The corner of Ian's mouth twitches in what might be amusement. "Richard has resources."
"So what now?" I wrap my hands around my cold coffee cup, needing something to ground me. "He'll just try again. Take another video. Find another way to—" I stop, unable to say the word.
"To blackmail you," Ian finishes for me. His voice hardens on the last two words. "No. He won't."
"You don't know him."
"I know men like him." The certainty in Ian's voice sends a shiver down my spine. "And he's meeting someone else at his apartment in forty minutes."
Understanding dawns slowly, then all at once. "You."
Ian doesn't confirm or deny. He just watches me with those steady eyes that seem to catalog my every reaction.
"What are you going to do?" I ask, not sure I want the answer.
"Have a conversation." The simplicity of his response somehow makes it more terrifying. "Make the consequences of his actions clear."
"You can't hurt him." The words rush out before I can stop them. Not because I care about Theo's wellbeing, but because violence leaves evidence. Creates investigations. Draws attention I can't afford.
"I don't need to hurt him to make him understand." Ian stands, towering over the table. "Go to class, Claire. This ends today."
The sound of my real name on his lips jolts through me. Not Rose. Claire. The girl I am in daylight. The one with dreams beyond the pole and the stage.
"Why are you helping me?" I ask, the question that's been burning since he appeared in the locker room doorway last night.
Ian looks down at me, something unreadable flickering across his features. "Just… because I want to."
He turns to leave, but I reach out, my fingers catching the edge of his sleeve. The contact is brief, barely there, but he freezes as if I've grabbed him with full force.
"Thank you," I say, the words inadequate but all I have to offer.
Ian nods once, a sharp dip of his chin, then walks away. The coffee shop seems to exhale as he leaves, conversations resuming, the spell of his presence broken.
I check my phone again. The video message from Theo is still there, but when I try to play it, an error message appears. *File corrupted. Cannot open.*
Part of me wants to follow Ian. To see what a "conversation" with Theo looks like. To witness whatever power Richard Blackwood wields through his security chief.
But the rational part of me—the part that's survived this long by making calculated decisions—knows better. So I gather my things, dump my untouched coffee in the trash, and head to my Biochemistry lab like nothing has happened. Like my world hasn't been upended twice in twelve hours.
The lab is all fluorescent lights and the sharp smell of chemicals. I move through the motions on autopilot, measuring solutions, recording results, nodding at the appropriate moments when my lab partner speaks.
My mind is elsewhere. At Theo’s apartment where two men are having a "conversation" about me. About the video that could destroy everything I've worked for.
"Claire? Hello? Earth to Claire?" My lab partner waves a hand in front of my face. "You've been staring at that beaker for like five minutes."
I blink, reality rushing back in. "Sorry. Didn't sleep much."
"Clearly." She peers at me more closely. "You okay? You look... I don't know. Different."
I wonder what she sees. If Rose is showing through the cracks in Claire's carefully constructed facade. If last night left marks visible to those who know where to look.
"Just tired," I say, the lie coming easily after years of practice. "Late night studying."
The rest of the lab passes in a blur. I check my phone obsessively, but there are no new messages. No threats from Theo. Just silence that stretches my nerves to breaking point.
When class ends, I walk to the subway on legs that feel disconnected from my body. The summer heat wraps around me like a weighted blanket, making each step an effort. The quadis nearly empty this time of day, most students still in class or hiding in air-conditioned buildings.
I'm so focused on my phone—still silent, still offering no answers—that I don't notice the figure leaning against the building until I'm almost upon him.
