Chapter 3 A Secret Between Alphas

Cassian had fully left before I finished treating my injuries. My cheek still hurt, and every breath sent pain through my ribs. I closed the first-aid kit and headed toward the staff quarters, walking carefully and trying not to let the pain affect my movements too much.

As I walked, I noticed two guards standing near the entrance to the east wing. Another pair watched the corridor leading to the service elevator. Security was tighter than it had been before the fight.

By the time I reached my room, I had already abandoned my original plan for the morning. With security tightened and Cassian questioning my background, moving around the penthouse would be more difficult. I locked the door and sat on the edge of my bed.

Thirty days. I had just thirty days.

And Cassian Vanguard had made one thing clear: I wouldn't get near his secrets without attracting his attention first. His attention was the last thing I needed.

After everything that had happened, I needed sleep. I lay down and eventually drifted off, but a knock at my door woke me before my alarm. I checked the time. Six thirty.

I wanted to ignore it. I still needed rest, and the pain in my ribs hadn't gone away. Then the knock came again, louder this time.

"Clara Vance?" Adrian's voice came through the door. "Cassian wants you downstairs."

I got to my feet, ignoring the pain in my ribs as best I could. If Cassian wanted to see me this early, I doubted it would be a friendly conversation. When I opened the door, Adrian's eyes moved to my cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I replied.

"Good. Then we can talk."

He stepped aside, waiting for me to follow. I locked my door behind me and followed him, careful not to let my discomfort show. As we walked down the corridor, Adrian finally spoke.

"Why did you move toward a restricted corridor when Mrs. Hayes told you to return to your room?"

I kept my expression calm. "I heard the disturbance and wanted to know whether the danger was moving toward the staff quarters."

"Is that what Mrs. Hayes asked you to do?"

"No," I admitted. "It wasn't."

Adrian looked at me for a few moments. He didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but he didn't look surprised either.

"You moved toward an armed intruder instead of away from him," he said. "Then you disarmed him before Mr. Vanguard stepped in. Most household staff wouldn't know how to do that."

"I told Cassian that I had self-defense training."

"Training doesn't explain everything."

I looked at him. "Are you asking me a question, or have you already decided I'm lying?"

His expression remained unreadable. "I'm trying to understand why a maid with incomplete employment records has the reflexes of someone trained for dangerous situations."

I had to be careful. Adrian wasn't as easy to distract as some of the guards I'd met before.

"I worked in places where it was safer to be prepared," I said. "That's all I'm willing to discuss about my past."

He watched me for another moment before continuing down the corridor.

"Then let's discuss last night. The service entrance was opened with a valid access card. The security system wasn't disabled, and no one has admitted letting the intruder in."

"So you think someone inside helped him?"

"I think we haven't ruled anything out."

That answer told me more than he probably intended. Cassian's security team still had no clear explanation for the breach, which meant everyone in the penthouse could be questioned, including me.

We reached the main staircase. Two guards stood at the bottom, and another watched the hallway leading toward the east wing. Adrian stopped before we went any farther.

"Until the investigation is complete, staff members will be escorted through restricted areas. You'll also remain in the main service section unless Mrs. Hayes assigns you elsewhere."

I kept my reaction off my face. The new restrictions would make it harder to move around the penthouse unnoticed.

"Understood," I said.

"Good. Mr. Vanguard is waiting."

He led me into the sitting room, where Cassian stood beside the windows with a tablet in his hand. He looked as if he'd been awake for hours. His gaze moved from Adrian to me.

"Did she explain why she ignored instructions?"

"She said she was checking whether the danger was moving toward the staff quarters," Adrian replied. "Her explanation doesn't account for her combat training or the gaps in her records."

Cassian set the tablet down.

"Then we'll deal with one problem at a time." His eyes settled on me. "Clara, starting today, you will follow every instruction given by Mrs. Hayes or my security team. No wandering, no approaching restricted areas, and no attempts to investigate last night's incident."

"I understand."

"Do you?" His voice was quiet, but the question felt deliberate. "Because I have a feeling you understand more about danger than you've told us."

I held his gaze. "Perhaps I do."

For the first time, something shifted in his expression, making me wary.

"Then you should understand this too," he said. "If I discover you've lied to me about anything important, your employment here will end immediately. And you will be dealt with accordingly."

