Page 17 of Royal Deception (Royals of the Underworld #2)

RORY

W hen my driver picks me up, I’m only half-awake by the time we head to the office, sipping my coffee as the city blurs past the tinted glass.

I exhale slowly as the driver pulls up to the Brannagan Enterprises building. My thoughts are a mess, still tangled in the events of last night. Clary’s sudden shift—the way she took control, even for just a moment—unsettled something in me.

And I liked it. Maybe too much.

But now it’s time to focus. There’s no room for distractions when the workday starts.

The office hums with activity as I enter, Clary already seated at her desk.

Her head is bent over a tablet, taking notes, and the sight of her should be grounding.

Instead, I find myself watching the way her fingers move over the screen, remembering the way they moved over me last night.

She looks up as I approach, her expression neutral, professional, as it should be. I don’t know why that irks me, but it bothers me that she can just put yesterday behind her like that, as though she didn’t shatter the carefully constructed rules I’d set in place.

“Good morning, Mr. Brannagan.” She stands and hands me a file folder. “Here’s more information faxed over from Miss Fitzgerald for the premiere event.”

Our fingers brush when I take it from her, but she doesn’t react.

“Morning,” I reply, struggling to keep my tone even.

Needing some distance to clear my head, I step into my office, settling down to begin working, burying myself in reports and calls.

Several hours pass, and I start to believe that I might actually get through the day when my phone buzzes. Lucky’s name flashes across the screen, and my stomach sinks. Lately, he’s only been calling to deliver bad news.

“What is it this time?” I growl, impatient to hear about whatever world-ending catastrophe has come our way.

“There’s been a leak,” he says, his voice devoid of emotion. “Veridex had information leaked to their competitor, Nexera. My sources tell me the Russians are behind it.”

My grip tightens around the phone. “How bad?” I ask, my jaw clenched.

“We don’t have all the details yet, but this is big. The Russians are escalating. They’ve moved from their usual games to something much more serious. We need to act fast.”

I exhale slowly, trying to rein in my anger.

Ever since we got into bed with the company, Veridex’s problems have become our problems. Some part of me thinks maybe it was a mistake not to cut Mark Veridan loose after the stunt he pulled—withholding information about his ties to the Russians—but I let my pride get in the way, and now I can’t back out of the deal.

That’s always been my worst flaw, my biggest weakness—my pride.

I exhale through my nose, my fingers tapping restlessly on the desk. Danny’s death still stings, knowing that I was the one who put him in the position to have to take a bullet for that bastard Veridan.

I trusted Danny. He was one of my best men and in the blink of an eye, he was nothing but cannon fodder in this never-ending fucking war with the Russians.

I know the rules of this life, this world we’ve built for ourselves. Amassing power means that sometimes, you have to do what’s best for the good of the many. Sacrifices have to be made.

But knowing that doesn’t make the guilt any easier to carry. I have a duty to protect those under me, and the weight of every life lost sits heavily on my chest.

On top of all that, we have a leak now. Fucking Russian assholes. I’m so irritated that I stand up, starting to pace.

They know our weaknesses now. They know where to strike. I can’t help feeling like we’re walking the knife’s edge. Those Bratva bastards will stop at nothing to prove they’re the biggest and baddest in town.

I need to find out exactly what information has been compromised and find a way to stop it before things get out of hand.

This is exactly how we lost the fight last time.

We didn’t stem the tide, and all sorts of information came out about our side in the press, who had a field day smearing our names.

“I need to see you in my office, Clary. Now,” I say as I press the intercom button.

Just a few moments later, she stands in front of me, her eyes trained on mine.

“There’s been a leak,” I tell her, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Veridex’s biggest competitor has intel on them.

It came from somewhere, so we need to find out where.

We know the Russians are behind it, but we don’t know how or why. ”

She nods, her expression serious. “What do you need me to do?”

I hesitate, trying to weigh my options. “I need someone I can trust to investigate this, someone who can get answers without tipping off the wrong people. We can’t afford to make any mistakes.”

She meets my eyes, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll handle it,” she says, her voice firm. “I’m the best person for the job.”

The words hang in the air between us for a moment, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of admiration for her confidence. But I push it down, my mind racing with the urgency of the situation. “Get me Miles O’Malley, or maybe Niall Gallagher,” I say, quickly moving past her offer.

But Clary steps forward, a steely look in her eyes. “I can handle this, Rory,” she says, her voice firm. “I have a theory that it’s probably an inside job. Someone at Veridex had an agenda, and they’re the ones who sent the information to the Russians.”

“It could have been a hired gun,” I push back. “The Russians know we’re protecting Veridex now, so they have all the motive to hack Veridex’s systems. They’ve done it before, too.”

“I disagree,” she persists, leaning forward to place her hands on my desk. “If we dig deep enough, we’ll find the mole inside the company. I’m certain of it.”

For a long moment, I just stare at her, my jaw flexing as it tightens. Clary’s sudden surge of confidence is almost unnerving. For a fleeting moment, I find myself questioning my instincts.

But she’s not wrong to want to look deeper. And there’s something about her assurance that makes me feel like I’m underestimating her.

“Fine,” I say, my voice breaking the silence. “You want to handle it? Then I expect results. And no mistakes this time.” The weight of those last words lingers between us, a reminder of how she overlooked a crucial detail just recently, the one that got us into this mess in the first place.

Clary blows out a breath, as though holding herself back from saying more, and instead nods. “Understood, Mr. Brannagan.”

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.