Chapter Eight
Shadows in the Dark
The city glittered outside the penthouse, an illusion of beauty masking the filth underneath. But inside, it was silent. Heavy.
The black envelope sat between them, carrying a weight that had nothing to do with its paper-thin form.
Leila's pulse hammered as she stared at the surveillance photos. Someone had been watching her. Stalking her. Tracking her every move.
It wasn't Cassius.
And that terrified her even more.
Cassius stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her, but she could feel the storm rolling off him. The kind of cold fury that didn't explode—it calculated.
"They're waiting," he said, voice like steel wrapped in silk.
Leila swallowed hard. "Waiting for what?"
Cassius finally turned, his dark eyes burning into hers. "For me to react."
A chill wrapped around her spine. This wasn't just about her. Whoever sent those photos wasn't just watching—they were baiting him.
"And what happens when you do?" she asked, her voice quieter than she wanted it to be.
Cassius took a slow step toward her, his presence thick with unspoken danger.
"We find out who they are," he said, his tone smooth. Controlled. Deadly.
Another step.
"And then?" she whispered.
His fingers brushed the edge of her jaw, tilting her face up just enough for her to feel the heat in his gaze.
"Then I end them."
The words weren't a threat. They weren't a promise.
They were a fact.
The Underground Lounge
The club pulsed with low music and murmured conversations, the kind of place where money and power played in the dark.
Jaxon Carter sat in his usual spot, looking entirely too amused as Leila and Cassius approached.
"Well, well," Jaxon mused, swirling his whiskey. "If it isn't my two favorite people."
Cassius didn't sit. He loomed.
Leila slid into the seat across from Jaxon, meeting his gaze without blinking. "Who else is watching me?"
Jaxon sighed, shaking his head. "Straight to business, as always." He turned to Cassius. "You should really teach her the art of foreplay."
Cassius didn't blink. "Who. Else."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Jaxon exhaled, tapping his fingers against the table before reaching into his jacket. He tossed a small flash drive onto the table.
Leila grabbed it first, gripping it tightly. "What's on it?"
Jaxon's smirk faded slightly. "A name. And a warning."
Something cold curled in her stomach. "What kind of warning?"
Jaxon leaned in slightly, his usual amusement replaced with something sharper. "That whoever is watching you… isn't just gathering information." He paused, eyes flicking toward Cassius. "They want blood."
Leila's breath caught.
Cassius exhaled slowly, but she saw it—the subtle shift in his stance, the flicker of something dangerous in his eyes.
She turned back to Jaxon. "Who's behind this?" Tell me now
Jaxon gave her a lazy smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "That, sweetheart, is what you'll have to find out."
Leila gritted her teeth. "If you already know, why not just tell us?"
Jaxon's gaze flicked to Cassius, something unreadable passing through his expression.
"Because knowing isn't enough," Jaxon murmured. "You have to be ready for the answer."
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Then, without another word, Cassius reached down, grabbed the flash drive, and turned away.
Leila followed, her stomach twisting with unease.
She didn't know what was on that drive.
But she had a sinking feeling that once they saw it, there would be no turning back.
The night was alive with the hum of the city, but inside the penthouse, silence stretched thick and suffocating. Leila stood near the fireplace, arms crossed, watching Cassius as he studied the photograph for the hundredth time.
Whoever was watching her wasn't just playing games. They were making a statement.
"We need to talk about this," she said, her voice low but firm.
Cassius didn't look up. His jaw was tight, his fingers curled around the edge of the photograph. "No. We need to find out who the hell thinks they can put their eyes on what's mine."
Leila stiffened. Mine.
She hated how easily he threw the word around, like she was just another thing to be owned. But before she could snap back, Cassius finally lifted his gaze, pinning her in place with an intensity that sent heat crawling up her spine.
"This isn't just about you," he said, voice smooth but edged with something darker. "Someone is coming for me. You're just the message."
She swallowed hard. "Then maybe I should leave."
Something flickered across his face. Amusement? No. Something sharper.
Cassius let out a low, humorless chuckle and took a step toward her. "You think walking away will make you less of a target?"
She forced herself to hold his gaze. "It will make me less your target."
For a second, neither of them spoke. The tension stretched so tight it felt like the walls might crack from the pressure.
Then, faster than she could process, Cassius moved. One second, he was across the room, and the next, he was standing right in front of her, his presence swallowing the space between them.
"You don't get it, do you?" His voice dropped, lethal and quiet. "This isn't about business anymore. It stopped being about business the moment you signed that contract."
Her pulse pounded against her ribs. "Then what is it about?"
His eyes darkened, something unspoken burning beneath the surface. "Control."
A chill ran down her spine, but not out of fear. Out of something far more dangerous.
Before she could respond, a sharp knock echoed through the penthouse. Cassius exhaled slowly, then turned toward the door.
Dante stepped inside, his face unreadable. "We have a problem."
Cassius's expression barely shifted, but Leila felt the change in the air.
"What kind of problem?" Cassius asked.
Dante pulled a phone from his pocket, swiped across the screen, and then turned it toward them. A grainy security feed flickered to life.
Leila's breath caught.
The screen showed a dimly lit alley, a figure standing in the shadows. The hood of their coat was pulled low, but their stance, the way they moved—it was unsettlingly familiar.
The footage zoomed in.
Leila's blood ran cold.
It was her.
Or at least… it looked exactly like her.
The hooded