"She's treating me like I'm helpless." His voice is cold. Flat. The kind of cold that comes right before violence.
"She's being considerate."
"Considerate." He repeats the word like it's poison. Like it tastes bitter on his tongue. "She cut my food into small pieces, Artan. Like I'm a child who can't be trusted with a knife."
"She's making things easier so you can eat without struggling."
"Like an invalid." He stands abruptly. The chair scrapes against the floor with a harsh screech. "That's what I am now. Someone who needs special accommodations."
I keep my voice low. Steady. "You're making progress. The doctor said a few more weeks. Maybe less. Your vision is improving. You'll be fully recovered."
He doesn't respond. Just stands there with his jaw working, hands clenched into fists at his sides.
My phone vibrates against my thigh. The buzz is loud in the tense silence.
I pull it out. Check the screen.
A message from the lobby security guard.
Erion Kodra here. Says he needs to see you and Mr. Krasniqi. Should I send him up?
I grunt. Low. Annoyed.
"What?" Luan asks. His head turns toward me, orienting on the sound.
"Erion is downstairs. Wants to come up."
Silence. Long and heavy. Weighted with all the things we're not saying about the man who now knows Luan's biggest vulnerability.
"I don't trust him," Luan says finally. The words come out hard.
"Me neither." I pocket my phone. "But it's a necessary risk. Besa binds him. He swore an oath. And we need him. Need his men. Need the alliance to hold."
Luan's jaw works. Grinds. Then he nods once. Sharp. Final. A decision made even though he doesn't like it.
I text the guard back.Send him up.
I walk to the front door. Position myself. Wait. Listen. The elevator dings distantly down the hall. Footsteps approach.Confident. Unhurried. The walk of a man who doesn't fear what's waiting for him.
I open the door before he can knock.
Erion stands there in the hallway, grinning like he's arriving at a party instead of a business meeting. "What's wrong, Berisha? You open the door that fast for everyone or just the people you don't trust?"
He walks past me without invitation. Doesn't wait for permission. Just strides into the apartment like he owns it.
His energy fills the space immediately. Chaotic. Restless. Crackling. The kind of presence that makes a room feel smaller and more volatile. Like the air pressure just changed and now everything's on edge.
Lily is at the dining table, setting down small dessert plates. She looks up at the sound of footsteps. Her hands freeze mid-motion. Her eyes widen slightly.
Erion sits down at the table without asking. Sprawls in the chair like he owns it. He looks directly at Lily, and his grin widens.
"So you're the angel making this place smell like heaven."
She blushes. Deep and immediate. The pink spreading down her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her shirt.
Something hot and possessive flares in my chest. Sharp. Territorial. Irrational.
That blush should belong to me. Only me.
