"Wait."
"Boss?"
"The gifts," I asked. "Were they delivered?"
He paused, then understood. "All delivered. Every piece you personally selected."
"Did she..." I hesitated. "Did she wear them?"
Dmitri's expression shifted slightly. "According to Darya, the missus only wore the blue dress. Everything else remains untouched in the walk-in closet."
My fingers resumed their drumming, faster and harder than before.
"Fine." I waved him away.
Alone in the study, I stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the snow-covered forest beyond.
What the hell does this woman want?
Jewelry? She refuses it.
Designer clothes? She won't wear them.
Money? She won't touch it.
I'd given her everything women dream of, and she acted like it didn't exist.
This silent rejection irritated me more than any fierce resistance could.
I was used to solving problems with money and power. But with Noelle, none of it worked.
Freedom?
That was the one thing I couldn't give her right now.
I decided to find answers myself.
The surveillance showed her in the library, so I went there quietly.
This library had been my father's favorite place. Dark oak shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, housing over ten thousand books. Fire danced in the hearth, adding warmth to the massive space.
There she was—curled on the carpet by the window, back against the bookshelf, a heavy art book spread across her knees.
I recognized it—Iceland: The Land of Ice and Fire, something I'd had shipped from New York last week.
She was sketching in a drawing pad, copying glaciers and aurora from the book with charcoal.
Her expression was focused and peaceful, as if her soul had already flown to that distant world.
Sunlight bathed her, casting a soft glow across her profile. Her fingers holding the charcoal were delicate but steady, each stroke revealing her hunger for freedom.
I held my breath.
This scene reminded me of years ago—a little girl from a family I'd had executed for conspiring with Kieran against me.
She'd had that same look of longing.
But that girl had died by my gun, the light in her eyes extinguished in an instant.
