Part 23 –
The club smelled of stale whiskey and old regrets.
It was dim, smoky, and half-abandoned, the kind of place where secrets came to die.
Lila stepped inside alone, her heels clicking on cracked tile as the heavy door creaked shut behind her.
Her heart thudded violently in her chest, but her face her posture remained steady.
She wasn't here as prey.
She was here as bait.
The Setup
Hidden in a black SUV two blocks away, Ethan sat beside a tech specialist, watching the feed through a hidden camera sewn into Lila's jacket.
He hated this.
Hated seeing her walk into danger alone.
But she had insisted.
"She needs to see my face," Lila had said. "Whoever it is, I have to be the one in front of them when they fall."
He hadn't argued.
But now, watching her disappear through the door, Ethan's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
If anything happened to her…
There wouldn't be a place on Earth safe for the people responsible.
The Betrayal
Lila moved deeper into the club.
A single table sat in the center of the dark room, lit by a flickering chandelier overhead.
And sitting at that table
Was someone she never expected.
Marissa Dalton.
Wolfe Enterprises' VP of International Strategy.
One of Ethan's longest-serving board members.
A woman who had mentored Lila during her first few months at the company.
"You?" Lila whispered.
Marissa's expression didn't flicker.
She simply folded her hands over the table, calm and composed as always.
"I hoped it wouldn't be you who walked through that door," she said softly. "But I suppose it had to be you in the end."
Lila sat down slowly, trying to keep her hands from shaking.
"Why?"
Marissa's eyes darkened. "Because Ethan's mother left everything to him. Even the legacy I helped build."
Lila blinked. "You worked with Catherine?"
"She and I started Wolfe's international division. We were supposed to grow it together. But she married into power, and I " Marissa's voice broke for the first time, "was left behind. Overlooked. Always a step behind the throne."
"You could've walked away," Lila said. "You didn't have to burn everything down."
Marissa's smile was bitter. "We all want our piece of the empire, Lila. You're just younger, prettier and he loves you. But love doesn't build legacies."
Lila's throat tightened.
She'd expected a villain.
She hadn't expected someone broken.
But that didn't excuse it.
"You threatened Ethan," she said. "You threatened me."
Marissa shrugged. "You were leverage. And you took the bait."
Lila leaned forward, her voice like steel.
"No. You did."
The Fall
The door behind them burst open.
Ethan strode in, flanked by two private security agents.
His expression was lethal.
"Marissa," he said coldly. "You should have run when you had the chance."
Marissa paled, but she didn't stand.
She simply looked at Lila, almost... admiringly.
"You played your part well, dear. I underestimated you."
Then she turned to Ethan, her voice suddenly sharp.
"She's going to destroy you one day, Ethan. Just like your mother did."
Ethan didn't flinch.
"I'd rather be destroyed by someone I trust," he said, "than rule beside someone who stabs me in the back."
Security stepped forward.
Marissa didn't resist as they led her out.
But as she passed Lila, she said one last thing:
"Enjoy your crown. It's heavier than it looks."
The Kiss That Meant Everything
The moment they were alone, Lila collapsed into Ethan's arms.
The adrenaline. The danger. The betrayal.
It all hit her at once.
And Ethan held her through every second of it.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never saw her coming. I never"
Lila silenced him with a kiss.
But this one wasn't born of fear or heat or urgency.
It was slow.
Deliberate.
A promise.
When they broke apart, she said, "We're still standing. And we're not done yet."
Ethan brushed a strand of hair from her face, his eyes burning with emotion.
"No," he agreed. "We're just getting started."
And for the first time in a long time
Lila believed it.