Chapter 4

Gianna pushed open the door to her apartment. The hinges squeaked loudly in the quiet hallway.

She stepped inside and stopped dead in her tracks.

Dani Haynes was sitting on her worn-out sofa. Ronan O'Neal, another agent from the firm, was standing by the window.

"Where the hell have you been?" Dani shouted, jumping to her feet. "You completely ruined the dinner! Gus is furious. He is pulling his funding from the project."

Gianna closed the door behind her. She locked the deadbolt with a loud, metallic click.

She walked slowly into the living room. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was razor-sharp.

"He drugged my drink," Gianna said. Her voice was terrifyingly calm.

Dani scoffed, waving her hand in the air. "Oh, please. You probably just drank too much on an empty stomach. Stop being so dramatic."

Ronan took a step forward. "Gianna, you really messed up this time. Dani worked hard to get you that meeting."

Gianna ignored Ronan. She kept her eyes locked on Dani. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

She tapped the screen a few times and pressed play.

A recording filled the small living room.It was Dani's voice, clear and distinct - the same conversation Gianna had secretly recorded earlier that evening when she'd left her phone on the table, set to voice memo mode, before going to the bathroom.

"Just put it in her water when she goes to the bathroom," the recording played. "She will be compliant. You can take her upstairs. Just make sure she signs the contract tomorrow."

Gianna had learned that trick from a fellow actress who'd been burned before. Always leave your phone recording when the vultures circle.

Dani's face turned the color of chalk. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She lunged forward, trying to snatch the phone from Gianna's hand.

Gianna sidestepped easily. She grabbed Dani's wrist and twisted it sharply behind Dani's back.

Dani shrieked in pain.

"Listen to me very carefully," Gianna whispered directly into Dani's ear. "If you ever try to set me up again, if you ever threaten my career again, I will send this audio file to the police, to the press, and to your husband."

Gianna shoved Dani forward. Dani stumbled and crashed into the coffee table, gasping for air.

Ronan stared at Dani in absolute horror. "You actually did that?"

"Get out of my apartment," Gianna said, pointing at the door.

Dani scrambled to her feet and ran out, Ronan following closely behind.

Gianna locked the door again. She walked into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She pulled out her phone and dialed Brenna's number.

"Brenna, I need a favor," Gianna said the moment the call connected. "I need a ticket to the Vaughn charity banquet this weekend."

"Are you insane?" Brenna asked. "Those tickets are impossible to get. And why do you want to go?"

"I need to get close to the Vaughn family," Gianna said, staring at the ceiling. "Desi is trying to sell me off to someone named Prescott. But I met someone else at that hospital-Algot Vaughn. He's dangerous, but he's also the only leverage I might have. I need to understand what I'm walking into."

"I will see what I can do," Brenna sighed.

Three days later, Gianna stood in the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel. She was wearing a sleek, blood-red dress that hugged every curve of her body.

She held a glass of champagne she had no intention of drinking. She scanned the crowd.

A man named Dwayne Riggs walked up to her, grinning slickly. He started talking, bragging about his wealth. Gianna nodded politely, tuning him out.

"Yeah, I know the Vaughn heir," Dwayne bragged loudly. "Well, the acting head, anyway. Algot Vaughn runs everything now. He is here tonight. Tall guy, always wears a black suit, never talks to anyone. He is up on the second-floor balcony right now."

Gianna's eyes snapped to the second floor. Her heart lurched. Algot. The man from the hospital. The man whose touch had sent electricity through her veins. She hadn't planned to find him here, but now that she had...

She placed her glass on a passing waiter's tray and walked toward the stairs.

The second-floor hallway was empty and quiet. The thick carpet muffled her footsteps. She walked toward the balcony.

The man was standing with his back to her. His shoulders were broad, his posture rigid.

As Gianna stepped closer, the man suddenly groaned. He doubled over, grabbing the balcony railing so hard his knuckles turned stark white.

Gianna froze.

The man spun around. It was Algot.

But his face was contorted in absolute agony. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked up at her, and Gianna gasped.

His eyes were not dark anymore. They were a glowing, unnatural shade of crimson red.

Before Gianna could scream, Algot lunged at her.

He slammed her back against the wall. His large hand wrapped around her throat. He did not squeeze enough to cut off her air, but the threat was clear.

His chest heaved. He was fighting a pain so intense it radiated off his body like heat.

"Gianna," Algot ground out through clenched teeth. His voice was a demonic rasp. He knew her name. He'd known it since the hospital. But right now, his mind was drowning in agony, and seeing her here-at his family's event, uninvited-triggered every paranoid instinct he had. "What are you doing here? Who sent you?"

Gianna was terrified. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. But she recognized the question for what it was - not confusion about her identity, but suspicion about her motives.

"No one sent me," Gianna said, her voice shaking. "I came because I needed to find out who you really are."

Algot's grip on her throat tightened for a fraction of a second, then loosened. The agony in his body was screaming for relief. He remembered what had happened in the car. He remembered her touch.

"Touch me," he commanded, the words ripping from his throat.

Survival instinct kicked in. Gianna raised both her hands and pressed them flat against his chest, right over his heart.

The reaction was instantaneous.

Algot's entire body shuddered. The rigid muscles in his arms went slack. He let go of her throat and slumped forward, resting his forehead against the wall next to her head.

He took a massive, shuddering breath. The crimson color faded from his eyes, returning to deep black.

He turned his head and looked at her. The pain was gone again. Just like in the car. The confirmation hit him like a physical blow-she was the cure. Not just a theory anymore. Fact.

But she had seen his eyes. She had witnessed the family secret. He could not let her leave with what she had seen.

"Who are you really working for?" Algot demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "The Conrads? Someone else?"

"I work for myself," Gianna stammered, her voice trembling. "Desi tried to sell me to your family. I came here to find out who I was supposed to marry. I didn't know it was you."

Algot stared at her pale lips. He believed she hadn't known about his condition. But trust was not something he gave freely. His hand moved swiftly to the back of her neck. He applied a precise, sharp pressure to a nerve.

Gianna's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into his arms, completely unconscious.