Gannon Farley POV:

I sat in my penthouse overlooking Central Park West, the city lights glittering beyond the windows. I took a slow sip of whiskey, savoring the taste and the rare sense of satisfaction that came with it.

On my phone, the message I'd sent to Estela sat unanswered: "Well done. Need help?"

I wasn't surprised. She needed space, not a stranger's intervention.

I put down the glass and switched to another screen on my tablet—a custom program monitoring Jaimen's social circle in real-time. A little toy my security team had built for me.

His friends were in a frenzy. Texts, calls—a digital storm of people looking for Estela.

I smirked. Jaimen. That weak, arrogant fool. He probably thought she was crying somewhere, waiting for him to find her and feed her more lies.

He didn't know her at all.

But I did.

I'd been watching her for three years, ever since she first appeared at his side. I saw the steel beneath the quiet exterior, the pride she tried so hard to hide.

My phone rang. Leo Sullivan, my lawyer and best friend.

"You magnificent bastard," Leo's voice came through, laced with amusement. "I just got word. Jaimen is trashing his locker at the arena."

I could picture it. The smirk on my face widened. "He deserves it."

"His little posse is splitting up to search for Estela," Leo reported. "I've already got my people 'blending in' with them."

Leo was the one who executed my plans, the only person I trusted with the details.

"Good," I said. "Make sure they find nothing. I want Jaimen running in circles, stewing in his own pathetic desperation."

Leo whistled on the other end. "You're really going for the throat. Is this still about him stealing that MVP nomination from you in college?"

My eyes went cold. "It's not just about that."

It was about him having Estela and not cherishing her.

I switched to another feed on my tablet, this one from a discreet camera I'd had installed across from her office building.

A taxi pulled up. Estela got out, her shoulders squared as she walked into the old, unassuming building.

Relief washed over me. I knew she wouldn't go back to the Hicks' place. That house was just another kind of hell for her.

Jaimen's search party, thanks to Leo's misinformation, was currently scouring bars and nightclubs on the opposite side of town.

Jaimen himself, I saw from another update, had just been summoned back to the Blackburn estate by his mother, Judith. The old dragon was probably already in crisis management mode.

I watched the light turn on in Estela's office window, imagining her in there. Calm, strong, and maybe just a little bit lost.

A fierce, protective urge surged in my chest. I wanted to storm over there, scoop her up, and lock her away in my own castle, safe from everything.

But I couldn't. Not yet.

The timing hadto be perfect. I needed her to walk into my world willingly.

A text from Leo buzzed on my phone: "Jaimen thinks Tessa tipped you off. He's going after her."

Fool. It would lead him even further from the truth.

I took another sip of whiskey, my mind already on the next move. Estela wouldn't let this go. She would go after Judith.

I glanced at the monitor again. The light in her office was still on. She was at her computer, working.

After a while, she stood up, put on her coat, and moved towards the door.

My body tensed. I zoomed in on the camera feed as she exited the building and hailed another cab.

I immediately sent a text to my driver, who was parked a block away. Follow that cab.

A few minutes later, the reply came.

An address: The Blackburn Estate.

I stood up and walked to my closet, selecting a perfectly tailored black suit. "Chris," I said into my personal comms, calling my assistant. "Have the car ready. We're going to the Blackburn estate."

Estela Stanton POV:

I was about to hail a cab to the Blackburn estate when a black Bentley slid to a silent stop in front of me. The tinted window lowered, revealing Gannon Farley's sharp profile.

Gannon, the star captain and undisputed centerpiece of the New York Rangers, was one of the biggest names in hockey. The media painted him as a notorious playboy. Beyond that, he was also Jaimen's biggest rival.

"Going to the Blackburns?" he asked.

I frowned. "How did you know?"

"I heard my biggest rival's fiancée was in trouble." A faint smile touched his lips. "Seemed like a good opportunity to make things a little more complicated."

I stared at him. "So you're here to help me?"

"Help you?" His smile widened. "I'm here to interfere. There's a difference."

