Chapter 6 - The New Shadow
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I watched the Hales leave the study, their postures completely broken. The heavy mahogany doors clicked shut, leaving just my father, Daniel, and me in the room. I let out a long, ragged sigh and crossed my arms over my chest.
“You didn't have to steal his resort, Dad,” I said, turning to face him. “You humiliated him enough.”
“I didn't steal it. I taxed his arrogance,” my father corrected me smoothly, picking up a silver pen and returning to his paperwork. “And it sends a clear message to the rest of the city. No one touches my bloodline.”
“I don't want to be a mafia princess,” I said, my voice rising in frustration. “I moved out to avoid this exact kind of life. I just want to go back to my job at the nonprofit and pretend this never happened.”
“You can go back to your job,” my father replied without looking up. “But you will not be pretending anymore. You are a Carter. And because your face is now known to people who might want to exploit that fact, you will no longer be living without protection.”
My heart sank. “Dad, no. I am not walking around the city with an armed hit squad following me. I won't do it.”
“It won't be a squad,” my father said, finally lifting his eyes to meet mine. He gestured toward the corner of the room. “It will be Daniel.”
I spun around to look at Daniel Russo. He hadn't moved a muscle since I entered the room. He was twenty-eight, built like a lightweight boxer, with dark hair, a sharp jawline, and eyes that missed absolutely nothing. We had grown up in the same periphery, but we rarely spoke. He was a soldier. I was the boss’s daughter.
“Daniel has better things to do than babysit me at a charity office,” I protested, my cheeks flushing hot with irritation.
“My only job is to do what your father asks, Elena,” Daniel said. His voice was low, gravelly, and entirely calm.
“He will drive you to work. He will drive you home. He will stand outside your apartment,” my father finalized, closing his folder. “This is not a negotiation, Elena. If you refuse Daniel’s protection, I will cancel the lease on your apartment and you will move back into this estate by tomorrow morning. The choice is yours.”
I glared at my father, knowing exactly when I was beaten. I turned my furious gaze to Daniel. He didn't look smug. He didn't look annoyed. He just looked at me with an intense, calculated focus that made my skin prickle.
“Fine,” I snapped, grabbing my purse from the desk. “But if he hovers over me while I’m trying to eat lunch, I’m going to stab him with a fork.”
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“I’ll wear Kevlar,” Daniel replied dryly.
I stormed out of the study, furious that my hard-fought independence had been stripped away by a single glass of wine, entirely unaware that Daniel’s presence in my life was about to become the only thing keeping me alive.
