"Then you let her go."
"I can't." The admission is raw. "I can't fucking let her go."
"Then you better make damn sure this is worth it for her." He finishes his whiskey. "Starting with keeping her safe. Luca's hurt and angry. That makes him unpredictable."
"He won't hurt her. She's his daughter."
"Maybe. But what about others? Your numerous enemies will hurt her just to spite you.”
He's right. Fucking hell. He’s right. This was a terrible idea.
"Put extra security on her wing," I order. "No one gets close without clearance."
"Already done."
Of course it is. Viktor's always three steps ahead.
"Anything else?" he asks.
"Yeah. Find out what Luca's saying. What he's planning. I need to know if he's coming after us."
"And if he is?"
"Then we fucking deal with it."
Viktor leaves, and I'm alone with my whiskey and my thoughts.
Did I do the right thing, telling Luca the truth?
I replay the conversation in my head. His face when I confessed. The betrayal in his eyes. His fists breaking my nose.
I could have kept lying. Could have found another way to end the engagement without revealing my relationship with Aurora. Could have protected the friendship.
But that would have meant more lies. More sneaking around. More pretending.
And I'm done pretending.
A soft knock interrupts my spiral.
"Come in."
Margareta enters, carrying a tray. "Miss Aurora refused the food, sir. Said she wasn't hungry. She requested to be left alone."
I run my hands through my hair, this is uncharted fucking territory, I don’t know how to deal with emotions. "Thank you, Margareta. Make sure someone checks on her in a few hours. She needs to eat something."
"Of course, sir." She hesitates. "If I may... the young lady seems very distressed."
"She is."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Just… make her comfortable. Let her know she's safe here."
After Margareta leaves, I sit in the dark and wonder if that's true.
Is Aurora safe here? Or have I just traded one cage for another?
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number.