Chapter 10 THE TRAP

It had been three days since the email.

Three days since Dominic came home with blood on his hands and murder in his eyes.

Three days of restless nights, spent in the same bed but never sleeping.

Liana sat on the balcony that morning, knees drawn up, wrapped in one of his oversized shirts. The city below looked deceptively calm. Inside her chest, chaos.

She didn't hear him approach, but she felt him - that strange hum in the air that always warned her before he spoke.

"You've been out here for an hour," Dominic said quietly, holding a mug of coffee.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, not looking at him.

He set the mug beside her and crouched, placing a finger beneath her chin, tilting her face toward him.

"You're thinking yourself into knots again."

"I'm thinking about the camera," she said. "If they can watch us here, they can watch us anywhere. What if we've been giving them exactly what they want?"

His jaw tightened. "I've already swept the penthouse twice. Whatever was here is gone."

"Until they plant more," she countered.

He stood, running a hand through his hair. "Which is why I'm ending this."

She frowned. "You mean-?"

"I'm setting a trap," he said simply. "Midnight. Same theater. But this time, it won't be me walking in unarmed."

"Dominic-"

"This ends with me looking them in the eye," he cut in. "No more hiding. No more leverage."

"And what if it ends with you getting hurt?"

He turned, looking at her fully. "Then you burn the world down. Remember?"

She hated how calm he sounded.

Like he'd already prepared for the worst.

"Don't shut me out of this," she whispered.

"You think I want you anywhere near this?" he asked. "I can't risk you."

"You risk me every time you keep me in the dark."

Something flickered in his eyes then. Guilt. Admiration. Maybe even fear.

By noon, the apartment was a hive of preparation. Dominic's security team moved like shadows, setting up decoys and devices she didn't understand.

At one point, he called her into his office.

"There's a safe in the floor," he said. "If anything happens, there's cash, passports, a gun. You take it and leave."

"Don't talk like that," she said sharply.

"Liana." His voice softened. "I need to know you'll be okay."

That afternoon, she found herself standing behind him as he pulled on a fresh suit jacket.

"You look like you're going to war," she murmured.

"I am," he said without turning.

"Then let me fight with you."

He turned this time, hands gripping her arms gently. "You already are."

Her hands slid up his chest, unable to stop themselves. "I hate that I'm scared for you," she whispered.

"Good," he said, stepping closer. "Because fear means you still want me alive."

"Of course I do," she breathed.

Something broke between them then.

His mouth crashed onto hers.

It wasn't slow this time. It was all teeth and tongue and hands, years of frustration and desire spilling out like gasoline on fire.

Her back hit the wall, his hands holding her there as if she might vanish.

"Tell me to stop," he said roughly against her lips.

"Do I look like I want you to stop?"

He growled, deep and low.

One hand tangled in her hair while the other dragged her shirt upward. The cool air kissed her skin before his palms did, hot and possessive.

She gasped as he lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"I need you," he said, voice breaking. "Right now. Before I walk out that door, I need you to know-"

"I know," she cut in, kissing him again, desperate.

They stumbled to the desk.

Papers flew.

His mouth traced her throat, down her chest, leaving marks that would stay for days.

She felt like she was drowning - in him, in the chaos, in the need that burned so hot she couldn't think.

The rest of the world vanished.

The only thing real was the way he touched her, as if she was something fragile and wild at once.

When he finally entered her, she almost sobbed, clinging to him as if the act alone could anchor him to her.

He moved like a man trying to memorize everything - the sounds she made, the way she arched into him, the exact shape of her lips when she whispered his name.

It was fast, messy, consuming.

And when release came, it left them both shaking, holding each other like the ground beneath them had given way.

Afterward, he rested his forehead against hers, both of them still catching their breath.

"If I don't come back-" he began.

"You will," she cut in.

---

Midnight came too soon.

The abandoned theater smelled of rust and dust. The only light came from a single bulb swinging above the stage.

Dominic walked in alone, wearing a wire.

"Alright," he said into the emptiness. "I'm here."

A slow clap echoed from the shadows.

Clara stepped into the light.

"Hello, Dom," she purred.

Dominic's face hardened. "I should've known."

She smiled like a predator. "You've always underestimated me. All these years in your shadow, cleaning up your messes, making your money grow. And what do I get? Scraps."

"You betrayed me for this?"

"I betrayed you," she said, tilting her head, "because you made the mistake of choosing her."

"She has nothing to do with this," he said, voice like ice.

"She has everything to do with this," Clara snapped. "You can't see it yet, but she'll be your ruin. Unless..." She stepped closer. "You leave her. Publicly. Break her so badly she never comes back. Then maybe, maybe, I'll make sure those little videos stay buried."

Dominic laughed - low, dangerous. "You think you can scare me?"

"I don't need to scare you," Clara said. "I just need to ruin you."

Behind the curtain, a soft beep went off. His team was ready.

"Last chance," she said.

Dominic's expression didn't change. "You should've killed me when you had the chance."

He gave the signal.

Security stormed the stage.

But Clara was ready.

Before they could grab her, she pressed a button on a small device.

A massive screen lit up behind them, flashing video after video - every intimate moment between Dominic and Liana, captured and broadcast live.

The entire world now had front-row seats.

Clara smiled, stepping backward into the shadows as chaos erupted.

"You wanted a trap, Dom?" she called out. "Consider yourself caught."

And then she was gone.

Back at the penthouse, Liana watched in horror as the feed hit the news within seconds.

Her phone buzzed violently. Dozens of notifications, messages, headlines.

Her face. His face. Everywhere.

And she knew - everything was about to change.