Chapter 65

Levi.

“Please, Sir... I didn't mean to...”

I signaled, and an aide handed me a tablet. I slid the device across the mahogany desk to Katie Williams. On the screen, a series of documents highlighted her family’s offshore accounts—funds that hadn't been reported in over a decade. The legal implications alone were enough to end her career; the social fallout would destroy her family’s legacy. Katie’s face drained of color as she scanned the files.

"Please, what do you want from me?" her voice broke, the professional facade finally cracking under the pressure of my leverage. I sat back, watching her with a calm, measured gaze.

"You currently represent my wife," I said, leaning in until the shadow of my desk lamps fell across her shaking hands. "From now on, you will ensure her interests are protected in a way that aligns with my own."

Her eyes grew wide. “But that is a profound breach of attorney-client privilege. I could be disbarred.”

“And if these documents were to find their way to the federal prosecutor, your career would be the least of your mother's worries,” I countered softly. The implication was a heavy weight in the room, one she couldn't ignore.

“What exactly do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice weary.

"I want to know her strategic plans for her business ventures. You will update me on her progress. Most importantly, you will persuade her to accept a stakeholder I’ve vetted—a silent partner. You will be the intermediary, ensuring the funding is seamless and the origin remains undisclosed."

Katie stared at me, her breathing shallow. “She may refuse. Kenya has been very adamant about using her own capital for these projects.”

I allowed a dark smile to touch my lips. “You are a brilliant attorney, Katie. You’ve successfully navigated complex acquisitions that my best legal teams couldn't untangle. Persuading a woman who trusts you should be well within your capabilities.”

“And if I can’t convince her?”

“Then I’ll find someone who can. But they might not be as concerned with your family’s privacy as I am.”

Kenya.

It was 11 pm, and I had just finished another solitary dinner. Despite the warmth of the central heating, a chill seemed to cling to my skin, forcing me to wrap myself in a thick cashmere sweater.

The hollowness inside me felt like a physical weight. Guilt, perhaps. Or perhaps something more devastating: the fear of losing the one person I had finally learned to lean on.

Since our return from the hospital, the air between Levi and me had turned frigid. His indifference was a sharper weapon than any of his previous commands. It felt as if I were being punished for finally understanding the rules of his game.

The security monitor announced his arrival. I stood up quickly, my heart racing, hoping to intercept him before he retreated to the guest suite he had occupied for the past two nights.

"Hello," I said as he entered the foyer.

He stopped, his expression guarded and unreadable. I faltered, the words I had practiced failing me. I was dying inside, desperate for a single sign of the man who had looked at me with such intensity only days ago.

Please, just look at me.

"Hello," he replied, his tone formal.

He stood directly in front of me, smelling of rain and the sharp scent of his expensive cologne. I wanted to reach out, to bridge the distance between us, but the wall he had built was too high.

"Where have you been? I waited for you so we could eat together," I said, my voice trembling. Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them back. I didn't want him to see how much his absence had eroded my resolve.

His gaze softened for a fleeting second. "I had a series of engagements. I didn't expect you to wait." He glanced at my sweater, then at the thermostat. "Are you unwell? Why are you dressed like that?"

“I was just cold. I’m fine now,” I lied.

I inched closer, my skin humming with the need for his proximity. This man had saved me from the wreckage of my past; he had been my shield when the world turned dark. And yet, here we were, two strangers in a house of secrets.

I noticed Levi take a steadying breath, his eyes closing tight for a moment. Am I affecting him at all?

“I’ve had a long night, and my schedule is full tomorrow. I’m going to bed. Good night, Kenya.” He moved to walk around me, careful to avoid even the slightest brush of our shoulders.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you ignoring me?" I called after him, my voice cracking.

He stopped but didn't turn around. “You spent months telling me you wanted your independence. I’m simply giving you the space you asked for.”

"I was tightening up loose ends," he added, his voice low. He stepped back toward me, his presence casting a long shadow. "You never cared to ask before. Why now?"

The victory I had sought for so long—independence, power, my own identity—felt utterly futile.