It was exactly the kind of answer I'd expect from Jaimen's biggest rival. I reached for the door handle of the cab behind me. "Then I'll pass."

"Wait." Gannon's voice stopped me. He nodded toward the Bentley. "If you walk into the Blackburn estate alone, Judith can shut you down before you get through the front door. If I walk in with you, carrying the Farley name, they'll have to hear you out."

I hesitated. He was right. Getting inside was only the first step, and having Gannon beside me would make it much harder for the Blackburns to dismiss me.

I looked at him for a moment, then opened the passenger door and got in.

The drive was quiet. When we reached the Blackburn estate, the massive iron gates swung open the moment the guards recognized the Bentley. Gannon drove straight toward the main house and stopped at the front steps.

I pushed the car door open, my heels making a sharp, determined crunch on the gravel driveway.

Gannon got out from the driver's side. He wore a black suit that made him look taller, more imposing.

He turned, his piercing green eyes lingering on me for a moment. A barely perceptible smirk touched his lips. "Ready?"

I didn't answer, just walked toward the front door. He fell into step beside me.

The butler rushed out to greet us. He bowed respectfully to Gannon, then shot me a look of pure contempt and smug satisfaction.

I walked into the living room. Jaimen's mother, Judith Blackburn, was seated on a pristine white sofa, her posture rigid. Jaimen stood beside her, looking like a scolded child.

Her cold, sharp eyes landed on me. "You have the nerve to show your face here?"

Before I could speak, Gannon strolled in behind me. He casually unbuttoned his suit jacket as if he owned the place. "Judith. Long time no see. Looks like I'm interrupting a family meeting."

Judith's face changed the moment she saw him. His presence was clearly a shock. She forced a tight, brittle smile. "Gannon. What brings you here?"

He ignored her question, walking over to the empty sofa beside me and sinking into it. He crossed his legs, his posture relaxed but dangerous. "I'm with Ms. Stanton. We're here to handle some... private business."

His words left the room silent. Jaimen's eyes reddened, jealousy and anger flashing across his face. Judith stiffened, her expression turning hard.

I was just as shocked, but I kept my expression neutral. I had no idea what his game was, but my instincts told me to trust him.

Judith took a deep breath, turning her venom back on me. "Estela, Jaimen told me everything. Young men make mistakes. For the sake of both our families, this needs to be swept under the rug."

I let out a cold laugh. "Swept under the rug? You want me to pretend nothing happened and marry this... traitor?"

"Name your price," Judith said, her voice dripping with condescension, as if she were dismissing a beggar.

I was about to fire back when Gannon spoke first. He picked up an apple from the bowl on the coffee table, tossing it lightly in his hand. "Judith, I think you've misunderstood the situation."

His voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable weight of authority. "This isn't about what Estela will take. It's about what the Blackburn family is willing to pay to earn her forgiveness."

The color drained from Judith's face. She knew what Gannon—and the Farley family—represented in New York. Their power dwarfed hers.

I seized the moment, laying out my terms. "I want the Blackburn Group's official social media account to post a public statement. It will announce the end of the engagement and state clearly that Jaimen is at fault. If not, those photos will be on the front page of every news outlet by morning."

Judith trembled with fury, pointing a finger at me. "You dare threaten me?"

"She's not threatening you," Gannon said, rising to his feet. His tall frame cast a long shadow, enveloping Judith. "She's informing you."

He moved to stand behind me, his hand resting lightly on the back of my chair in a gesture of pure protection. "The statement, or the scandal. Your choice."

Judith stared at him, then at me, her eyes filled with a hatred so intense it was almost tangible.

Jaimen started to speak, but a single sharp look from his mother silenced him.

After a long, tense moment, Judith ground out the words through her teeth. "Fine. I'll do it."

She snatched her phone and began barking orders at her PR team.

I stood up. My purpose here was achieved. I wouldn't stay a second longer.

Gannon stood with me. His hand slid from the chair to my shoulder, a brief, steadying touch. "Let's go. I'll take you home." His voice was low, a warm current in the icy room.

Together, we walked out of that suffocating house.