Chapter 2 - A Ghost From The Past
Naomi recognized the scarred man immediately.
His name was Silas, and he was an incredibly ruthless ex-mercenary.
He had operated extensively in the same dark, violent circles she had desperately tried to leave behind.
"What exactly are you doing here?" Naomi asked, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly cold calm.
"I am Vanessa's newly appointed head of private security for the upcoming gala," Silas replied with a wicked, mocking smile.
He stepped much closer, clearly trying to use his massive physical size to successfully intimidate her.
Naomi did not step back or show any sign of weakness.
"Vanessa is an absolute fool if she actually thinks she can control a wild dog like you," Naomi stated firmly.
Silas chuckled darkly and leaned casually against the heavy oak door of the office.
"She owes my employers a staggering amount of money, and marrying the Whitmore boy is her only possible way to pay it back," he explained quietly.
He reached out slowly and tapped the cheap silver maid's pin attached to Naomi's gray uniform.
"If you breathe a single word of this to Ethan, I will personally break his neck long before the wedding cake is ever cut," Silas threatened.
Naomi felt the old, icy instincts of a professional bodyguard rapidly waking up in her blood.
She silently watched Silas walk out of the office, leaving her entirely alone with a catastrophic secret.
Later that night, Ethan came down to the quiet kitchen exactly at midnight.
He looked significantly more exhausted than usual as he collapsed into a chair at the island counter.
Naomi quietly poured him his usual steaming cup of soothing chamomile tea.
"Sometimes I truly feel like I am walking directly into a trap, Naomi," Ethan said softly.
Naomi looked deeply into his kind, tired eyes and made an incredibly dangerous decision.
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She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small flash drive containing the copied financial files.
Before she could even hand it to him, the massive kitchen windows suddenly shattered violently inward.
