Arden turned slightly, catching her gaze in the reflection of the window.
Penny didn’t smile this time.
She said it again, softer now. Clearer.
“Whether you want them or not.”
Arden didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
The words landed in the space between them and stayed there.
Outside,the city stretched toward them, sharp and bright. Manhattan’s skyline blinked into view—familiar, fast, unyielding.
The train rattled forward, pulling them back into its grip.
Back into reality.
Back into the shadows.
The warmth of the Haverfords’ kitchen felt too far behind.
Too soft. Too safe to trust.
And deep in her chest, where instinct lived, a cold certainty unfurled—quiet, instinctive, impossible to shake.
Whoever had sent the note…
Whoever had left the rose…
They weren’t gone.
They were just getting started.
CHAPTER 44
The Legacy of Chains
The Blackwell Enterprises building rose sleek and unyielding, all mirrored glass and sharp lines. Its windows didn’t mirror the skyline in awe; they thrust it back like a warning.
Inside, everything shone. Marble stretched wall to wall under gold trim and steel’s gleam. Light scattered from chandeliers above, glass prisms catching enough sparkle to say:you don’t belong here unless we say you do.
Gideon walked the corridors unhurried. He didn’t need to be. The place knew him—footsteps, authority, a silence carried like a weapon. His coat shifted with each stride, black wool cutting clean lines through the building’s golden sheen.
Ahead, the doors to Evelyn’s office stood open.
She was already seated, posture straight, every movement intentional. The skyline stretched out behind her in glass and steel, casting a cool glow across the room. Evelyn Blackwell didn’t need to rise or speak to assert control; her presence did the work. The sleek twist of her silver hair. The gleam of polished wood. The way she folded her hands with quiet precision.
“Gideon,” she said with a cool smile, “always punctual. Have a seat.”
He didn’t sit.
“You asked for this meeting. What is it?”
She gestured to the chair across from her. He stayed standing.
If she noticed, or cared, it didn’t show.
“I want to revisit your place in this family,” she said. “The expectations that come with it. Responsibilities.”
