Chapter 3 The First Lie

I knew a lie when I heard one.

Growing up as Richard Carter's daughter, I learned early that words were weapons. My father had taught me how to sharpen them, how to recognize when someone was hiding something.

And right now?

Damian Blackwood was lying.

I wasn't sure what unsettled me more-the fact that he had brushed off the phone call like it was nothing, or the fact that for a brief second, he had actually looked... afraid.

Whoever he was trying to keep alive, it wasn't no one.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Damian's expression smoothed back into that unreadable mask of his, the one that made me want to shake him just to see if I could crack it. "It's none of your concern."

"I'm your fiancée, remember?" I said, keeping my voice cool. "You should probably work on the whole trust thing."

He tilted his head slightly, like I had just said something amusing.

"Trust," he repeated, his lips curving faintly. "You don't actually think we need that, do you?"

A slow, infuriating heat crawled up my spine. Because he was right. This wasn't real. It was business.

So why did I care?

Why did I have this sinking feeling that whatever was happening had **nothing to do with me-**and yet, somehow, I was already in too deep?

I forced my voice to stay even. "You expect me to act like your devoted fiancée, but I'm supposed to ignore it when you disappear mid-meeting looking like you just saw a ghost?"

For a second, just a second, something flickered in his eyes.

Then he sighed, slipping his phone into his pocket. "It's personal."

"I don't believe you."

His lips quirked. "You don't have to."

I clenched my jaw. "Fine. Keep your secrets. But if you get arrested before our engagement even makes it to the tabloids, I'm not bailing you out."

He exhaled through his nose, something almost like amusement flashing across his face. "Noted."

I stepped past him, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor. I wasn't going to push. Not yet.

But I would find out the truth.

And when I did?

Damian Blackwood would regret ever pulling me into his world.

The Engagement Announcement

Less than twenty-four hours later, the entire city knew.

I had expected the press release, the strategically leaked photos of Damian and me looking every bit the perfect power couple. What I hadn't expected was the speed.

By the time I arrived at my office the next morning, my name was already splashed across every major media outlet.

BILLIONAIRE DAMIAN BLACKWOOD ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT TO HIGH-PROFILE ATTORNEY ALEXIS CARTER.

MANHATTAN'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR OFF THE MARKET-WHO IS THE WOMAN WHO STOLE HIS HEART?

BLACKWOOD ENGAGEMENT STUNS THE BUSINESS WORLD-WHAT COMES NEXT?

I groaned, scrolling through the endless headlines.

"Romantic, isn't it?"

I looked up sharply. Victoria.

She stood in the doorway of my office, perfectly composed in a tailored black dress, not a hair out of place.

I leaned back in my chair, arching a brow. "I didn't take you for a morning visitor."

She smiled, stepping inside. "I was in the neighborhood. Thought I'd check in on my new soon-to-be sister-in-law."

The way she said it-**sweet, dripping in fake warmth-**made it clear she wasn't here for small talk.

I exhaled. "What do you want, Victoria?"

She sat down across from me, crossing her legs. "Oh, just to give you a little... warning."

I folded my arms. "Is this the part where you tell me I'll never be good enough for Damian?"

Her smile widened. "Oh, no. I already know that. But that's not the point."

I waited.

Victoria tilted her head slightly, watching me. Measuring me.

Then, finally, she leaned forward.

"How much do you know about his past?"

I frowned. "His past?"

"Yes," she said, tracing a manicured nail along the edge of my desk. "The things that don't make it into the headlines. The parts of him that no one sees."

I didn't answer.

Because the truth was, I knew almost nothing.

I knew Damian Blackwood the businessman. The ruthless billionaire. The man who had built an empire out of nothing and crushed anyone who got in his way.

But beyond that? Beyond the carefully controlled image?

I knew nothing.

Victoria leaned back, watching me closely. "I'm only going to tell you this once, Alexis." Her voice dropped slightly, almost a whisper.

"If you stay, you won't get out."

A slow chill crept down my spine.

"Is that a threat?" I asked.

She smiled. "No. Just a fact."

Then she stood, smoothing out her dress. "Enjoy the engagement."

And with that, she walked out.

Leaving me with far more questions than answers.

The Night That Changed Everything

The first sign that something was wrong came just after midnight.

I was in my apartment, still wide awake, still trying to piece together the puzzle of Damian's past when my phone buzzed.

Unknown Number.

I hesitated, then answered.

"Hello?"

A pause.

Then a low, steady voice-one that sent ice straight through my veins.

"You need to leave, Ms. Carter."

I gripped the phone tighter. "Who is this?"

"You don't know what you've walked into," the voice continued. "But if you want to make it out, you need to get out now."

My heartbeat pounded in my ears. "If this is a threat-"

"It's a warning."

Then, before I could say anything else, the line went dead.

I pulled the phone away, my fingers tightening around it.

Stay calm. Think.

I glanced out the window, my pulse still racing. A warning.

Not a threat.

I didn't know who the voice belonged to.

But one thing was crystal clear-

I was in far more danger than I ever realized.