This wasn’t a business move.
Not since the moment she met his eyes at Dot’s. Unblinking. Unshaken.
And now?
She was in his world.
Working at his club.
His domain.
He set the glass down carefully, as if precision could rebuild what was slipping.
A sharp knockfractured the hush.
He heard the click of heels. Precise. Clipped.
His jaw locked.
Evelyn Blackwell had a radar for disruption, especially when it came wrapped in female form. She’d built a legacy on control and eliminated every woman who’d threatened it.
Gideon didn’t have to wonder how she’d found out. She always found out.
She’d sniffed out Isabel long before things could turn serious. One surgical conversation. One leaked rumor. And then, Isabel had disappeared.
He hadn’t stopped her.
It had been cleaner that way.
But Arden wasn’t Isabel.
And Evelyn had noticed.
She stepped into the office like she owned the oxygen.
Impeccable. Icy. Unyielding.
Her silver hair was twisted into something flawless and sharp.
The navy suit didn’t soften her; it was sculpted armor.
Every breath, every angle, claimed the space.
Her gaze swept the room. Cataloging. Calculating. Then it landed on him.
A pause.
Half acknowledgment. Half warning.
“Arden Rivers.”
She spoke the name as if it were an ingredient on a label: unfamiliar. Suspicious. “A rather… unconventional choice.”
The pause before unconventional was purposeful. Sleek disapproval disguised as poise.
“She’s none of your concern,” Gideon said.
Evelyn’s smile cut with precision. “Isn’t she?”
