Chapter 8 - The Viper’s Ballroom
The Metropolitan Club in Manhattan was an ocean of crystal chandeliers, flowing champagne, and old-money decadence. New York’s elite—senators, hedge fund titans, foreign dignitaries, and underworld bosses—mingled beneath the gilded ceilings, completely oblivious to the war brewing beneath the surface.
When Julian entered the grand ballroom with me on his arm, the room went dead silent.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd like shockwaves. Julian Rourke never attended social galas. He certainly never attended them with a stunning woman clinging to his arm, sporting a seven-carat diamond on her finger.
“Smile, darling,” Julian murmured in my ear, his hand resting possessively on the curve of my bare lower back. “Everyone is watching.”
I leaned into him, flashing a dazzling, practiced smile at a passing senator. “If I pass out from terror, catch me gracefully.”
“Always.”
Suddenly, the crowd parted. Walking toward us was an older man with silver-streaked hair, cold reptile eyes, and a sharp white tuxedo. Flanking him were four massive bodyguards whose jackets hung heavy with concealed weapons.
Nikolai Ivanov.
“Julian,” Nikolai purred in a heavy Russian accent, extending a hand adorned with heavy gold rings. “I was surprised to hear you survived your drive across the Brooklyn Bridge this evening.”
The sheer audacity of the threat hung between them like a drawn blade.
Julian didn't take his hand. Instead, his fingers tightened subtly around my waist. “It takes more than second-rate mercenaries and bad driving to inconvenience me, Nikolai. But allow me to introduce my fiancée, Harper Vance.”
Nikolai’s cold eyes shifted to me, raking over my gown with calculating malice. “Ah, yes. Miss Vance. The brilliant risk analyst from Northline. My associates tell me she has a remarkable talent for uncovering hidden numbers.” He took my hand, raising it to his lips, his cold mouth brushing against my knuckles. “A dangerous talent for such a delicate flower.”
I didn't flinch. Drawing on every ounce of courage I possessed, I tilted my chin up and met his gaze. “Numbers don’t lie, Mr. Ivanov. People do. Especially when they’re desperate to hide their debts.”
A flash of fury flickered across Nikolai’s face before he forced a thin, cruel smile. “Enjoy the champagne, my dear. In this city, fortunes can change in an instant.”
He turned and strode away toward the private elevator that led to the club’s fortified VIP penthouse suite.
“He took the bait,” Julian whispered into my ear, his lips brushing against my diamond earring. “His personal servers are in the private library on the fourth floor. While I keep his security team distracted in the main parlor, you slip upstairs with the decryption flash drive.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. “And if they catch me?”
May you like
Julian pulled me close, kissing me passionately in front of the entire ballroom, an intimate, breathtaking display that sent camera flashes exploding around us.
When he pulled back, his eyes were burning steel. “They won’t. Because if anyone touches a single hair on your head, Harper, I will burn this entire city to ash.”
