Chapter 11: The Trap

The heavy wooden door began to swing inward.

Lucas had less than a second to react. He dropped his arm and let the silver tablet slide from his fingertips.

It landed flat on the silk sheets right next to the nightstand with a soft muffled thud.

He instantly grabbed his dark charcoal trousers from the velvet chair and pulled them up just as the imposing figure of the head of security stepped into the bedroom.

Marcus was a mountain of a man wearing a tailored black suit that strained against his broad shoulders.

He had a thick scarred jawline and cold eyes that immediately locked onto Lucas.

Lucas stood frozen near the edge of the bed with his belt half buckled. He forced his breathing to remain steady while relying entirely on the residual calm of his Somatic Composure skill.

He looked like a man who had just been rudely interrupted while getting dressed.

The running water in the adjacent bathroom shut off abruptly.

The frosted glass door opened and Camilla stepped into the bedroom.

She was wrapped in a plush white towel that barely covered her thighs.

Water dripped from her dark hair and ran down the smooth skin of her collarbone. She did not look panicked or surprised by the intrusion.

She merely raised an elegant eyebrow at the massive security guard standing in her private sanctuary.

"Marcus," Camilla said with a dangerous edge to her melodic voice. "I sincerely hope the building is currently on fire. Because if it is not you are going to have a very difficult time explaining why you are barging into my bedroom while my fiancée is dressing."

Marcus did not flinch. He kept his hands clasped firmly in front of him.

"My apologies Ms. Verman. The alarms on the south terrace triggered a fault. Standard protocol dictates a physical sweep of the primary residence when a false positive occurs on the penthouse level."

Camilla let out a soft sigh of annoyance and walked over to her vanity mirror. She did not even glance at the silver tablet resting on the bed.

"Then go sweep the south terrace and have the technical team recalibrate the sensors," Camilla ordered while picking up a hairbrush. "And knock next time."

"Understood," Marcus replied.

He gave Lucas one final calculating glare before turning on his heel and exiting the room. The heavy door clicked shut behind him.

Lucas let out a breath he felt like he had been holding for an hour. He finished buckling his belt and reached for his dress shirt.

Camilla sat at her vanity and began brushing her wet hair. She looked at him through the reflection of the mirror with a relaxed and innocent expression.

She acted as if the morning was playing out exactly as it should.

"You will have to excuse Marcus," Camilla murmured while setting her brush down. "He takes his job very seriously, perhaps too serious sometimes."

"It is fine," Lucas said while buttoning his shirt. "I appreciate good security."

A sudden wave of heat washed over his eyes.

The world tinted blue for a fraction of a second as a high priority System notification materialized directly in the center of his vision.

[Strategic Analysis Complete.]

[Warning: Hostile Trap Detected.]

Lucas kept his face perfectly neutral as he read the glowing text hovering over Camilla’s shoulder.

[The target deliberately left the device unlocked.]

[The files regarding Victoria Sterling’s offshore accounts are a digital honeypot. If the Host relays this information to Victoria Sterling she will act on her paranoia. The moment she attempts to close those hidden accounts to destroy the evidence Camilla Verman’s forensic team will trace the digital authorization. They will secure the necessary proof to trigger a federal investigation.]

[Conclusion: Passing this information to your employer will result in mutually assured destruction.]

A cold sweat broke out along his spine.

Camilla had not forgotten to lock her tablet.

She had set a brilliant psychological snare. She knew he was a spy.

She knew he was reporting back to Victoria.

She had given him the exact weapon he needed to prove his worth to his boss knowing it would explode in their hands the moment they tried to use it.

If he called Victoria right now and told her about the medical records and the offshore accounts Victoria would panic.

She would order her financial team to scrub the accounts before the charity gala.

Camilla was just sitting back and waiting for that exact movement so she could capture the digital footprint and hand it straight to the authorities.

Lucas looked at the millionaire sitting at her vanity.

She was applying a light layer of expensive perfume with the casual grace of a woman who held the world in her palm.

She was terrifying.

She was playing chess while he was barely figuring out how to set up the board.

"You went very quiet," Camilla observed through the mirror. She turned around to face him. "Did Marcus scare you away?"

"Just thinking about my schedule for the day," Lucas lied smoothly. "I have a few client portfolios to review before the weekend."

Camilla stood up and walked over to the bed.

She picked up her silver tablet from the sheets without a second glance and tapped the screen.

It locked instantly. She tossed it onto the nightstand and walked toward her massive walk-in closet.

"Cancel your appointments," Camilla instructed over her shoulder. "I told you yesterday that you belong to me now. My tailor is arriving in an hour to measure you for the gala. We are having dinner tonight at an exclusive restaurant to ensure my board members see us in public. You need to look the part of a devoted partner."

Lucas nodded slowly. "I will clear my afternoon."

He realized he was standing on a landmine.

He could not tell Victoria about trap, even if she decided to act another way how could he be Camilla had not planned for that too.

He could not run away because his background was currently tied to this fake identity.

He had to sit back and play the role of the obedient toy while Camilla waited for a betrayal that was never going to happen.

The real challenge was surviving dinner without letting her know he saw right through her flawless design.