The ice cream parlor was a relic of a sweeter time, all checkered floors, spinning chrome stools, and the cloying, comforting scent of waffle cones being pressed in the back. Adam sat perched on a stool that was slightly too high for him, his legs kicking rhythmically against the metal base. In front of him sat a gargantuan bowl of "Midnight Galaxy"- a deep blue concoction that had already turned his lips and the tip of his nose a comical shade of indigo.
Violet sat beside him, nursing a simple vanilla bean cup. She looked relaxed, the soft sage-green of her dress blending into the nostalgic aesthetic of the shop. For an hour, she had managed to forget about the iron cages, the shadowy booths, and the brooding titan pacing his study. She was just a girl with a boy and some ice cream.
Until the bell above the door chimed, and the air in the shop suddenly felt expensive.
Ryder Vane stepped inside, looking entirely out of place in his tailored Italian linen. He didn't look like a man who ate ice cream; he looked like a man who bought the creamery to tear it down. His blonde hair was perfectly tossed, and his chocolate-brown eyes scanned the room with a predatory laziness until they landed on the corner booth.
"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful girl in the city hiding out in a den of sugar," Ryder said, his voice a bold, melodic purr. He didn't wait for an invitation; he slid into the seat directly across from them, his gaze shifting to Adam.
A flash of surprise crossed Ryder's face, followed quickly by a calculated, charming smile. He looked at Adam's dark hair- so similar to Roman's, though Ryder didn't know that yet, and then back at Violet.
"I didn't realize there was a little one in the picture," Ryder said, leaning back and spreading his arms across the top of the booth. He looked at Adam with the kind of benign interest one might show a prize puppy. "He's a handsome little guy. Got your eyes, Violet."
Violet felt a sharp prickle of annoyance. "He isn't my son, Ryder. And we're in the middle of an 'adventure.' Your timing is as bad as your metaphors."
Ryder ignored the jab, his bold flirting only intensifying. He leaned forward, ignoring the child as if he were a piece of furniture. "Doesn't matter. Son, nephew, ward- it's all the same to me. You know, Violet, I'm a very generous man. If you came with me, I could set the kid up for life. The best schools, a trust fund that would make him a king before he hits puberty. I don't care if the father is in the picture or not. I can provide more in a weekend than most men can in a lifetime."
Violet slammed her spoon down, the sound echoing in the small shop. "Ryder, stop. Right now. You are speaking to me as if I'm a piece of property, and you're doing it in front of a child. It's inappropriate, it's arrogant, and frankly, it's exhausting. We are not interested in your trust funds or your 'provisions.'"
Adam, who had been focused on a particularly large sprinkle, suddenly looked up. He sensed the tension, and more importantly, he recognized the way this man was looking at his Violet. He remembered the lopsided buttons and the "adventure" code.
He swallowed a mouthful of blue ice cream and looked Ryder straight in the eye. "She can't go with you," Adam said, his voice surprisingly firm for a five-year-old. "Violet is my girlfriend."
Ryder blinked, a genuine, startled laugh escaping him. He looked at Adam's blue-stained face and then at Violet's horrified expression.
"Your girlfriend, huh? Well, kid, you've got excellent taste. But I think you might find the competition a bit stiff."
"Adam, honey, no," Violet corrected quickly, her face flushing a deep pink. "I'm not your girlfriend. I'm your nanny. We've talked about this."
Adam wasn't deterred. He took a defiant scoop of Midnight Galaxy and pointed his spoon at Ryder. "She's my nanny, but she's my Daddy's girlfriend. They're going to get married so she can stay forever and we don't have to eat lemons."
Violet felt the world tilt.
"Adam! No! That is... that is absolutely not true." She turned to Ryder, who was now watching her with a sharp, renewed interest. "He's five. He has an overactive imagination. His dad and I are friends. Or, well, we are colleagues. We are absolutely not dating by any sort of means. It's a professional arrangement."
Adam tilted his head, looking at Violet with a confusingly sage-like clarity. "Then why does Daddy look at you like that?"
The question hung in the air like a lightning bolt. Violet felt her heart hammer against her ribs. "Like... likewhat, Adam?"
"Like he's hungry," Adam said simply. "And like he's scared someone is going to steal his favorite toy. He looks at you the way I look at the last chocolate chip cookie. He doesn't look at Mrs. Higgins like that."
Ryder's smile faded into something much more calculating. He tapped his fingers against the table, his brown eyes narrowing as he put the pieces together. The "Daddy" in question clearly wasn't a nobody. A man with enough clout to keep VioletNoir tucked away in a mansion wasn't just a "colleague."
"A hungry father, a protective boss, and a nanny who sings like an angel," Ryder mused, his voice dropping the flirtatious lilt for something more dangerous. "Now I'm truly curious. Who exactly is this father, kid? Who's the man who thinks he can keep Violet Noir all to himself?"
"It's not his business, Adam. Don't answer that," Violet said sharply. She stood up, grabbing her bag and reaching for Adam's hand. The "adventure" was officially over.
Ryder stood up too, his height nearly matching Roman's, though he lacked the titan's raw, physical power. He stepped into their path, his bold nature refusing to let the moment go. "Come on, Violet. If he's just your 'boss,' why the secrecy? Is he someone I know? A rival? Or is he just some boring suit who doesn't know what he has?"
"He is a man who values his privacy, which is a concept you clearly struggle with," Violet snapped. She tucked Adam protectively behind her leg, her blue eyes flashing with a protective fire. "We are leaving. Don't follow us. And don't ever approach us in public again. If I see you near this boy or me, I won't be the one you have to answer to."
"Is that a threat?" Ryder asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"It's a forecast," Violet replied.
She led Adam toward the door, her heart racing. As they stepped out into the bright afternoon sun, she could feel Ryder's eyes on her back. She knew the secret was out- or at least, the hunt had changed. Ryder Vane didn't just want a singer anymore; he wanted to win a war against a man he hadn't even met yet.
As they walked toward the car, Adam looked up at her, his blue tongue still visible. "Violet? Is Daddy going to be mad I said he was your boyfriend?"
Violet sighed, smoothing his hair. "He's not going to be mad, Adam. But we probably shouldn't tell him exactly what you said about the 'hungry' look, okay? Let's keep that as a secret between us adventurers."
"Okay," Adam agreed. "But he does look at you like a cookie."
Violet didn't answer. She looked toward the skyline where the Thorne building loomed over the city, and for the first time, she wondered if the "technicality" of her marriage was the only thing keeping her from being eaten whole by the dragon.