No tailored suit.
No expensive watch.
No display of dominance through fabric and structure.
He wore a plain black singlet that clung tightly to the hard lines of his shoulders and chest, blue linen trousers hanging loosely at his hips, and his feet were bare against the cool marble floor.
Unarmored. Unfiltered.
Human.
The moment his eyes locked onto mine, something flickered there.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t grand. It was simple.
He stepped aside and held the door wide.
Inviting.
I didn’t respond. I walked past him.
The second my foot crossed the threshold, goosebumps spread across my arms.
The air inside still carried the same scent.
My gaze scanned the living room automatically — trained instinct replacing memory.
Soaring ceilings.
Floor-to-ceiling windows draped in sheer ivory fabric.
I remembered that noon at the altar—dressed in a wedding gown meant for Harris, only to end up standing before him instead. I had stood there wondering whether the man who became my groom would protect me... or destroy me.
He had destroyed me. Completely.
My stomach twisted at the thought of sleeping under this roof again.
Even temporarily. Even strategically.
I was here for Yannis.
To rebuild trust with Yannis
To observe his environment.
To restore connection that had been manipulated by isolation.
But that was only one layer of my objective.
The deeper layer — the professional one — was access.
I needed proximity to his infrastructure.
I needed physical entry to rooms where files were stored.
I needed time to plant surveillance equipment, clone digital devices, and monitor communications.
