Cassie didn't know what she expected when she handed Julian the note. Maybe rage. Maybe denial. But what she saw was far more chilling: nothing.
He read the message twice—"You're not safe with him either"—and then folded the paper neatly in half and placed it on the table like it was a spreadsheet. Then he picked up his phone and made a single call.
"Initiate Protocol Red. We have an internal breach. I want every member of staff vetted, phones checked, logs pulled. Anyone who resists, fire them. Immediately."
Cassie stared at him. "You think it was one of your own people?"
Julian's jaw tightened. "It came through our front door. That narrows the list."
There was no fury in his tone. No fear. Just steel.
"And what happens to them?" she asked quietly.
He looked at her, expression unreadable. "That depends on what else we find."
---
Cassie spent the morning trying to work, but her hands refused to stop trembling. She couldn't eat. Couldn't focus. The walls of the penthouse felt closer now, less like a haven and more like a trap.
She stood by the windows for hours, watching the street, scanning every parked car, every passerby. Was it a stalker? A reporter? Someone with a grudge against Julian? Or worse—someone with a grudge against her?
When Monica called, Cassie nearly cried from relief.
"I'm coming over," her lawyer said. "Now."
---
Monica arrived in a sharp black suit and sharper heels. She looked ready for war. Her team had been briefed and was already digging through Cassie's old files, associates, even Nathan's past deals.
"There's chatter online," Monica said, sitting across from her in the living room. "Anonymous accounts spreading vague rumors. They're careful—no names, no direct claims—but it's a smear campaign waiting to explode."
"About the baby?"
"Not yet. But someone wants to damage your reputation."
Cassie shook her head. "Who gains from that?"
"Enemies. Exes. Even allies in disguise. And let's not pretend Julian has a spotless list of admirers."
Cassie glanced at the hallway. "He scares people."
"He intimidates them," Monica corrected. "But you—you're in danger now. This isn't just about a fake marriage anymore."
Cassie exhaled. "I don't think it ever was."
---
Julian returned late that evening, his face unreadable as ever.
Cassie met him at the door. "Tell me the truth. Have you done something—something that would make someone come after you? Or me?"
"Yes."
The bluntness shocked her.
Julian walked past her into the sitting room and poured a glass of whiskey. He didn't offer her one.
"I've made enemies. In business. In government. In private deals no one will ever read about. I've buried scandals and sabotaged competitors. I've walked into rooms where people didn't leave standing."
Cassie's breath caught. "And now I've tied myself to that."
Julian turned, eyes sharp. "You tied yourself to survival. Don't mistake protection for corruption."
She stepped closer. "But what happens when the threat doesn't come from the outside? What if it's you I need protection from?"
He didn't blink. "Then you'll know before I act. I don't lie, Cassie. I manipulate, I control—but I don't lie."
That somehow made it worse.
---
Later that night, Cassie went through her old boxes—pre-pregnancy, pre-CEO-empire, pre-Julian.
She found a photograph from her university days. Her with Nathan, arms tangled around each other at a charity ball. Smiling. Young. Naive.
She should have burned it. But she stared at it instead, until her eyes blurred.
Nathan had hurt her, yes. But he had also known her once—before all this. Before her world became bartered contracts and whispered threats.
She turned the photo over. A faded note in Nathan's handwriting said, "For our forever."
She dropped it back in the box.
Forever had expired.
---
The next morning, Julian summoned her to his private study. She had never been inside before.
It was a room of shadows—dark wood paneling, no windows, a single desk lit from above. No personal items, just books, ledgers, files.
Julian stood behind the desk. "We traced the message."
Cassie's heart thudded. "And?"
"It came from a burner device, activated outside our building, then discarded."
She frowned. "So we're back at square one."
"Not quite. We also traced the anonymous IPs behind the online rumors. They're all linked to one domain registrar in Zurich."
Cassie blinked. "Zurich?"
Julian nodded. "And guess who registered those sites months ago?"
He slid a photo across the desk.
Cassie picked it up—and froze.
Nathan.
"He knew about the baby before I told him," she whispered.
Julian's jaw was tight. "He's been watching you longer than you think."
She gripped the edge of the desk. "Why? He didn't want the baby. He said it ruined everything."
Julian's voice was cold. "Because now, it's not about the baby. It's about controlling you. Or destroying you."
Cassie's knees buckled. She sank into the chair.
"He's going to come after me, isn't he?"
"He already has."
---
That evening, Julian increased the security detail. Extra guards patrolled the building. Surveillance was doubled. Cassie wasn't allowed to leave the penthouse alone.
But she couldn't stay locked away.
"I want to go to the office," she said.
Julian looked up from his laptop. "No."
"I have to show them I'm not afraid."
"And what if he's waiting for you?"
"Then I'll look him in the eye and remind him I'm not the same girl he walked away from."
Julian studied her for a long time. Then nodded. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."
---
Cassie arrived at LinTech headquarters like a queen entering a war zone. Flanked by two bodyguards and Julian at her side, she walked through the glass doors with her chin high and her heels sharp.
Staff turned. Cameras clicked. Whispers spread like wildfire.
Her assistant greeted her with wide eyes. "Cassie... what's going on?"
Cassie smiled faintly. "Restructuring. Starting with my tolerance."
She spent the next two hours in back-to-back meetings. Every interaction was observed. Every silence, weighed. She didn't flinch.
Julian watched her, silently impressed.
Until the elevator opened unexpectedly.
Nathan stepped out.
Cassie froze.
He looked clean-cut, confident. As if nothing had ever broken.
"Cass," he said smoothly. "Fancy seeing you here."
Julian stepped forward immediately, but Cassie raised a hand.
She met Nathan's eyes. "You're trespassing."
He smiled. "I'm still on the board, remember? At least until the next vote. Thought I'd drop in."
Julian's voice was lethal. "You'll leave. Now."
Nathan didn't look at him. "You think you've won, Thorne. But she was mine first."
Cassie stepped between them. "I was never yours. I was just the one thing you couldn't control."
Nathan's smile faded.
Cassie's voice dropped. "And you're not the only one with leverage anymore."
Nathan's gaze shifted. Just for a second.
But Cassie saw it.
Fear.
Then he turned and walked away.
Julian exhaled. "You shouldn't have said that."
Cassie looked up at him. "Why not?"
"Because now he knows you're ready to fight."
She straightened. "Good. He should be scared."
---
That night, Cassie sat alone on the penthouse balcony, wind in her hair, belly under her hand. The city sparkled. But inside, she was storm.
Her phone buzzed.
A new message.
**Meet me. Alone. Or I tell the world everything.**
Her blood turned to ice.
She stared at the screen.
And then another message came in.
**You know where. Midnight. Come alone. Or lose everything.**