Page 68 of The Beast's Broken Angel
“Collectors, critics, buyers with actual money rather thanjust aesthetic opinions.” Sophia's smile sharpened slightly. “Your sister has genuine talent, Noah. But talent without proper connections remains forever undiscovered.”
I sipped my tea, buying time to think. Everything in Adrian's world came with strings attached, debts that accumulated interest in ways you didn't understand until it was too late. “And what would those connections cost?”
“Smart question.” Sophia's approval felt like a test I'd unexpectedly passed. “Nothing, directly. But relationships in our world require careful maintenance. Loyalties, once established, tend to become... permanent.”
The warning was delivered with grandmotherly warmth, but the steel underneath was unmistakable. Isabelle's career advancement would come with obligations, expectations that would bind our family to the Calloway empire in ways that went beyond my current arrangement.
“You're concerned about my influence on Adrian,” I said, cutting through the polite conversation to the heart of what she really wanted to discuss.
Sophia's laugh was genuinely delighted. “Direct. I like that about you. Yes, I'm concerned. But not in the way you might think.”
She leaned forward slightly, her expression shifting from social politeness to something more serious. “Adrian has never brought anyone to Ravenswood who wasn't either family or business. Never shared his private spaces, never allowed anyone to see him without his armour firmly in place. Yet here you are, wearing his marks like jewellery, smelling like his cologne, looking like a man who's been thoroughly claimed.”
My face burned, but I didn't look away. “Is that a problem?”
“It's unprecedented,” she corrected. “Which makes it either very dangerous or very valuable. Possibly both.”
I set down my teacup, needing something to do with my hands. “What do you want from me, Mrs. Calloway?”
“Sophia, please. And what I want is for you to understand what you've gotten yourself into.” She paused, studying me with those sharp eyes that seemed to see everything. “Adrian doesn't do relationships, Noah. He does possessions. Acquisitions. Strategic alliances.”
“I know what he is,” I said quietly.
“Do you?” She tilted her head, bird-like in her focus. “Because what I saw in my grandson's face when he looked at you last night wasn't calculation. It was hunger. The kind that destroys men like him if they're not careful.”
The observation sent a chill down my spine, but not the kind I expected. Instead of fear, I felt something that might have been pride. The idea that I could affect Adrian Calloway enough to crack his careful control was intoxicating in ways I didn't want to examine.
“He told me I had a choice,” I said, remembering his words from the night before. “That he wanted me to choose him.”
“And did you?”
The question was loaded with implications I wasn't ready to face. Because the truth was that I had chosen him. Not just in that moment, but in every moment since I'd signed his contract. Every time I could have run and hadn't. Every time I'd stood my ground instead of backing down.
“I think I've been choosing him all along,” I admitted, the words feeling like confession. “I just didn't want to admit it.”
Sophia's smile was soft, almost maternal. “Then you need to understand the rules of the game you've entered. Because Adrian's world doesn't forgive mistakes, and the people who love him tend to become targets.”
Love. The word hit me like a punch to the chest, stealing my breath. Because that's what this was, wasn't it? Thisconsuming need, this willingness to surrender everything I'd believed about myself. Love, twisted and dangerous and completely fucking insane.
“How do I protect myself?” I asked, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.
“You don't,” Sophia said simply. “You protect him. And in protecting him, you protect yourself. But Noah—” Her expression turned serious, almost grave. “Once you're truly his, there's no going back. The Calloway family doesn't let go of what belongs to it.”
Before I could respond, the door opened without ceremony. Adrian stood in the doorway, still wearing yesterday's clothes, his hair slightly mussed, looking like he'd been running on pure adrenaline for hours. His eyes found mine immediately, and the heat in his gaze sent electricity racing through my nervous system.
“Grandmother,” he said without looking away from me. “I need to speak with Noah privately.”
Sophia rose gracefully, patting my shoulder as she passed. “Think about what I said, dear. And remember—in this family, loyalty is rewarded, but betrayal is unforgivable.”
The warning was clearly meant for both of us. After she left, Adrian closed the door with a soft click that sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet room.
“You look like you've been thinking,” he observed, moving closer with that predatory grace that made my pulse quicken.
“Hard not to,” I replied, standing to face him. “Last night changed things.”
“Did it?” He stopped just close enough that I could smell his cologne, see the faint stubble along his jaw, feel the heat radiating from his body. “Or did it just make obvious what was already there?”
The question was dangerous territory, but I found myself stepping into it anyway. “What was already there?”