Adrian's POV
Adrian Blackwell had been stood up before.
By models. By heiresses. Even by a certain Icelandic princess once.
But none of those no-shows bothered him the way Elise Carter's silence did.
He sat alone in the candlelit private dining room of The Rookery, the best table in Tokyo—overlooking the Sumida River. He'd rented it out for the evening with a casual text to the owner. Now, the untouched wine glass across from him mocked his restraint.
She wasn't just late.
She wasn't coming.
Adrian checked his phone again.
No text. No apology. No explanation.
Only silence.
He downed the rest of his drink.
She was slipping away. Not from him—not yet—but from the role he'd been so carefully crafting for her. He thought he'd understood her limits.
But now he wasn't so sure she had any.
By the time he returned to his suite at The Amaranth, his mind was a thunderstorm of worst-case scenarios. Elise had always been unpredictable—but never reckless. Never uncontactable.
He tossed his blazer onto the couch and went straight for the encrypted laptop hidden behind the minibar. Two clicks, and he accessed the backdoor server he and Reina Tanaka kept for emergencies.
One ping revealed what he feared.
Carter Holdings – Internal Audit Unofficially Triggered
Trigger Source: Elise Carter
Targeted: Liam Hunt (Chairman), Board Allocation Anomalies, Yukimoto Funds
Adrian cursed under his breath.
She had made her move.
Without backup. Without cover.
Without him.
For a moment, Adrian leaned back in the leather chair, his hand resting against his jaw. He admired boldness. Ruthlessness. But Elise wasn't just playing fast.
She was playing like someone with nothing to lose.
And that made her the most dangerous kind of ally.
Elise's POV
Her apartment was dark when she returned. She hadn't meant to stay at the Carter archives all night, but once she started reading her father's journals again, she couldn't stop.
The deeper she went, the more pieces locked into place.
The Delacroix family had once owned the original Carter estate—before Elise's great-grandfather acquired it through a merger laced with rumors of blackmail. Roxanne Delacroix hadn't disappeared. She'd been buried in legal battles, her family dismantled behind closed courtroom doors.
And now, Roxanne was tied to Liam's international dealings.
Had he brought her back into the fold?
Or had she never left?
Elise moved toward her bedroom, dropping the tablet on her dresser. The moment she turned on the light, she flinched.
Jessica was sitting on her bed.
"Jesus," Elise exhaled. "You scared me."
Jessica rose, arms folded. "You didn't answer any of my calls."
"I've been… busy."
"I figured." Jessica's voice was tight. "Busy launching an internal audit behind everyone's back?"
Elise froze.
"How did you—?"
"I have eyes too, Elise." Jessica stepped closer. "You're pushing too fast. Too hard. Liam isn't stupid, and Reina's watching you closer than ever. You don't just light a match under this empire without consequences."
"I'm counting on consequences," Elise replied evenly. "That's the only way the rot gets exposed."
Jessica studied her. "Adrian was worried."
Elise's lips twitched. "Blackwell doesn't do worry. He does control."
"Maybe he cares."
Elise's guard flickered—just for a second.
Then it hardened.
"He's just another kingmaker looking for a pawn."
Jessica didn't argue. Instead, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small envelope.
"What's this?"
"An invitation." Jessica paused. "Roxanne Delacroix is hosting a private art exhibit at The Garden Pavilion. Tomorrow night. Not publicized. Only a handful of names."
Elise's heart slammed once.
Then twice.
Jessica looked at her. "I figured you'd want to meet the woman behind the curtain."
Elise stared at the invitation for a long time.
She didn't speak. She didn't blink.
Because somewhere deep inside, Elise already knew:
This wasn't just a coincidence.
This was a trap.
And she was walking straight into it.
The Next Morning
Adrian's POV
He was in a meeting with an Indonesian banking syndicate when Reina texted him one word:
"Move."
He excused himself from the room immediately.
Back in the hall, he dialed.
Reina answered on the first ring. "She's going to the Delacroix exhibit."
"She's walking straight into their line of fire."
"She doesn't care anymore," Reina replied. "You were supposed to be her safety net, Adrian. Instead, you let her unravel."
"I didn't let her do anything," he snapped. "She's not a child. She made her move."
"Then make yours," Reina said sharply. "Before we both lose her. Or worse—before someone else gets to her first."
Adrian stared out the window.
Tokyo glowed like a thousand sharp-edged daggers beneath the morning sky.
He hadn't lost her yet.
But if he didn't act soon, Elise Carter might become collateral damage in a war neither of them fully understood.