THE WAITRESS WROTE A WARNING UNDER HIS DINNER PLATE—THEN THE BILLIONAIRE LOOKED AT HIS FIANCÉE

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Not just one. Dozens. The sound swelled from the streets below, echoing up the sheer glass face of the Vesper Crown, cutting through the cold morning air that blew through the shattered boardroom window.

Leo had made the call.

Arthur Laurent lay clutching his bleeding shoulder on the plush carpet. He looked frail now. Just a pathetic old man bleeding over his expensive suit.

Vivienne had stopped screaming. She was wedged beneath the heavy mahogany table, staring at the flashing red and blue lights reflecting off the ceiling, realizing her empire had just burned to the ground.

Adrian walked over to the guard lying unconscious on the floor. He crouched down and retrieved the man’s combat knife.

He stood up, looking at Nora.

“Cut me loose,” Adrian said, turning his back to her, offering his zip-tied wrists.

Nora holstered the gun in her apron pocket. Her hands were still trembling slightly as she took the knife and sliced through the thick plastic binding.

Adrian rubbed his wrists, wincing as the blood flowed back into his hands. He turned to face her.

For a long moment, they just looked at each other amidst the wreckage of the boardroom.

“You bluffed him,” Adrian said, a faint smile breaking through his bruised and bloody face. “You threw glass, and you made the most dangerous man in New York blink.”

“I learned how to bluff from my dad,” Nora said quietly, her thumb tracing the tarnished silver of the bracelet in her hand.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway outside.

“NYPD! Drop your weapons and put your hands where we can see them!”

A dozen heavily armed tactical officers burst through the boardroom doors, their assault rifles raised.

Nora dropped the knife and raised her hands immediately.

Adrian stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. “I am Adrian Blackwood. The men on the floor are armed mercenaries. The man bleeding is Arthur Laurent. I want my lawyer, and I want the FBI contact for corporate espionage.”

The officers swarmed the room. They pulled Vivienne out from under the table, violently twisting her arms behind her back to cuff her. She didn't fight them. She just glared at Nora with eyes full of venom.

Paramedics rushed in to tend to Arthur, snapping cuffs to his uninjured wrist before loading him onto a stretcher.

As Vivienne was dragged past them toward the door, she stopped and spat at Adrian’s feet.

“You think you won?” she hissed. “My family owns half the judges in this city. I’ll be out on bail before the sun sets. And when I am, I’m coming for you. Both of you.”

Adrian stepped closer to her. He didn't look angry. He looked pitying.

“You won't be seeing a judge, Vivienne,” Adrian said softly. “You’ll be seeing federal prosecutors. The moment the police entered the building, my secondary security protocol activated. Every dirty transaction the Laurent family ever scrubbed through my servers was just emailed to the DOJ, the SEC, and the New York Times.”

Vivienne’s face went entirely white.

“You’re bankrupt,” Adrian finished. “You’re disgraced. You’re done.”

The officers yanked Vivienne away, her screams echoing down the hallway as they forced her into the elevator.

An officer gently approached Nora. “Ma’am? Are you injured?”

“I’m fine,” Nora lied. She was exhausted. Her body ached, and her soul felt incredibly heavy. “Where is my brother?”

“He’s downstairs in a patrol car, safe,” the officer assured her. “We need to take you both to the precinct for a statement.”

Nora nodded. She turned to walk out.

“Nora. Wait.”

She stopped and looked back.

Adrian was standing by the shattered window. The morning sun was rising over Manhattan, casting a golden light across his battered face. He looked exhausted, yet somehow unburdened.

He walked over to her.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the old, creased photograph of her father. He gently placed it into her hand.

“Your father didn't steal from me, Nora,” Adrian said quietly, making sure she heard every word. “He tried to do the right thing. He died protecting that drive so it wouldn't be used to hurt people. He was a brave man.”

Tears welled in Nora’s eyes, hot and fast. She looked down at the grainy photo of the man who had caused her so much pain, but who had loved her enough to leave her the key to her survival.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“No,” Adrian said, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you. You saved my life tonight, Nora. Twice.”

He reached out, his hand hesitating for a second, before gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was incredibly warm against her cold skin.

“I’ll make sure you and Leo are protected,” Adrian promised. “The Laurents will never touch you again.”

Nora looked up into his dark eyes. She believed him.

“I’m holding you to that, Mr. Blackwood,” she said softly.

Adrian smiled. “Adrian. Please.”