The view from the 50th floor of the Koch Tower was spectacular. The entire city lay spread out like a circuit board, cars moving like data packets through the veins of the streets.

Dallas Koch stood at the window, his back to the room.

Behind him, the Board of Directors was arguing about the acquisition of a tech startup in Silicon Valley. The numbers were being thrown around—millions, billions—but Dallas wasn't listening.

He was staring at a small red dot on his tablet screen.

The dot was moving. It had left the jewelry store and was now stationary at a café on 5th Avenue.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. A security report.

Subject: Anson Hyde. Incident at store. Neutralized. Banned from premises.

Dallas's jaw tightened. "Neutralized" wasn't enough. He wanted Anson Hyde erased. He wanted him to feel the fear Eliza had felt for years.

He turned around. The movement was sudden, and the room went silent instantly.

"Gentlemen, we're done," Dallas said.

The CFO blinked. "But sir, the merger details—"

"Email them to me. Get out."

The tone was final. The board members scrambled to gather their papers, sensing the storm brewing behind the CEO's eyes. They filed out, leaving only two men behind.

Zane Sterling and Vance Foster. His inner circle.

Zane spun a pen on the mahogany table. "You're distracted. Is it the market or a woman?"

Dallas ignored him. He walked to the head of the table and sat down, loosening his tie. It felt like a noose today.

Vance placed a manila folder on the table. "Marriage license filed. Sealed by the judge this morning. It's buried deep, Dallas. No one finds this unless they have clearance from the DOJ."

Zane choked on his water. He coughed violently. "Marriage? You? The Monk?"

Dallas glared at him. "It was necessary."

"Who is the lucky victim?" Zane asked, grinning like a shark.

"Eliza Solomon," Dallas said. The name felt heavy on his tongue. Foreign, yet right.

Vance nodded, ever the pragmatist. "The Hyde ward. Smart. You gain leverage over Hyde's sectors if she has a claim to the Solomon estate."

Dallas didn't correct him. He let them think it was business. It was safer that way. If they knew the truth—that he had been watching her, waiting for her, for three years—they would think he was insane.

"She's terrified of me," Dallas admitted. The words slipped out, a rare moment of vulnerability that made the room go quiet.

Zane laughed, but it was softer now. "You are terrifying, man. You look like you eat puppies for breakfast. You need to woo her."

"I don't woo. I acquire," Dallas said stiffly.

"Not with a wife," Zane advised. "You need soft power. Flowers. Dates. Talking."

"Talking is inefficient," Dallas grumbled.

Vance interrupted, looking at his laptop. "Anson Hyde is running a background check on the license number. He's hitting walls."

"Let him hit them," Dallas said, his voice dropping to absolute zero. "I want him to know she is untouchable. I want him to know she belongs to me."

He picked up his phone. He unlocked it and stared at the background photo for a split second—a candid shot of Eliza laughing in a park, taken from a distance two years ago—before locking it again.

"Azalea is with her," Dallas said. "They are shopping."

"Good. Azalea is your buffer," Vance noted. "She humanizes you."

Dallas stood up. He grabbed his jacket.

"I'm leaving early," he announced.

Zane whistled. "The King leaves the castle before 8 PM. It must be love."

Dallas shot him a warning look that could have peeled paint off the walls, but he didn't deny it.

He walked to the private elevator. He needed to see her. He needed to make sure Anson hadn't left a mark on her soul today.

The penthouse smelled of rosemary and roasted chicken.

Eliza stepped out of the elevator, her arms laden with shopping bags. Azalea was behind her, carrying even more.

The living room was warm, the lights dimmed to a soft amber glow.

Dallas was sitting in the leather armchair by the fireplace. He was reading something on a tablet. He had changed out of his suit into a charcoal cashmere sweater and dark jeans.

It was jarring. Seeing the titan of industry in casual clothes made him look... human. Dangerous, still, but human.

Eliza froze at the door. "He's home."

Azalea breezed past her. "Hi Dad! We bought the whole city. You're welcome."

Dallas looked up. His eyes locked instantly on Eliza. He scanned her face, looking for cracks, looking for fear.

"Did you?" he asked, his voice deep.

Eliza stepped forward, feeling like an intruder in this perfect, expensive life.

"Thank you for... everything," she stammered. "The car. The help."

Dallas stood up. He moved across the room with that predator's grace, closing the distance between them.

"It is what a husband does," he said simply.

Azalea made a loud gagging noise from the kitchen. "Gross. Let's eat. I'm starving."

They sat at the long dining table. Eliza was seated at Dallas's right hand.

Mrs. Higgins, the housekeeper, brought out the platter. She smiled warmly at Eliza.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Koch," she said.

Eliza blushed furiously. The heat rose in her cheeks, turning them pink. Dallas watched the color spread, his eyes dark and attentive.

"Eat," he said gently, placing a serving of chicken on her plate.

Azalea started chattering about the jewelry store.

"Anson was a total psycho," she said around a mouthful of potatoes. "Dad, you need to destroy him. Like, biblical destruction."

Dallas cut his steak with surgical precision. "It is being handled."

Eliza looked up. "Please don't hurt the company. My parents' legacy... Solomon Industries is still part of the conglomerate."

Dallas paused. He looked at her. "I won't touch Solomon Industries. I will only target Hyde's personal assets and his liquidity."

Eliza was shocked. "How did you know the difference? The structures are mixed."

"I do my due diligence," Dallas lied smoothly.

He didn't tell her he had a team monitoring the Solomon assets for years, ensuring Anson didn't liquidate them entirely.

Suddenly, the intercom on the wall buzzed. The doorman's voice crackled through.

"Mr. Koch, there is a Mr. Anson Hyde in the lobby. He is demanding to see Eliza. He says he has legal papers."

Eliza dropped her fork. It clattered against the fine china, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet room.

Her hands started to shake. He found her. He always found her.

Dallas wiped his mouth with a linen napkin. He didn't look angry. He looked bored.

He pressed the talk button.

"Tell him if he is not off the property in sixty seconds, he will be arrested for trespassing and harassment. And tell him if he shouts again, I will buy the building he lives in and evict him."

The doorman hesitated. "Yes, sir."

Dallas turned back to the table. He picked up his wine glass.

Eliza was staring at him, her eyes wide. "He won't leave. He's persistent."

"He is a gnat," Dallas said. "And I am the windshield."

He looked at her, his expression softening just a fraction.

"Eat your dinner, Eliza. He cannot reach you here. The elevator requires a retinal scan for all non-registered guests. Your biometrics were added this morning. No one gets up here without my explicit approval."

Eliza looked at the man beside her. For the first time in her life, the wall wasn't closing in on her. The wall was standing between her and the monster.

She picked up her fork. Her hand was still shaking, but less than before.

"Okay," she whispered.