The phrase echoed in her mind. He saw her as an object. A broken thing he had picked up, used, and was now... what? Protecting?

Her phone buzzed. A text from Richard.

Caleb called. He says you were with Julian Blackwood. What the hell are you doing? You are there to fix the engagement, not start a war with the most powerful family in New York.

Vanessa threw the phone on the bed.

She paced the small room. She couldn't go back to Caleb. She couldn't. The way he had looked at her on the terrace... there was no love there. Only ownership and disdain.

But if she didn't fix it, her mother died.

She needed a third option.

She thought of Julian. The way Caleb had cowered before him. The way the entire resort seemed to bend to his will.

If she wanted to survive the sharks, she needed to swim with the killer whale.

She opened her suitcase. She pulled out the only decent thing she had left-a slip of a nightgown made of cream silk. It was modest compared to what Beatrice wore, but it was all she had.

She put on her trench coat over it, tying the belt tight.

It was 2 AM. The resort was quiet.

She knew where Julian was staying. Everyone knew. The Presidential Bungalow, secluded on its own cliff edge.

She slipped out of the room, dodging the security patrols.

When she reached the bungalow, two guards were stationed at the gate. They were the same men from the pool.

They watched her approach. Vanessa held her head high, channeling every ounce of Sterling blood she had left.

"I need to see Mr. Blackwood," she said.

The guard on the left tapped his earpiece. He listened for a moment, then looked at her with a strange expression. "He's expecting you."

Expecting her?

The gate clicked open.

Vanessa walked up the stone path. The bungalow was a masterpiece of modern architecture, glass and wood cantilevered over the ocean.

The front door was unlocked.

She stepped inside. The living room was dimly lit. Julian was sitting on the sofa, a laptop open on his knees. He was wearing reading glasses. He looked deceptively domestic, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.

He didn't look up. "You took your time."

Vanessa closed the door. The sound of the ocean below was muffled, replaced by the hum of the air conditioning.

"How did you know I'd come?" she asked.

Julian took off his glasses and set them on the coffee table. "Because you're desperate. And you're smart."

He looked at her coat. "Take it off."

Vanessa's hands went to the belt. Her fingers were clumsy. She untied the knot and let the coat slide off her shoulders. It fell to the floor.

She stood there in the cream silk. It clung to her curves, revealing more than it hid.

Julian's gaze started at her bare feet and traveled up slowly. It felt like a physical touch. When his eyes met hers, they were dark.

"I'm not here for sex," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Then why are you dressed for it?" he countered.

"Because it's the only currency I have left," she said. It was the most honest thing she had ever said. "Richard cut me off. He's threatening my mother's care. I need... I need protection."

Julian stood up. He walked over to her, stopping inches away.

"And you think sleeping with me will buy you protection?"

"It worked in the elevator," she said.

Julian laughed. It was a dry, dark sound. "That wasn't a transaction, Vanessa. That was a mistake."

He reached out and touched a lock of hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "I don't make mistakes twice."

"Then what do you want?" she whispered.

"I want to know why you stayed," he said softly. "Why you stayed with him for five years."

"Because I thought he loved me," she said. "Because I thought I deserved it."

Julian's hand moved to her cheek. His thumb traced her jawline. "No one deserves that."

He dropped his hand and stepped back. "You're staying here tonight. In my bed."

Vanessa blinked. "With you?"

"Yes. But I won't touch you," Julian said, his eyes hard. "I need to know you're safe, and the only place I can guarantee that is within arm's reach. But I don't sleep with women who are still in love with other men."

"I'm not in love with him!" she called out.

Julian stopped in the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder. "Prove it."

---

How could she prove a negative? The love she had for Caleb was dead, killed by a thousand cuts and one final blow in an elevator. But the habit of him... that was harder to break.

The next morning, she woke to the smell of coffee.

Julian was already dressed, impeccable in a navy suit. He was standing by the kitchen island, reading a newspaper. An actual paper newspaper.

"Coffee," he said, nodding to a mug on the counter. "Black. I didn't know how you take it."

"Black is fine." Vanessa sat on a barstool, pulling her coat around her like armor.

"Your uncle called my office this morning," Julian said casually, turning a page.

Vanessa froze. "What?"

"He wanted to know if I intended to acquire Sterling Medical. He's nervous." Julian looked at her. "He thinks you're here negotiating a merger."

"I... I don't know anything about the business," Vanessa said.

"You should. It's yours."

Vanessa set the mug down. "It's Richard's. He has power of attorney."

"Only until you turn twenty-five. Or until you get married." Julian folded the paper. "That's why he wants you to marry Caleb. Caleb is weak. Richard can control him. If you marry someone else... Richard loses the empire."

Vanessa stared at him. She knew about the trust, but she had never thought of it as a weapon. She had always thought of it as a cage.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because knowledge is dangerous," Julian said. "And I like dangerous women."

He checked his watch. "I have a meeting. You can stay here until noon. Then Elias will drive you back to the city."

"Back to the city?" Vanessa stood up. "But I haven't fixed things with Caleb. Richard will kill me."

"Let him try," Julian said. He walked over to her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black card he had given her.

"You still have this," he said. "Use it. Buy some clothes. That coat is depressing. And buy some ammunition."

"Ammunition?"

"You're going to help me destroy Caleb Montgomery," Julian said. A small, cruel smile played on his lips. "And in return, I'll give you back your company."

Vanessa looked at the card. Then at Julian.

"Deal," she whispered.

Julian leaned in. For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. Her breath hitched.

Instead, he whispered in her ear. "Don't disappoint me, Vanessa."

He left. The door clicked shut, locking her in with the scent of cedar and the promise of war.

---