Chapter 30

Chapter 30
UNKNOWN POV

“Tell me everything,” I said, my voice low, calm, sweet… but dangerous.

The man standing in front of me, one of the fools I sent, swallowed hard. His hands shook. His fear made me smile a little. Fear meant control. Fear meant I still held power over these idiots, even when they messed up.

He kept his eyes on the floor and whispered, “W-we didn’t find anything, ma’am. The mansion was empty. The man who cleans the garden was there, and the cameras were running… it all looked normal.”

Normal.

He dared to use that word with me.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs slowly, letting the silence sit heavy between us as I processed his words. Normal. As if anything around Ryan could ever be normal. As if the place didn’t hold secrets, movements, shadows, and plans only I should know about.

“So,” I whispered, tilting my head, “you’re telling me you wasted my time?”

He shook his head quickly. “N-no, ma’am. We checked the place just like you asked—”

“Not well enough,” I cut in, my voice sharp now. “He sensed something. Ryan never reacts without reason.”

Just saying his name made my heart squeeze. Ryan. My Ryan.

He didn’t know he was mine yet, but he would. Soon. I had loved him for years, quietly, from the shadows, watching him choose people who didn’t deserve him. Watching him throw his heart into things that were beneath him. Watching him trust too easily.

Like that girl. Olivia.

I pressed my nails into the arm of my chair.

She was becoming a problem. A big one. I could feel it. I could feel it in Ryan’s voice when he talked to her. I could see it in the way he looked at her, even from a distance. I could feel it in the silence between them…the kind that held feelings.

She didn’t deserve him. She didn’t even know how to stand beside a man like him. She was a little distraction, a soft thing, someone who didn’t understand danger or power or the world Ryan lived in.

Someone like her would ruin him.

And I would not allow that.

The minion spoke again, dragging me out of my thoughts. “We stayed around the borders like you ordered. No movements, no guards reacting. It really seemed like nothing happened.”

I lifted one eyebrow. “You think Ryan imagined it?”

“N-no, ma’am,” he rushed to say. “Never.”

Smart man. Ryan was ten times sharper, stronger, and more aware than any of them. If he felt something was wrong, it meant they were sloppy. I sent them to see if Olivia was alone. To see if I could… remove her quietly. But they failed to get close.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “He noticed. He felt you. He knows someone was there.”

My minion nodded, still looking scared. Good.

That meant Ryan’s instincts were still sharp. Still perfect.

“That’s fine,” I whispered, smiling a little. “Let him worry. Let him panic. Fear makes him alert… and I need him alert.”

The man looked confused but didn’t dare to ask questions.

I stood up, walking slowly toward the window. The rain was falling hard outside. The sky was dark, heavy, and moody. It matched me so well.

“I’ve waited too long,” I said softly, almost to myself. “I’ve watched him fall apart. I’ve watched him get hurt. I’ve watched him try to be strong alone. I was there every time he broke, even if he didn’t know it.”

I placed my hand against the cold glass.

“And now a little girl… a nobody… thinks she can show up and take the place that belongs to me?” I let out a breathless laugh. “No. Never.”

The minion stepped back slowly, as if afraid I would snap.

I didn’t snap. I was calm. Very calm. Calm people are the most dangerous.

“I want updates,” I ordered. “Every hour. I want her watched. Every step she takes, every breath she breathes. I want to know when she cries, when she laughs, when she’s alone.”

He nodded quickly. “Yes, ma’am.”

“And next time,” I added, turning around, “don’t fail me. If you do…” I smiled sweetly, “you won’t see the next sunrise.”

He bowed his head so fast it almost hit the floor. “I won’t fail, ma’am.”

I waved him away, and he ran out like his life depended on it—which it did.

When the door closed, the silence returned. I walked back to my chair and sat down, crossing my legs again.

Ryan was scared tonight.

He told someone on the phone… Adrian, I think… that it felt like an ambush. That someone broke into his mansion.

Good.

I needed him to feel that. I needed him to know someone was coming. Someone focused. Someone serious. Someone who loved him enough to destroy anything for him.

He probably thought it was a threat.

He didn’t know it was love.

Not the weak kind. Not the childish, silly thing Olivia felt. No. My love had weight. My love could kill. My love was sharp and patient and forever.

I stood again, pacing slowly.

He would understand soon.

When Olivia was out of the way.

When all the noise around him disappeared.

When he had nothing left to hold onto but me.

I imagined the look on his face the moment he realized everything was done for him. For us. The moment he finally saw me. The moment he realized no one could love him the way I did. No one could protect him like I could. No one could stay loyal like I already had.

I touched my chest lightly.

He belonged to me.

He always did.

Olivia was just… temporary.

And temporary things disappear.

I sat back down, my smile soft now. Warm. Almost tender.

“He’ll see,” I whispered to the empty room. “He’ll see soon. And when he does… he won’t ever leave my side again.”

Outside, thunder cracked. The rain got heavier, like the world was falling with me.

I closed my eyes and imagined him again. His voice. His face. His anger. His strength. All of it.

I wanted him.

I deserved him.

And I would have him.

No matter what I
had to do.

Even if it meant spilling blood.

Even if it meant taking Olivia out of the picture forever.

Nothing would stop me.