I lowered my eyes just enough to appear respectful. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

He picked up the tablet again, dismissing me without another word. I had expected tighter security after last night. I hadn't expected Cassian to put my every movement under scrutiny before breakfast. My mission had just become harder, and the man standing in my way was beginning to suspect that I wasn't who I claimed to be.

I left the sitting room without looking back. Cassian had made his warning clear, but I had no intention of abandoning my mission. What awaited me if I failed wasn't something I could afford to face. I couldn't give up just because a billionaire had decided to watch me more closely.

I returned to the staff area and found Mrs. Hayes checking the day's schedule.

"Since you're feeling well enough to work, I need you to help prepare the main sitting room," she said. "Mr. Vanguard has an important meeting this afternoon."

"With whom?" I asked before I could stop myself.

She glanced up. "That isn't part of your duties, Clara."

I lowered my eyes. "I was only asking so I would know what needed to be prepared."

"Just make sure everything is ready before noon."

I accepted the instructions and went to collect the supplies. An important meeting meant visitors, additional security, and changes to the usual routine. It didn't guarantee me access to anything useful, but it gave me a reason to pay closer attention.

By the time I finished preparing the sitting room, the penthouse had changed. Two additional guards stood outside the main entrance, and Mrs. Hayes had instructed the staff to stay away from the meeting area unless they were needed.

I was carrying a tray toward the dining room when the elevator doors opened. A tall man stepped out, dressed in a dark suit. He barely glanced at the guards before one of them stepped aside to let him pass.

"Mr. Vanguard is expecting you," the guard said.

The man gave a short nod. "I hope he has an explanation for last night's failure."

I slowed down.

Last night's failure?

I continued walking before anyone could notice my interest, but I kept my ears open as the man approached the sitting room. Cassian was waiting inside.

"You're late," he said.

"And you're dealing with a problem you should have handled already." The visitor walked past him and placed a black folder on the table. "The drive is still missing. Do you understand what happens if the wrong people get their hands on it?"

"I understand perfectly."

"Then why is it still missing?"

Cassian's expression hardened. "Someone entered my property without permission. Your people were supposed to help find the drive, but they haven't succeeded."

Your people.

I kept my expression calm as I arranged the tray on a nearby table. The visitor wasn't just another business associate. He had people of his own involved in the incident, and Cassian seemed to know it.

Then the visitor spoke again.

"You can't keep this from the other Alphas forever, Cassian. If they discover what that drive contains before we do, this agreement is finished."

My hand paused over a glass.

Other Alphas.

The intruder's words from the previous night came back to me. You're not the only Alpha in this city.

I didn't understand what their title meant in this context, but I understood the danger in their voices. Whatever was on that drive had enough value to threaten an agreement between powerful people.

I placed the last glass on the tray and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Cassian's voice stopped me. I looked back as his eyes moved from the tray to my face.

"Did you hear what we were discussing?"

The question was casual. His expression wasn't. I had one chance to answer without drawing more attention to myself.

"No, sir," I said. "I was only bringing the refreshments."

The visitor studied me. "Is she new?"

"Recently hired," Cassian replied.

"Then you should be more careful about who you let into your house."

Cassian's gaze remained on me. "I'm aware of that."

I lowered my head and left the room, keeping my pace steady until I reached the corridor. My heart was beating faster, but my thoughts were clear. The missing drive was connected to an agreement involving multiple Alphas. Someone had risked entering Cassian's penthouse to retrieve it, and now another man was demanding answers.

My original plan had been to find the encryption code and deliver it to Don Marcello. If the drive and the code were connected, I might not be the only person in this penthouse working toward the same goal.

I had almost reached the staff area when I heard the sitting room door open behind me. The visitor stepped out, adjusting his jacket as he spoke to someone behind him.

"You have until tomorrow to find that drive," he said. "After that, I can't keep the other Alphas from getting involved."

Cassian's reply came from inside the room.

"They won't get it before I do."

"And if the encryption is broken first?"

There was a brief silence.

"Then we have a much bigger problem," Cassian said.

The visitor entered the elevator, and the doors closed behind him. I stood still for a moment, pretending to adjust the tray in my hands.

The drive. The encryption. The hidden territories.

They were connected somehow, and Cassian was desperate to find the drive before the other Alphas did.

I had come here to steal an encryption code. Now I was beginning to understand why it mattered. But before I could make sense of what I'd heard, a guard appeared at the end of the corridor.

"Clara? Mr. Vanguard wants to know why you were standing outside the sitting room."

My fingers tightened around the tray. I'd been careful.

So how had he noticed me?