CELESTE
The guest suite in Allen's penthouse was larger than the entire first floor of Maya's brownstone. It was a masterpiece of slate grays and silks, but to me, it felt like a waiting room for a life I hadn't auditioned for.
I had finally managed to get Gabriel down. He was curled up in the center of a king-sized bed that made him look impossibly small, clutching the worn stuffed rabbit I had carried out of the Lawson mansion three years ago. The sight of that ragged toy against the five-hundred-thread-count sheets was a perfect metaphor for our lives.
A soft knock at the door made me jump.
I opened it to find Allen. He had changed into a black t-shirt and grey lounge pants. Without the armor of his bespoke suits, he looked younger, more dangerous, and devastatingly human. He was holding a glass of amber liquid in one hand and a small, wrapped box in the other.
"Is he asleep?" Allen whispered.
"Finally. It's been a long day for a three-year-old. Especially one who just found out his 'imaginary' father is a tech mogul."
Allen winced at the jab but stepped into the room. He walked to the edge of the bed, staring down at Gabriel. The silence between us wasn't cold anymore; it was heavy with the weight of missed years.
"I had my assistant run out before the stores closed," Allen said, handing me the box.
I opened it. Inside was a high-tech baby monitor and a brand-new, latest-model tablet. I looked at the gifts, then back at him. "Allen, he's three. He doesn't need a professional-grade workstation."
"It's loaded with educational software and a direct line to my security team," he said, his voice serious. "After what happened at the park, I'm not taking chances. The Lawsons are desperate, and Yona... Yona is a woman who treats 'vengeance' like a hobby."
"I can protect my son," I said, though my voice lacked its usual steel.
"I know you can. You've proven that," Allen said, stepping closer. He smelled of expensive scotch and the crisp, clean scent of the night air. "But you don't have to do it alone anymore. Why is that so hard for you to accept?"
"Because 'help' from a Lawson or a Cross always comes with a bill," I countered, my back hitting the doorframe as he moved into my personal space. "What's your price, Allen? Do you want me to sign away my rights? Do you want me to be a quiet little secret kept in this penthouse?"
Allen set his glass down on the nightstand and placed both hands on the doorframe on either side of my head, pinning me in place. The air between us turned electric, the kind of heat that made my skin tingle and my breath catch.
"My price," he growled, his blue eyes darkening as they dropped to my lips, "is that you stop looking at me like I'm the enemy. I didn't throw you out, Celeste. I didn't even know you existed. If I had..."
"If you had, what?" I challenged, my heart hammering against my ribs. "You were twenty-seven and building an empire. You would have sent a lawyer with a non-disclosure agreement and a check."
"You really think that little of me?"
"I think the world of you is built on logic, Allen. And a baby is the most illogical thing in the universe."
His gaze searched mine, and for a second, the mask of the billionaire cracked completely. He looked frustrated, hungry, and haunted. "Nothing about you has been logical since the moment I saw you in that club. Not then, and certainly not now."
He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine. I should have pushed him away. I should have walked back to the bed and focused on my son. But the three years of loneliness, of being the only one holding up my world, suddenly felt like a crushing weight.
I reached up, my fingers grazing the soft cotton of his shirt, feeling the frantic beat of his heart. It matched my own.
"Allen..."
"Just stay," he whispered against my skin. "Don't run tomorrow. Give me a chance to be what he needs. Give me a chance to be what you need."
Before I could answer, his lips met mine. It wasn't the tentative, polite kiss of a colleague. It was a collision. It tasted of scotch and desperation, of three years of "what-ifs" finally exploding into reality.
I melted into him, my hands winding into his hair as he pulled me flush against his hard frame. In this room, high above the screaming sirens of the city, the war felt far away. There were no Lawsons, no boardrooms, no scandals. There was only the heat of him and the terrifying realization that I was falling for the one man who could truly destroy me.
He broke the kiss, his breathing ragged, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. "One night wasn't enough three years ago," he murmured. "And a lifetime won't be enough now."
But as he held me, my eyes drifted to the window. In the reflection of the glass, I saw the red light of a camera lens from the building across the street.
My blood ran cold.
"Allen," I whispered, pulling back. "Someone is watching."
ALLEN
I followed her gaze, my protective instincts flaring into a white-hot rage. I didn't see the camera, but I saw the shadow move on the terrace of the neighboring luxury tower.
"Stay here. Lock the door," I commanded, the lover vanishing and the predator returning.
I stormed out of the suite and into the hallway, pulling my phone from my pocket. "Security! I want a full sweep of the North-facing perimeter! Now! And get me the registry for the Carlyle building, penthouse B. I want a name!"
I went to my private study, my hands shaking with adrenaline. I had spent my life protecting data, protecting assets. But now, the asset was a woman who made me feel human and a boy who was my heart walking outside my body.
A notification popped up on my laptop. An encrypted email from an unknown sender.
I opened it. My heart stopped.
It was a photo taken ten minutes ago. A high-resolution shot of me and Celeste through the guest suite window, locked in that desperate kiss.
Below the photo was a single line of text:
The higher they climb, the harder they fall. How much is the 'Heir of Scandal' worth to you, Mr. Cross?
The war hadn't just begun. It had gone nuclear. And as I looked at the photo, I realized the enemy wasn't just outside the building.
They were already in my head.