The velvet curtain swept aside with a dramatic swoosh.

Marcus stepped into the alcove. He wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

It was the smile of a manager walking into a break room to fire someone.

"Lady Blackthorn," Marcus said.

His voice was smooth. It carried just enough volume to shatter the intimacy of the moment.

"I apologize for the intrusion."

Aldric Blackthorn flinched. He pulled his hand back from the wall.

He spun around. His expression shifted from aggression to polite confusion in a fraction of a second.

It was a terrifyingly quick transformation.

Vivienne let out a breath. She looked like a diver surfacing for air.

"Lord Aldridge," she said. Her voice was steady, but Marcus saw the tremor in her hands.

"I tried to find you earlier," Marcus lied effortlessly. "But the crowd is dense tonight. I desperately need your advice."

Aldric straightened his jacket. He stepped between Marcus and Vivienne.

"We are in the middle of a private conversation," Aldric said.

His tone was dismissive. "Whatever it is can wait."

"I'm afraid it cannot," Marcus countered.

He didn't look at Aldric. He kept his eyes on Vivienne. "It concerns a dungeon assessment."

Vivienne blinked. "A what?"

"A dungeon assessment," Marcus repeated. He made it sound grave.

"Regarding the structural integrity of subterranean limestone in high-humidity environments. Theo has questions. Urgent ones."

It was nonsense. It was absolute, unadulterated gibberish.

Any adventurer would know that limestone integrity wasn't an emergency topic for a ballroom reception.

But it was a lifeline.

Vivienne grabbed it with both hands.

"Limestone," she said. She nodded seriously. "Yes. That is critical. Limestone can be very... treacherous."

She stepped around Aldric. She moved quickly.

Aldric reached out as if to grab her arm.

Marcus shifted his weight. He placed himself directly in Aldric's path. It looked accidental. It wasn't.

Aldric's hand met Marcus's shoulder instead of Vivienne's arm.

"Excuse me," Marcus said politely. He didn't move an inch.

Vivienne reached the curtain. She paused. She looked back at Marcus.

Her eyes were wide. There was a question in them. Are you coming?

Marcus gave a small, barely perceptible nod toward the main hall.

Damien was waiting right outside. Marcus could see the tip of his polished shoe near the opening.

"I will join you in a moment, Lady Blackthorn," Marcus said. "I just need to retrieve my glass."

Vivienne understood. She glanced at Aldric, then back to Marcus.

She straightened her spine. The slump vanished. The Crimson Viper returned, armor back in place.

"Don't be long, Lord Aldridge," she said. "Limestone waits for no one."

She disappeared through the curtain.

Aldric watched her go. His jaw tightened. The charm was beginning to crack around the edges.

He stared at the swaying velvet for a long moment.

Then he turned his gaze to Marcus.

The look wasn't friendly.

It was the look of a predator who just had his meal snatched away by a scavenger.

Marcus stood his ground. He checked his internal emotional dashboard.

Heart rate: elevated.

Adrenaline: steady.

Patience: non-existent.

He picked up a glass of wine from a small side table. He didn't drink it. He just held it. A prop for the performance to come.

"Well," Aldric said. He let out a short, sharp laugh. "That was rude."

"Was it?" Marcus asked.

"Interrupting a husband and wife," Aldric said. He moved closer.

He tried to use his height to intimidate. "It shows a lack of common sense."

"Ex-wife," Marcus corrected. "Legally speaking."

Aldric waved a hand. "Paperwork. Feelings don't expire because a judge signed a document."

He looked Marcus up and down. He was assessing the threat level.

Marcus was younger. He was currently popular. But he had a reputation as a non-combatant.

Aldric clearly decided he could handle this.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Aldric said.

He extended a hand. The smile returned.

It was dazzling and completely fake. "Count Aldric Blackthorn."

Marcus looked at the hand.

He didn't take it.

"I know who you are," Marcus said.

Aldric held the pose for a second longer. Then he dropped his hand. His eyes narrowed.

"And you are the older Aldridge brother," Aldric said. "The one with the... colorful reputation."

"I've been called worse," Marcus said.

"I'm sure you have." Aldric leaned against the wall.

He tried to look casual. "Look, I understand. Vivienne is a striking woman. You're a young man. It's natural to be drawn to her."

He chuckled. It was a conspiratorial, 'just us guys' sound.

"But you should know," Aldric continued.

"She's complicated. Very intense. High maintenance. A young man like you... you might find her overwhelming."

He was trying to bond. He was trying to frame the situation as two men discussing a difficult object.

"You're marking territory," Marcus observed.

Aldric paused. "Excuse me?"

"You're trying to establish a hierarchy," Marcus said. His tone was clinical. "You're positioning yourself as the expert on her. You're trying to make me feel inexperienced so I'll back off."

Aldric's smile faltered. "I'm giving you friendly advice."

"No," Marcus said. "You're managing the competition."

Marcus set his wine glass down. He turned to face Aldric fully.

"Let's skip the part where we pretend to be polite," Marcus said. "I saw what you were doing. I heard what you said."

Aldric's face hardened. The mask dropped completely.

"You were eavesdropping," Aldric accused.

"I was gathering information," Marcus corrected. "And the data is ugly."

Aldric scoffed. He crossed his arms.

"You don't know anything about us. You don't know our history. We have a bond that you couldn't possibly understand."

"I understand it perfectly," Marcus said. "It's a cycle."

He stepped forward. He invaded Aldric's personal space.

"You start with nostalgia," Marcus listed. "Remind her of the good times. Soften the target."

Aldric opened his mouth to speak, but Marcus continued.

"Then you pivot to vulnerability," Marcus said. He held up a second finger.

"Admit mistakes. But keep them vague. 'I was lost.' 'I was stifled.' Make yourself the victim of your own bad choices."

Aldric's eyes widened slightly. He looked unsettled.

"Then," Marcus said, raising a third finger. "You isolate. You corner her physically. You use her desire to avoid a scene to keep her trapped."

Marcus lowered his hand. He looked Aldric in the eye.

"And finally," Marcus said softly. "You ask for the money."

Silence filled the alcove.

The sounds of the party outside seemed very far away.

Aldric stared at him. He looked like a magician whose trick had been explained to the audience mid-performance.

"You're insane," Aldric spat. "I came back for my family."

"You came back because you're broke," Marcus said.

"How dare you," Aldric hissed. "My finances are none of your concern."

"They are when you try to fix them by emotional extortion," Marcus said.

"You think you're clever," Aldric sneered. He took a step forward. "You think because you're the flavor of the month in the capital, you can lecture me?"

"I'm not lecturing you," Marcus said. "I'm diagnosing you."

Aldric laughed. It was a harsh, ugly sound.

"Diagnosing? What are you, a doctor?"

"Something like that," Marcus said. "I spent ten years fixing the damage men like you cause."

He remembered his office on Earth. The tissue boxes.

The endless sessions with people trying to rebuild their self-worth after years of subtle, grinding abuse.

He remembered the anger he used to swallow for professional reasons.

He didn't have to swallow it tonight.

"You presume a lot," Aldric said. His voice dropped. It became threatening. "Vivienne is vulnerable right now. She needs me."

"She needs a partner," Marcus said. "Not a parasite."

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