Chapter 5 - SOHO SILENCE|
My old Soho loft smelled of fresh paint and dust.
It was small compared to the sprawling forty-acre estate, but as I turned the key in the lock and dragged my bags inside, the air felt infinitely lighter.
I locked all three deadbolts, kicked off my wet boots, and collapsed onto the leather couch. My phone buzzed on the coffee table.
Adrian: Let Marcus stay on the street outside. Just Marcus. Please.
I looked at the text for a long minute before replying.
Elena: No guards. I need space, Adrian.
Adrian: You have twenty-four hours of space. Then I am coming to get you.
I turned my phone on silent, flipped it face down, and pulled a fleece blanket over my shoulders.
For eight months, I had allowed myself to be pulled into Adrian Vale's orbit. I had fallen in love with a man who commanded an empire of shadows, believing that his devotion to me was an unshakeable wall.
But seeing Vanessa Cole standing in his hallway, bruised and wearing his shirt, had shattered the illusion. In his world, old debts and former lovers were ghost threads that never truly snapped.
At 8:00 AM, my doorbell rang.
I sat up, my heart hammering against my ribs. I walked quietly to the intercom camera.
Standing on the rain-soaked sidewalk outside was not Adrian.
It was Claire Vale—Adrian's younger sister. She was holding two large paper cups of coffee and a brown bag of pastries, looking drenched and thoroughly miserable.
I buzzed her up.
Five minutes later, Claire stepped into my loft, kicking off her heels and handing me a cup of coffee.
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"My brother is currently tearing Vale House apart," Claire declared, taking a sip of her drink. "He broke a crystal decanter against the fireplace ten minutes ago."
"Good," I said, leading her into the kitchen. "I hope it was the expensive one."
