Chapter 60

Callum sat in his study. He ran a hand over his face, rubbing the weariness from his eyes, though it did little to ease the knots in his chest.

Vincent didn’t waste time with pleasantries. The moment he entered, he dropped into the chair opposite Callum, arms crossed, gaze sharp. “We need to talk,” he said.

Callum glanced up, calm on the surface, but his mind raced. He knew where this conversation would go. Vincent never came unprepared. “About?”

Vincent leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “About Kaitlyn. She’s smart enough to notice things, Callum. She’s already pulling at threads you can’t control. You need to tell her what she needs to know before someone else does.”

Callum leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “Tell her what? She doesn’t even know the full story yet, and she doesn’t need to.”

Vincent’s jaw tightened. “You think she doesn’t need to know, but she’s already in the middle of it, whether you admit it or not. Every secret you hide from her builds walls she’ll break through eventually… walls she won’t forgive you for hiding behind.”

Callum’s thoughts raced. He remembered how Kaitlyn’s eyes had lingered on that ledger in the study, the quiet way she had tucked it aside, pretending she hadn’t found anything. He knew better. Kaitlyn never left stones unturned, and he was already running out of time.

Callum’s fingers tapped against the armrest. He hated the way Vincent made everything feel like a threat. Yet he knew Vincent was right, in part. Kaitlyn had always been perceptive.

“Do you know what she’s capable of when she finds out?” Vincent pressed, leaning closer. “Or do you want to find out the hard way?”

Callum’s jaw tightened. “I’m not going to ruin her trust with half truths or scare her with things she doesn’t need to know yet. That’s not protection, but manipulation.”

Vincent’s laugh was humorless. “Manipulation? Callum… if protecting her means keeping her in the dark while danger circles, you’re already manipulating the situation. You just call it love.”

The words dug deep. Callum thought of the way Kaitlyn had faced ambushes and traps with nothing but her will to fight. Her strength wasn’t the same as readiness.

Knowing what Reagen was capable of… knowing she had orchestrated blood, ruin, betrayal… might not break Kaitlyn, but it could harden her in ways Callum feared.

Would she still trust him after that? Or would she look at him as another piece of the poison in his family tree?

Callum’s mind drifted briefly to Kaitlyn. He already knew what she was thinking, the questions she would ask, the fear she would feel.

“And what if she already knows something?” Callum asked quietly.

Vincent froze for a second, then nodded slowly. “Exactly. That’s why you need to be careful. You can’t assume she hasn’t put pieces together. She’s sharper than you give her credit for. If she’s already following the thread, Callum, you don’t want to be the one caught off guard when she confronts you.”

Callum pictured that confrontation… her storming into this very office, ledger in hand, and demanding answers. He could handle enemies, betrayals, even Reagen herself, but Kaitlyn’s mistrust would cut deeper.

Callum’s chest tightened. He had thought he could control the flow of information, that he could protect her by keeping secrets until the right moment. But Vincent’s words made him realize just how fragile that illusion was.

“What do you want me to do?” Callum asked, voice low.

Vincent leaned back, studying him with narrowed eyes. “Be honest. Not the full story yet, maybe. But give her a glimpse. Test the waters. See how she reacts. You can’t control everything, Callum, but you can control what she knows, and when. Timing is everything.”

Callum ran a hand through his hair, frustration rolling over him. Timing. Of course. If Kaitlyn discovered Reagen’s involvement before he could speak, everything would spiral out of control. And yet, Vincent was pushing him to act sooner than he wanted.

“She won’t like it,” Callum muttered, more to himself than to Vincent.

Vincent shrugged. “She won’t like anything that puts her in danger. That’s just part of the package. But it’s better she knows something than nothing.”

Callum closed his eyes, breathing slowly. He thought of Kaitlyn again. He could almost see her frown, the tension in her shoulders as she pieced things together. If she found out before he was ready… he didn’t even want to imagine it.

He could see it now… the words she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from saying. And he would have to hold back, explain carefully, protect her, and at the same time, hide what he wasn’t ready to reveal.

It wasn’t just about Kaitlyn trusting him anymore. It was about keeping her safe while still letting her act, still letting her fight. She didn’t need him to shield her from everything, but she did need him to know when to step in. That balance… that delicate balance… terrified him.

“Tomorrow,” he whispered to himself. “Tomorrow, I’ll find the moment.”

Vincent finally stood, straightening his jacket. “Think fast, Callum. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to control the outcome. Remember, she’s smart, but she’s human. She’ll feel betrayed if you misstep. And Reagen… that woman doesn’t forgive easily. If she senses even the smallest hint of exposure, she’ll act.”

Callum watched him leave, the door closing with a soft click.

He sank back in his chair, eyes fixed on the skyline. Kaitlyn’s safety, her trust, the dangers of Reagen’s wrath… all of it pressed on him.

One thing was clear, whatever path he chose, there was no room for error. Kaitlyn had already proven she could handle herself, but Reagen was a different kind of threat, and any misstep could cost them everything.

Callum’s fingers hovered over the papers on his desk, but he didn’t touch them.

And all the while, the ledger and its secret lurked in the back of his mind. He didn’t know how much Kaitlyn had already uncovered, but he knew she was closer than he realized.

He pressed his palms to his face, exhaling slowly. “Tomorrow,” he whispered, “I’ll find the right moment. Tomorrow… I hope I can protect her, and hope she trusts me enough to follow it.”

Callum remained in the office long after Vincent had left, pacing, sitting, standing again, replaying every possible scenario.

What if Kaitlyn demanded answers she wasn’t ready for? What if she suspected his silence meant complicity? What if Reagen found out that Kaitlyn was close to discovering the ledger’s secret and acted before Callum could intervene?

His chest tightened with each thought. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to shake the tension, trying to focus. He had no choice. He had to prepare. He had to anticipate her questions, her suspicions, her rage.

Above all, he had to protect her from herself, from diving too deep, and becoming a target Reagen could exploit. The thought of Kaitlyn in danger because of what she now held, or what she would hold soon, made his stomach twist.

He exhaled, slower this time. He couldn’t wait too long. Reagen was patient, but she was also ruthless.

Tomorrow, he thought again, he would find a way to speak with Kaitlyn. Not everything, but enough.

Meanwhile, at Kaitlyn's room…

Kaitlyn sat in the study, the same ledger open before her. Her hand hovered over the page, her pen scratching notes into the margins.

She wanted to believe this was just business, that she was misreading the codes. But her father’s voice haunted her memory… “Every truth has a mask, Katie. Sometimes you must peel it carefully.”

She swallowed, whispering the name written between the lines of her father’s cipher.

“Reagen.”

Her hand trembled.