Diana couldn't focus.
Not on the book in her hands.
Not on the quiet hum of the room.
Not on anything.
Her mind kept replaying it.
Ethan's grip.
Victor's voice.
"I protect what's mine."
She exhaled sharply, closing the book.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered.
She shouldn't be thinking about it.
Shouldn't be feeling anything about it.
And yet…
She was.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a maid stepped inside. "Mr. Blackwood asked me to inform you dinner will be ready shortly."
Diana paused.
Asked.
Not ordered.
Not demanded.
Something about that bothered her more than it should.
"I'll be there," she said.
The dining room felt different tonight.
Quieter.
More… aware.
Victor was already seated, as usual, his posture composed, his expression unreadable.
Diana took her seat across from him.
Silence stretched.
Uncomfortable.
"You should eat," he said finally.
She raised a brow. "I am."
"You're moving your food around."
Diana glanced down.
He wasn't wrong.
She set the fork down. "You observe too much."
"It's efficient."
She leaned back slightly. "Or invasive."
Victor looked at her then. Fully.
"Is that what bothers you?"
Diana held his gaze. "I don't like being studied."
A pause.
Then—
"Everyone is studied," he said. "Most just don't realize it."
That wasn't comforting.
Diana exhaled. "About earlier…"
Victor didn't interrupt.
Didn't react.
Just waited.
"I could've handled it," she said again, quieter this time.
"You said that already."
"And I meant it."
"I know."
That threw her off.
"Then why step in?" she asked.
Victor set his glass down carefully before answering.
"Because you were in a situation that required intervention."
Diana frowned. "That sounds very… calculated."
"It is."
She studied him for a moment. "Do you ever do anything that isn't calculated?"
Victor didn't answer immediately.
His gaze held hers.
Steady.
Unmoving.
"Yes," he said finally.
Diana's breath caught.
She wasn't expecting that.
"Like what?" she asked.
Victor leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable again.
"You," he said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Diana felt her heartbeat quicken.
"That doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to."
"That's not how things work."
Victor's lips curved slightly. "It is now."
She shook her head, looking away. "You're impossible."
"And yet," he said calmly, "you're still here."
That again.
Always that.
Diana stood abruptly. "I need air."
Victor didn't stop her.
Didn't follow.
Which somehow made it worse.
The night air hit her skin instantly.
Cool.
Sharp.
Grounding.
She wrapped her arms around herself, staring out into the darkness.
"This is a mess," she whispered.
Nothing about this made sense anymore.
Not her choices.
Not her reactions.
Not him.
"Talking to yourself isn't usually a good sign."
Diana stiffened.
Ethan.
She didn't turn this time.
"I'm not doing this again."
Footsteps approached anyway.
Of course they did.
"You can't avoid me forever," he said.
"I can try."
"You don't mean that."
Diana turned sharply now. "Stop acting like you know me."
Ethan stepped closer. "I do know you."
"No," she said. "You knew who I was before you betrayed me."
That hit.
Again.
Ethan's expression tightened. "I regret that."
"Good," she replied coldly. "Live with it."
Silence.
But this one felt different.
More fragile.
"I saw the way he looked at you," Ethan said suddenly.
Diana frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"He's not doing this for no reason," Ethan continued. "My father doesn't do anything without a reason."
Her stomach twisted slightly.
She hated that the thought had crossed her mind too.
"What are you trying to say?" she asked.
Ethan hesitated.
Then
"Be careful," he said. "You think you're in control… but you're not."
Diana's chest tightened.
Footsteps.
Behind her.
Again.
This time, she didn't need to turn.
She already knew.
Victor.
The air changed instantly.
Sharper.
Colder.
"Is there a reason you're still here?" Victor asked.
Ethan didn't back down. "Just giving her advice."
Victor's tone didn't shift. "Unnecessary."
Ethan smirked slightly. "You sure about that?"
Diana looked between them.
Tension.
Power.
Something dangerous building again.
"Enough," she said.
Both men went still.
"I'm not something you two get to argue over," she continued, her voice steady now. "I'm not a prize. I'm not a problem to solve."
Victor's gaze shifted to her.
Interested.
Focused.
"And I'm definitely not confused," she added.
That was a lie.
But she said it anyway.
Ethan let out a breath. "Diana"
"No," she cut in. "You've said enough."
Silence.
Final this time.
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
Then nodded once.
"Fine," he said. "But this isn't over."
And then he left.
Again.
Diana exhaled slowly.
"This is exhausting."
Victor stepped closer.
Slower this time.
More… careful.
"You handled that better," he said.
She glanced at him. "Is that approval?"
"It's observation."
Diana studied him for a moment.
Then
"Why me?" she asked.
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Victor didn't answer immediately.
His gaze held hers.
Deep.
Unreadable.
"Because you're not weak," he said finally.
Diana blinked.
Caught off guard.
"And because you don't pretend to be something you're not," he added.
Her chest tightened slightly.
"That doesn't sound like something you admire," she said.
Victor's eyes darkened.
"It is," he said quietly.
Silence fell between them again.
But this time…
It wasn't uncomfortable.
It was something else.
Something neither of them fully understood yet.
And that made it dangerous.