry Bradyn Chandler, my mental health will rapidly deteriorate. I might become so unstable that I call a press conference. I might start talking about the security failures in Ohio. I might mention how the Secret Service detail was mysteriously reduced that day. How would those optics look for your re-election?"

The air in the room turned to ice. Price stared at her, his expression hardening into a mask of pure, calculating ruthlessness. It was a direct threat. Blackmail against the Commander in Chief.

For ten agonizing seconds, neither of them blinked. Eloise's heart pounded against her ribs, but her eyes remained dead and unyielding. She had died three times. She was not afraid of a politician.

Price exhaled a long, heavy breath. The tension broke. The ruthless politician faded, replaced by a man who knew he was cornered by his own guilt.

He opened a leather folder on his desk, pulled out a sheet of heavy cardstock bearing the Presidential Seal, and picked up his fountain pen.

The scratching of the metal nib against the paper was the only sound in the room. Eloise's locked muscles finally twitched, a microscopic release of tension.

Price signed his name with a violent flourish. He pressed his personal seal into the hot wax at the bottom of the page, folded it, and slid it into an envelope. He handed it across the desk.

Eloise took it. The paper felt warm.

"A piece of paper won't stop Marcus," Price said quietly. He reached down and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk. He pulled out a small, heavy black velvet box and tossed it onto the desk.

Eloise opened it.

Resting on the black velvet was a solid, dark-gold Challenge Coin. It bore the Presidential Seal on one side and a Latin inscription on the back. It was heavy, cold, and radiated an undeniable physical authority.

"There are only four of those in existence," Price said. "This token represents me personally. Before any federal agency, it holds absolute presidential priority. Presenting it is equivalent to my direct, unchallengeable order. It doesn't just mobilize the Secret Service; it grants you direct access to the highest echelons of federal command. It is an absolute authorization beyond any standard protocol, my ultimate personal shield."

Eloise's fingers closed around the cold metal. The physical weight of the coin anchored her to reality. She had exactly what she needed.

Price pressed a button on his intercom. "Alastair. Get in here."

The side door opened instantly. A massive man in a tailored suit stepped in. His eyes were cold, assessing the room in a fraction of a second.

"Agent Kingston," Price ordered. "You are to escort Miss Ferguson back to her estate. You will ensure her physical and financial autonomy is respected by her family. You answer only to me regarding her safety."

Alastair Kingston gave a sharp nod. "Yes, Mr. President." He turned to Eloise, gesturing toward the door. "Ma'am."

Eloise slipped the coin into her clutch. She picked up her coat, wrapping it around her shoulders. She didn't look back at the President. She turned toward the door, her battlefield waiting.