The drive to Ethan's office the next morning was quiet at first.
Not the comfortable kind of quiet. The kind that sat between them like a held breath, waiting to be released.
Amelia watched the city slide past her window—tall buildings, crowded sidewalks, people living ordinary lives. She wondered what it felt like to be one of them. To wake up and not wonder if today would be the day everything fell apart.
Ethan drove with both hands on the wheel, his gaze fixed on the road. He hadn't said much since they left the house. Neither had she but the silence wasn't empty.
It was full of everything they hadn't said last night. The men at the door, Victor Rossi and the truth about her father. The truth about Ethan.
Amelia rested her elbow against the door, her chin propped against her hand. She stared at the buildings, but she wasn't really seeing them.
Her mind kept drifting back to the way Ethan had stood between her and those men. The way his voice had dropped—lower, colder—when he said Take one more step, and you won't leave this house.
She'd never heard him sound like that.
She didn't know if she was grateful or terrified.
"You're thinking too loud," Ethan said.
She turned her head. "I'm not thinking at all."
You're frowning."
"I'm always frowning."
"No." His gaze flickered to her for just a moment. "You're not."
Amelia pressed her lips together. Then sighed. Soft, but not soft enough.
Ethan glanced at her again. "Something wrong?"
"No." A pause. Then— "Yes."
He didn't react immediately. "That's helpful."
She turned slightly, giving him a look. "You asked."
And you gave two answers."
She shrugged lightly. "Pick the one you like."
Ethan's gaze returned to the road. "I don't guess."
That almost made her smile. Almost.
They drove a little further before she spoke again.
"Last night," she said. "Those men. They knew you."
"Yes."
They weren't afraid of you. Not really. But they left anyway."
Ethan's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "They left because they know what happens if they don't."
"And what's that?"
He didn't answer.
Amelia watched him for a long moment. The way his hands gripped the steering wheel. The way his eyes stayed fixed ahead, as if looking at her would cost him something he couldn't afford to lose.
"You're not going to tell me," she said.
"Not yet."
"You keep saying that."
" That's true"
She turned back to the window. The buildings were getting taller, the streets more crowded. They were close now.
"Who am I meeting today?" she asked.
"Victoria."
"Just Victoria?"
"Victoria Chen. She runs operations. She's been with the company for seven years."
Amelia waited. When he didn't continue, she prompted, "And?"
Ethan's grip on the wheel shifted slightly. "And she's competent. Loyal. You don't need to know more than that."
Loyal. The word landed strangely. Not like a warning. Like a boundary.
Amelia filed it away.
____
The office was on the top floor of a building that didn't have a name on the outside. Just an address. Just a door.
Ethan held it open for her, and she stepped inside.
The lobby was quiet. Marble floors. A single desk with a woman who didn't look up from her computer. She pressed a button, and the elevator doors opened immediately.
Ethan gestured for Amelia to enter first.
The elevator rose in silence. When the doors opened again, they were in a space that was all glass and steel—walls of windows overlooking the city, desks arranged in neat rows, people moving between them with quiet efficiency.
And then there was Victoria.
She was standing by a conference table, a tablet in her hand, speaking to someone Amelia couldn't see. When she heard the elevator, she looked up.
Her eyes found Ethan first and then they found Amelia.
And something shifted in her expression. Something quick and sharp, gone before Amelia could name it.
"Ethan," Victoria said, walking toward them. Her voice was smooth, professional. "You didn't tell me you were bringing company."
"I'm not." He stepped aside, revealing Amelia fully. "This is my wife. Amelia."
Victoria stopped a few feet away. Her smile was perfect. Her eyes were not.
Wife," Victoria repeated. "I didn't realize you were married."
"It's recent."
"I see." Victoria extended her hand toward Amelia. "Lovely to meet you. I'm Victoria Chen."
Amelia took her hand. Victoria's grip was firm, brief, and somehow cold despite the warmth of the room.
"You as well," Amelia said. "Ethan speaks highly of you."
Loyal. Competent. That was all he'd said. But Victoria didn't need to know that.
Victoria's smile didn't waver. "Does he? I'm flattered."
The moment stretched. Two women looking at each other, saying everything with their eyes that they wouldn't say with their mouths.
Ethan moved to Amelia's side. Not touching her, but close. A statement.
"Victoria handles the day-to-day operations," he said. "If you need anything while you're here, she's the one to ask."
"Of course," Victoria said. "Anything at all."
The words were polite. The undercurrent was not.
Amelia held her gaze. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."