Bound by Forever

Pulling Strings

(Arabella POV)

I knew Evelyn wouldn't stop at words. Words were foreplay for her. But going after Seraya? That was her declaration of war.

So I did what I swore I wouldn't. I pulled strings.

By midnight, my phone burned with calls. Old contacts, ghosts from the empire I had buried. Men who owed me favors. Women who owed me silence. Even enemies who owed me respect.

"You don't just walk away, Montclair," one of them said, his voice gravel over the line. "We all knew you'd come crawling back."

I didn't argue. I didn't correct him. I let them think what they wanted, because their mistake was my advantage.

By dawn, I had security doubled at the penthouse. By noon, Seraya's preschool was under watch. By evening, Evelyn's favorite informant had gone missing, snatched like a pawn from her chessboard.

Charlotte watched me quietly, her lips pressed in a line, her hand resting protectively on Seraya's back as our daughter colored at the table.

"You're slipping back," she whispered once Seraya was asleep.

"I'm protecting us."

She shook her head, tears pooling. "No, Bella. You're arming yourself."

I didn't answer. Because she was right. And I didn't know if I could stop.