Chapter 145

Chapter 145
Hidden Cards, Dangerous Games

The morning after the gala arrived shrouded in mist, but the Blackwood estate had not yet settled. The night’s glamour had faded, replaced by a charged stillness that hung in the air like a held breath.

Claire stood on the balcony, arms folded tightly around herself. Her emerald gown from the previous evening had been replaced by a simple cream blouse and tailored black trousers, but she still looked every bit the woman who had stood against a room full of enemies. Still, the weight of the previous night clung to her shoulders.

Gavin’s presence at the gala hadn’t just unsettled her—it had confirmed something she feared: he wasn’t done. His words echoed in her mind like poison soaked in silk.

"You’re making enemies you don’t understand."

Claire turned as she heard footsteps behind her. Adrian emerged from their bedroom, shirt half-buttoned, his expression taut with unreadable tension. He’d been up most of the night speaking with Daniel and the estate’s security team.

“You didn’t sleep,” she said quietly.

“Neither did you,” he countered.

She gave a small nod, and they stood in silence for a beat before Adrian spoke again.

“One of Gavin’s people did manage to breach the east wing—just not the archives.”

Claire’s brow furrowed. “Then what was the target?”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “They tried to plant something. A USB device. Surveillance-grade tech.”

She turned to him sharply. “He’s trying to monitor us?”

“No,” Adrian said grimly. “He’s trying to collect something—data, blackmail, leverage. But we caught it in time. Daniel's team is running a diagnostic across every security line.”

Claire’s stomach churned. “So the gala was a distraction.”

“Yes. And we walked straight into it.”

Seeds of Chaos

Later that day, Claire joined Daniel in Adrian’s private office. He was already seated at the long mahogany table, blueprints, security footage stills, and data logs projected across the wall screen.

“Morning, Claire,” he greeted, pushing a tablet toward her. “You should see this.”

She picked it up, eyes scanning the timestamped images.

One of Gavin’s associates, a man she vaguely recognized from earlier business summits, had slipped away from the main ballroom and entered a restricted hallway. Disguised as a staff member, he moved with practiced precision—straight to a panel behind a decorative column.

“He knew exactly where to go,” Claire said.

Daniel nodded. “That’s what’s worrying me. This wasn’t an impulsive move. It was rehearsed.”

“Which means Gavin has an informant,” she said flatly.

Daniel didn’t argue.

Claire handed back the tablet, heart thudding. “And if Gavin’s desperate enough to plant spyware, then he’s either losing control or preparing for something much bigger.”

“Or both,” Daniel added grimly.

Just then, Adrian entered, his expression dark.

“I made a few calls,” he announced. “Our team tracked the device to a supplier in Prague. High-level, no-name shell company. The kind that does dirty work for global clients. Gavin’s escalating.”

Claire stood, pacing slowly. “What does he want? He has money. Connections. Influence.”

“He wants to destroy you,” Adrian said, eyes locking with hers. “Not just me—you. That dance wasn’t to rattle me. It was a warning to you.”

Claire stiffened, but her voice remained steady. “Let him try. He’s not the only one who knows how to play dirty.”

Collateral and Confessions

That afternoon, Claire met with Juliet, her close friend and PR strategist, in a quiet corner of a high-end bistro far from the estate.

Juliet had helped reframe Claire’s image after her release from prison. Now, she was one of the few people Claire trusted entirely.

“So what you’re saying,” Juliet said as she stirred her espresso, “is that Gavin crashed your gala, flirted with you in front of Adrian, and tried to bug the house?”

Claire nodded, sipping her drink. “And he’s getting bolder.”

Juliet whistled. “That man’s either unhinged or planning something nuclear.”

Claire leaned in. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Juliet reached into her handbag and slid a folder across the table. “I’ve been running background checks on his new allies. One of them has ties to a Russian conglomerate that’s been blacklisted in the EU.”

Claire flipped through the documents, pulse rising. “Illegal funding?”

“Possibly. Or laundering. Either way, if we connect Gavin to it publicly…”

Claire caught on immediately. “We destroy his credibility. Investors will run. The board will panic.”

Juliet’s expression sobered. “But we need solid proof. A leak won’t cut it—Gavin would spin it and make you the villain again.”

Claire sat back, mind racing. “Then we don’t leak it. We let it slip in a board meeting.”

Juliet blinked. “You want to plant the idea?”

Claire nodded. “All it takes is one well-placed whisper in front of a panicked investor.”

Juliet smiled slowly. “You really have become Adrian Blackwood’s wife.”

Claire didn’t smile back. “No. I became my own weapon.”

Shadows in the Boardroom

Back at the Blackwood Empire headquarters, Adrian called an emergency strategy meeting with his top execs. The room was tense, thick with anticipation. Claire stood beside him at the head of the table, commanding just as much attention as her husband.

They outlined Gavin’s recent moves, hinting at the possibility of external threats to the industry’s security and ethics. Then Claire dropped the bait.

“I’ve received whispers from a contact in Geneva about a deal Gavin is brokering offshore,” she said carefully. “A corporation with ties to banned Russian entities.”

The board members stirred uneasily.

Adrian leaned forward. “If this is true, and Thorn Industries is engaging in illegal partnerships, it could destabilize the entire market. Investors would pull out in days.”

Silence reigned.

One executive cleared his throat. “If we had evidence…”

“We’re working on it,” Claire interjected smoothly. “But I thought it best you heard it from us first.”

The damage was planted. Like a slow-acting poison, the boardroom would begin to crumble from within. Doubt was contagious—and Gavin was about to be infected.

The Past Never Stays Buried

That night, Claire received an unmarked envelope delivered to the estate’s private gate.

Inside was a single photo.

It was grainy, black and white, clearly old—but unmistakable.

A photo of Claire, no older than sixteen, sitting on the steps outside her mother’s estate. Beside her was her stepfather—Malcolm—and a man she couldn’t recognize.

Scrawled in red ink on the back was a single line:

“You don’t know who you’re fighting.”

Claire’s blood ran cold.

She took the photo straight to Adrian, her voice low. “We’re missing something. Someone from my past is working with him.”

Adrian stared at the image, then at her. “We dig. No matter how far back it goes.”

Claire’s eyes burned. “Then let’s dig up hell.”