Chapter 7: The Hidden Ally
The Morning After and the Monitor
Aria checked the time on the intern phone—4:00 AM. Elias was still asleep, his breathing deep and steady beside her.
His arm was draped possessively across her waist, his hand resting near the silver tracker pendant.
The memory of the previous night—the urgent, dominating intimacy and her calculated performance—left her body aching but her mind clear.
She had survived the first night, and her sabotage had worked. Now, she needed the lawyer.
The coded message had already received a response: a meeting at 6:30 AM at a highly discreet location—The Green Oasis coffee shop, far across the city.
Aria carefully slid out from under Elias's arm. She had to move with perfect silence, and she had to leave the residence without triggering any of the advanced security protocols Elias had undoubtedly installed.
She quickly dressed in a dark, simple outfit she had hidden in her carry-on luggage—an old uniform that wouldn't look out of place if she were seen leaving the building early.
The challenge: The Tracker. Elias could see her location instantly. She couldn't afford a single misstep.
A thought struck her. She went to the enormous walk-in closet. Elias's high-tech sports watches were displayed in a charging case.
These devices often used similar localized GPS technology as her tracker.
She gently lifted a bulky, platinum-cased watch, one he clearly wore often.
Using a hairpin and frantic desperation, she managed to open the back casing and locate the tiny, high-frequency chip.
It was a crude, high-risk plan, but her smart-intern knowledge was her only weapon.
She quickly taped the small chip from his watch directly over the silver pendant of her tracker.
The hope was that the powerful, localized signal from his own device would temporarily scramble or overwhelm the tracker's transmission for a short window, making her signal appear stationary, or simply "glitchy," near his belongings.
She slipped out the private elevator and through the deserted executive floor, praying the temporary electronic masking held.
She made it to the coffee shop exactly at 6:30 AM. Her secret contact was Mrs. Evelyn Hayes, a renowned corporate lawyer who specialized in handling trusts and estates—and had a quiet reputation for taking on impossible cases against the city's elite.
Evelyn, a sharp woman in her fifties with eyes that missed nothing, was waiting. Aria quickly explained the contract, the Clause D twist, and the urgent need to prevent the conception of the heir.
"A forced conception clause? That is borderline illegal, even for a Thorne," Evelyn stated, her expression grave. "But the Will is sound.
Elias Thorne will use every legal and physical means to meet that deadline."
Aria leaned forward. "There has to be a way out. A loophole."
Evelyn opened her briefcase, pulling out a copy of the Thorne Will—she already had access to it. "There is one, Aria.
It is incredibly high-risk, but it is your only path to ownership without running away."
She tapped a specific section of Clause D:
"...conception of an heir within the first 180 days of legal marriage.
If no heir is conceived and proven by medical documentation within this timeframe, the entire estate shall pass to the Second Party... as she has provided the necessary stability required to trigger the clause."
"The loophole," Evelyn explained, "is the word 'stability.' The Will gives the entire estate to the wife if Elias fails to conceive the heir, citing her 'stability.' It's ambiguous corporate language."
"How does that help me?" Aria pressed.
"If the trust finds Elias to be unstable—emotionally, psychologically, or legally—they could deem him unfit to secure the legacy, irrespective of the conception. If Elias is declared 'unfit,' the trust can prematurely trigger the transfer to you, the 'stable' party."
Aria's eyes widened. "So, I need to make Elias appear... unstable? To the trust?"
"Precisely," Evelyn confirmed. "You need evidence of his volatile nature, his possessiveness, his paranoia, or any breach of trust. The trust members will be watching him closely over these 180 days."
Aria immediately thought of the tracker. "The tracker. The silver pendant. He installed a device that monitors my location and my physiological responses—my fear, my arousal. That is evidence of paranoia and extreme control."
"That is excellent, Aria. But it's your word against his. You need proof the device is not standard jewelry.
Can you get a clean recording of him talking about the tracker, its purpose, or his possessive control?"
Aria shuddered, remembering his words in the elevator. "I... I can try. He loves to gloat about his control."
"Then do it," Evelyn instructed, her voice urgent. "And Aria—be careful. Elias Thorne is ruthless. If he suspects you are planning to take his empire, your $5 million guarantee, and perhaps your life, will be forfeit."
"I know," Aria said, standing up. "I'll be in touch."
The Return and The Interrogation
Aria raced back, the powerful chip from Elias's watch still masking her location signal.
She managed to slip back into the penthouse just as the clock turned 7:30 AM.
She quickly removed the watch chip and slid into the shower, making sure the running water masked any earlier movements.
When she emerged, Elias was awake, sitting up in bed, looking dangerously relaxed—and suspicious.
"Morning, Mrs. Thorne," he drawled, his eyes sweeping over her. "You're very chipper for a woman who performed her marital duties so thoroughly last night."
Aria approached the bed, forcing a seductive sway in her hips.
"I was anticipating the performance review, husband. I wanted to be ready."
Elias smiled slowly, a predatory glint in his eyes. He reached out and snagged her arm, pulling her down onto the bed with surprising speed.
"Good. But before the next lesson, tell me where you've been."
Aria froze, her heart plummeting. "The bathroom, Elias. I just got out of the shower."
He reached for his phone on the nightstand and tapped the screen.
"The GPS log of my watch shows a strange anomaly between 6:20 and 7:20 AM. A powerful signal interfering with the internal positioning systems. Did you touch my watch, Aria?"
Elias pinned her under his weight, his face inches from hers, his suspicion raw and terrifying.
Aria knew she couldn't lie about touching the watch, but she could shift the blame to his own paranoia.
She put her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, meeting his dark gaze with a feigned, playful challenge.
"My apologies, Elias," she whispered, her voice low and sensual. "I was getting ready for you. I was checking if your expensive toy could handle the intensity of our intimate night. I wanted to see if the watch was accurate when you... took control."
His eyes darkened with possessive pride, and his focus instantly shifted from suspicion to lust.
"That's a challenge I cannot ignore, my wife," he growled, ripping the sheet away from them. "It's time for another lesson. And this time, I want the tracker to record your voice begging for that control."
Elias is addicted to her performance, but Aria is preparing to trap him with a voice recording. Can she capture the evidence she needs without conceiving the heir?