Beneath the Veil of Shadows

Chapter 30

The routine that Elias and Sapphire had settled into was anything but mundane. Each day was laced with a constant awareness of each other that kept them tethered. It was an unspoken understanding, woven into the simplest of gestures, that what they shared was far from ordinary.

One evening, as they finished dinner in the penthouse, Elias studied her across the table, his gaze unwavering. He leaned back, his hands folded, watching her in silence. Sapphire was used to his assessing glances, but tonight, there was something different in the way he looked at her—intense, piercing, as if he was trying to read her thoughts without a single word.

“Busy looking for answers?” she asked, her tone cool but teasing. She lifted her glass, taking a slow sip, letting the question hang between them.

His lips curled into a faint smirk. “Maybe.” He set his glass down, leaning forward, his eyes never leaving hers. “I am trying to understand what it is you are not telling me.”

She quirked a brow. “And what makes you think I am holding anything back?”

He shrugged, his gaze dark and unwavering. “You don’t strike me as someone who lays all their cards on the table.”

Sapphire met his gaze, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Neither do you.”

His smirk widened, and he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. “That is what makes this interesting, doesn’t it?” He reached across the table, his fingers brushing over hers. The touch was brief, almost accidental, but it sent a shiver down her spine.

They finished the rest of the meal in silence, a comfortable quiet that had become their new normal. When they stood to clear the dishes, Elias’s hand found the small of her back, guiding her into the kitchen. It was a simple gesture, but the possessiveness in his touch was unmistakable, as if he was reminding her of her place here, in this space that was both his and now theirs.

Once they were done, he poured them both a glass of wine, and they walked to the balcony. They stood side by side, staring out over the city, the lights stretching out into the distance like a sea of stars. The air was cool, the quiet of the night a stark contrast to the noise of their respective lives.

“I can’t decide if I am surprised that you have stayed,” he said, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. But Sapphire knew better—there was a challenge hidden in those words, a test to see how she would respond.

She turned to him, studying the sharp lines of his profile, the strength in his jaw, the confidence in his stance. “I think you already knew the answer to that,” she replied, her voice soft but firm. “You wouldn’t have kept me here if you thought I would leave.”

Elias’s lips twitched in the hint of a smile. “You assume I had a choice in the matter.”

“Didn’t you?” she asked, tilting her head slightly, her gaze steady on him.

He turned to face her fully, stepping closer until there was barely a breath of space between them. “I suppose I could have let you go,” he murmured, his voice low, his eyes tracing over her face as if searching for something. “But that wouldn’t have been nearly as... satisfying.”

She met his gaze, her heart pounding, but her expression remained calm. “And what about this is so satisfying for you, Elias?”

He reached out, his fingers brushing over her cheek, trailing down to her jawline. “The fact that you haven’t run,” he said simply, his tone matter-of-fact, but the intensity in his eyes was anything but casual. “That you have chosen to stay, even knowing what I am capable of.”

Sapphire’s breath hitched, but she kept her composure. “Maybe I am not afraid of you.”

“Maybe you should be,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper, his fingers lingering on her skin.