[Sophie’s POV]

I know it’s going to be a fight the second Adrian closes the door behind him.

The sound isn’t loud, but it’s final in the way he does everything when he’s already decided what the right move is. Cassian is standing by the window, arms crossed, phone still in his hand like he’s been mid-email and stopped only because my face told him something was wrong. The air in my apartment feels too tight, like it’s been waiting for this conversation to show up and finally claim its space.

“She crossed a line,” Adrian says immediately, not even pretending we’re starting anywhere neutral. “This isn’t subtle anymore. This isn’t professional. She humiliated you on purpose.”

Cassian doesn’t disagree, which is somehow worse. He just nods once, jaw tight, eyes still on me. “I’ve already spoken to a colleague in legal,” he says calmly. “Not formally. Just enough to know we have options.”

I drop my bag on the chair harder than necessary, the sound sharp in the room. “You did what?”

“Nothing binding,” Cassian replies, holding my gaze. “Information gathering.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” I say, heat rising fast in my chest.

Adrian steps closer, his voice low but edged. “You shouldn’t have to ask. Someone is targeting your career. That makes it our problem.”

“No,” I say immediately. “It makes it my problem.”

Silence lands heavy between us. Adrian looks at me like I’ve said something reckless. Cassian looks at me like he’s recalculating a system that just stopped behaving the way it’s supposed to.

“You’re not thinking clearly,” Adrian says. “She’s escalating. First the insinuations. Then the manuscript. Then the board meeting. What’s next, Sophie?”

“What’s next,” I say sharply, “is not you storming into my workplace like a jealous god and not you filing lawsuits with my name attached to them.”

Cassian exhales slowly. “Legal action doesn’t have to be public. It can be controlled.”

“And controlled by who?” I ask. “You?”

His expression flickers, just for a second. “By professionals.”

“That’s not an answer,” I say. “That’s a dodge.”

Adrian runs a hand through his hair, frustration radiating off him. “You’re acting like this is just another work obstacle. It’s not. This is personal.”

“It’s my personal life,” I shoot back. “And my career.”

“And we’re what?” Adrian demands. “Spectators?”

I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “That’s exactly the problem. You don’t know how to be anything except protectors when I didn’t ask to be protected.”

Cassian finally uncrosses his arms and steps forward, his tone measured but intense. “Sophie, listen to me. This isn’t about control. This is about leverage. Vaughn is using narrative power to undermine your credibility. If this continues unchecked, it could follow you for years.”

“I am aware,” I say tightly. “I lived through the boardroom today. I don’t need a breakdown of the damage.”

“Then why won’t you let us help?” Adrian asks, his voice rougher now. “Why are you shutting us out?”

I stop pacing and face them fully, my hands shaking just enough that I have to curl them into fists to keep steady. “Because the second you step in, it stops being about my work and starts being about you.”

Adrian frowns. “That’s not fair.”

“It is fair,” I say. “Because Vaughn isn’t attacking me as Sophie the editor. She’s attacking me as Sophie, the woman with complicated relationships. And the second my partners confront her or sue her, every ugly implication she’s made gets validated.”

Cassian’s eyes sharpen. “That’s not how the law works.”

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