CHAPTER 8
1215 Words
Juliana.
Sleep didn’t come easily that night.
I lay in the unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind a tangled mess of questions and fears.
Someone wanted me dead. Someone powerful enough to send a message through Alexander.
But why?
I wasn’t important. I wasn’t rich or powerful. The only thing that tied me to this world was my stepfather.
Was this about him? Had I been caught in the crossfire of something bigger?
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
I needed answers.
And if Alexander wasn’t going to give them to me, I’d find them myself.
The air was heavy with silence as I slipped out of bed.
My pulse hammered against my ribs as I crept toward the door, pressing my ear against the smooth wood.
Silence.
Good.
I turned the handle slowly, careful not to make a sound. When the door clicked open, I exhaled softly and stepped into the hallway.
The mansion was dimly lit, the soft glow of wall sconces casting long shadows.
I moved quickly, keeping close to the walls. I wasn’t stupid, I knew there were guards. But I also knew that every security system had its gaps.
I just had to find one.
Each step felt like a lifetime. The plush carpet muted my movements, but the air itself seemed charged, like the house was holding its breath, waiting to catch me in the act.
I reached the staircase and hesitated. Going downstairs was risky, I’d already seen the guards stationed at the exits. But staying put wasn’t an option.
Then I spotted something.
A slightly open door at the end of the hallway. Light spilled through the c***k.
Alexander’s office.
My pulse quickened.
If he wasn’t going to tell me the truth, maybe I could find it myself.
I slipped inside, my breath shallow.
The office was just as I remembered, bookshelves filled with thick leather-bound books, a massive desk, and papers scattered across it.
The scent of aged paper mixed with the faint remnants of Alexander’s cologne, a sharp contrast to the sterile luxury of the rest of the house.
The fireplace had burned down to embers, casting a faint glow. The low flicker of the flames made shadows dance across the walls, stretching and shifting like ghosts.
I moved to the desk, my fingers brushing over the documents. Most of them were in neat stacks, perfectly arranged, too perfectly. But one folder sat open, pages spilling out as if it had been abandoned in a hurry.
I leaned in, scanning the pages.
Then I saw it.
My name.
Not just my name, my stepfather’s, too. Philips Casco
A sharp jolt of fear raced through me as I flipped through the contents. Financial records. Transfers.
Notes scribbled in the margins, Alexander’s tight, slanted handwriting marking important details.
My breath hitched. My stepfather wasn’t just working for Alexander. He was involved in something bigger. Something dangerous.
And whatever it was… it was enough to make someone want me dead.
A voice broke through the silence.
“You really don’t listen, do you?”
I froze.
Every muscle in my body locked as my fingers clenched around the folder.
Slowly, I turned to find Alexander standing in the doorway, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
The flickering firelight cast shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more dangerous than usual.
My pulse pounded.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my expression neutral. “Could say the same about you”
His lips twitched, but his eyes remained cold. “And what exactly are you looking for?”
I straightened, clutching the folder a little tighter. “The truth”
Alexander stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a deliberate click. The sound sent a chill through me.
He was blocking my only exit.
His gaze flicked down to the folder in my hands before returning to my face. “And did you find it?”
I hesitated. “Why do you have files on me?”
He sighed, moving toward the desk. His movements were slow, deliberate, controlled. “Because you’re in the middle of something you don’t understand”
I clenched my fists. “Then make me understand”
For a moment, he just studied me, like he was debating how much to tell me. Then, finally, he spoke.
“Your stepfather isn’t just one of my men” he said slowly. “He’s been stealing from me”
The words sent a shockwave through my body.
I sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re lying”
Alexander’s expression didn’t change. “No, I’m not”
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense. He has money. He doesn’t need to steal from you”
A flicker of amusement crossed Alexander’s face, but it was ice-cold.
“You think rich men don’t steal? Your stepfather got greedy. And someone else found out before I did”
The room tilted slightly. I pressed my fingers against the desk to keep myself steady.
“You’re saying… the attack at the club… wasn’t random?” My voice felt small.
Alexander leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “No. It was a message; how many times do I have to say it”
I swallowed. “To you?”
“To both of us”
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. “Well, that’s great. Just fantastic. Someone wants to kill me because my stepfather is a selfish bastard?”
Alexander didn’t respond right away. Instead, he studied me, like he was seeing something he hadn’t noticed before.
Then, his voice dropped to something almost unreadable. “Because they think he cares about you”
I stilled.
A hollow feeling spread through my chest, cold and numbing.
My stepfather had never cared. Not really. He had tolerated me, given me a roof over my head. But love? Affection? That had never been part of the equation.
And yet, someone out there thought I was valuable enough to use against him.
I exhaled shakily. “So what happens now?”
Alexander’s gaze didn’t waver. “Now, we find out who’s really behind this”
I met his eyes, something twisting in my chest.
I didn’t trust him.
But right now, I didn’t have anyone else.
A Shift in the Game
Silence stretched between us. The weight of what he had just told me settled in my bones, making my skin itch.
For years, I had lived in ignorance. Chosen to look the other way. And now, I was paying the price.
I looked down at the folder again, at the name that had haunted me my entire life.
My stepfather.
I had spent years convincing myself that he didn’t care about me. And maybe that was still true. But whoever had come after me thought otherwise.
And that made me dangerous.
I sucked in a breath and met Alexander’s gaze. “So what’s the plan?”
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“You let me worry about that” he said. “Your job is to stay alive”
Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine.
Because for the first time, I wasn’t sure if Alexander was my captor or my only chance of survival.
- Writer
