Chapter 3 The Devil's Fingerprint

Chapter 3: The Devil's Fingerprint

Morning didn't bring clarity. It brought a cold, gray reality.

The storm had passed, but the power in the Blackwood penthouse was still out. The backup generators had failed, plunging the massive, marble-floored mansion into a gloomy, gothic silence.

I sat at the vanity, staring at my reflection. The woman looking back at me had dark circles under her eyes and a faint, purpling bruise on her cheekbone from Adrian's ring. I touched the bruise gently. It was a stark reminder of the monster I was married to.

And the monster's brother.

I reached into the pocket of my silk robe, my fingers brushing against the cold metal of the silver key. Julian's key.

My heart raced. I had spent the entire night tossing and turning, the phantom scent of cedar and rain clinging to my pillows. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the ghost of his gentle touch and heard the terrifying promise in his voice.

You let me love you.

It was a sick, twisted game. But it was the only game in town.

I stood up, my bare feet silent on the cold floor. Adrian's study was on the second floor, a room I was strictly forbidden from entering. He claimed it held classified corporate secrets, but I knew it held the truth about my father.

The hallway was empty. The security guards were likely patrolling the perimeter, dealing with the aftermath of the storm. I slipped into the study and closed the heavy door behind me.

The room smelled of stale whiskey and old paper. It was a monument to Adrian's ego, filled with leather-bound books and dark mahogany furniture. I walked over to his massive desk and pulled on the bottom left drawer.

It was locked.

I pulled out the silver key and slid it into the lock. It fit perfectly. The lock clicked open.

A rush of adrenaline hit me. I pulled the drawer open, expecting to see the manila folders, the financial records, the evidence that would free my father and put Adrian behind bars.

Instead, there was a small, sleek biometric safe.

My heart sank. I reached out and touched the smooth black glass. A tiny red light blinked, demanding a fingerprint. Adrian's fingerprint.

I slammed my fist against the desk, frustration burning in my throat. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Julian had given me the key to the drawer, but he knew I couldn't open the safe. He was dangling the truth in front of me like a carrot on a stick.

"You're a clever bastard, Julian," I whispered to the empty room.

"I prefer 'resourceful,'" a voice drawled from the shadows.

I spun around, a gasp catching in my throat. Julian was leaning against the bookshelves, his arms crossed. He was wearing a dark, tailored suit that was identical to the ones Adrian wore, but where Adrian looked rigid, Julian looked elegant. Dangerous.

"How did you get in here?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "The guards-"

"Are paid by me," Julian interrupted smoothly, pushing off the bookshelf and walking toward me. "The guards, the staff, the chefs. They all answer to me, Sera. Adrian is so obsessed with his public image that he never realizes I've bought the shadows around him."

He stopped on the other side of the desk, his piercing blue eyes dropping to the safe.

"You found it," he murmured.

"You set me up," I shot back, crossing my arms to hide my trembling hands. "You gave me the key knowing I couldn't open it."

"I gave you the key to prove that I'm the only one who can help you," Julian corrected, his voice dropping to that eerie, gentle register that made my skin prickle. "I have a way past the biometric lock. But I need to know you're committed to this."

"Committed to betraying my husband with his twin brother?" I asked, letting a bitter smirk cross my face. "I've been committed since the day I signed that marriage contract."

Julian's eyes darkened. The air in the study suddenly felt too thick to breathe. He moved around the desk, his steps slow and deliberate. I backed up until my spine hit the cold mahogany.

He boxed me in, his hands resting on the desk on either side of my hips. He was so close I could see the faint gold flecks in his blue eyes.

"Adrian doesn't deserve you," Julian whispered, leaning in. "He doesn't know how to touch you. He doesn't know that you shiver when someone touches the back of your neck. He doesn't know that you need to be spoken to softly. He treats you like a possession. I will treat you like a religion."

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. I had to keep my head. I had to remember that Julian was just as much a monster as his brother. He was just a different kind of monster.

"Words are cheap, Julian," I managed to say, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me. "Show me the way into the safe. Then we'll talk about religion."

A slow, predatory smile spread across his face. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, translucent silicone patch.

"Adrian is paranoid," Julian said, holding up the patch. "But he's not paranoid enough. He doesn't know I stole his prints six months ago when he passed out drunk in the boardroom."

He took my right hand, his thumb stroking over my palm. A shiver raced up my arm.

"Press this to the scanner," Julian instructed, handing me the patch. "And then, we open Pandora's box together."

I took the patch, my fingers trembling. This was it. The moment of no return.

I reached down and pressed the silicone patch against the glass scanner. The red light flickered, turned green, and the safe clicked open.

Inside, there was a single black flash drive.

Before I could grab it, Julian's hand closed over mine.

"Not yet," he whispered, pulling me against his chest. "Not until you give me what I want."

"What do you want?" I breathed.

"I want you to admit that you want me here," he said, his voice a dark, hypnotic command. "Not just for the evidence. Not just to destroy him. I want you to admit that when I touch you, you don't feel like a bird in a cage anymore."

He was right. It was terrifying, but he was right. When he touched me, I felt alive.

Suddenly, the shrill ring of the landline on the desk shattered the silence.

We both froze.

The landline was a direct line. Only one person had the number.

Julian's eyes met mine, a wicked, terrifying glee flickering in their depths. He didn't pull away. Instead, he pressed his body closer to mine, trapping me against the desk.

He reached out with his free hand and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Hello, brother," Julian murmured, his voice instantly shifting, adopting the cold, sharp cadence of Adrian. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then, Adrian's icy voice filled the study.

"Julian," Adrian spat, the venom in his voice palpable even through the phone. "I should have known you'd be sniffing around my house while I'm gone."

Julian's hand slid from my waist up to my throat, resting there lightly, his thumb tracing my jaw. He leaned down, his lips brushing my ear.

"Say hello to your husband, darling," Julian whispered, the command laced with dark promise. "Tell him how much you miss him."

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