Chapter 230: Safe, With Him
Maximilian’s expression remained calm throughout the entire account, but Catherine knew him well enough to recognize the signs.
The stillness. The narrowed focus in his eyes. The way his fingers remained loosely interlocked despite the tension beneath the surface.
Anyone else might have thought he was taking the news well.
Catherine knew better. He was furious. Not the explosive kind of anger that demanded immediate action, but the dangerous kind of furious.
But in his fury, she felt safe. It was an odd contradictory feeling, but she felt surrounded by his love. When she finished speaking, silence settled between them.
Maximilian leaned back slightly. His gaze lowered as he considered everything she had told him. Then he reached across the space between them and took her hand.
"You did good."
The simple praise surprised her.
Perhaps because she had spent the entire encounter wondering whether she could have handled it better, whether she should have said more, or less, whether she had made a mistake somewhere.
Maximilian squeezed her hand gently.
"You stayed calm. You gathered information. You got out safely." His eyes lifted to hers. "You did exactly what you needed to do."
The knot in her chest loosened.
Because unlike Dorian, Maximilian never spoke to her as though she were fragile. Never treated her like someone who needed protecting from the truth. Never dismissed her thoughts because he believed he knew better. When he praised her, it felt earned. When he disagreed with her, it felt honest.
And when she asked for his opinion, she knew she would receive a real answer rather than a performance.
Oh, she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him, through thick and thin. He made her feel alive in a way she never felt and secure in his love. She felt like she could do anything with him around her—the wind that lifts her to soar high above.
"What should we do?"
The question came naturally, because she trusted him enough to think through it with her.
Maximilian’s gaze drifted toward the window.
For several moments, he said nothing. Catherine could practically see the calculations, connections, risks, and possible outcomes happening behind his eyes.
And beneath all of it remained a simmering anger that Dorian had gotten this close to her. That Dorian had managed to isolate her. That Dorian had dared.
Finally, Maximilian looked back at her.
"We’re going to make our engagement public."
Catherine blinked. For a moment, she thought she had misheard him. Then her eyes widened.
"What?"
"We announce it."
"But—"
"We don’t have to wait any longer. We announce it publicly."
The certainty in his voice made her sit straighter.
"That’s dangerous."
He nodded.
"I know."
"No, I don’t think you do."
Catherine leaned forward.
"Dorian is already escalating. He’s targeting my family. He’s targeting businesses. He’s targeting anyone connected to us. If we announce the engagement, we’re practically painting a target on our backs."
A faint smile appeared on Maximilian’s face, because she had reached the same conclusion he had.
"Exactly."
Catherine stared at him. And then she realized where his thoughts were going. The realization made her stomach drop.
"..."
Maximilian’s expression hardened.
"If Dorian is going to target us regardless, I’d rather force him into the open."
Catherine studied him quietly. There was no hesitation in his voice, no uncertainty in his eyes. He had already made his decision.
"Let him throw every punch he has," Maximilian continued. "Let him exhaust every scheme, every resource, every idea. When he’s finally convinced he’s in control, when he’s convinced he’s already won, that’s when I strike."
A chill ran through Catherine.
She understood exactly what he meant.
In truth, she understood it better than most people ever could.
It was the same way he had approached war in another lifetime. Maximilian had never been the sort to rush blindly into battle. He observed. He endured. He gathered information. He allowed his enemies to reveal themselves completely before moving.
And when he finally moved, it was decisive.
Final.
That was precisely what frightened her.
"He thinks you’re holding me against my will," Catherine said quietly. "He’s going to come after you directly."
The memory of Dorian’s eyes inside that Maybach flashed through her mind. The hatred. The obsession.
The absolute certainty.
"He isn’t going to stop, My Love," Her voice softened. "He’ll attack your life."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Maximilian reached for her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers, warm and steady. "Worried about me?"
The question was asked lightly, but Catherine knew him well enough to recognize the tenderness beneath it.
She looked at him as though he had asked the most ridiculous question imaginable. "Of course, I’m worried about you. Who else is going to worry about you? You certainly aren’t!"
The answer came immediately. Without hesitation. Without embarrassment.
Something softened in Maximilian’s expression. The hard edge that had appeared whenever Dorian’s name was mentioned gradually disappeared.
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. Then another against her forehead. The gesture was so gentle that it caught her off guard.
"You’re adorable."
Catherine immediately frowned.
"I am discussing a serious threat."
"I know."
"Moosemilian."
His smile deepened.
"I love you."
The simple declaration stole the rest of her argument.
Catherine opened her mouth, fully intending to continue lecturing him about personal safety and risk assessment.
Instead, she found herself staring at him. The infuriating man knew exactly what he was doing. "You can’t just say that whenever you want to win an argument."
"I wasn’t aware we were having an argument."
"We were."
"We aren’t anymore."
Catherine attempted to push him away. The effort was entirely unsuccessful.
Somehow, she ended up leaning back against the couch while Maximilian remained entirely too close for her peace of mind.
"You’re impossible," she informed him.
"So I’ve been told."
His hand found hers again, drawing lazy circles across her palm. The intimate gesture sent an unexpected warmth through her chest.
Catherine tried to push him back. It was a half-hearted effort at best, and Maximilian knew it.
The corner of his mouth curved as he caught her wrist and drew her closer instead. Somehow, despite her intention to create distance, she found herself leaning back against the couch cushions while he remained entirely too close.
"Moosemilian," she protested.
The warning lacked conviction.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes. The look he gave her made her pulse quicken.
A moment ago, they had been discussing threats, strategy, and the possibility of a coming war. Now the space between them felt charged with an entirely different kind of tension.
He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his touch gentle enough to make her chest tighten. Before she could think of another argument, he leaned in and kissed her.
The kiss began softly.
Tenderly.
Yet beneath that tenderness was something deeper, something neither of them had quite managed to suppress since he had walked through the door and wrapped her in his arms.
Relief. Fear. Love. The lingering aftermath of panic.
Catherine’s fingers curled into his shirt as she kissed him back.
For a little while, the anxiety Dorian had left behind seemed to recede.
The world narrowed to the familiar warmth of Maximilian beside her, to the steady presence that always made her feel safer than she wanted to admit.
When the kiss finally broke, both of them were breathing a little harder.
Maximilian rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes briefly.
"Catherine."
The way he said her name made her heart stumble.
She knew where this could lead.
Maximilian was quiet for a long moment.
The tension that had settled between them after Dorian’s visit had never truly disappeared. It lingered beneath every glance, every touch, every moment of silence. Catherine could feel it now as he sat beside her, his hand wrapped around hers.
His thumb brushed absentmindedly over her knuckles.
Then he asked quietly, "Can we go all the way, Catherine?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
Catherine blinked.
Her heart immediately began to pound.
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