Silver sensed it before she saw her.
There was a subtle shift in the air that afternoon—a change in the way people straightened their posture, the way whispers flickered across the open office floor like sparks. Silver looked up from her desk just as the executive elevator doors slid open.
The woman who stepped out didn't rush.
She didn't need to.
She moved with the calm confidence of someone who belonged everywhere she stood.
Tall, elegant, dressed in a tailored cream blazer and heels that whispered against the marble floor, she smiled easily at the receptionist, at the passing editors, at the curious glances sent her way. Her dark hair was pulled back neatly, her makeup flawless but understated.
Silver's chest tightened.
She didn't know why—not yet—but instinctively, she knew this woman mattered.
Raymond stepped out behind her.
And for just a second—just one—Silver saw it. Not desire. Not affection. Recognition.
That was worse.
"Miss Cole is here to see you," the receptionist said brightly into the phone.
Miss Cole.
Silver's fingers stilled on her keyboard.
Raymond nodded politely. "Thank you."
The woman turned to him, smiling. "It's been too long, Raymond."
"Too long," he agreed.
They walked together toward his office, and Silver forced herself to look back at her screen, even though her heart had begun to pound unsteadily.
Miss Cole.
Family.
Raymond closed the office door behind them, already bracing himself.
"Celeste," he said evenly. "I didn't expect you."
Celeste Cole smiled, setting her handbag down gracefully. "Mother insisted. She said if I was already in Los Angeles, I might as well check on you."
Raymond exhaled slowly. "Let me guess. This has nothing to do with family concern and everything to do with optics."
Celeste tilted her head, studying him. "You've always been perceptive."
She moved closer, her gaze sharp now. "The board is nervous. The family is… unsettled. You're becoming unpredictable."
Raymond's jaw tightened. "Because I'm human?"
"Because you're in love," she corrected gently.
Silence fell between them.
"And because," she continued, "the woman you've chosen is vulnerable."
Raymond's eyes darkened. "Be careful."
Celeste raised a hand. "I'm not attacking her. I'm stating facts. She works under you. She has no shield. And now—there are rumors."
Raymond turned away, looking out the window. "You didn't come here to warn me."
"No," Celeste admitted softly. "I came because the family thinks you need reminding… of your responsibilities."
Across the office floor, Silver tried to focus, but the words on the page swam uselessly. Her mind replayed the way Raymond and Celeste had walked together—how effortless it had looked.
She hated herself for feeling this way.
Raymond had done nothing wrong.
Still… insecurity crept in like a shadow.
Who was Celeste Cole really?
And why did Silver feel like she was standing at the edge of something she didn't belong in?
Later that evening, Raymond found Silver by the window in his office, arms wrapped around herself.
"You were quiet today," he said gently.
She turned, forcing a small smile. "Busy day."
He didn't push. Instead, he stepped closer, resting his hands lightly on her waist. "Celeste is my cousin."
Silver nodded. "I figured."
"She's… family-approved," he added honestly. "In every way."
The words stung more than Silver expected.
"Oh," she murmured.
Raymond lifted her chin carefully. "But she's not you."
Silver searched his face. "Does your family know that?"
His expression hardened. "Not yet."
Her throat tightened. "And when they do?"
Raymond didn't answer immediately. That hesitation—brief but real—settled heavily between them.
Silver stepped back, hugging herself. "I don't want to be the reason your family turns against you."
"You're not," he said firmly. "They're the ones refusing to see past status and image."
She shook her head. "It's not that simple. People like me… we don't fit neatly into families like yours."
Raymond reached for her hand. "You fit with me."
She looked away, blinking back emotion. "That's what scares me."
That night, Silver sat alone in her apartment, staring at her phone.
A new message appeared.
Unknown Number: You see her now, don't you?
Unknown Number: She's what they want for him.
Silver's breath caught.
Unknown Number: Walk away while you still can. Or I'll make sure you're forced to.
Her hands shook as she set the phone down.
The threats were no longer subtle.
They were precise.
Targeted.
And whoever this was… they knew about Celeste.
Across the city, Celeste stood by her hotel window, phone in hand, watching the skyline.
Her expression wasn't cruel.
It was thoughtful.
"This is getting messy," she murmured.
Behind her, Raymond's mother's voice echoed from the speaker. "Messy can be cleaned up. You just need to help him see reason."
Celeste's eyes darkened slightly. "And the girl?"
There was a pause.
"She's temporary."
Celeste ended the call slowly.
She thought of Silver's quiet presence, the way Raymond's voice softened when he spoke her name.
Temporary, she repeated inwardly.
She wasn't so sure.
Silver lay awake long into the night, heart aching with fear she couldn't name.
The danger wasn't just the blackmailer anymore.
It was the world Raymond came from.
And for the first time, she wondered—
not whether she loved him…
but whether love would be enough.