Page 75 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal
"I need you at my place. Twenty minutes." The words came out more like a growl, but I was past caring about being careful.
A pause. "Lucian, what happened?"
"Just—please. I can't go to a hotel tonight. I need…" I ran my hand through my hair, staring out at the Chicago skyline that had become my kingdom and my prison. "I need to see you. Really see you."
"I'll be there in fifteen."
The line went dead, and I closed my eyes, letting the first real breath I'd taken all day fill my lungs.
I saw the light at the end of this tunnel where my rage would melt into desire and relief would come.
The elevator ride to the parking garage felt eternal. My reflection in the polished steel doors showed a man I barely recognized—jaw tight, eyes dark with rage and fatigue.
Daniel's betrayal cut worse than Viktoria's calculated attacks. She was my enemy.
I'd expected her venom. But him?
We'd shared bourbon and war stories, celebrated victories and mourned losses together. Now he was willing to sacrifice me to save his own position.
Traffic moved at a crawl through downtown, every red light an exercise in restraint.
My knuckles went white gripping my phone as the driver navigated traffic while I replayed the meeting.
The way Daniel avoided eye contact when he delivered his ultimatum. How the other board members shifted uncomfortably, waiting to see which way the wind would blow.
Twenty years of building an empire, and it could all crumble because of gossip blog speculation and my ex-wife's thirst for revenge.
By the time I reached my penthouse, my entire body felt the tension.
I poured three fingers of bourbon and knocked it back, welcoming the burn.
Then I heard the elevator, and my heart rate spiked for entirely different reasons.
Tessa stepped into my foyer like a breath of fresh air and my anger drained out of me, leaving only my fatigue and overwhelm. One look at my face and her expression shifted to concern as she started toward me.
"What did Daniel do?" she asked, undoing her hair and letting it fall down.
"He's listening to her." The words tasted bitter. "Viktoria has him convinced that I'm a liability. That the board needs to consider my 'temporary removal' while they investigate these rumors."
Her eyes widened. "He said that?"
"Twenty years, Tessa. Twenty fucking years of friendship, and he's ready to throw me under the bus the moment Viktoria whispers in his ear about shareholder confidence." I set theglass down a little too hard as anger started to collect again. "He's scared. She's threatening him somehow, and he'd rather sacrifice me than stand up to her."
She moved closer, her hand reaching for my arm. "Maybe he's trying to protect the company?—"
"He's trying to protect himself." The rage I'd been holding back all afternoon erupted. "Daniel's always been a coward when it came to real conflict. But I thought our friendship meant more than his political calculations."
"Lucian—"
"She knows exactly what she's doing. Feed Daniel just enough fear about his own position, make him believe he has to choose between loyalty and survival, and watch him crumble." I scoffed and drove my hand through my hair. "It's brilliant, really. Turn my closest ally against me before moving in for the kill."
Tessa stepped closer, her hands framing my face. "Look at me."
I met her eyes, seeing my own pain reflected in their depths. She understood betrayal in ways most people never would—how it felt to watch colleagues turn against you, to question every relationship when trust became a luxury you couldn't afford.
"We'll figure this out," she said quietly. "Whatever she's planning, whatever Daniel thinks he's protecting, we'll find a way through it."
Her faith in me, in us, when everything else felt uncertain—it undid me. I pulled her against my body, my mouth finding hers with desperate hunger.
