Vica released her grip on Leo. The sudden silence, following the intense and savage moment of passion, felt like a freezing scream. Vica didn't need to turn around. She sensed Leo's hesitation, and her deep green eyes immediately fixated on the sliver of the door, which was now tightly shut.
Vica's face, which had been flushed with lust and sweat, froze in a matter of seconds. Her wild smile vanished, replaced by a cold, deadly cruelty. "Who was spying?" she asked, her voice low, barely a whisper, yet brimming with menace.
Leo, still naked and pressed against the wall, fought to control his breathing. His heart hammered, no longer because of Vica, but because of the visual betrayal he had just witnessed. "I'm not certain," Leo lied, forcing composure into his voice.
Vica stepped away from Leo, snatching the damp satin towel from the floor, and draped it over her body with a dismissive gesture. "Are you certain? Your eyes don't lie, Alexander. Someone saw us. Someone saw your downfall."
Vica permitted no vulnerability. "It doesn't matter who. I will handle it," Vica promised, her tone lethal. She didn't see Leo as a victim but as a compromised asset. "Get your robe. You must leave now. This evening's session is concluded."
Leo retrieved his robe. He didn't utter a single word. He knew the terrible truth: Vica could only control his body and limit his career, but Chloe Vance now controlled his destiny. Vica can only kill my career. Chloe can destroy both careers or hand me the opportunity to take over everything.
Leo returned to his room. It was 10:30 PM. Instead of sleeping, he walked to the window, staring out at the floodlit gardens. Chloe Vance. Daughter of the Vance family, the eternal rivals of the Sterlings. Leo recalled the fleeting glimpse: a slender silhouette, dark hair, and sharp eyes that were now burned into his memory.
Chloe wouldn't use that information to destroy Vica directly—it was too risky and inelegant for the elite. Chloe would use it to own Vica's asset.
Leo sat on the edge of the bed. He felt the lingering heat on his skin from Vica's touch, and the creeping coldness of double betrayal. If I refuse Chloe, she will send the evidence to Vica, and Vica will toss me onto the streets, ensuring I never rise. If I agree, I become a spy for Vica's bitter enemy. Two Queens, one pawn.
His face tightened, then he managed a thin smile. This was exactly what he needed. True power always existed in the center of conflict. If he could play them both, he wouldn't be anyone's asset; he would become the most dangerous free agent in the game.
Leo slept poorly. Dawn arrived accompanied by the soft symphony of the automated coffee maker. He dressed in a clean shirt and khaki trousers. The next war was political, and he had to appear professional and ready.
In the dining room, Vica sat alone at the long glass table. The air around her felt charged. Vica wore a perfectly tailored gray business suit.
"Sit, Alexander. I've already sent people to handle the potential leak," Vica announced. She sipped her coffee, her eyes like chipped ice. "If anyone saw you, they were overly curious staff. They will be dismissed. Done."
Vica spoke as if the problem were a careless servant, not Chloe Vance. Leo knew Vica was lying, but he had to play by her rules.
"Does that include Chloe Vance?" Leo asked, striking directly.
Vica set down her cup with a sharp click. She looked up, her eyes flashing with pure rage. "You dare speak that name in my house? You know nothing of this game, Alexander."
"I know what I saw," Leo countered, holding her gaze. "If she saw, she won't leak it to the public. She will use it to force me. She wants me to be hers."
Vica laughed, a dry, ironic sound. "Think about it, Alexander. You are my asset. You are not even valuable enough to be used as bait by Chloe Vance. You are too small to play. Now eat your breakfast, or I will make you eat." Vica was scrambling to reclaim the dominance she lost from the incident last night.
In the afternoon, as Leo was reviewing books in the vast Glass Palace library, his phone vibrated. The message appeared only as Unknown Number, but the content was fatal:
Meet me. Rose maze. Now. Don't tell your Queen. Failure means ruin.
The message didn't need a signature. Leo knew it was Chloe.
The rose maze was the perfect location—a place full of blind corners and no witnesses. Leo walked there. He found her standing in the center of the fragrant, deep red labyrinth.
Chloe Vance wore an emerald green silk dress that contrasted perfectly with the crimson rose petals. Her long, dark hair flowed down her back, concealing part of her face. She wasn't looking at Leo, but she felt his presence.
"You are punctual, Alexander," Chloe said, her voice younger and calmer than Vica's, but far sharper.
"You are risking a lot, Chloe," Leo stated, using her name without a title.
Chloe turned. Her eyes, as green and sharp as Vica's, scanned Leo. She was significantly younger and more beautiful, with a fresher danger behind her soft features.
"I am risking everything," Chloe confirmed. "Just as you did last night. Selling your honor against that wall, naked, begging for your Lady Sterling to take control from you. What a pity, Alexander. That view—it is priceless."
Leo held his breath. "What do you want?"
Chloe stepped forward, her thin, leather-gloved hand touching the collar of Leo's shirt. Her touch was light but held a powerful threat.
"Vica sees you as a blunt weapon she must carve. I see you as a double-edged sword ready to kill its mistress," Chloe whispered. "I want everything Vica wants from you, and much, much more."
Chloe tilted her head. "I want every detail. I want to know Vica's every move. I want you to be my spy, my lover, and the secret assassin of your Lady Sterling. Three roles, Alexander."
"My price is set," Leo countered, his eyes unblinking. Three roles. That means triple the opportunity for control.
Chloe smiled, a grin that promised sensual ruin. "Price? I am not giving you a price, Alexander. I am giving you the freedom to choose your prison. If you refuse, the photos from the spa suite last night will be sent to the Sterling Board of Directors and my Uncle. You will be fired, discarded, and Vica will ensure you never get anything else. But if you accept...."
Chloe leaned her lips close to Leo's ear. "You will have two Queens. One in the night, one in the day. And the only one left standing in this Glass Palace, in the end, will be you. My contract is simple: you will serve Vica, but you will belong to me."
Leo felt his heart pound violently. He now faced the most Morally Grey choice of his life: total betrayal or total destruction.
"Tell me, Alexander," Chloe whispered, letting her touch slide down from his shirt collar to his chest, "Are you ready to be the most beautiful traitor in Sterling Heights?"
Leo closed his eyes for a moment, accepting his fate. "When do we start?"
Chloe gave a small laugh, a low sound of triumph. "You've already started, Alexander. You've been naked in this game since you arrived. Now, you just need to choose who will dress you in armor... and who will strip it off you. And for tonight..."
Chloe tugged Leo's collar down, forcing him to bend. Leo knew what was coming. Chloe allowed their lips to meet for one deadly microsecond, just a touch of promise. Then, she pushed him away.
"Go back to your Queen. And remember: I saw what she did to you. I can do the same. And I am younger and hungrier. Choose your Queen wisely, Alexander. Your choice is your life."
Chloe turned and vanished into the labyrinth. Leo stood alone, feeling the ghost of Chloe's lips on his, and the sensation of Vica's ownership on his skin. He was now a pawn in a double chess game.