The first light of morning crept in through the windows, casting golden slivers across tangled sheets and bare skin. Arielle stirred first, groggy, her lashes fluttering as she adjusted to the quiet warmth around her.
Dominic was still asleep—on his back, arm resting over his head, the other draped over her waist like he couldn't let go even in his dreams.
She studied him in the silence.
This man. So cold in the boardroom, so terrifying in his control. But here, in the golden hush of morning, he was something else entirely.
Still. Calm. Hers.
Arielle smiled faintly and reached for his face, brushing back a strand of hair from his forehead. She should get up. She should sneak out, reclaim her chaos and arrogance before he saw too much.
But before she could move—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound split the air like thunder, loud and deliberate.
Arielle froze.
Dominic stirred instantly, years of instinct jerking him upright. He looked at her, then the door. "Don't move," he said, voice low and sharp now—awake and alert.
Another knock came, harder this time.
He slipped out of bed, tugging on a pair of sweats, every inch of him radiating quiet tension.
Arielle sat up, sheet clutched to her chest. "Who the hell is knocking at this hour?"
Dominic didn't answer. He disappeared into the hallway, silent as a shadow.
She crept out of bed after him, grabbing his shirt from the floor, wrapping herself in it, the hem brushing her thighs. Her heart pounded—not out of fear, but anticipation. Whatever—or whoever—it was, it wasn't good.
Then she heard it.
A voice.
A woman's voice.
"I know you're in there, Dominic. Don't make me wait."
Arielle's blood turned to ice.
She moved toward the doorway and peeked down the hallway just as Dominic opened the door.
A woman stood on the threshold—tall, elegant, in a tailored coat and killer heels. Her lipstick was perfect, her expression unreadable.
She didn't wait for an invitation.
She walked right past him like she owned the place.
Then her eyes landed on Arielle—bare legs, tousled hair, wearing nothing but Dominic Raine's shirt.
The woman smirked.
"Well," she said coolly, "isn't this cozy."
Dominic sighed, shutting the door. "Charlotte, not now."
Charlotte.
Arielle's heart sank and her spine stiffened at once. That name. She'd heard it before—once or twice in whispers. Dominic's ex. Or something worse.
And clearly… something unfinished.
Arielle stepped fully into view, shoulders squared, chin lifted.
She may have just woken up in a man's bed, but she'd be damned if she looked small doing it.
Charlotte tilted her head, eyes gleaming.
"I didn't realize you had company," she said to Dominic, though her gaze never left Arielle. "I hope she knows what she's getting into."
Arielle smiled sweetly, venom tucked beneath silk. "Oh, I do. And I don't scare easy."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed just slightly, but she said nothing.
Dominic stepped between them, voice firm. "This isn't the time, Charlotte. Say what you came to say, or leave."
Charlotte crossed her arms.
"Fine. I came to warn you. Something's coming, Dominic. And when it hits… she won't be enough to save you."
With that, she turned and walked out, heels clicking like gunshots across marble.
The silence she left behind was colder than the air she'd brought in.
Arielle looked at Dominic.
His jaw was clenched.
Her voice was quiet, but cutting. "Who was that?"
Dominic didn't answer right away.
Because some ghosts… you don't bury.
You just brace for their return.
The front door clicked shut behind Charlotte, and the silence in the penthouse thickened like a storm cloud. Arielle stood barefoot on the marble floor, arms crossed over her chest, Dominic's shirt hanging loose on her body, but her eyes—God, her eyes—were razor sharp.
She waited.
Waited for him to say something. Anything.
But Dominic Raine just stood there, jaw tight, gaze distant, as if trying to stop the ghosts of his past from slipping through the cracks.
Wrong move.
Arielle's voice sliced through the silence. "Are you going to explain, or am I supposed to just pretend none of that happened?"
His eyes finally flicked to her. Cool. Measured. Like a businessman calculating risk.
"You heard enough," he said.
She laughed. A dry, bitter sound. "Try again."
Dominic walked to the window, running a hand through his hair. The city below was alive with morning light, but up here, the air was thick with tension.
"She's an ex," he said eventually. "A mistake I let linger too long."
"Yeah? She didn't sound like she's done lingering." Arielle took a few steps closer, heat rising in her chest. "She walked in here like she had a key to your soul."
"She doesn't," he said flatly.
"But she knows something," Arielle pressed. "Something big enough to come all the way here and throw it in your face. And mine."
Dominic turned to face her fully now, steel in his eyes. "She thrives on chaos. That's what she does. And you—" His gaze flicked down her body, then back to her eyes. "You don't have to get involved in any of it."
"Oh, so now I'm a delicate flower you're trying to protect?" Arielle snapped. "Newsflash, Raine—I don't do protected. I do informed. I do in control. And right now, I'm neither."
His voice dropped an octave. "Don't twist this."
"No," she said, voice rising, "don't you minimize me."
She stepped closer, close enough to feel the tension rippling between them, close enough to see that he wasn't as calm as he pretended.
"What was she talking about?" Arielle demanded. "What's coming?"
He looked at her for a long moment, his jaw clenched, his body still. Then, softer than before, he answered.
"Something I've been trying to bury for years."
Arielle's heart thudded.
Dominic's tone was grave. "It's not about you. But if you stay close… it will become your problem."
"I'm already close," she whispered. "You let me in, Dominic. That means I'm already in the line of fire."
He looked at her—really looked at her—and something in him cracked.
Just a little.
Just enough.
And in that crack, Arielle saw the truth.
Dominic Raine wasn't afraid of Charlotte.
He was afraid of Arielle getting hurt.
And it scared him more than any scandal ever could.
She stepped closer, pressing her hand to his chest.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said.
He stared at her, something unspoken flickering in his eyes—respect, desire, maybe even fear.
Then his hand closed gently over hers. "Then I'll have to protect you."
Arielle's lips curved in a slow, dangerous smile.
"Good luck with that, Raine. I don't make it easy."