Chapter 4

On the ride back, Maren remained in the passenger seat. Jaxson instructed the driver to take a detour to drop her at her fortified townhouse first.

I sat in the back, messaging a broker in Paris to finalize the deposit on my new house.

"Move to the front," Jaxson ordered.

I didn't look up from my screen. "No need."

A heavy pause settled over the car.

Then he said, "Suit yourself."

I ignored him and authorized the wire transfer. The sunlit apartment in Paris was officially mine.

Back at the penthouse, Jaxson pulled a thick, leather-bound portfolio from his briefcase and dropped it onto the coffee table.

"Take a look."

I opened it. It was a custom bridal catalog for our upcoming ceremony.

"Pick one soon," he said, loosening his tie.

"The union is in a month. The tailors need time to source the materials."

He reached over and tapped a finger on a sprawling, dramatic gown adorned with delicate, hand-stitched white orchids.

"This one suits you."

A flicker of disgust died before it could reach my eyes.

White orchids. Maren's signature flower. Even now, he was dressing me in her image.

In the past, I would have thrown the catalog at him and demanded to know why she was always in his head.

Now? I just offered a nod.

"Sure. That one is fine."

I was leaving in two days. What did I care about a dress for a wedding I would never attend?

Jaxson looked immensely pleased by my submission. He stepped closer, pressing a lingering, approving kiss to my forehead.

"Good girl," he murmured.

"This is how it should be. I didn't like your hostile attitude earlier today. Don't let it happen again, understand?"

He turned and walked into the master bathroom.

I immediately grabbed a harsh antiseptic wipe from the counter and scrubbed my forehead until the skin was burning and red.

At 9:00 PM, Jaxson climbed into bed. The lights went out. His phone was placed face down on the nightstand, and the comms unit was secured in his right ear.

He didn't notice that my vanity was cleared of my belongings. He didn't see the packed bag sitting in the shadows by the door.

His utter indifference used to kill me. Now, it was my greatest advantage.

Around midnight, a shrill, tinny scream bled out from his earpiece, shattering the dead silence of the bedroom.

Jaxson bolted upright. The ruthless boss who never showed an ounce of fear was trembling.

"Maren? What's wrong?" he roared into the comms.

In the quiet of the night, I could faintly hear her hysterical sobbing through the earpiece.

Jaxson didn't hesitate. He vaulted out of bed, grabbed his holster from the safe, and sprinted out of the penthouse.

So much for the unbreakable 9 PM blackout. Every ironclad rule he possessed could be shattered into a million pieces the second Maren needed him.

I couldn't sleep after that. I opened my phone and logged into the Syndicate's underground network. The feed was blowing up.

[A rat from a rival cartel breached the downtown administrative building! Maren Shay was working late inside!]

[Live update: The rat was trying to break down her office door, but the Boss got there just in time!]

[I've never seen the Boss like this. He looked like a wild animal. He's beating the guy half to death with his bare hands!]

[The cleaners are en route. It's an absolute bloodbath.]

Someone uploaded a video. I clicked play.

Just as the comments said, the man who constantly preached about discipline, rules, and emotional composure had lost his mind.

In the footage, Jaxson was relentlessly driving his fists into a masked man's skull, long after the threat was neutralized.

He didn't stop until his own enforcers physically pulled him off.

Panting, his knuckles dripping with blood, Jaxson turned. He pulled Maren into his chest, burying her face in his coat so she wouldn't see the gore on the floor.

"Don't look," I heard him whisper. "I've got you. You're safe."

The video went viral across the dark network. The comments were practically worshiping him.

[A man who protects his woman with that kind of lethal devotion is the ultimate king.]

I stared at the screen for a long time.

I scrolled to the top comment—May they rule together forever—and hit 'like.'

Then, I logged out.

Jaxson didn't come home that night. I hadn't expected him to.

I slept perfectly and woke up at 6:00 AM.

I picked up my duffel, double-checked my passports, and took one last look at the bridal portfolio sitting on the table.

I dropped my penthouse key on top of the white orchids.

Without a single glance backward, I walked out the door.

By the time I reached the private airstrip, the sun was cresting over the skyline. I opened the Syndicate registry one last time and pinned a public notice to my profile:

Blood Oath Nullified.

Then, I boarded the jet.

As the wheels left the tarmac and the plane pierced the clouds, Jaxson and I were done, in this life and the next.