The next morning, Ethan woke with the uneasy weight of two promises he had no intention of keeping. One to Caroline—her cool, intoxicating whisper still lingering in his ears—and one to Vanessa, who was likely already calculating the next move before her first sip of coffee.
The riad was silent, but not peacefully so. It was the silence of strategy. Somewhere in its high-walled corridors, Vanessa and Elise were already at work.
Ethan moved through the courtyard, noting the faint trace of sandalwood in the air, a scent Vanessa always wore when she wanted to project calm authority. He found her in the hidden office, fingers dancing over the keyboard, screens aglow with maps, encryption traces, and streaming data.
"She opened the drive," Vanessa said without looking up. "At 2:17 this morning. From the villa you visited. The second she accessed it, I saw everything—her device IDs, IPs, even the names of the shadow accounts she's using."
Ethan's heart kicked against his ribs. "So you've got her?"
Vanessa finally turned toward him, her smile precise and controlled. "I've got enough to take her down completely. But I'm not going to—not yet."
---
"Why not?" Ethan asked. "If you have what you need—"
"Because power isn't just about winning, Ethan," Vanessa interrupted. "It's about timing the win so perfectly that your opponent doesn't realize she's lost until she's already bled out."
Her voice was silk, but her eyes were steel. And something about the way she looked at him made him wonder if she wasn't talking only about Caroline.
"Tonight," Vanessa continued, "you're going back to her. Tell her you've uncovered a hidden section of my accounts. Something she'll believe is even more valuable than the first set. She'll jump at it, and when she does, I'll know exactly who's helping her."
Ethan's stomach tightened. "You think she has a partner?"
Vanessa's gaze sharpened. "I know she does. I just don't know if it's Elise… or you."
---
Ethan didn't answer. He left the office feeling as though the air had grown heavier. Elise was waiting for him in the corridor, leaning against the wall.
"You should be careful," she said softly.
"Of what? Vanessa's plan?"
Elise's eyes searched his. "Of being in the middle when the two of them finally collide. You think you can keep playing both sides, but sooner or later, you'll have to choose. And whoever you don't choose… won't just let you walk away."
Her voice carried an undertone he couldn't quite read—warning, or something more personal.
---
That evening, Ethan returned to Caroline's villa. She opened the door barefoot, her silk robe tied loosely at the waist, hair tumbling around her shoulders.
"You came back," she murmured, as if she'd expected him not to.
"I told you I would," Ethan replied, stepping inside.
Caroline poured them both wine and sank onto the velvet sofa. "So, tell me. What did your billionaire aunt forget to hide from me?"
Ethan hesitated, then leaned forward. "There's another layer to her accounts. One she doesn't talk about—not even to Elise. It's where she keeps her real leverage. Blackmail material, bribes, political connections. If you get your hands on that, you'll own her."
Caroline's eyes lit with cold fire. "And you can get it for me?"
Ethan nodded, the lie tasting bitter. "But it'll take trust. Real trust."
She reached out, brushing her fingers along his jawline. "Oh, Ethan… I already trust you. I just don't trust that you'll stay mine when she comes for you."
---
Back at the riad, Elise intercepted him before he could reach Vanessa. She pulled him into the shadowed archway leading to the gardens.
"You told her, didn't you?" Elise said quietly.
"Told her what?"
"That there's another layer," Elise pressed. "Vanessa doesn't have one—but you told Caroline she did."
Ethan froze. "How do you know that?"
Elise's expression was unreadable. "Because I'm the one who created that story years ago, in case Vanessa ever needed it. You just used it… which means Vanessa will think I told you."
Ethan's stomach dropped. "So which side are you actually on, Elise?"
She stepped closer, her voice a whisper. "The side that survives."
---
Later that night, Vanessa summoned them both to the library. She was standing by the fireplace, a single glass of red wine in her hand, her gaze cutting between them like a blade.
"Caroline took the bait," Vanessa said. "But she's not coming alone tomorrow. She's bringing her partner."
Ethan kept his face neutral. "Do you know who it is?"
Vanessa's lips curved into a faint smile. "I have my suspicions. And tomorrow night, I'll have my proof."
Her eyes lingered on Elise for a moment too long. Elise didn't flinch, but Ethan felt the tension coil in the room like a snake ready to strike.
---
When Vanessa dismissed them, Ethan found himself alone in his room, pacing. He couldn't tell if he was the hunter or the hunted anymore. Caroline wanted Vanessa destroyed. Vanessa wanted Caroline trapped. And Elise… Elise wanted to survive, no matter the cost.
The worst part was, he wasn't sure which woman he trusted less.
His phone buzzed. A message from Caroline: Tomorrow night. Be ready to run when I say.
Five minutes later, another message—this time from Vanessa: Tomorrow night. Don't leave her side until it's done.
He stared at the screen, feeling the walls close in.
---
The following evening, the riad was lit like a jewel, lanterns casting gold light over the courtyard. Ethan stood by Vanessa's side as Caroline entered, draped in a crimson dress that seemed to drink in the light.
Behind her came a second figure—a man Ethan didn't recognize. Broad-shouldered, with the kind of stillness that spoke of training. His eyes swept the room once before settling on Vanessa.
"So," Caroline said, her smile sharp as a knife, "shall we talk business?"
Vanessa returned the smile. "Yes. Let's."
Ethan felt the shift immediately—the subtle change in the air when two predators stepped into the same circle. And somewhere in that circle, he knew, was the knife Vanessa had spoken of.
He just didn't know whose hand it would be in when the night was over.