Chapter 47 The Intentional Threat
Damian's POV
I chose the location carefully. Not hers. Never hers. If Felicia Ardent wanted a conversation, she would have to meet me somewhere neutral—somewhere I could control at least part of the board. A private rooftop lounge, closed for the afternoon under the guise of renovation. Open sightlines. Limited access points. Multiple exits. I arrived early.
I stood near the edge, hands resting lightly in my pockets as I scanned the perimeter for the third time. Security—mine, not hers—was already in place, unseen but positioned. Eyes on every entrance, every shadow. Still—
I didn’t expect this to be clean.
Felicia didn’t operate cleanly. She operated precisely. A soft click behind me. I didn’t turn immediately. I didn’t need to.
“You’re early.”
Her voice. Smooth. Unhurried. I exhaled once before turning to face her. Felicia Ardent stood a few feet away, dark coat draped perfectly over her shoulders, her posture immaculate. No visible guards. Which meant—
They were there. Hidden. Watching. Always watching.
“You’re late,” I replied evenly.
A faint smile curved her lips.
“Fashionably.”
Her gaze swept over me, assessing, taking in every detail like she was cataloging every single feature.
“Damian McKay,” she murmured. “I must say, I'm partly surprised you took me up on my offer to meet.”
My expression didn’t shift. “You asked for a meeting.”
“I did.”
“And here I am.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Yes. You are.”
Silence stretched between us for a beat—measured, deliberate. Testing.
I didn’t fill it. Neither did she. Good. That meant we both understood what this was. A negotiation. Without terms. Yet.
Felicia moved first, stepping closer—but not too close. Just enough to shift the dynamic, to test boundaries without crossing us.
“I must say,” she continued, her tone light, almost conversational, “you handled the proposal… beautifully.”
My jaw tightened slightly. “You weren’t invited.”
“No,” she agreed easily. “But it was quite the spectacle.”
Her eyes flickered with something—amusement, maybe. Or something sharper.
“Anna’s reaction was particularly touching.”
I shifted my stance slightly. “Say what you came to say.”
Felicia’s smile deepened just a fraction.
“Straight to business,” she mused. “I appreciate that.”
She stepped to the side, glancing out over the city for a moment before returning her attention to me.
“You’ve been busy,” she said.
“So have you.” I countered.
A soft hum. “Have I?”
I didn’t respond. I watched. Waited. Let her lead. Because that’s what she wanted. Felicia turned back fully, folding her hands lightly in front of her.
“You’ve been digging,” she said. “Tracing connections. Following threads that were never meant to be found so quickly.”
My gaze sharpened. “You left them exposed.”
“No,” she corrected gently. “I allowed them to be found.”
That—
That was deliberate. Controlled. Everything about her was.
“Why?” I asked.
Felicia studied me for a moment. Then—
“Because I wanted to see how you’d react.”
I didn’t like that answer. Didn’t like what it implied.
“And?” I pressed.
Her lips curved.
“You didn’t disappoint.”
Of course. I hadn’t expected to.
Felicia took another slow step closer. Still measured. Still calculated.
“You see patterns,” she said. “You don’t panic. You don’t lash out.” Her eyes held mine. “You wait.”
I kept my voice even. “And you?”
Her smile sharpened slightly. “I orchestrate.”
There it was. The difference. The line between us.
I let the silence sit for a moment before speaking again. “This isn’t about us,” I said.
It wasn’t a question. Felicia didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she studied me again—like she was deciding how much to give.
“How much have you figured out?” she asked.
“Enough to know this is bigger than Ardent Global.”
A flicker of something passed through her eyes. Approval? Maybe.
“Good,” she said softly.
My jaw tightened.
“Then you know this is bigger than you and your family.”
My gaze hardened.
“You showed up at my brother’s engagement.”
“That,” she said lightly, “was… opportunistic.”
“Disrespectful is what I'd call it.”
Felicia tilted her head.
“Effective.”
I took a step closer now, closing the distance just enough to shift the tension.
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
Her smile didn’t falter.
“Only if I lose.”
“And you think you won’t?”
“I don’t play games I can’t win.”
Confidence. Absolute. Unshaken. I studied her carefully.
“You’re being backed,” I said.
Not a guess. A statement. Felicia’s eyes glinted.
“Everyone is backed by someone, Damian.”
“Not like this.”
A pause. Then—
“You’re right.”
That caught me off guard temporarily. Felicia exhaled softly, as if deciding something.
“This isn’t just corporate maneuvering,” she said. “And it’s certainly not about your family and how irritatingly adjusted you all have been since our situations.....overlapped.”
My expression didn’t change—but internally, everything sharpened. “Then why involve us at all?”
Her gaze held mine.
“Because you’re already in it. I had no choice but just to let the chips fall as they may.”
A chill settled beneath my skin.
“So you're trying to tell me that you had your associate run Courtney off the road, nearly killing her, and when that failed, you tried to abduct her because....you had no choice?”
Felicia’s smile faded slightly—not completely, but enough to reveal something colder beneath.
“There are systems in place,” she said. “Structures that have existed long before Ardent Global became what it is. And any moves made by anyone within that network is beyond my complete control, Damian.”
Her voice lowered slightly by the time she uttered my name.
“Financial pipelines. Data networks. Influence channels.”
My mind moved quickly, connecting pieces. Government-adjacent access. Internal breaches. Shell divisions.
“You’re leveraging them,” I said.
“I’m navigating them,” she corrected.
“And we’re what?” I asked. “Collateral?”
Her gaze flicked briefly to the side—then back.
“No.” A beat. “You’re variables.”
My hands flexed at my sides as I fought to control my building rage.
“That’s not better.”
“It’s not meant to be.”
Silence fell again. I could feel it now. The scale. The depth of what we were standing in. This wasn’t just about power. It was about control at a level most people never even saw.
“And what do you want from me?” I asked.
Felicia’s smile returned—slow, deliberate.
“There it is.”
She stepped closer again, this time stopping just within my space—not touching, but close enough to test the line.
“I want you to stop digging,” she said.
Direct. Simple. Impossible. I let out a quiet breath.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“I assumed as much.”
“Then why ask?”
“Because,” she said softly, “I like to offer options before I remove them.”
A threat. Wrapped in silk.
I heard the slight noise behind me and I shifted my posture once more.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
Felicia’s eyes flickered with something almost like amusement.
“Don’t I?”
For a moment, neither of us moved. The air between us tight. Charged. Then—
Felicia stepped back, her gaze fluttered just behind me for a split second, almost as though it never happened.
“This is the part,” she said, smoothing her coat slightly, “where I tell you to be careful.”
I didn’t react.
“Not because I’m concerned for you,” she added. “But because what’s coming… doesn’t differentiate between intention and involvement.”
I kept my voice low. “Then you’re already too late.”
Her smile returned. “Am I?”
A beat. Then—
Her gaze shifted, just slightly once more beyond me. Past me. Barely noticeable. But I caught it.
“And next time,” she said casually, “if you’re going to bring someone…”
My jaw tightened.
“…you should tell them not to hide in your shadow. I don't bite.”
I didn’t turn. Didn’t react. But inside—
Everything sharpened instantly.
Felicia’s smile widened just a fraction. “Give Courtney my regards,” she added.
And just like that—
She turned and walked away.
Leaving me with more answers—
And far more questions than before.