The Paris air carried a chill that seeped into Elena's bones as she followed Adrian into Laurent's office building later that evening. Every step up the marble staircase felt heavier, as though her body knew something her mind wasn't ready to face.
Adrian walked ahead, shoulders squared, unreadable as ever. The earlier confession still echoed in Elena's head—his words tangled between vengeance and desire. She wanted to forget them, but they clung to her skin like fire.
Inside the penthouse suite, Laurent greeted them with his usual charm, pouring wine before they had even sat. "Ah, my favorite pair," he said smoothly, his French accent curling around the words. "Shall we speak of business, or shall we speak of destiny?"
Elena forced a polite smile. "Business, preferably."
Adrian shot Laurent a cold glance. "Let's make this quick."
Laurent's grin widened as he leaned back in his chair. "Always so impatient, Blackwood. But patience wins wars." His eyes flicked toward Elena, sharp and knowing. "And women."
Adrian stiffened, but Elena pressed forward. "You wanted conditions. What are they?"
Laurent raised his glass. "A simple one. I sign the deal, and in exchange…" He let the pause drag out, savoring their silence. "Elena attends the board dinner with me. Not as a consultant. As my partner."
The air in the room shifted instantly.
Elena's stomach twisted, but she didn't flinch. "That's not business. That's exploitation."
Laurent smirked. "Call it what you like. The board will see us together, and it will secure my influence. Appearances are powerful."
Adrian slammed his glass down, the crystal shattering against the table. "You're out of your mind."
Laurent's smile didn't falter. "And yet, I have what you want. The contract. The investment. The expansion into Europe. Refuse, and you lose it all."
Elena's mind raced. This was more than a test—it was a trap. If she agreed, she'd be surrendering to Laurent's control. If she refused, Adrian's empire would take the hit.
For the first time, she felt the weight of Adrian's world fully pressing on her. Choices that looked like power but were chains in disguise.
"I won't do it," she said finally, her voice steady.
Laurent leaned forward, his expression darkening. "Careful, mademoiselle. Loyalty is a rare currency. Are you sure you want to spend yours on a man who hides secrets from you?"
Elena blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean?"
Adrian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't."
But Laurent only smiled wider. "Oh, she doesn't know. How delightful."
Elena's pulse spiked. "Know what?"
Adrian's voice cut in, sharp. "We're done here." He stood, grabbing her arm to pull her up.
But Laurent's words froze her in place.
"Your father didn't just destroy Adrian's family. He partnered with him, once. They were allies—until betrayal split them apart. Adrian isn't just punishing you for your father's sins. He's punishing you because you're the reminder of his own failure."
Elena's breath caught. She turned to Adrian, searching his face for denial, for any flicker of truth.
"Tell me he's lying," she whispered.
Adrian's jaw clenched, his silence louder than any answer.
The floor seemed to tilt beneath her. Her father and Adrian—partners? The story she thought she knew shattered in an instant.
"You used me," Elena said, her voice breaking. "This wasn't about justice. It was about revenge and guilt. You chained me to you because you couldn't chain him."
Adrian's voice was rough, almost desperate. "It's not that simple."
Her chest ached. "It never is with you. Nothing ever is."
She pulled her arm free, her hands trembling. The betrayal cut deeper than she imagined, because she had begun to trust him—against all reason, against her own warnings.
Laurent watched the scene unfold with satisfaction, sipping his wine as though it were a show crafted for his amusement.
Adrian turned to him, his voice low and lethal. "If you use her again, I'll end you."
Laurent's grin only widened. "Careful, Blackwood. You're losing your edge. She's not just leverage anymore, is she?"
Adrian didn't answer. His silence was admission enough.
Back at the hotel, the storm finally broke.
Elena paced the suite, fury and heartbreak spilling from her in waves. "You should have told me everything from the beginning! Do you have any idea how it feels to walk into rooms blind, while everyone else knows the truth?"
Adrian stood near the window, his hands gripping the frame so tightly his knuckles whitened. "I wanted to protect you from it."
She laughed bitterly. "Protect me? By lying to me? By trapping me in a contract and pretending it was business?"
His voice cracked with rare honesty. "I didn't want you to look at me the way you're looking at me now."
Her throat tightened. "And how is that?"
"Like I'm the villain," Adrian said, turning toward her at last. His eyes burned with pain. "Maybe I am. But you have no idea what it's like to lose everything and see the one person who could have stopped it choose silence."
Elena's chest ached, torn between anger and compassion. But the betrayal was still raw. "You think pain gives you the right to destroy me? To decide my life for me?"
Adrian stepped closer, his voice fierce. "No. But it gave me a reason to keep you close. And somewhere along the way, it stopped being about revenge."
Her breath caught, but she shook her head, unwilling to let his words sway her. "I don't know what's worse—that you hate me for being his daughter, or that you want me in spite of it."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Both can be true."
The honesty in his tone sliced through her. She turned away, unable to face him.
"I can't do this," she whispered. "Not if everything between us is built on lies."
Adrian reached for her arm, then stopped himself, his hand hovering in the air before falling back. "Elena…" His voice carried something she had never heard from him before—plea.
But she didn't look back.
She grabbed her coat, her bag, and walked out of the suite, the door slamming behind her.
Adrian stood frozen, the silence suffocating. For the first time, he realized he had lost control—not of the deal, not of the board, but of her.
And he didn't know if he could get her back.