A Dangerous Deal
The city lights flickered beyond the glass, casting long shadows across the penthouse floor. Selene stood motionless, her fingers still curled around the cold steel of her gun.
The rooftop across from her penthouse was now empty,whoever had been there was gone.
Aurora stood behind her, her breath unsteady, her eyes was scanning the darkness beyond the windows. "Selene, what just happened?"
Selene exhaled slowly, lowering her gun, but her mind remained sharp. "Someone wanted me to see them."
Aurora swallowed hard. "Who?"
Selene turned toward her, her gaze, very unreadable. "That's what I intend to find out."
Aurora hesitated before stepping closer. "You think this is about your company? The leak?"
Selene's jaw tightened. "Maybe."
Aurora frowned" Or maybe it's about something else."
Selene studied her for a long moment. Aurora's words carried weight, the timing was too perfect and too coincidental.
The warning call, the break-in and a shadow watching from the rooftop. Someone was escalating their game.
Selene moved toward the bar, pouring herself a glass of whiskey. She took a slow sip, allowing the heat to settle in her chest. She needed clarity, not emotion.
Aurora stepped beside her. "Selene, listen to me. If Damian isn't behind this, then someone else is targeting you, someone close enough to know your every move."
Selene's grip on her glass tightened slightly. "And you think you know who it is?"
Aurora hesitated before whispering, "I think it's my father." Selene's expression remained unreadable, but her heart stilled.
Aurora exhaled. "He's always controlled everything, he arranged my engagement, he forced me to leave you and now... he's working with Damian."
Selene's voice was cold. "You should have told me this sooner."
Aurora looked away. "I wasn't sure until now."
Selene set down her glass, stepping closer. "And what exactly is he planning?"
Aurora's breath was shaky. "Something big." She swallowed. "He's making moves against you, Selene, against your company and gainst your life including people that might help you"
Selene's jaw clenched. "Why?"
Aurora's eyes were filled with something raw,something that made Selene's stomach twist.
"Because he still thinks I belong to him," Aurora whispered. "And if he can't control me, he'll destroy you instead."
Selene's pulse remained steady, but inside, a storm brewed.
She had underestimated this game.
Aurora's father -Victor Sinclair- wasn't just a powerful businessman. He was a man who played politics, a man who pulled strings from the shadows and now, he had his sights set on Selene.
Selene exhaled, her voice sharp. "If he thinks he can break me, he's mistaken."
Aurora took a slow step forward. "Selene... this is bigger than just business."
Selene's gaze flickered over her. "I know."
Aurora hesitated before whispering, "Then let me help you."
Selene's lips curled slightly. "And how do you plan to do that?"
Aurora swallowed, determination flashing in her golden eyes. "By making a deal."
Selene's brow lifted slightly. "What kind of deal?"
Aurora stepped closer, voice low. "I'll give you everything, every secret, every weakness, every detail of my father's empire." Her gaze didn't waver. "But in return, you protect me." Selene's heart stills.
Aurora wasn't just asking for protection,she was asking to defect.
Selene studied her carefully. "You want me to go against your father?"
Aurora exhaled. "You were going to, anyway."
Selene's smirk was slow but calculated. "True."
Aurora's expression hardened. "If I help you take him down, then I'm free."
Selene tilted her head slightly. "And if I say no?" Aurora's lips parted slightly, then she whispered, "Then I have nowhere left to go."
Silence stretched between them. Selene hated weakness but the way Aurora looked at her now it wasn't weakness it was trust and trust was more dangerous than anything else.
Selene finally spoke, her voice smooth as glass. "Fine." Aurora exhaled sharply. "Fine?"
Selene took another sip of whiskey, her eyes gleaming. "You want my protection? You have it. but make no mistake, Aurora if you betray me again, I will destroy you."
Aurora's breath hitched then, she nodded.
The deal was made but before either of them could speak again, the lights flickered once more.
Aurora stiffened. "Selene"
Selene placed her glass down, eyes sharp as she turned toward the windows.
Then there was a gunshot, a single bullet shattered the glass, slicing through the air inches away from Aurora's head.
Aurora gasped, stumbling backward. Selene reacted instantly, grabbing Aurora and pulling her to the floor, her pulse remained steady, but her muscles were tight with rage.
Aurora was breathing hard. "Someone just try..."
Selene's voice was deadly calm. "I know." She lifted her gaze toward the broken window.
The shot hadn't been random. It wasn't a warning, it had been aimed and whoever fired it had meant to kill.
Selene's lips curled into a slow and sharp smile.They wanted war? then she would give them one.