A LOVER AND A RIVAL.

He leaned against the counter, watching me over the rim of his glass. "You think you scare him?"

"No," I said quietly. "But I think I remind him of everything he can't own."

He laughed, low and dangerous. " Careful, Harper. That kind of talk could get you crushed in our world."

"Then maybe your world deserves to fall."

His expression shifted, no longer amused, no longer cold. Something flickered there, something like respect. Or maybe it was a warning.

He set his glass down, walked towards me. "You think you are different from the rest of us, but you are already in the game. You signed the papers, remember?"

I looked up at him, close enough to see the faint scar near his jawline. "I didn't sign up to lose myself."

"Then don't," he said softly. "But don't expect me to hold your hand through it."

For a heartbeat, we just stared at each other_ two people caught between fury and something much more dangerous.