The letter sat untouched on the glass table for hours after Alexander read it. No envelope. No stamp. Just that one cold sentence typed on pristine white paper.
It was deliberate. Intimate. Designed to haunt.
And it worked.
Siena barely spoke for the rest of the day.
She paced quietly, fingers brushing over furniture she didn't notice. Her mind reeled—not just from the message itself, but from the confirmation that Trent wasn't finished with her. Even now, when she had taken her power back, he still found a way to leave a mark.
Alexander had called in security immediately. Not just his usual team, but a private investigator who specialized in digital and psychological threat tracing.
"This is personal," he told the man, a former intelligence officer named Cole Waverly. "We don't need a profile. We need proof. We need to know where he's operating from, how this got delivered, and if there's more coming."
Waverly nodded once. "And when we find out?"
"Then we show him what it means to finish a fight."
---
Siena hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but she caught enough of the conversation to know Alexander wasn't going to let this go quietly.
Part of her was relieved.
The other part—deep down—was scared.
She wasn't scared of Trent's games. She was scared of what those games might push Alexander to do. There was an edge to him now. He was no longer reacting just to protect her. He was angry. Determined.
And dangerous, if it came to that.
Later that night, she joined him in his study, where he was still reviewing the building's surveillance footage.
"Any luck?" she asked, stepping inside barefoot in one of his shirts.
He looked up and softened at the sight of her.
"Not yet. Whoever delivered it knew the camera angles. They either worked here or got help from someone who does."
Siena leaned against the desk. "You think Trent is here in the city?"
Alexander paused, then nodded. "Yes. He wants you to know he's close."
"Then I'll ask again—why now?"
Alexander exhaled. "Because for the first time, you're not afraid of him. And that terrifies him. Bullies panic when their control slips."
She stared at the letter again. "I just want this over."
"It will be." He rose and cupped her face gently. "But not by running. You're staying. With me. We'll handle this together."
"Even if it gets worse before it gets better?"
His jaw set. "Especially then."
---
The next day was tense, but Siena forced herself back into routine.
She visited Camille, signed some designs off at Hartline, and took lunch with Reese. Even though she smiled and made small talk, she could feel it—the weight of being watched. The chill in her spine that hadn't existed a week ago.
Reese noticed.
"You're doing that thing again," she said between bites of Caesar salad.
"What thing?"
"Smiling like everything's fine while looking over your shoulder every two minutes."
Siena gave a faint smile. "Old habit."
"New threat?"
Siena nodded slowly. "He sent a message."
Reese's expression darkened. "Did you tell the police?"
"No. Alexander's handling it... quietly."
Reese leaned forward. "I know he's powerful, Siena, but some battles aren't meant to be handled alone."
"I'm not alone," Siena replied, calmer than she felt. "I'm with someone who finally sees all of me. And for the first time, I'm not hiding."
Reese softened. "Then let him help. But don't disappear again if it gets hard. That's what he wants."
---
Back at the penthouse that evening, Alexander met with Waverly again.
"We traced the printer type from the paper and ink," Waverly reported. "That model's not common. One match was found—on the 14th floor of a luxury hotel in the city. The guest checked in under a fake name. Left two hours after printing."
"Camera footage?" Alexander asked.
"Partial. Hat, mask, coat. Could be him, but we'll need more. He's being careful."
Alexander glanced toward the balcony, where Siena stood with her arms wrapped around herself.
"She doesn't deserve this."
"She's stronger than he thinks," Waverly said. "But you already know that."
"I do."
---
That night, as the city lights flickered below, Siena and Alexander sat on the balcony again.
"I feel like we live up here, away from the world," she said, looking down at the glowing skyline.
"Is that a good thing or bad?" he asked his arm around her.
"Today? A little of both."
He turned to face her. "You don't have to keep pretending to be okay."
"I'm not pretending," she said. "I'm just... coping."
"How?"
"By being here. With you. Letting the quiet in. Even if it's temporary."
He leaned closer. "We'll make the quiet permanent. No more letters. No more ghosts."
Siena looked at him. "And if we can't?"
Alexander didn't flinch. "Then we make noise of our own."
---
The next morning, a breakthrough came.
Waverly called with a name.
Not Trent—but someone linked to him. A former assistant. Paid in cash. Recorded making multiple deliveries for anonymous clients in the past.
"We think he dropped off the letter," Waverly explained. "He's willing to talk—for a price."
Alexander met with him that afternoon, privately.
The man confessed within minutes.
"Trent's not just watching her," he said. "He's been planning something. He says she owes him her rise. He wants to take it all back."
"What does that mean?" Alexander asked coldly.
"He's been gathering dirt. Real or not, doesn't matter. He wants to drop it all at once. Destroy her image. Her name. Even Hartline."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "Then he's going to learn something very painful about threatening what I protect."
---
By the end of the day, Alexander had a plan.
He returned home and found Siena in the kitchen, flipping through her old sketchbooks.
"We're going on the offensive," he said.
Siena looked up. "What do you mean?"
"We're not waiting for Trent to strike again. We're striking first."
"How?"
"By showing the world exactly who you are—before he can twist it. No interviews. No performances. Just you. Raw. Real. Honest."
Siena tilted her head. "You think people will believe me?"
"They'll feel you," he said, stepping close. "That's stronger than belief."
She looked down. "It's terrifying."
"But it's yours."
After a pause, Siena nodded. "Then let's do it. Before the next shadow shows up."