Chapter 16: Chapter XVI
The address Milanna sent led Callum to a sleek, high-rise condo situated in the more serene part of Beverly Hills. The tinted glass exterior of penthouse suite reflected the setting sun, it’s cool elegance reflecting the firestorm inside. Callum stepped out of the elevator, straightening his shirt, jaw tight, facial expression unreadable.
He didn’t knock.
The door opened the second he reached it, as if she’d been watching him.
“Callum,” Milanna spoke, silhouetted by soft amber lighting. She was dressed in a black satin robe, barely tied, her long legs visible through the slit. Her dark red lipstick matched her nails, and her smile was a clear mixture of mischief and danger.
He stepped inside without returning it. “I’m here Milanna. What do you want?”
She closed the door behind him slowly. “Straight to the point. You’re always so serious with me. Loosen up a little.”
He turned to face her. “You leaked that photo to the press, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t leak anything,” she said, feigning ignorance as she padded toward the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”
“No.”
Her smile faltered for a beat before she regained composure. “It wasn’t me. But you and I both know how easy it is for certain things to... slip out.”
“I don’t believe a word you’re saying. You called me here to talk. So talk.”
Milanna leaned on the marble kitchen counter, turning a crystal champagne glass between her fingers. “I miss you. I’ve haven’t heard from you since the day I left your apartment.”
Callum’s eyes narrowed. “There was nothing to say that’s why I didn’t reach out.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Nothing to say? You sure had a lot to say that day in your apartment. We had chemistry. Fire.”
Callum kept mute and stared at her blankly.
“You think that little PR stunt with the girl is going to last? She’s doesn’t belong in our world. She has no status. We both know you she has nothing to offer you so I don’t understand what game you both are playing but not for long.”
He stayed silent. His silence spoke volumes.
Milanna stepped closer. “She can’t give you what you want. Not the way I can. Together we can build an empire. We would be unstoppable.”
She brushed her fingers down his chest, tugging lightly on the lapel of his shirt. “You liked when I bit back. When I made you burn. That girl? She’s a temporary escape. An illusion of what you really need.”
He caught her wrist mid-movement. His grip wasn’t tight, but it was enough.
“She’s not a fantasy,” he said, voice low. “She’s real. And you don’t get to talk about her.”
Milanna’s eyes sparked. “So defensive. You almost sound pathetic and weak You used to be wild, Callum. Now you’re acting like some white-knight fiancé with a charity case.”
“You should watch your tongue. Careful.”
Milanna laughed and pulled her wrist free, unbothered. “Why? Afraid I’ll speak the truth?”
“You don’t know anything about her.”
“I know she’s not an elite,” she spat. “Too much of an outcast for this world. And too soft for you.”
Callum stepped back, shaking his head. “You called me here for this? To throw shades?”
“No,” she said, crossing the room with a dangerous sway. “I called you here to remind you what’s at stake.”
She reached into a drawer by the bar and pulled out a sleek black folder. Tossed it on the coffee table between them. “You’ve got skeletons, Callum. The kind that could bury your little empire if they came to light.”
His eyes didn’t leave her. “Are you threatening me?”
She gave him a tight smile. “I’m offering you a choice.”
He opened the folder. Inside were photos—surveillance shots, old transaction records, even a few with his older brother; Alex involved in backdoor meetings with less-than-reputable individuals.
His stomach turned.
“This is all smoke,” he said, shutting the folder. “Nothing here sticks.”
“Maybe not in court,” she said, circling him again like a cat. “Butif it comes to light, it will ruin your reputation. And hers.”
“I don’t know why you keep mentioning her in all of this but I advise you to leave her out of this.”
“She’s already in it. Headlines, whispers, blogs. ‘The future Mrs. Guerrero’. It won’t take anything to paint her as a gold-digger clinging to your money while you clean house. Or maybe as your pawn. Or plaything.”
Callum clenched his fists. “If you wanted to take me down, you would have gone public with this already. So what do you want?”
She smiled slowly. “I want back in. I want to be the one by your side.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
She reached up and unfastened the tie on her robe. It slipped down her shoulders, revealing the black lace beneath.
“I’m what you want, Callum. I always have been.” She said seductively.
He stepped back. “Not anymore.”
“You’re not a good liar, I can see parts of you starting to rise. Your body responds to my proximity.” she whispered.
Callum grabbed his phone from his jacket. “This was a mistake.”
Milanna’s eyes darkened. “If you walk out that door, the next thing the media will see is a leak about your sweet little arrangement. A few rumors about how your relationship started are enough to get people to talk.”
He turned slowly, face like stone.
“You wouldn’t dare.” He threatened.
She picked up her wine glass and sipped. “Try me.”
For a beat, the room was silent except for the soft clink of her glass as she set it down.
Callum stared at her, the weight of old entanglements and new responsibilities warring behind his eyes. He knew walking away might cost him. But giving in? That would cost him Ariana.
He turned toward the door.
“I don’t respond well to blackmail,” he said coldly. “I would like to see you do your worst, Milanna.”
Her voice followed him like a blade as he left. “You think you can protect her, Callum? This world eats people like her alive. And if I don’t do it... someone else will.”
The elevator doors slid closed behind him, severing the connection.
Back inside the penthouse, Milanna’s smirk faltered as she looked at the closed door. She grabbed her phone.
“Activate it” she said to the person on the other end.
A voice crackled back. “You’re sure?”
Her smile returned. “Let’s shake their little love story. Let’s see how real it is. I need to understand what their connection is about.”