By the time Adrian stepped into the estate that morning, the entire house felt stretched tight, like every corner was holding its breath. The staff barely looked at him. Victor trailed behind him with a tablet clutched in his hands, his expression carved from stone.
Elena was in the lounge, curled up on one of the velvet sofas with a book open on her lap. She looked up when he entered.
He didn't greet her.
He didn't even look at her.
He just walked straight toward his office.
Her chest tightened.
Something was wrong.
Wrong in a way the air could feel.
She closed her book and followed him before she could talk herself out of it.
When she reached the doorway, she heard Victor's voice low and tense.
"Whoever sent that email knew her schedule. Down to the minute."
Elena froze.
Her?
Adrian's voice came next, sharp enough to cut through the tension.
"And the footage?"
Victor paused. "You're not going to like it."
"Show me."
Elena stepped inside just far enough that they both noticed her.
Adrian's eyes softened for half a second, just enough to tell her he didn't want her here but then the walls slammed back into place.
"Elena," he said quietly, "I need you to go upstairs."
She lifted her chin. "I'm not leaving. Not when this is obviously about me."
A muscle twitched in his jaw.
Victor cleared his throat awkwardly. "She… should see it. At least once."
Adrian shot him a deadly look, but Victor didn't back down. Whatever this was, it mattered.
Victor tapped the screen.
A video filled the tablet.
Grainy surveillance footage from outside the club.
Elena's breath lodged in her throat.
It showed her stepping out of the building with Mira and the other staff. The three of them laughed, unaware of the eyes tracking them.
A second figure appeared.
Hood up.
Face down.
Walking behind them with too much intention to be random.
Adrian stood like he was carved out of tension. His arms crossed tight over his chest, shoulders stiff with violence waiting to happen.
Then the footage zoomed.
The man reached for something in his jacket.
Not a weapon.
A spray bottle.
A sedative disperser.
Elena felt her blood freeze.
Before anything could happen, a security guard stepped around the corner. The hooded man slipped away fast, disappearing into the alley.
The footage cut out.
Silence settled like dust.
Elena wrapped her arms around herself. "He was… following me."
Adrian's voice came out low and dangerous. "Stalking you."
She swallowed hard. "Why? Who would even..."
"That's what we're finding out," he said. "But until then, you're not leaving this house without a guard."
She stepped back like he slapped her.
"Adrian, I'm not a prisoner."
"You're not safe."
"You're suffocating me!"
His voice cracked with raw frustration. "Because you don't understand how close you came to being taken!"
Taken.
The word hung in the air like a blade.
Taken.
She shook her head slowly. "What happened at the club… it wasn't an accident."
"No." His voice dropped. "It was planned."
She blinked rapidly, trying to absorb the truth while her body trembled with disbelief. "And you didn't tell me."
He took a slow breath and dragged a hand through his hair. "I didn't want you scared."
"Well congratulations," she said quietly, "I'm terrified."
Victor shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Adrian for orders.
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Give us a moment."
Victor nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Adrian turned to her.
"Elena..."
"No," she whispered. "Not this time. You don't get to lock me out of the truth."
His eyes flashed. "I'm trying to protect you."
"And I'm trying not to drown in your secrets," she said. "Do you know what it feels like to be kept in the dark in my own marriage?"
He froze.
The word marriage hit both of them harder than she expected.
"Elena…" His voice softened, almost painfully. "I didn't tell you because you would've blamed yourself."
"How could any of this be my fault?"
His gaze held hers with an honesty that stripped her bare. "Because you always think the worst of yourself."
The room went still.
She stared at him, heart thudding.
"You don't know me that well," she whispered.
He shook his head. "I know you better than you realize."
For a moment, neither moved.
Then he turned away, palms pressed against his desk as if the weight of everything was crushing him.
"I'll reinforce the security perimeter," he said. "No one gets in or out without clearance."
"Adrian..."
"It's not optional."
His voice was flat. Final.
She stepped toward him. "You're punishing me for being a target."
He didn't turn around.
"I'm punishing myself," he said quietly. "For letting you get this close to danger."
Her breath caught.
