Chapter 7 - Whispers in the Dark
The color drained from Marcus Vance’s face.
For a split second, his composure fractured.
His eyes darted from Maya to Adrien.
Then back to Maya.
“I—I beg your pardon?” Marcus stammered, forcing a shaky laugh.
“Auditing?”
“Yes, Marcus,” Adrien stepped in, his voice like sliding glaciers.
“My new auditor found some very interesting discrepancies in our offshore accounts this morning.”
Marcus swallowed hard.
He tried to step back, but two of Adrien’s armed guards instantly materialized behind him, blocking any escape.
“Adrien, you cannot possibly believe—” Marcus began, his voice rising in panic.
“Save it for the basement,” Adrien interrupted coldly.
“Take him away.”
Before Marcus could draw his hidden weapon, the guards tackled him to the floor, slapping heavy steel cuffs onto his wrists.
The surrounding guests gasped, scattering away in terror.
In a matter of seconds, the grand ballroom was cleared of everyone except Adrien, Maya, and the guards dragging a screaming Marcus toward the back corridors.
Maya let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Well,” Maya whispered, looking at Adrien.
“That escalated quickly.”
Adrien turned his dark gaze back to her.
The tension in his shoulders finally eased.
“You handled yourself well, Maya.”
“I mostly just stood here and looked pretty in emerald green,” Maya pointed out.
“And terrified a high-ranking syndicate traitor with a single sentence,” Adrien corrected, stepping closer.
“Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“Oh, you’re already on it,” Maya shot back with a cheeky grin.
“You still owe me double salary and immunity from your trigger-happy guards.”
Adrien chuckled, the sound vibrating through the quiet room.
May you like
“Done and done.”
Suddenly, the heavy glass double doors at the front of the mansion shattered into a million pieces.
