Chapter 3: Undercover

His words carried a heavy weight in the air as he sat there, silent. I could sense his worry, but that was enough to make me not back down. I was not turning back now. Not after everything that had been done to me by Thorne and the Crimson Brotherhood.

We had a long road ahead, but the pieces began to fall into place. I was going to infiltrate the world of Thorne, and once I was inside, I wasn't going out without the truth.

Logan's eyes met the picture of Thorne glued to the wall between me and him. I almost envisioned the cogs turning behind his eyes, the mathematic calculations, the risks associated with this, the potential danger. But when finally, he did speak, his words were laced with more despair than anything else.

"Alright, Emma. I’ll help. We’ll work this out together.”

I nodded. Fire burned all the harder in me. For too long, I had run from my past-from him. The time for confrontation had finally come.

"We'll start with his business. I'll get in through the legal channels. He's not just a criminal mastermind, he's a corporate kingpin. That's where we hit first. A man like Thorne doesn't keep everything under wraps without a few cracks somewhere."

Logan was silent for a beat, looking at me like he was almost studying me to see how deep he could get me.

And then he exhaled into a heavy breath before pronouncing, "You know, you're walking into way bigger than you're going to be ready for, huh?

“The Crimson Brotherhood works in the shadows; not owning parts of cities, not owning parts of this nation; you take a shot at him, you're fighting justice now; you're fighting for your life."

I met his gaze, my voice steady, though the gravity of the situation was starting to settle over me in waves. "I know what I’m getting into, Logan. But I’m not walking away from this."

There was a long silence. Logan seemed to want to say something more, but he didn't. Instead, he reached for his cell phone, dialed a number, and spoke into it quietly, the voice urgent.

"Yeah, it's Logan. We need all we can get on Thorne Crimson. Legal, financial, anything. Nobody can ever know we're investigating this—got it? His eyes narrowed, "I will let you know if we obtain something".

When he hung up, he turned toward me once again. His face set in a firmness. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

I smiled to myself, but fear gripped inside the cold fist of the insides of my chest, "No problem".

The silence between us now, it settled, but we both felt that we stood at the edge of something far bigger than what either of us knew. The stakes had now increased, and danger was closing in on all sides. But I wouldn't give up. I had a plan and was going to execute it.

I was going to take Thorne Crimson down on his face.

These next few days were a blur of planning and preparation. I spent hours in the office with Logan, digging through every shred of information we could find on Thorne's company, his past, his associates. Not much there. Paper clean. But whispers and rumors abound about darker dealings and his connection to the Crimson Brotherhood and this almost-mythical manipulation ability that had earned him so many fans.

The more I learned, the more I realized that Thorne Crimson was no ordinary man, rather he was a force.

This was why I had to change into someone else.

I learned about his life: his preferences, his vices, the women surrounding him. I would play the part. I would slip into his world, become the woman he never expected.

The kind of woman who could make him trust me, just long enough to get close.

I dressed the part. Black dress, heels, carefully crafted hair. Every inch of me had to look effortless, the kind of beauty that disarmed.

It wasn’t just about getting his attention—it was about making him believe that I’m just an ordinary woman who can touch his heart.

Logan sat quietly, observing me from across the room. He had planned everything: an invitation to one of Thorne's charity events, where the elite gathered to sip wine and pretend to care about the cities underprivileged. It was the perfect setting for me to make my move.

"I don't like this," Logan muttered, his voice tight.

"I know," I said, just glancing one more time in the mirror. "But I don't have a choice. This is how we are getting in."

He didn't argue. He had no reason to. He and I knew as well that this was our only shot.

I turned to face him with my eyes fixed; "I'll be alright, I won't let him get to me. He thinks this is some sort of game and I am much stronger at games than him."

Logan stepped forward, a combination of his features in a mix of pride and concern. "Don't lose yourself, Emma. Don't forget who you are in all of this," he said.

I smiled quietly, though words cut me off more deeply than I had imagined. "I won't. I promise."

But as I said the words, doubt gnawed at the edges of my certainty. This was now not just a game about playing anymore. This would be survival. Not that I would lose just one life, but the lives of everyone I cared for: I could not afford losing myself. Not this time.

The clock on the wall was ticking closer to that hour. The charity event was about to start, and the world I had prepared myself for was going to open before me. It was impossible to back down now.

The car engine roared outside, so that marked the time. I put on my coat; slipping it over me like a shield, and took a last look in the mirror.

Now, I was to enter Thorne Crimson's world, and I was to do everything in my power to survive. And if I played the game right, I could make him believe that I was the kind of woman who could touch his heart.

Night of the evening finally arrived, and indeed, the weight of the entire world settled upon my shoulders.

Not going in there with lots of influential people. But I was going into a lion's den among Thorne and his minions, his friends, men to make or break me at the drop of a hat.

As I entered this great hall, eyes came to set on me. I stood tall, scanning the crowd for the man I had so long feared-a man who had haunted my past for too long.

And then I saw him. Thorne Crimson. He stood across the room, tall and looming, dark eyes pinning sharply into me, smile charismatic as ever.

Yet, when his gaze flickered over to me this time, I saw something new: a flicker of recognition.

The game was on.