Chapter 9
Callum ended the call.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then:
“He’s alive.”
Rosalie slowly stood.
She knew that name.
Everyone in their world knew it.
Sebastian Vale had been the one person Callum never defeated.
Not because he was stronger.
Because he disappeared before the final move.
Five years earlier, Sebastian had lost an empire.
Everyone believed Callum had destroyed him.
Everyone believed he was gone.
Apparently, everyone was wrong.
“What does he want?” Rosalie asked.
Callum looked toward the window.
“I don’t know.”
That answer frightened her.
Because Callum always knew.
***
The first attack was not physical.
That was how Sebastian worked.
He did not destroy buildings.
He destroyed certainty.
Within one week:
Three business partners withdrew.
Two old allies stopped answering calls.
A private investment deal collapsed.
Someone leaked information suggesting Callum’s organization was unstable.
The city began whispering.
And whispers were dangerous.
Because people who lived by reputation could be destroyed without a single bullet.
Callum spent nights working.
Too many nights.
Rosalie noticed.
Of course she noticed.
One morning, she found him asleep at his desk.
Not resting.
Not relaxing.
Collapsed.
His hand was still holding a file.
She stood there for a long time.
The old Rosalie would have quietly covered him with a blanket.
The new Rosalie woke him.
“Callum.”
His eyes opened immediately.
Years of survival.
Years of training.
Then he saw her.
And softened.
“What time is it?”
“Four in the morning.”
He sat up.
“I’m fine.”
She crossed her arms.
“That sentence should be illegal.”
A tired smile appeared.
“I’ve missed that.”
“What?”
“You arguing with me.”
She looked away.
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
She stepped closer.
“Are you trying to protect me by shutting me out again?”
The question hit harder than anything else.
Because it was possible.
Old habits did not disappear simply because someone regretted them.
Callum looked down.
“No.”
“Really?”
“No.”
He stood.
“I was trying not to make you afraid.”
Rosalie’s expression softened.
“Callum.”
He looked at her.
“I’m not afraid because you tell me the truth.”
A pause.
“I’m afraid when you decide I can’t handle it.”
That was the difference.
The difference he had almost forgotten.
Again.
He nodded.
“You’re right.”
She touched his hand.
“Then let me stand beside you.”
This time, he did not hesitate.
“Okay.”
***
Sebastian Vale finally made his move at a charity gala.
Of course he did.