Leo's POV
The Clock on my desk ticked away the seconds. Normally, it was a comforting rhythm, reminder of how many people, how many lives, moved on my command. But tonight, I was... Distracted.
It was because of her. Again.
Lyra Carson.
Ever since she'd walked into my life, it was like something shifted, like she was pulling threads I hadn't realized were loose.
I'd been watching her. More than I should've. Checking the security feeds too often, monitoring how she interacted with Mia, how she moved through my house as if she belonged. She was too steady, too calm for someone living under my roof. It didn't make sense.
No one was that calm around me unless they were hiding something. And I hated loose ends.
I leaned back in my chair, pulling up the surveillance feed again, but before I could focus on it, my phone buzzed. A message from Matteo.
Adrian Blackwood. Seen near the estate.
My blood ran cold for a second, then boiled.
That son of a bitch.
Blackwood hadn't crossed my territory in years,not since the last time we'd put him back in his place. He was a vulture. Obsessive, dangerous, someone who didn't know when to quit. The fact that he was near my estate was a problem. A fucking problem that I had to deal with fast.
I dialed Matteo, and he picked up on the first ring.
"Where?" I asked,my voice tight.
"Downtown, near a cafe," Matteo said. "He didn't stay long. In and out. I don't what's he after, but it's clear he's looking for something. Or someone."
The realization hit me harder than I liked. Lyra.
I closed my eyes, leaning back in my chair, rage simmering beneath my skin. Blackwood didn't do casual. If he was here, there was a reason. And if that reason had anything to do with her, I needed to know about it.
I ended the call with Matteo and let the silence settle for a moment, the ticking of the clock filling the room again. Then, with a decision made, I left my office, my footsteps sharp on the marble floors as I headed down the hall toward Mira's room.
Lyra was inside, her soft voice barely audible as she read to Mira. I stopped just outside the door, leaning against the frame, watching them. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers brushing through Mira's hair, coaxing her into sleep.
It should've been a peaceful scene. But my mind was too busy pulling pieces together, the warning signs flashing bright and red in my head.
I stepped inside, and the moment Lyra sensed me, she looked up her eyes locking with mine.
"Leo," she said quietly, standing up as if she could feel the tension rolling off me.
"We need to talk," I said keeping my voice low, and emotions in check.
Lyra hesitated, glancing at Mira's sleeping form, then nodded, following me out the door, Into the hallway.
"You didn't tell me about your little meeting with Blackwood today?" My voice came out sharper than I intended.
Her eyes widened for a split second,then narrowed, her jaw tightening. "You're spying on me?" She shot back, crossing her arms defensively. "So, is that how things work?"
"This is how everything works in my world," I said, stepping closer, my voice dropping dangerously. "I know everything that happens under my roof. And outside it. So don't play games with me, Lyra."
She took a breath, her composure holding, though I could see the flicker of something in her eyes. Fear? No. Frustration, maybe.
"I wasn't hiding anything," she said, her voice calm but edged with defiance. "He showed up. I didn't invite him, and I sure as hell didn't want to see him. But I didn't think running to you like some damsel in distress would help either."
Her words stung in a way I hadn't expected. I wasn't used to people—especially women—speaking to me like this. But Lyra wasn't like most people.
"Let me make something very clear to you," I said, closing the distance between us, the air crackling with the tension between us. "Adrian Blackwood is a problem. My problem. And now, because of you, he's back in my territory."
Her eyes hardened. "I didn't ask him to follow me, Leo. He just... appeared."
I studied her face, searching for any sign that she was lying, but all I saw was the same stubborn determination I saw from the start. Still there was something she wasn't telling me.
"What do he want from you?" I asked,my voice dropping lower, more dangerous.
Lyra looked away,her jaw tightening. "He's obsessed. Always had been." Her voice was quieter, more vulnerable. "He thinks... he thinks owns me. But I'm not his. I never was."
My fist clenched. Obsessed. Adrian didn't get to be obsessed with her. Not when she was in my house.
"He doesn't get to come near you again," I said my voice sharp. "If he does, I'll put him down, like the dog he is."
Lyra swallowed, the tension between us tightening. "I don't need a bodyguard," she said, her voice still strong despite everything. "I've been handling men like Adrian long before I met you."
I stepped closer, my face inches from hers. "This isn't about what you need, Lyra. This is about what I own."
Her breath hitched at that, her eyes flashing with anger. "I don't belong to you either, Leo."
For a moment, we just stood there, locked in a battle of wills, the air thick with everything unsaid. I could feel her heat, the pulse of something dark and electric between us. And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't sure who would back down first.
I reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, my touch soft but possessive. "No," I murmured, my voice low. "But as long as you're in my house, you're under my protection. And that means you play by my rules."
She didn't flinch, didn't pull away. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, unblinking, daring me to push further. But she understood. She had to.
"Okay," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "But don't think for a second that I need you to save me."
I leaned in, my lips brushing her ear as I whispered, "Maybe not. But if Adrian comes near you again... I'll enjoy breaking him."
I pulled back, watching the way her breath hitched, the way her pulse quickened just beneath the surface. Then I turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her anger and frustration like a fire I couldn't help but want to stoke.
But this wasn't about control anymore.
It was about who would burn first.