He is the reason why I smile Again

The promise he made, the dangerous proposition I had foolishly accepted, hung like a dark cloud overhead, threa

ngerous as it was seductive. But something in the way he spoke, in the way he looked at me, made me believe-no, made

, everything

He stood by the window, his back to me, gazing out at the sprawling New York skyline, the city's lights flickering like distant stars in

d some semblance of comfort. My hands trembled, betraying the calm I desperately tried to

just gotten

d dangerous, sending a shiver down my spine. "You're stil

him standing there-tall, imposing-only made the room feel smaller. The

bility that I usually kept buried deep inside surfacing i

the cool calculation in his eyes. It wasn't comforting, nor was it harsh. It was somet

moothly, his voice like velvet but laced

pulse quickening. "

seemingly trying to read the very soul of me. "We take down your husband first. W

me. I could feel my heart thundering in my chest, and my throat tightened as if I were suffocating. But despite the

im?" I asked, my voice sha

just confront him, Rose. Break him. Destr

ic-really destroying him-felt too much, even for someone as broken as I was. I wanted to see him suffer, y

," I murmured, my hands cur

ied sharply, his voice hardening

cutting through the tension between us. He glanced down at the screen, his expression

ed on his jacket, the sharp sound of the fabric settling around

g with mine, a quiet command in his ga

silence of the penthouse. The absence of his presence was deafening, and I was left with nothing but my swirling thou

-

eal'

just didn't know it yet. The power that she now wielded, the control she had over her

erable woman who had been crushed by the weight of her circumstances, was something far more dangerous.

ng point. I would help her see

oor closing behind me with a soft thud. My driver didn't say a word; he di

but always with a purpose. The hum of the tires against the pavement was almost meditative, and I let my thoughts drift back to Rose. She had

ith the promise of things to come. I stepped out of the car, adjusting my jacket as the weight o

just the

he door opened before I could knock, and I walked in without hesitation, my eyes scanning the room for the

knew b

ice carrying a weight that suggested h

ver left his, my eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. T

and steady. "You've crossed me one too many t

e he regained his composure. He wasn't used to being spoken

spat, but his bravado was thin, his

to intimidate you. I just need to make you unders

building, the deal was sealed. The first move had b

-

ious

e of everything that had just happened. Micheal had left without ano

doing here? What

Would he be different after tonight? Would he expect more from

ow was the choice I had made-and the consequence

w, I didn'