Page 39 of Merciless Vow
The problem Miller had brought me wasn't even a problem. I spent exactly four minutes recalibrating the risk-assessment model for the Northern logistics hub, a task that had apparently stumped three of Vidar’s senior analysts for a week.
"Thank you, Mrs. Blackwood," Miller said, looking at the screen with a mixture of awe and relief. "And, ah—congratulations on your mating."
"Thank you, Miller," I said, giving him a tight, professional smile.
The second he went through my door, the smile vanished. I checked the hallway through the glass. Vidar's office door was still closed. I turned back to the terminal. My fingers flew over the keys, entering a sequence of commands that had nothing to do with infrastructure.
I bypassed the standard Blackwood internal mail and accessed a private, encrypted server Elias had built years ago. It was our lifeline, a digital cellar where we could speak without our father’s shadow looming over us.
[ADDIE]: You there?
The response was almost instantaneous.
[ELIAS]: I’m here. I’m fine. Addie, I’m so sorry. About the wedding. About everything. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?
A lump formedin my throat. My little brother, the one I was supposed to be protecting, was the only one asking the right questions.
[ADDIE]:I’m okay, Elias. He has put me to work. I’m running the Sterling transition from his office.
[ELIAS]: I saw he's taking over your company. I'm sorry about that too. I’m going to get you out of this. I’ve been digging through their digital archives. I’m finding things. Leverage. I have a plan. Don’t worry.
My heart plummeted.Elias was a brilliant coder, but he was a terrible liar, and he had no idea how dangerous the Blackwood brothers actually were.
[ADDIE]:Do not do anything stupid. You keep your head down. Do you understand? The Blackwoods aren't our father. They’re
A heavy knocksounded on my open doorframe before I could complete the sentence. I knew it was him without even looking up. I willed my heart to stay inside its rib cage. He would scent my agitation.
Vidar stood in the doorway, his silhouette blocking out the light from the hall. His eyes were unreadable; his gaze tracked from my flushed face to the glowing monitor.
"Time for a lunch break," he said. It wasn't a suggestion.
He didn't wait for an answer. He walked across the room with that silent, predatory grace and reached over my shoulder. His hand brushed against mine—the heat of him a sharp contrast to the cold sweat on my skin—as he reached for the power button on my computer.
The screen went black. My conversation with Elias vanished into the ether.
"You've been at this for five hours." Vidar's voice was low as he leaned into my space. The scent of cedar and power wrapped around me. "Even the best machines need to cool down, sweet Addie."
He stepped back and held the door open, waiting. I stood up, smoothing the tight fabric of the green dress. The weight of his stare on my back had me pressing my knees together as I walked.
Had he seen the server? Did he know Elias was planning a rebellion?
As we walked toward the elevator, Vidar placed a hand on the small of my back—a possessive, public claim that felt more like a warning than an endearment. He guided me through the glass-walled corridors of the executive suite. He didn't speak, but the tension radiated off him.
Up close, the predatory grace was still there. But his eyes looked heavy, the skin beneath them tight with a weariness I hadn't noticed that morning. The weight on his shoulders was visible now, too; the cost of holding an empire together while the rest of the Six Packs circled like sharks.
"Is there anything else I can help with?" I asked as we stepped into the elevator. "Something beyond the Sterling files?"
He turned to look at me, his gaze considering, traveling from my eyes down to the green knit of my dress before settling back on my face. "You’ve already helped more than you realize. You put out three fires today that would have ended up on my desk by noon. You bought me four hours of silence I didn't think I’d get."
A genuine smile tugged at my lips. A spark of pride flared in my chest. It wasn't just about being smart anymore; it was about being useful to him.
As the elevator descended, a dangerous thought began to take root. Maybe we could make this work. Not just the marriage, but the merger. If we combined my tactical mind with his raw power, we could oust my father once and for all. We could install Elias as a new kind of leader—protected by the Blackwoods, guided by me. We could build something that wasn't based on fear.
In the back of the town car, the atmosphere felt lighter. I found myself leaning toward my husband, animated as I described the pivot I’d made on the Northern accounts and how I’d caught the arithmetic error that had been draining their liquidity. Vidar watched me, a hint of an appreciative smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He looked relaxed, almost human, as he listened to me talk shop.
"I saw that Magnus stopped by." I tried to keep the tone casual. "He looked pretty serious when he headed into your office. Everything okay?"
The change was instantaneous. The warmth in Vidar’s eyes flickered out, replaced by a shuttered, professional distance. He didn't lean away, but he might as well have moved a mile.
