Episode 10 Continue the Story
“No.”
Fay stood so quickly that her chair nearly toppled backward.
The sound echoed through the library.
Kent didn’t flinch.
“Fay—”
“I am not marrying Daniel.”
Her voice rose with every word.
“The same Daniel who lied to me? The same Daniel who used me as a cover story? The same Daniel I caught cheating?”
Kent remained frustratingly calm.
“Technically, he wasn’t cheating.”
Fay stared.
Then stared harder.
“You are not helping your case.”
For a brief moment, Kent’s mouth twitched.
Almost a smile.
Almost.
Unfortunately for him, Fay was far too angry to appreciate it.
“This conversation is over.”
She turned toward the door.
Unfortunately, someone chose that exact moment to walk through it.
“Actually…”
Daniel Lippert stepped into the room.
“…I think we should hear him out.”
Fay froze.
Her expression darkened instantly.
“Absolutely not.”
Daniel winced.
Fair.
Very fair.
He had earned that reaction.
The next ten minutes were awkward enough to qualify as torture.
Fay sat on one side of the library.
Daniel sat on the other.
Kent occupied the space between them like a very dangerous referee.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The silence became unbearable.
Finally, Daniel sighed.
“I deserve that.”
Fay folded her arms.
“You deserve worse.”
“Also fair.”
At least he wasn’t arguing.
That was new.
Daniel leaned forward.
“I know you’re angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
Daniel blinked.
Fay smiled sweetly.
The smile was terrifying.
“I’m furious.”
“Right.”
“Angry was three days ago.”
Kent wisely remained silent.
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Yet somehow you managed.”
The words landed hard.
Guilt flashed across Daniel’s face.
Real guilt.
Not the fake kind.
For a moment, Fay almost felt bad.
Almost.
Then she remembered Colin.
The hallway.
The lies.
And the sympathy disappeared.
“Why would I agree to this?”
Fay looked directly at Kent.
The question was simple.
The answer wasn’t.
Kent’s expression became serious.
“Because Lorenzo Alden isn’t the only person who knows who you are.”
The room grew quiet.
Fay’s stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the moment news spreads, every enemy your father ever made will start looking for you.”
Daniel nodded.
Unfortunately.
That made the situation feel even more real.
Kent stood and walked toward the window.
The city glittered below.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Much like the world he controlled.
“Most people believe Lorenzo’s daughter disappeared years ago.”
Fay swallowed.
“And if they discover she didn’t?”
Kent looked back at her.
“Then you’ll become the most valuable woman in the mafia world.”
The answer sent a chill through her body.
Because she understood exactly what he meant.
Kidnapping.
Blackmail.
Political alliances.
Marriage.
People wouldn’t see Fay.
They’d see opportunity.
Daniel broke the silence.
“That’s where I come in.”
Fay frowned.
“I don’t remember asking.”
A small smile appeared on his face.
There was the Daniel she remembered.
The sarcastic one.
The annoying one.
“We announce an engagement.”
“No.”
“We tell everyone we’re getting married.”
“No.”
“We unite the Alden and Lippert families.”
“No.”
“We buy you time.”
Fay paused.
That part got her attention.
Daniel noticed immediately.
“Nobody attacks the fiancée of a Lippert.”
The statement carried weight.
Even Kent didn’t disagree.
Daniel continued.
“Everyone will assume you’re under my family’s protection.”
Fay hated that it made sense.
She hated it.
A lot.
Unfortunately, it still made sense.
The conversation continued long into the evening.
Arguments.
Counterarguments.
Threats.
More arguments.
At one point Fay seriously considered throwing a book at both men.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
She dropped back into her chair.
“I hate this plan.”
Daniel grinned.
“That’s not a no.”
“I hate you.”
“Still not a no.”
Kent hid a smile behind his whiskey glass.
Fay noticed.
“Stop enjoying this.”
“Enjoying what?”
“The fact that I’m suffering.”
Kent’s expression remained innocent.
Completely fake innocence.
Which somehow made it worse.
Hours later, Daniel finally left the library.
The mansion became quiet again.
For the first time all night, Fay found herself alone with Kent.
The realization immediately made her nervous.
Because arguments with Daniel were easy.
Kent wasn’t.
Kent was dangerous in an entirely different way.
“You’re staring.”
His deep voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“No, I’m not.”
“You are.”
Fay looked away.
Immediately.
Which proved his point.
Annoying man.
Kent approached slowly.
The distance between them shrank.
Just enough.
Not enough to be inappropriate.
More than enough to be distracting.
“You’re afraid.”
The observation surprised her.
“Of what?”
Kent’s gaze lingered on her face.
“The future.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Again.
She hated when he wasn’t wrong.
“What if my entire life changes?”
Kent’s expression softened.
A rare occurrence.
“What if it does?”
The answer caught her off guard.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The air between them felt heavier.
Warmer.
Dangerously intimate.
Fay’s heart beat a little too fast.
Kent noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He always noticed.
Then, before either of them could say something reckless, a knock sounded at the library door.
One of Kent’s men entered.
His face was pale.
Concerned.
Urgent.
“Kent.”
The room instantly changed.
Every trace of warmth vanished from Kent’s expression.
“What is it?”
The guard hesitated.
Then delivered the news.
“We found one of Lorenzo Alden’s men outside the estate.”
Silence.
Fay’s blood ran cold.
The guard swallowed.
“He was watching the house.”
Kent slowly turned toward Fay.
His eyes darker than she’d ever seen them.
Because suddenly their problem wasn’t theoretical anymore.
Someone already knew where she was.
To be continued…