When he finally faced her, the mask was back. Cold. Controlled. Untouchable.
"Go upstairs, Elena," he said softly. "Please."
That one word broke her.
But she turned and walked out anyway.
Elena tried to distract herself in the afternoon. She sat in the sunlit conservatory with her sketchbook, even though the pencil felt awkward between her fingers.
But her mind kept circling back to the video.
To the hooded figure.
To the way Adrian's voice shook.
She didn't realize hours had passed until she saw movement through the glass wall.
Security guards.
Three of them.
Walking the perimeter with more intensity than before.
Her stomach flipped.
This wasn't precaution anymore.
This was preparation.
Something was coming.
And Adrian knew it.
Dinner was quiet.
Elena sat across from him, watching him work through two phones, three emails, and a constant stream of messages from Victor.
He barely touched his food.
When he finally looked up, she was already staring.
"Eat," he murmured.
"You're not."
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten since morning."
"I'm fine."
She frowned. "You're always 'fine.'"
He exhaled through his nose, somewhere between tired and irritated. "Elena, I don't have the energy to argue."
She looked down at her plate. "I'm not trying to fight with you."
He froze at the softness in her voice.
"I'm just…" she swallowed. "I'm scared too."
Something in his expression cracked.
Barely.
But enough.
"Elena," he said quietly, "I won't let anything happen to you."
She shook her head. "You can't promise that."
His jaw clenched. "Watch me."
There it was again, that fierce protectiveness she didn't know how to handle.
"Adrian," she whispered, "who would even want to hurt me? I'm nobody."
He looked at her like she'd just stabbed him.
"You're not nobody," he said. "Not anymore."
The heat in that sentence hit her straight in the chest.
They held each other's gaze for a little too long.
He noticed first and stood abruptly. "Stay in your room tonight. Keep the door locked."
Her brows pulled together. "Why? What's happening tonight?"
He hesitated.
And that told her everything.
"Just do it," he said softly.
Then he walked away again.
Elena didn't sleep.
She tried.
She lay in her bed. Closed her eyes. Focused on her breathing.
But every little sound made her jump.
The wind rattling a shutter.
The patrolling guards' footsteps outside her window.
The faint hum of security drones sweeping the grounds.
Near midnight, she gave up and slipped out of bed.
She padded to the doorway and cracked it open.
Down the hall, Adrian was standing near the staircase, talking in a low voice with Victor. His posture was tight, his shoulders stiff, tension rolling off him in waves.
She stepped closer, silent.
Victor was saying, "We're tracking movement on the east side. Could be scouts."
Scouts?
Her heart tripped.
Adrian's voice was ice. "Double the guards. No gaps. No shadows. If anyone breaches that fence, I want them dropped."
Dropped.
Her breath stilled.
She watched the way Adrian's hands curled into fists. He looked like a man expecting a war.
Victor nodded and rushed off.
Adrian stayed there, staring out the window like he was trying to see danger before it arrived.
Elena stepped into the light.
He jerked slightly, then relaxed when he saw her.
"You should be asleep," he murmured.
"I couldn't."
He didn't move as she approached slowly, like he was afraid one step closer would break the fragile control he had left.
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked.
His eyes met hers, dark, exhausted, overflowing with things he couldn't say.
"Elena," he whispered, "someone isn't just watching you. They're hunting you."
Her breath caught painfully.
"Why?"
He swallowed hard. "Because of me."
She stepped closer until she was right in front of him.
"Then let me help."
He shook his head quickly. "No. You helping puts you in more danger."
"I'm already in danger."
That silenced him.
She reached out slowly and touched his hand.
He froze.
"Elena…"
"You don't have to protect me alone."
The look he gave her then was raw. Vulnerable. Honest in a way he never let himself be.
"Elena," he whispered, "I'm terrified of losing you."
Her heart stuttered.
Before she could speak...
A loud bang echoed from outside.
Security alarms blared.
Lights flashed through the windows.
Someone shouted downstairs.
Adrian grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him instantly.
"Elena," he said sharply, eyes blazing, "stay close to me. Don't let go."
She didn't.
Not even for a second.