Chapter Two: Shadows Behind the Velvet Curtain
Elena did not sleep that night.
Her body lay still beneath the soft linen sheets of her apartment, but her mind replayed every moment of the showcase. The blurred shadow in the hallway. The masked intruder vanished through the door.
The way Luca's hand closed around her shoulder with such controlled certainty that she felt her breath steady without meaning to.
Applause had filled the air hours earlier, yet the fear lingered like an unwelcome guest pressed into the corners of her room.
She pushed herself upright, brushing her hair away from her face. The clock on the wall glowed faintly. Just past three. She sighed and slipped out of bed, pulling on a robe before wandering toward her small studio room. It was the only place that ever brought her peace.
Silk draped across mannequins, sketches pinned against corkboards in overlapping layers, and scattered beads reflected bits of streetlight through the window. Elena sat at her desk and reached for a pencil. Usually the quiet would coax her ideas to life, but tonight her fingers shook too much to draw.
Her thoughts drifted to Luca Hale again. The way he surveyed a room without moving much at all. The way he had told her she would not regret letting him protect her. He had spoken those words like a man used to being obeyed, yet something in his tone lacked arrogance. It held purpose instead, as if the act of protecting people was not a job but a weight he carried alone.
She exhaled slowly and set her pencil down.
Across the city, Luca was not sleeping either.
He stood in the command room of his private security headquarters, its walls lined with monitors streaming footage from the fashion event. His team had already gone through the clips twice, marking every unfamiliar face, every exit used, every corner where someone lingered too long.
A man set a folder on the table beside him. "We tracked the intruder's escape route. He used the maintenance corridor behind the loading dock. No prints. No trail. He knew the layout well."
Luca watched the footage play again. A masked figure slipping through the narrow passage, moving quickly and without hesitation. Whoever it was had planned this breach carefully. That made Elena's situation far more serious than an idle threat.
"Pull everything from the days leading up to the event," Luca said. "Visitors list. Staff changes. Anyone with backstage access. Cross reference with known political operatives."
"Yes sir."
The operative stepped away, leaving Luca alone with the glow of the screens. He folded his arms and stared at the recording, a heaviness pulling at his expression.
He had seen this kind of threat before. Fear pushed people to ignore danger until it swallowed them. And Elena Ward, for all her quiet strength, was not prepared for this world. She had courage, but courage was fragile when weighed against calculated violence.
He left the room and headed for the elevator. He needed answers, and he needed them before the sun rose.
By morning, Elena had fallen asleep at her desk, her cheek resting against a page of unfinished lines.
A sharp knock jolted her awake.
She blinked, confused for a moment by the sudden intrusion of sound. When she reached the front door and opened it, the sight waiting for her stole the breath from her lungs.
Luca stood there, still dressed in a suit from the previous night, though he carried no exhaustion in his posture. He looked composed, controlled, and deeply alert.
"I apologize for coming unannounced," he said. "We need to talk."
Elena's heart thudded once. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes," he replied. "But not in the way you think."
He stepped inside after she moved aside. Her apartment was small compared to his towering presence, and he noticed the sketches strewn on the studio table, the fabric draped across chairs, the faint smell of lavender tea still clinging to the air.
"You did not sleep," he observed.
She felt a blush warm her cheeks. "I tried."
"I am aware that last night was difficult.
Unfortunately, the situation has not improved." He handed her a thin tablet. "My team analyzed the footage. The man who entered your fitting room knew the security layout and used the least monitored exit. This was not an opportunistic intrusion. It was deliberate."
Elena's fingers tightened around the device. "Why me? I'm not involved in anything dangerous. I design clothes."
"You saw something at the charity gala," Luca said. "Something someone does not want exposed. Until we identify who is behind this, you are at risk."
She tried to process his words, but the fear she had held at bay since the first message surged through her. "So what am I supposed to do? Hide forever?"
"No," he said. "You continue with your life. But with protection."
Elena sank onto the edge of her sofa. "I don't want strangers following me everywhere."
"You will not have strangers," Luca said. "You will have me."
Her breath stalled.
Luca stood still, hands clasped behind him. His expression did not change, but his voice held a firmness that left no room for doubt. "Until I resolve this, I will handle your security personally. It is the only way to ensure your safety."
Elena looked up at him. There was no warmth in his face, no softness. But there was sincerity. A sense of control she had not felt around anyone in a long time.
"I never asked for any of this," she whispered.
"I know," he said quietly. "But danger rarely waits for permission."
She looked away, her throat tightening. The truth was painfully clear. Pretending she could face this alone had only put her in more danger.
"Alright," she said at last. "I'll trust you."
Luca gave a single nod, something like resolve settling deeper into his features.
"When do we start?" she asked.
"Now," he replied. "There is someone you need to meet."
Before Elena could question him, her phone vibrated. An unknown number. She hesitated, then answered.
A distorted voice spilled through the speaker. Low. Cold. Threatening.
"You should have stayed silent, Miss Ward. You will not get another warning."
The line went dead.
Elena's knees weakened. The phone slipped from her hand.
She felt Luca beside her before she realized he had moved. His jaw seemed carved from stone, his eyes turning darker than she had seen before.
"This ends today," he said.
There was no emotio
n in his tone. Only a promise woven into every word.
A promise the intruder should have feared.