ind felt clouded, thoughts jumbled together in a frantic mess. Nathaniel wasn't just a ghost of her past, he was now a very

er than she intended. "What do you mean Nathanie

y. His silhouette was a dark figure against the light, a man with too many s

If he can undermine the Petrov name, and cut into our connections, he could control parts of the cit

mmered in her c

locked onto

iel doesn't care about me anymore. He

o something more protective. "It's not that simple. He sees you as a loose end and a way to get t

g with every word Jesse spoke. She had always thought Nathaniel was ambitious, manipulative

th him," she whispered,

resence a mix of calm and intensity. "I

uld feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to show we

Tina asked, her v

ce as if weighing his next words carefully. "We play

. "What doe

I'll put measures in place to protect you, and we'll figure out what his next move is. But Ti

that had happened. But as she looked at Jesse, something in his eyes something raw, dete

ce soft but honest. "I barely understand this world you're

nd in his. His touch was warm, grounding. "You have every right to be

fear. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust in his words. But deep do

y a whisper. "Why are you willing to

hesitation, Tina saw something flicker i

ple in my life who only care about money, power, or status. But you... you don't care

rs feeling invisible, unworthy of love or loyalty. But now, sitting next to Jes

e penthouse buzzed. Jesse's entire demeanor s

irmly, standing up and

, her mind already jumping to worst-case scenar

walked in. He looked serious, his movements precise, hi

y toward Jesse. "It's all been set up. We

widened. "

the man. "Tina, this is Dimitri. He

direction, his express

knot of anxiety twist in

"We need to stay ahead of Nathaniel. Dimitri's team will

sn't used to this, the danger, the secrecy, the constant threat

sked, trying to sound mor

to play this smart. We let Nathaniel think he's in control, but we'll

esse. "This is for you, ma'am. It's a tracker. If anything happens, if you

eight of it suddenly feeling ver

esse said. "I don't wa

from a woman dealing with heartbreak to someone caught in a dangerous game of po

e firm but with an edge of vulnerability she h

as something in his eyes, a mixture of strength

the words feeling both terrifyin

expression softeni

d up. "I'll keep you updated, boss. If Natha

eft without another word, l

turn. A week ago, her biggest concern had been dealing with Nathaniel's betrayal. No

ed something. As terrifying as this si

could find the strength t