Chapter 5 The Deal You Can't Say Yes To

Ava didn't sleep. Not because she wasn't tired-but because the walls of her suite suddenly felt too thin. She sat curled in a robe near the balcony, watching waves slam against the cliffs in violent rhythm. Her laptop sat closed beside her. Her phone screen stayed dark. She knew better than to trust silence. At 2:13 a.m., a soft knock at her door confirmed it. Three precise taps. No hesitation. She didn't answer immediately. Whoever was knocking wasn't room service. When she opened the door, she didn't pretend to be surprised. Kai stood there. Still in black. Still unreadable.

Only this time, the air between them carried weight. "I thought you'd come sooner," she said quietly. "I had to be sure." "Of what?" "That you were still listening." She stepped back without meaning to, allowing him in. The suite was dim-just a single lamp near the minibar casting shadows across the room. He moved through it without looking. Like he already knew where everything was. Like he'd been there before. "Victor warned me about you," Ava said, arms folded. Kai turned slowly. "I'm sure he did." "He said you're not my concern." His smile was brief, bitter. "That sounds like Victor." "I'm not interested in billionaire games," she added. "And I don't need to be protected from something I don't even understand." "Don't you?" he asked softly. Ava lifted her chin. "Then explain it." Kai didn't sit. Didn't pace. He simply looked at her. Like he was memorizing something he didn't want to lose. "You were invited here for a reason, Ava. And it wasn't to plan a party." She felt it again-that cold grip of knowing something was wrong long before anyone says it out loud. "I read your file," he continued. "You take high-profile jobs. You keep your mouth shut. You're clean. Smart. Obsessively private." Her skin bristled. "You had me investigated?" "Victor did," he corrected. "I just confirmed it." She swallowed. "And what exactly am I supposed to be here for?" Kai walked to the window. The moon caught his profile-sharp and quiet, like something sculpted in secret. "Victor doesn't trust easily. But he does one thing exceptionally well-he tests loyalty. Sometimes, he plants people. Sometimes, he manipulates events." Ava narrowed her eyes. "You think I'm being used?" "I know you are." Silence bloomed between them. He turned back to face her. "I'm offering you a way out." She let out a short, humorless laugh. "Of what? The catering nightmare? The five-star hostage situation?" "Of being leverage," Kai said calmly. "Because that's what you are to Victor right now." Ava shook her head. "You still haven't told me what any of this is about." "I will. But not tonight. Not here." "Why not?" "Because if he knows I've spoken to you like this, he'll come after you differently." That made her blood turn. Not freeze. Turn-thick, aware. "So what are you offering?" she asked carefully. Kai stepped closer. Close enough that she caught the scent of him again-something dark and expensive, with a trace of danger beneath it. "I need someone to stand beside me at the next event," he said. "Someone Victor won't question. Someone already close to him." Her mouth went dry. "You want me to spy?" "No," he said. "I want you to pretend to be mine." A pause. A long one. Ava blinked. "What?" "Publicly. For the next seven days. A staged engagement. A distraction." "You're out of your mind." "Probably," Kai murmured. "But I'm not wrong." She turned away, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "You want me to lie to the most dangerous man on this island? Pose as your fiancée? Why?" "Because it's the only way to get close to Victor without raising alarms." She turned slowly, eyes sharp now. "What do you want from him?" His face changed-just for a second. The calm cracked. "Answers," he said. "And maybe revenge." The word made her stomach twist. "And what do I get in return?" she asked. Kai didn't blink. "Protection." Ava laughed again, sharp and hollow. "That sounds like a threat." "It's not," he said softly. "It's a promise."