I didn't leave her office right away.
Couldn't.
Sienna had already turned her back to me, pretending to be absorbed in whatever was glowing on her screen, but I knew better. That wasn't focus that was deflection. A clean, practiced way to say you've gone too far without saying a word.
The silence between us wasn't just quiet. It was personal.
I drew in a slow breath, my knuckles pressing against the edge of her desk until they turned white. "You shouldn't have called him," I said again, softer this timelike maybe if I repeated it, she'd hear what I really meant.
That I wasn't just worried about the company. I was worried about her.
But she didn't turn around. Not even once.
So I did what she asked. I left.
The door clicked shut behind me, and the faint hum of the hallway filled the silence Sienna had left in my head.
She was impossible.
Brilliant, yes. Brave, absolutely. But impossible.
I'd warned her. I'd shown her what kind of man Kai Louis was the offshore accounts, the shell companies, the silent shares he held in Blackwood's empire. Every detail. Every dirty thread I'd pulled myself.
And she still called him in.
I ran a hand through my hair, pacing toward the windows that overlooked the city. The glass caught my reflection jaw tight, eyes sharp the kind of man who didn't lose control. Ever.
But somehow, she always found a way to knock me off balance.
Mitchell pretended to type at her desk when I passed, clearly trying not to make eye contact. Smart woman. The storm brewing behind my expression could probably level a board meeting.
I hit the button for the elevator and leaned back against the wall, forcing a slow breath through my teeth. I'd already seen how this played out before I'd watched men like Kai slip their way into companies, into trust, into hearts. And once they were in, it was already too late.
Sienna didn't understand that.
Or maybe she did and she just didn't care.
The elevator doors opened to the parking level, and the world outside felt quieter. Colder.
My driver started to step forward, but I waved him off. I needed a moment. I walked toward my car myself, phone already in hand, scrolling through the encrypted files I'd stored.
Kai Louis.
Thirty-four. Born in Marseille. Business consultant, investor, serial manipulator. Blackwood's partner, sometimes his enforcer. Connected to three missing persons cases that never went to trial.
I'd read it all. Memorized every line.
And still there was something off about him. Something even my investigators couldn't pin down.
He was too clean. Too well-behaved.
Which meant he was hiding something deeper.
I stopped beside the car door, staring at the rain dripping down the tinted glass.
Sienna didn't just walk into danger she invited it in, poured it a cup of coffee, and smiled.
And I couldn't decide if that was brave or suicidal.
The phone buzzed again — an incoming call. Damien, my chief of security.
"Tell me you've got eyes on her," I said immediately.
"Of course," he replied. "She hasn't left the building. Louis did. He's already being followed."
"Good." I exhaled, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Keep the tail clean. If he so much as glances back, pull out. I don't want him knowing we're watching."
"Understood. Anything else?"
I hesitated. My brain said no. My gut said yes.
"Double her security detail. Discreetly."
Damien paused, but he didn't question it. "Consider it done."
I ended the call and leaned against the car for a moment, eyes shut.
Sienna could hate me all she wanted for being overprotective.
She could yell, throw her logic at me, insist she didn't need saving and maybe she was right.
But I'd rather have her angry than gone.
And if Louis or Blackwood thought they could touch her, or her company…
Then they were about to learn that I didn't build an empire by playing nice.
I stared at the words, the rain's rhythm sharp against the silence.
And then, slowly, I smiled.
They thought threats would scare me.
They had no idea who they were dealing with.
I pocketed the phone and slid into the car, already dialing another number.
"Get me Blackwood's schedule," I said, voice calm, deadly. "If they want a war fine. Let's start one."