Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Grace
The penthouse had never felt smaller. The walls were the same, the furniture untouched, and yet the air was suffocating, charged with something I couldn’t shake.
Ever since I found those cameras, ever since that screenshot of Dominic and me on the balcony had been sent straight to my phone, I hadn’t left his side.
I refused to. It wasn’t just paranoia—it was a calculated decision.
Knox had already gotten too close. He had planted devices inside Dominic’s home, stolen glimpses of his life, intruded on his privacy in ways I couldn’t even begin to stomach.
That wasn’t going to happen again. Not on my watch.
So, I increased security, reinforced every weak point I could find.
The penthouse was now lined with motion sensors, encrypted signals, and counter-surveillance measures.
I had blocked every possible entry point into his personal data.
His laptop, phone, even the security cameras themselves—Knox wouldn’t be able to breathe near Dominic without me knowing about it.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Because no matter how many firewalls I built, Dominic wasn’t safe as long as Knox was still out there.
Which was why I wasn’t leaving his side. Not for a second.
“Are you planning on breathing down my neck for the rest of my life, Dauntless?”
His voice came from behind me, smooth, laced with irritation. I didn’t turn, still focused on installing another layer of encryption on his laptop. “Until I know for sure that you’re not being watched? Yeah. Get used to it.”
I heard him exhale, and then footsteps—slow, deliberate—until he was standing right behind me. “I don’t need a bodyguard,” he murmured. “I need a way to end this.”
I stilled, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. Then I turned to face him. “You think I don’t know that?”
His expression was unreadable, but his eyes flickered with something deeper. “Then stop treating me like I’m helpless.”
I let out a sharp laugh, shaking my head. “Helpless? Are you serious? Do you have any idea how hard it is to protect someone who thinks they’re invincible?”
His lips twitched, but it wasn’t amusement. “Then don’t.”
My jaw clenched. “Not an option.”
The air between us thickened, heavy with frustration. With something else neither of us wanted to name.
"You think I like this?" I snapped, stepping closer. "You think I want to follow you around like a damn shadow?"
Dominic’s gaze darkened. "Then why do you?"
I opened my mouth—then hesitated.
Why did I?
Why did it feel personal now?
Why did the thought of something happening to him make my stomach twist in ways it never had before?
I clenched my fists. “Because it’s my job.”
His smirk was slow, knowing. "Liar."
I wanted to hit him. I wanted to walk away, throw something, anything—but I couldn’t. Because I was lying.
And he knew it.
The day stretched long, filled with tension neither of us addressed.
By evening, the others had left for meetings, leaving the penthouse quiet. I found Dominic in his studio, sitting at the piano, fingers trailing lightly over the keys.
He wasn’t playing anything.
Not really.
Just letting his hands move, his thoughts somewhere far away.
I hesitated at the doorway, but he didn’t acknowledge me. Didn’t stop.
Instead, after a moment, he spoke.
"This isn’t a life, Grace," he murmured. "It’s a stage I can’t step off."
Something in his voice hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I took a slow step forward. “You don’t have to be alone on it.”
His fingers stilled.
A long silence stretched between us.
Then, finally, he looked up.
For once, there was no cocky smirk. No teasing remarks.
Just Dominic.
And for the first time, I wondered if anyone had ever told him that before.
Later that night, I did another security check. The cameras had been wiped, the penthouse fully cleared. But I wasn’t letting my guard down yet.
Which was why I noticed it.
Something off.
It was subtle—so small it could have been missed. A slight weight difference in one of Dominic’s jackets, hanging by the entrance.
I frowned, stepping closer.
Checked the seams.
And then, carefully, I slid my fingers inside the inner lining.
Cold spread through me as I pulled out a tiny black device.
A listening device.
Knox hadn’t just been watching.
He’d been listening.
I exhaled slowly, my fingers tightening around the bug.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
Dominic.
I turned, meeting his gaze. He looked at the device in my hand, then back at me.
“This isn’t just about business,” I said quietly. “He wants to know everything about you.”
Something dark flickered in his eyes.
He took the bug from my fingers, turning it over in his palm.
Then, slowly, his lips curled into a smirk.
"Then let’s give him something to hear."