Nova POV
Everything around went silent. Not literally because the music was still there, all soft and pretty like nothing ugly ever happened in the world but in my head, it was just static.
Luca’s hand was out.
Grant’s grip around my waist was solid.
And every pair of eyes on that dancing floor and in that hall felt like they were pressing against my skin, waiting to see which man I’d choose.
I wanted to scream. Out of the endless cycle of being pulled between two giants who both think they could own .
Luca’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Co on, sweetheart. We wouldn’t want people thinking you’re ungrateful."
Every syllable was a warning wrapped in fake polite.
Grant’s chest rose and fell against my back. He didn’t move, and he didn’t speak either but I could feel the heat radiating off him.
The anger. The possessiveness.
The promise that if I took Luca’s hand, blood would spill before midnight.
And yet, that wasn’t what scared .
What scared was how much of wanted to take neither.
"I’m not doing this here," I said quietly. My voice sounded foreign and too calm for the chaos boiling inside .
Luca tilted his head. "Oh, but you will. Because if you walk away now, Nova, I can’t promise what I’ll do with the Flash drive. You know the one I an."
Grant’s grip tightened like a reflex. "Say that again," he muttered, low enough for only to hear.
Luca’s eyes flicked down, and for a second I saw it, the thrill. He wanted this. He wanted Grant to lose it, to make a scene, to prove he was just as dangerous as the rumors said.
So I did the only thing I could. I forced a smile that hurt.
"Of course," I said, taking Luca’s hand.
Grant’s breath caught behind , and the sound alone nearly broke .
But I had to do it. Because if I didn’t, Luca would have power again and I needed him to think I was still under his thumb.
Luca’s palm was cold against mine. He led into the middle of the room, spinning into his fra with that sa calculated grace that made everyone watching believe we were lovers.
"Good girl," he whispered against my ear. "Now smile for your audience."
I did. I smiled like my world wasn’t crumbling. Like Grant’s stare from across the dance floor wasn’t slicing open.
But beneath the practiced curve of my lips, I whispered back, "Enjoy it while it lasts."
His smile twitched. "What was that?"
"I said," I leaned in closer, pretending to rest my head on his shoulder, "you’ve made your last threat."
And before he could react, I pressed the tracker Grant had slipped into my hands earlier why we were dancing, right beneath the cuff of his jacket. It was quick, silent, and swiftly invisible.
The violins swelled, the lights glimred gold, and for the first ti that night, I wasn’t scared anymore
Luca’s hand pressed low on my back as we moved in slow circles, but his mind was sowhere else. I could see it in the way his eyes darted around the room.
He wasn’t relaxed anymore. He was watching. Calculating.
"Still pretending?" he murmured, voice low and sharp. "You’ve gotten better at it."
"I learned from the best," I replied, keeping my tone light.
He chuckled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "You really think you can outmaneuver , Nova? You’ve always been too emotional. That’s your weakness."
"I’m emotional," I said, "not stupid."
He leaned closer. "Then why are you still dancing with when you know I own everything that could ruin you?"
I forced a small smile. "Because I’m buying ti."
He frowned. "For what?"
"For you to make your biggest mistake yet."
His grip tightened instantly. "Careful, doll."
I t his gaze. "You said you brought the flash drive here tonight. I need proof it exists."
He smirked. "Need or want?"
"Both," I said, my tone flat.
He stopped moving. The dance ended right there in the middle of the floor, other couples spinning around us. He slipped his hand into his inner jacket pocket, pulled out the small silver flash drive, and dangled it between two fingers.
It glimred under the chandelier light small, simple, but deadly.
"Beautiful things, aren’t they?" he said softly. "So much power in sothing so tiny. This—" he raised it higher "—is the only copy. And you’ll never see what’s on it unless I say so."
I stared at it for half a second. Then I smiled.
"Good," I whispered.
"Still think you’re the only one holding power?" I said quietly, stepping back.
Luca’s smirk faltered for the first ti. "What did you just do?"
I smiled. "Took my life back."
He reached for his pocket, realizing it was empty. His face drained of color.
"What the fuck did you—"
"Lose sothing?" I said, cutting him off, still smiling like the perfect date.
Grant was already moving through the crowd before Luca could finish his curse. I saw him out of the corner of my eye broad shoulders, jaw set, eyes burning straight through Luca.
I didn’t stop him this ti.
Luca turned to , eyes sharp with panic. "You don’t know what you’ve done."
"Oh, I do," I whispered, stepping closer so only he could hear. "You just don’t know what cos next."
And before he could grab , I slipped back into the crowd, the flash drive secured beneath my bracelet.
Grant’s voice echoed behind , low and dangerous.
"Now it’s my turn to dance.
I turned slightly to catch a glimpse of him over my shoulder.
Grant’s jaw locked with his eyes fixed on Luca like he was already calculating every way to tear him apart.
And yet, when his gaze t mine, the fury softened.
Just for a heartbeat.
Then it vanished again, replaced by that cold, deliberate calm I’d co to recognize as danger.
Luca smiled, that smug little curl of his lips that made my skin crawl. "You really think you can protect her from ?" he asked, voice smooth as oil. "You couldn’t even protect yourself."
Grant didn’t answer. He moved closer, slow and steady, the crowd began to sense the shift in the air, the way silence humd beneath the music and I felt torn in half.
Because part of wanted to run to Grant, to bury myself in his arms and let him take care of everything.
Luca tilted his head, watching too closely. "You didn’t think I’d notice, did you?"
His eyes flicked to my hand. My bracelet.
Shit.
Grant saw it too. His shoulders shifted, muscles coiling like he was seconds from lunging.
"Grant," I whispered.
It ca out softer than I ant, trembling around the edges.
He didn’t look away from Luca. "Step back, Nova."
But I couldn’t. Because the mont I did, I’d lose what little power I had left.
Luca chuckled under his breath, reaching inside his jacket pocket. "You know, sweetheart, for soone who plays at being clever, you really do have a death wish."
"Don’t," Grant warned, voice low and sharp.
The way he said it made everyone nearby pause. Even Luca hesitated just long enough for the tension to coil tighter around the room.
People were watching now. They could see two n with history, and a woman in the middle holding secrets unknown to them.
Luca’s grin widened, like he was enjoying the performance. "What are you going to do, lover boy? Shoot in front of an audience?"
Grant’s expression didn’t change, but I saw his hand twitch at his side.
"No," he said quietly. "But if you touch her again, I won’t need a gun."
My heart slamd in my chest.
Because I knew him.
When Grant’s voice dropped to steady, cold and controlled, it ant he’d already made his choice.
And I wasn’t about to let him lose himself because of .
I took a step between them. "Stop."
Neither moved.
"Grant, please," I said again, lower this ti. "He’s not worth it."
For a second, Grant’s eyes found mine and I saw it, the storm under the surface. The anger, the hurt, the love.
Then—
The lights flickered once.
Twice.
And went out.
Gasps filled the room. The music screeched to a stop.
Soone shouted. A glass shattered.
And in the dark, I felt Grant’s hand grabbing mine.
"Stay behind ," he breathed near my ear.
But before I could even answer, a flash of tal caught the faint light from the ergency exit—
And Luca’s voice cut through the chaos, calm and terrifying:
"You should’ve walked away when you had the chance."
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