Chapter 37
“The Bargain”
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The elevator jolted once, with no warning, no gradual hum, just a metallic thud beneath their feet that made the entire box shudder. Vivienne instinctively reached for the railing, her fingers digging in so tightly that her knuckles paled. Across from her, Magnus didn’t move. Not a blink, not a word. Just that same impossible stillness that made her want to shake him until he shattered.
Then came the whine of electricity crawling back through the system. Lights flickered to life. The soft glow of the overheads painted everything in sickly yellow. The air was heavy, and the silence felt swollen like a scream swallowed too long.
She watched him. Not his face. His hands. He kept them in his coat pockets like he didn’t want them visible like even now, they might betray something he wasn’t ready to show.
The elevator started moving.
Neither of them spoke.
Seconds passed. Then a full minute.
Vivienne’s chest tightened as the floor indicator ticked downward. 24. 23. 22. The hum beneath their feet returned, soft but steady.
She looked down at her own reflection in the polished steel walls. Pale. Lips pressed into a hard line. Her heart was beating too fast for how still she stood.
When the doors slid open onto the lobby, neither moved. The world outside looked sterile. Too bright. Too full of watching eyes.
Magnus was the first to step forward. She followed, close behind. Their feet hit the marble floors in a rhythm too synced, too familiar.
Whispers bloomed in every corner of the room. Assistants halted in mid–conversation. Security stiffened. Someone at reception leaned to whisper into another’s ear.
Vivienne didn’t care.
Let them talk.
She kept her gaze locked on Magnus’s back. His coat moved with each stride clean, precise. His silhouette hadn’t changed in five years. It had only sharpened like the man beneath the fabric had been forged from glass and fire.
The automatic doors parted before them, releasing them into the chill of late afternoon. The city exhaled around them car horns, wind tunnels between buildings, and the ever–present hum of traffic.
Vivienne reached out.
Her hand wrapped around his forearm.
He stopped.
Didn’t turn. But stopped.
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Chapter 37
She moved in front of him slowly, letting go of his arm. Her voice barely left her lips.
“They’re going to take it.”
His eyes were darker than she remembered. Colder too.
She tried again. “The house. My mother’s house.”
He nodded once.
“They filed the notice. It’s official. I have a week maybe less.”
He didn’t blink.
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She stepped closer, her hands trembling now. “There’s nowhere else to turn. I’ve tried. Banks. Friends. No one’s willing to touch it with her name attached.”
He finally looked at her really looked. And it wasn’t pity. It wasn’t cruelty.
It was memory.
“I buried her in that garden,” Vivienne whispered. “Under the lilac tree.”
His throat worked. A swallow. But still no words.
“It’s all I have left.”
The wind tugged her coat. She didn’t feel it.
“You’re the only one who can stop it,” she said. “Please.”
He turned away.
But not before she saw his jaw clench.
The office hadn’t changed.
It was still sharp. Minimalist. Heavy with wood, glass, and silence. The windows reached for the sky. The furniture was black and cold. No warmth. No softness. Just like him.
Magnus moved behind the desk slowly, shrugging off his coat with practiced indifference. He sat down, opened a drawer, pulled out a file without looking, and set it on the surface like this was any other negotiation.
Vivienne stood across from him, hands at her sides.
He didn’t gesture for her to sit.
“I assume the numbers are accurate,” he said.
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“They are.”
He flipped the folder open, scanning the notice she’d left earlier. He tapped the total once. Then looked up.
“I don’t offer handouts.”
“I didn’t ask for one.”
“You asked me to step into a fire 1 didn’t start.”
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
“That’s not a reason. It’s an excuse.”
Vivienne swallowed. “You always do this. Make everything sound like a weakness.”
“Because asking for help is a weakness when you’re only doing it to save your pride.”
“This isn’t about pride.”
“No?” he asked. “Then why come to me? Why now?”
“Because you were the only person who wouldn’t hang up the phone.”
“You didn’t even call.”
She paused. “I was afraid you wouldn’t answer.”
He nodded slowly. “And yet here you are.”
She stepped forward. “You can help. You know you can. You have the power to make this go away.”
“I do.”
“Then say it.”
“I will help.”
She blinked.
A second passed. Then another.
“But under my terms,” he said.
She stared at him.
“What kind of terms?”
a
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He stood up and walked around the desk. He stopped just inches from her
“You want me to save your house. Fine.”
Her brows furrowed.
“But this isn’t charity. I want something in return.”
“Money?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I want you in my house.”
She blinked. “You want me to what?”
“Move into my home. Effective immediately.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious.”
She stepped back. “You’re not asking. You’re demanding.”
“I’m offering you a solution.”
“You’re trapping me.”
“No,” he said. “I’m protecting my investment.”
“I’m not an investment.”
“You are now.”
Vivienne shook her head. “Why?”
“Because I want you close.”
“For control?”
“For truth.”
She was trembling now. “And what happens if I say no?”
“Then you’ll lose your home. And you’ll never get another favor from me.”
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“You’re bluffing.
“Try me.”
She looked away.
His voice softened, just a hair. “Move into my house. Be mine again. Publicly.”
Her eyes snapped back. “You want to parade me around? Like a trophy?”
“No,” he said. “Like a warning.”
Vivienne didn’t speak.
“Say yes,” he said. “And I’ll sign the wire transfer in twenty–four hours.”
“And if I say no?”
His eyes darkened.
“You already know what happens then.”
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