Chapter 2

The next morning, the elevator doors slid open.

Four men in black stood at the entrance.

Sebastian said quietly, "Ms. Hawking, Mr. Eaton has asked that you move to a new place."

I looked out the window.

Instead of a regular car, a demolition truck was parked downstairs.

By the time I rushed downstairs, the truck had already smashed through the gate.

This old apartment was where Iwan and I holed up for three years.

The hallway lights were always flickering or out, paint peeled from the walls, and the kitchen pipes froze every winter.

But on the windowsill bloomed the white jasmine I cared for, in the drawer lay the first cheap ring he ever bought me, and behind the bedroom door, the lines he marked as he grew taller were still there.

Sebastian held me back. "Ms. Hawking, Mr. Eaton said you're not allowed to approach."

I shoved him aside and snapped, "Tell Iwan to come see me!"

Sebastian bowed his head and replied, "Mr. Eaton is in the hall."

Kristen stepped out of a black sedan, flanked by two armed bodyguards.

She handed me a document. "This building was transferred to the Black Crow Syndicate last night. It's all legal, just clearing out a condemned building."

On the last page, Iwan's signature was scrawled at the bottom. It was dated three days ago.

I clenched the paper in my hand.

He'd been planning to wipe this place out from the start.

Kristen leaned in, whispering right by my ear, "Mr. Eaton said keeping this old hideout around will only make you think you still have a place here."

I raised my hand and slapped her.

This time, she didn't dodge.

My palm slapped her cheek, and a bright red mark instantly bloomed across her face.

Kristen slowly raised her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

In the next moment, two bodyguards grabbed my arms.

The demolition truck thundered ahead.

I fought until my nails cracked. "Stop!"

The truck rammed into the first-floor wall of the apartment.

The glass shattered, and the white jasmine was knocked off the windowsill.

The flowerpot hit the ground and broke into pieces.

By the time Iwan arrived, the crew was already tearing through the third wall.

He got out of the car, and Kristen, clutching her face, leaned into his arms.

Kristen looked up at him, her voice trembling, "Mr. Eaton, I was clearing the place out on your orders. She suddenly hit me, I swear."

Iwan turned to me.

Rain soaked my hair, and mud splattered across my skirt.

I caught a flash of pain in his eyes, but his hand was still holding Kristen.

"Phoebe, get in the car," he said.

I pointed at the apartment and said, "If you tear this place down, I'll never forgive you."

Iwan's voice was low. "This place isn't safe anymore. My Uncle Silas's men are watching you."

I asked, "Did they find out I'm pregnant, or did they discover you and I already had a blood pact marriage?"

Kristen's expression changed.

Iwan stepped closer, murmuring so only I could hear, "That blood pact marriage never made it into the Black Crow Syndicate's records. Phoebe, no one will ever recognize it."

I was stunned.

Back in that deserted church, he once put a ring on my finger.

He said that when all the chaos was over, he'd throw me the most lavish wedding anyone had ever seen.

It turned out he never made that wedding official with anyone. I was the only one who believed it was real.

He raised his hand, signaling the demolition truck to keep going.

With a thunderous boom, the entire building split right down the middle.

I dove into the rubble, trying to get to the hidden spot under the bed.

Sebastian grabbed me, pinning me down.

In the dust, the bronze firebird ring rolled out of the iron box.

Kristen got to it first and picked it up.

She looked it over and chuckled. "Ms. Hawking, you're quite the antique lover, aren't you?"

I dove for her, reaching for the ring.

She flicked her hand and threw it.

The ring hit the muddy gutter by the curb and, before I could react, the rain swept it straight down the storm drain.

My world went dark for a second.

That ring was proof I belonged to the Azure Flame Alliance. With it, my father's people would know exactly where to find me.

Iwan frowned. "What did she throw?"

I looked at him and said, "Your last chance to save me."

He reached for me, trying to pull me close.

I sank my teeth into his wrist, biting down hard. I tasted blood instantly.

Iwan grunted in pain, but he still wouldn't let go.

Sebastian opened the car door, and Iwan pushed me into the car.

"Take her to Southport Villa and call a doctor," Iwan ordered.

Just before the door closed, I saw Kristen give the driver a subtle nod.

The car didn't head for Southport Villa. Instead, it pulled into the Black Crow Syndicate's underground clinic.

The underground clinic was hidden in a back alley behind the casino.

The elevator went all the way down, and the place reeked of disinfectant and blood.

When I was shoved into the exam room, a half-torn, blood-stained bandage was still hanging on the wall.

A doctor with gold-rimmed glasses stood beneath the harsh light. His name tag said, Anthony Hunt.

He was the Black Crow Syndicate's private doctor, the guy who patched up gunshot wounds and handed out abortion pills to make sure unwanted kids never made it into the world.

I spun around, trying to walk out.

Sebastian stepped in front of the door, blocking my way.

"Ms. Hawking, it's just a routine check," Sebastian said calmly.

I snorted coldly. "Do you really need four gunmen for a check-up?"

Iwan walked in after finishing a call, his brow furrowed.

He said, "Uncle Silas's at the hall, breathing down my neck to hand you over. If anyone finds out you're pregnant, he'll use you and the baby to force me out of power."

I asked, "So you brought me all the way to an underground clinic for this?"

He replied quietly, "It's the safest place to keep you off the radar."

Kristen's voice drifted in from outside. "Mr. Eaton, my father's men are already at the docks. If you don't sign the engagement contract tonight, the Forrest family's guns aren't going into the Black Crow Syndicate's warehouse."

She walked in, the slap mark on her face already concealed with makeup. "Ms. Hawking is just a woman. The Black Crow Syndicate can't risk everything for her."

I turned to Iwan and said, "Get her out."

Iwan was silent for a moment.

Then he said, "Kristen, wait outside."

Kristen smiled. As she turned to leave, she shot Anthony a meaningful look.