Chapter 3 - Whispers in the Lincoln Park Halls
The heavy footsteps approached the master suite with the rhythmic precision of a ticking clock. Ava knew that cadence by heart now. Two sharp beats, a pause, and then the slow drag of his right boot—a permanent souvenir from the same day his medical records were altered.
The door clicked open, and Daniel Choi stepped into the room. He wore a tailored charcoal-gray suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and the lean, predatory lines of his frame. His black hair was damp from the morning air, and his sharp, obsidian eyes swept the room instantly, cataloging every detail with the paranoia of a man who slept with a Beretta under his pillow.
"You're awake early," Daniel said, his voice a low, gravelly baritone that vibrated through the floorboards. He didn't smile; Daniel didn't know how to smile. His mouth was a permanent, hard slash carved into a face carved from granite.
"I wasn't feeling well," Ava replied carefully, keeping her voice neutral, stripped of any emotion that might betray the internal panic threatening to tear her apart.
Daniel stopped three feet away from her, his gaze narrowing as he picked up on the subtle pallor of her skin and the rigid way she held her posture. For a terrifying second, Ava thought he could smell the secret radiating from her pores.
"If the staff is neglecting their duties, tell me," Daniel said, unbuttoning his suit jacket and tossing it over the back of a velvet armchair. "You are my wife now, Ava. In this house, your comfort is absolute. Outside of it, your life is secure as long as you remember your place."
"The staff is fine," she murmured, lowering her gaze to avoid the intense scrutiny of his eyes. Those eyes had stared down rival bosses and traitors without blinking. They were eyes that saw through lies instantly.
"Good," Daniel muttered, turning toward the adjoining office. "There is a gala for the Chicago Historical Society this Friday. Wear the emerald dress. My mother will be watching, and she expects perfection from the woman holding the Choi name."
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As he disappeared into his study, letting the heavy door click shut behind him, Ava exhaled a breath she didn't realize she’d been holding. Perfection. That was all they wanted. A doll in an emerald dress. They had no idea that inside that doll, a ticking time bomb of flesh and blood was rewriting their entire empire.
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