At Monday's morning meeting, the atmosphere in Obsidian Capital's conference room was colder than the air conditioning. Allison sat in the second-to-last row, her nails digging into her palms—Victor was using a projector to enlarge her data analysis report, the red-marked "errors" glaring like bloodstains.
"Miss Jones seems to have unique insights into merger risk assessment," Victor's voice dripped with a viper's smile. "But if this report leaks to the media, Obsidian Capital's stock might plummet through the floor." He glanced at Caleb in the main seat, who was tapping the table with his long index finger, his blue eyes locked on Allison.
Allison took a deep breath as Lily's words from last night echoed: "Lure him to bare more fangs with feigned weakness." She stood, her legs trembling slightly under her skirt from tension—but the sudden heat in the male executives' gazes told her it worked. "Director Victor is right. My model did overlook certain 'non-data factors'," she said, plugging the USB drive into the conference system. Holographic screens sprang to life with records of Obsidian Capital's illegal dealings with Southeast Asian politicians. "Such as the 'family traditions' Mr. Black mentioned on his yacht last week."
The room fell into dead silence. Caleb's knuckles stopped rapping, and Victor's face darkened like storm clouds. Allison had won her gamble: she'd edited a recording of Caleb mentioning "overseas accounts hidden in Anna Black's will," linking the illegal transactions to his mother's death and forcing him to take her side.
"Interesting." Caleb suddenly chuckled, standing so his shirt cuff slid to reveal a ghastly old scar on his wrist. "Miss Jones seems awfully interested in Black family secrets." He advanced on her, fingertips brushing her neck. "But smart people know that knowing too much… leads to an elegant death." His lips hovered near her ear, his breath as cold as ice. "Ten o'clock tonight, my private apartment. Bring the 'proof of loyalty' you didn't finish submitting last time."
After the meeting, Victor cornered Allison in the hallway. His fingers clamped her chin so hard she bit her tongue. "You think a few edited recordings can threaten Black?" he sneered. "He planned Anna's death himself. You're just his new pet—ready to be tossed in the trash." Leaning close, he whispered, "But give me the original recording, and I'll guarantee your mother's medical bills and your place on Wall Street."
Allison's pupils constricted, but she flashed an innocent smile. "Mr. Victor, you forget—Caleb Black hates the stench of betrayal most." She suddenly stomped on his dress shoe with her heel, pulling away as he gasped. "I'll bring my 'loyalty' to him at ten. As for you…" She left a hint that turned Victor's face livid, "Maybe check the blind spots in your office surveillance first."
As night fell, Allison stood before Caleb's apartment door, clutching a mini camera Lily had given her. The moment the door opened, his wine-tinged voice wrapped around her: "What surprise did you bring this time?" He tore off her coat, his breath hitching at the lace cutout lingerie beneath. Allison leaned in, whispering in his ear: "Victor's threats tonight—and the real cause of your mother Anna's death."
Sexual aggression unfurled under scarlet lights. Caleb pressed her against the floor-to-ceiling window, the glass's chill clashing with the searing heat of their bodies. Between gasps, Allison played the recording of Victor's threats; Caleb's grip suddenly tightened, making her feel the violence in his emotions through the pain. But when she broached Anna's topic, he recoiled, choking her until she saw stars. "Don't touch Anna," his voice cracked like broken glass. "Or I'll let you rot in prison."
In his moment of loss of control, Allison slipped the mini camera into the sofa crack. She suddenly kissed his trembling lips, her tongue invading with provocative tenderness. "You need me, Mr. Black," she murmured. "Victor's hunting your overseas accounts, and I can make him shut up—permanently." Her fingers trailed to the old scar on his waist, feeling his muscles tense abruptly—it had been inflicted around the time of Anna's death.
At dawn, Allison curled in Caleb's arms, feigning sleep. She replayed the encrypted account code he'd leaked during sex and Lily's "prey counterattack rules." When he rose for the study, she activated the camera, filming him inputting the key to Anna's will. In this game, she'd finally clutched the first piece of the lethal puzzle.