Page 40 of Royal Deception

She exits the office, shutting the door behind her. Once she’s gone, I settle back in my chair and let out a long breath.

In just two sessions with me, she’s gained so much confidence. There’s something almost intoxicating about the way she’s blossoming under my attention. I’ve started to mold and shape her into the perfect assistant, the perfect woman. She’s becoming more capable, more unshakable.

At the same time, I know I’m playing a dangerous game here. The more time I spend with her, the more I crave her presence. It’s becoming a dark, unsettling ache, a twisted kind of yearning.

This is more than just admiration. I want more from her. But I can’t let myself get distracted by that.

I glance down at the dossier on my desk, a file full of security protocols for Callie Fitzgerald’s upcoming event, and my thoughts flicker to her.

Callie is everything I thought I wanted in a companion. Poised, elegant, confident, self-assured… Hell, if I were to pick the perfect woman, it would be someone like her.

Callie could stand by my side in this twisted, dark world I call home. She would weather the good, the bad, and the ugly with a steady, unwavering presence.

I sit back in my chair, fingers tapping absently against the armrest as I try to reconcile my thoughts. Callie’s strengths seem to be all of Clary’s weaknesses. Clary has never been particularly good under pressure. She’s messy. Complicated. She gets under my skin in a way that’s impossible to ignore.

But she also stirs something inside me that I didn’t realize I was missing until she stood in front of me, eyes full of challenge, daring me to make her obey.

A dark, insistent hunger rises inside me whenever she’s near. My jaw tightens, my pulse kicking up at the mere thought. I don’t feel that with Callie.

But still, Callie is the safer choice. The right choice. Clary is too much. She’s raw and unpredictable. She’s needy in a way that Callie isn’t.

But Clary makes me feel things I’ve never felt before, things I buried long ago under layers of caution and control. I don’t need that. My work is my life. There’s no room for emotions when running an empire. Clary doesn’t see that. But Callie understands it.

I rub my temples, willing my thoughts to quiet. I have more pressing matters—paperwork stacking higher by the hour, the Bratva looming like a storm on the horizon, and a new business to run. I don’t have time for distractions. Least of all, feelings I can’t control.

So I channel my energy into expanding the security firm, striking while the iron is hot. Lucky can run interference with the Russians. Clary said she could handle the investigation into the leak.

A flicker of doubt creeps in. Am I making the right call? I know I struggle to loosen the reins, to delegate, but I can’t handle everything alone.

I exhale slowly, gripping the edge of my desk. I have to trust them.

They’ll handle it. Clary will dig into the leak, Lucky will manage the Russians, and I’ll focus on the business.

Everything is under control.

I repeat the thought like a mantra, forcing myself to believe it. I tune out the nagging feeling in the back of my mind, the one whispering that I’m making a mistake. The one telling me that Clary is a distraction I can’t afford. That letting go, even just a little, is dangerous.

Instead, I push forward. The only way to survive in this world is to keep moving, keep strategizing, keep winning.

A chime from my computer screen breaks the silence, and I glance over to see a new email. I pause. It’s from Callie.

Subject: Urgent News!

I frown, clicking it open.

And just like that, everything else fades into the background.

18

CLARY

One of my many strengths, honed from years of working for Rory Brannagan, is my ability to find out anything I need. It’s part instinct, part survival skill. Working for a man like him has sharpened my instincts to a razor’s edge.

In our world, information is power, and I’ve learned that sometimes, the best way to get answers is to be whoever people need me to be.

I sit outside Veridex Headquarters, the company car idling as I run through my options. Bribery? Too risky. Hacking? Not my skillset. Threats? No, that’s more Rory’s style. I need something subtle. Something that gets me in without raising alarms.

Then it clicks.