Damian’s POVI shut the heavy door, cutting off the rest of the silent, vast house. Elena was still kneeling, rigid and pale against the wall. She was exactly where I had left her. I needed to find the truth despite her panic.

I moved to stand directly in front of her, forcing her to tilt her head back painfully to meet my gaze. Elena whimpered in pain at the stiffness of her body.

“Tell me about the note you found in Marco’s room, and if you lie, even by omission, I will bring you back here and you will stay until your bones fuse to the stone.”

Elena flinched. Her eyes were red-rimmed and fixed on mine.

“You said it was fake. Why?” I inquired.

Elena swallowed hard. “It was there to put me in a trap. When I even checked for it again, it was gone. It was a cheap imitation to cause trouble.”

I watched her face, searching for any flicker of a lie, but found that she was telling the truth.

I pocketed my arms and narrowed my eyes. “The forgery was used to target my emotions, considering what happened to Marcus.”

I drew a deep breath and shot an intense glare at Elena. “Who cornered you at the club?” I demanded, the question sharp. “The men who gave you the poison. Describe them.”

Elena closed her eyes for a breath, gathering her scattered memories. “I didn’t see their faces. They wore masks, just like me.”

Elena locked eyes with me. “But one had a scar, running from the edge of his jaw and disappearing beneath his collar. He knew Clara. He knew her enough to threaten her life if I didn’t deliver the drink.”

I took out a pocket knife and with one swing cut the rope. Elena’s hands fell to the floor. She sighed in deep relief.

“Thank you, Damian. Does this mean…?” Elena said gratefully.

“It means nothing,” I cut her off, my tone flat. “It means the debt for Marco’s death is now divided. You are still guilty of his death.”

I stepped back to the door and flung it open.

“Get up.”

Elena tried; her muscles didn’t let her. Her knees wobbled. I returned to her and grabbed her arm, forcing her up onto her feet, ignoring the way she gasped from the rough contact.

“Your sentence here is done,” I stated, pulling her into the main corridor. “But your imprisonment is not. You will no longer be in the servant’s wing. You proved you could not be trusted out of my sight. The traitor wanted you destroyed. I would have to use you as a shield against him.”

I began marching her toward the main staircase, my grip on her arm very strong.

“Where are we going?” she managed to ask.

“The third floor,” I replied, my eyes fixed ahead. “The master wing. Your room will be the one opposite mine. The door will remain locked at all times. You will be within arm’s reach until this is finished.”

Elena dug her heels in, pulling back against my grip desperately.

“Damian, please. Don’t put me there. I can’t do this anymore.”

I spun around, pulling her close until her small body slammed against my chest. She panted, her eyes wide with terror.

“You don’t get a choice, Elena,” I hissed. “You are mine, and until I find the man who is trying to destroy me you are sleeping next to me. Do you understand?”

I felt Elena’s heart shake rapidly, tears spilling. “No, I don’t. This is cruelty, Damian. I can’t take this anymore.”

“It’s a strategy,” I corrected, my jaw tight. I leaned down until my lips were inches from her ear. “The walls have ears. Let the traitor listen. When they panic and come for you, I’ll be waiting in the next room.”

I gave her no time to argue, dragging her up the stairs.

“No, Damian! Please, you can’t lock me up there,” Elena pleaded.

We hit the third-floor landing and didn’t slow until we were standing before a door directly across the hall from my own. I shoved her inside with a force that sent her stumbling against a velvet armchair.

“This is your new prison,” I stated.

Elena pressed her palms together to beg. “Damian, please. I will stay in the servant’s wing. I will keep my mouth shut. I won’t interfere anymore.”

“The traitor wants you, Elena. If you are here, they have to come to me to get you. I will not have my enemies operating in my own house,” I stated firmly.

I pulled a small, heavy key from my pocket, the key to the room. I closed the door and locked it. I pocketed the key and pulled out my phone to dial the housekeeper’s line.

“Send Mrs. Rossi to the master wing, third floor,” I instructed. “Tell her to bring dinner and a change of clean clothes for Elena. She is to slide the food and clothes inside.”

I turned on my heel and headed for the private staircase that led down to my office. I needed to move fast and ruthlessly before the traitor realized that Elena was now a weapon aimed at them.

I pulled out my phone as I descended the stairs and dialed Adrian’s number.

“Adrian,” I stated as soon as the line clicked. “Clear your schedule. Meet me in my office. Now.”

“Yes, boss,” Adrian responded.

Five minutes later, Adrian walked into the office, his expression already carved into something serious and alert.

“You look like you haven’t slept since I last saw you,” Adrian began low, his voice. “What’s happening?”

I took a slow drag of my whiskey. “He’s using Elena. He put her in Marco’s room to toy with my emotions.”

Adrian’s smooth composure cracked. “Are you serious? Marco’s room?”

Adrian paced once toward the window and back. “We knew they used her to poison Marco. Now they’re using her to make you angry, to prove they can still make you grieve. But who is he?”

“Exactly,” I spat, running a hand through my hair.

“We’ve been running background checks on everyone. Guards, kitchen staff, my own men, nothing.” Adrian’s jaw tightened.

“Run them again and again and again, until we find who it is. Now focus on who had access to Marco’s personal things. Who knew my schedule that night? Who had the means to communicate with Elena without leaving a trace? He wasn’t an amateur, that’s for sure,” I ordered.

I stared at him, my silence heavy. Adrian met my gaze without flinching. “You’re looking at me like I’m a suspect.”

“I don’t think it’s you, Adrian. If you wanted the empire, you would have taken it the night Marco died, not played games with this,” I conceded.