Chapter 2
As Daisy adjusted her trembling grip on the metallic square, a sharp hiss of static cut through the absolute silence of the dining hall. The device’s tiny speaker clicked on, proving it was a two-way transmitter.
Graham’s voice came through clearly, echoing against the gilded mirrors and ivory-paneled walls. His tone was casual, utterly unaware of the frozen, heavily armed audience on the other side of the frequency.
"He still thinks his son drowned?"
Evander’s breath stopped for a single, terrifying beat.
The grand dining room plunged into an abyss of tension. The golden warmth of the chandeliers suddenly felt like the harsh, exposing glare of an interrogation room. Evander Cole had buried an empty casket a year ago. The crushing grief over his six-year-old son’s drowning in the coastal undertow was the only vulnerability the boss had ever shown to the world.
Evander’s cold eyes moved slowly, methodically, from the black device in Daisy’s hands to Marceline’s face.
Marceline’s reassuring smile vanished entirely. The blood drained from her fair, rosy skin, leaving her looking like a porcelain doll about to shatter into a thousand pieces. Her left hand, heavy with the diamond engagement ring, went perfectly still against the walnut table. She opened her mouth to speak, but the sheer, suffocating gravity of Evander’s stare silenced her.
Daisy remained standing right behind his shoulder, effectively shielding herself with his imposing, tailored frame. No one breathed. The assembled mafia lieutenants, corrupt politicians, and wealthy socialites remained completely motionless, terrified that any sudden movement would draw the boss's wrath.
"Is my son alive?" Evander asked. The question dropped like a physical weight into the center of the room.
"Evander, please, you have to understand—" Marceline started, her voice cracking as she took a desperate half-step forward.
"Who is on the other end of this frequency, Marceline?" Evander asked, his deep voice never rising above a conversational rumble. Yet, it carried a lethal edge that made the nearby ivory candles seem to tremble.
"It’s not what it sounds like. I was trying to locate him for you!" she pleaded, her hands shaking. The sculpted garnet silk of her gown swept softly against the marble floor.
"If you were trying to locate him, why did you place a listening device under my chair instead of speaking to me?" Evander asked, tilting his head slightly. The refined tattoos on his hands flexed as he gripped the edge of the table.
"They threatened me!" Marceline cried out, her eyes darting nervously toward the device in Daisy's hand. "They said if I told you, they would kill him. I had to play along to keep him safe!"
From the small speaker in Daisy's hand, Graham's voice crackled again, impatient this time. "Marceline? Are you there? Did you get the bug planted for the dinner? We need to know who he’s moving to the docks tonight."
Evander did not blink. He looked at the woman he was supposed to marry.
"Does that sound like a man who is helping you keep my son safe?" Evander asked softly.
Marceline backed away, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I can explain everything. Just clear the room, Evander. Please."
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Evander slowly turned his head to look at the dozens of guests seated at the long table. They were his inner circle, his most trusted captains, yet none dared to intervene or speak a single word.
"Will you all leave my home immediately?" Evander asked the room. It was phrased as a polite question, but everyone in the room knew it was an absolute, non-negotiable command.
