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“All right. I'll try.”
“Where have you been, anyway?” Shane asked. “I called you twice this afternoon, but you didn't answer.”
“I visited a company to purchase a prototype of a new skincare device.” Allison reached for the glass of water on her bedside table and took a sip before continuing. “I'll send you the invoice, and I need you to transfer the payment to Silas's company.”
“Got it.” Shane let out a slow huff and settled back in his seat, looking as though he had something else on his mind. After a brief pause, he said, “Stella is getting married in a week. I'm going to her wedding. Do you want to come with me?”
Allison's expression softened at the mention of Stella. “I have an important meeting around that time, so I can't make it,” she replied. “But please give Stella a gift from me, too. Tell her how grateful I am for everything she's done to help us. You and I owe her a lot.”
A small smile touched her lips. “I already have the perfect present for her. I bought a Van Hughen necklace two years ago, and I’ve been keeping it for a special occasion. It’s beautiful. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Shane listened quietly, then seemed to remember something. “One of my friends wants to take you on a date.”
Allison's smile vanished. She stared at the phone for a moment, wondering if she'd heard him correctly, before letting out a frustrated breath.
“What? Shane, you know...” She pressed her lips together, struggling to keep her irritation in check. “Really? You already know my answer.”
Shane sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle. “You're old enough to go on a date, Allison. There's nothing wrong with giving someone a chance. Going out with him once won't hurt you.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully. “You can't let your fear of Justin control the rest of your life. You need to start moving forward.”
Allison lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening around the phone. She hated that Shane had to worry about her on top of everything else he'd been through, and she knew his suggestion came from a place of love. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to stop living as though Justin still had the power to hurt her.
She could hear how much this mattered to Shane.
“Alright,” she muttered at last, though the reluctant admission left a knot of unease in her stomach. “I will go on a date with him.”
Chapter 6 A Date
“It's a damn good thing all your business deals happen in this room instead of your house. Otherwise, I can only imagine how many bloodstains someone would find on your walls.”
Gabriel Cunningham chuckled as he stepped out of Silas’s private office, adjusting his cuffs before slipping his hands into his pockets. Silas followed him out.
“People have started spreading rumors about this floor,” Gabriel continued, glancing at his friend with an amused grin. “Apparently, if you don't want to see hell, you'd better stay away from the third floor of Obsidian.”
Silas didn't bother responding. He simply walked beside Gabriel, his long strides carrying him down the corridor.
It was still afternoon, but Obsidian was still packed with people. Music thundered through the enormous venue, the bass vibrating beneath the floor as conversations and laughter rose above the steady beat. The club was a playground for Manhattan's wealthiest, a place where luxury and excess met at every turn.
A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling, scattering light across the polished surfaces, while enormous high-definition screens displayed elaborate visuals. One showed a skull-faced figure moving in time with the music, its eerie image flashing above the dancing crowd.
The ground floor housed the main bar, rows of tables and chairs, and several seating areas surrounding an open dance floor. The first floor was reserved for VIP guests, with private rooms and exclusive tables where the wealthy could enjoy themselves away from the crowd.
The third floor, however, belonged to Silas.
Unlike the floors below, where music shook the walls and people shouted to make themselves heard, the upper level was almost unnaturally quiet. Silas's private office was soundproof, keeping the club's noise outside while ensuring that nothing said within its walls could be overheard. More importantly, the entire floor was reserved for him and the people he trusted. No one came up without permission, and no one lingered after being told to leave.
Gabriel knew better than most what that privacy meant.
Over the years, he had watched men enter Silas's office with confident smiles and walk out looking as though they'd narrowly escaped a funeral. Some had left with broken bones, others with bloodied faces, and a few had needed help getting down the stairs. Whatever happened behind those closed doors rarely became public knowledge, but the rumors had spread all the same.
Silas wasn't unreasonable by nature. In fact, compared with some of the people they dealt with, he could be surprisingly fair. But when someone crossed him in business, that fairness had its limits. He had a way of making people regret their decisions so thoroughly that some would rather beg him to send them to prison than face the punishment he had in mind.
And that was precisely why the third floor of Obsidian had earned its fearsome reputation.
Gabriel descended the steps of the thumping nightclub beside Silas, the pounding music growing louder with every step. At six-foot-three, Gabriel had a lean, muscular build and broad shoulders that filled out his tailored charcoal suit.
His jet-black hair was swept neatly back from his forehead, emphasizing his chiseled jaw, prominent cheekbones, and straight nose. A hint of stubble shadowed his jaw, adding a rugged edge to his otherwise polished appearance. But it was his steel-gray eyes, cool and observant beneath thick dark eyebrows, that gave him an especially striking look. A luxury watch gleamed at his wrist, the only conspicuous sign of wealth he displayed.
The two men drew attention without even trying. Both were strikingly handsome, impeccably dressed businessmen whose reputations preceded them wherever they went.
