Then, suddenly, it all stops.
The laughter dies.
The voices fade.
Everything goes eerily silent, replaced by a distant, haunting melody that floats through the air like a soundtrack to my disorientation. I blink, trying to steady myself, and look up at Emma, who’s staring over my head, her eyes wide with shock.
“Emma?” I whisper, but she doesn’t respond. She’s frozen. I follow her gaze, my heart pounding in my chest.
Silas has Matt pinned against the stairwell wall.
Matt’s face is a horrifying shade of red, veins bulging from his forehead and neck as he gasps for air. His hands claw desperately at Silas’s arms, but Silas doesn’t budge. He’s an immovable force, all coiledrage, and barely contained violence. The fear in the room thickens like smoke, suffocating, as I realize Matt is moments away from passing out—or worse.
“You hurt her again, and I swear to God, I’ll break that knee you value so much,” Silas growls, his voice a low, lethal snarl. His blue eyes burn with cold fury, his teeth clenched in a way that looks almost feral.
Matt wheezes, his voice barely a whisper. “You do it all the damn time…”
“And that doesn’t give you the right to touch her,” Silas snaps, his grip tightening around Matt’s throat. “Lauren is mine—mine to handle, not yours, and sure as hell not anyone else's. Got it?”
Matt’s weak nod is the only response he can manage, his face a picture of terror.
Without warning, Silas shoves him hard. Matt stumbles, then tumbles down the stairs, his body slamming against the steps with sickening thuds, bouncing down until he crashes at the bottom—right in front of me. Emma yanks me back just in time, her grip tight on my arm.
“Take her to a hospital!” Silas shouts from above, his voice echoing through the stairwell like a command.
I look up at him, utterly confused, the pain in my head dulling everything around me except for the searing clarity of his words. Silas stands on the second floor, breathing heavily, his fists clenched at his sides, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. His gaze is fixed on me, but something’s different this time. His eyes are blazing, not with the usual condescending amusement, but with pure, unbridled rage. And for the first time, that rage isn’t aimed at me.
Silas always smiles when he’s angry at me. It’s a twisted, cruel smile—one that promises more torment to come. But now, there’s no smile. No sneer. Just raw fury. I can’t tell who it’s meant for—Matt, the others, or maybe even himself.
The silence stretches, thick and suffocating, until Emma breaks it, pulling me gently toward the door. “Lauren, let’s go. Now.” Her voiceis soft but urgent, and though I’m still in shock, I let her lead me away.
As we move, I glance back one last time at Silas, still standing at the top of the stairs, his eyes locked on me. For a moment, something flickers in his gazes, something unreadable, almost exposed—but then it’s gone, replaced by the hard, impenetrable mask he always wears.
And just like that, the moment is over.
Silas
Ispent the whole morning picturing how Lauren would react to this luxury apartment. The old Lauren would’ve just brushed it off as excessive, but I’m not sure if the Lauren standing in front of me now would see it the same way.
Why do I care so much about her opinion? Honestly, I don’t know.
When I open the door to the empty apartment, she steps in and her eyes go straight to the view of Manhattan, hermouth falling open in awe. So, she’s into the finer things. Good to know, because I live in this very building—just one floor up.
“How must it feel to wake up and have this view every morning?” she whispers, her breath fogging up the window.
She used to do this all the time—thinking she was having a private moment when she was actually speaking out loud.
“If you spend the night with me, you can find out,” I say quietly, shutting the door and turning my back on her.
The difference between us is that she can’t help being this way; I, on the other hand, am just a coward. Lauren turns around, a hint of confusion in her eyes. “What did you say?”
“Nothing,” I replied, already regretting my words.Coward. “Let me show you the rest of the place.”
We explore the apartment together; it’s a carbon copy of mine, except it’s empty. Room by room, I explain the materials, the purpose of each space, and provide bits of information she might need in case Andrew has any questions. I know Bunny has an incredible memory, so nothing will slip her mind.
I have to stop my fidgety hand from resting on her lower back more than once, the urge to touch her, to hold her close, is overwhelming.
“Is there anything I should know about the client?” she asks, pausing at the master bedroom window.
