CHAPTER 4 — AFTER HOURS
978 Words
The building was almost empty.
That kind of silence that only came late at night—when ambition outstayed exhaustion, and the lights that remained on meant something.
Zara didn’t plan to still be here.
But then again… nothing about today had gone according to plan.
She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in her office, city lights scattered below like something distant, something she couldn’t control for once.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Still composed.Still strong.But tired.
She exhaled slowly and turned back to her desk, flipping through the reports again.
Numbers didn’t lie.
People did.
And right now, someone was doing it very well.
“You’re still here.”
Zara didn’t look up.“Disappointed?”
Adrian’s voice carried that same calm edge as always, but softer now. Less sharp. More… present.
“Surprised,” he replied, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.
That sound echoed.
Louder than it should have.
Zara finally glanced up.
He wasn’t in his usual perfectly controlled state.
Tie loosened.
Sleeves rolled slightly.
Less CEO.
More dangerous.
“You should’ve gone home,” she said, setting the file down.
“So should you.”
A pause.
Neither moved.
Then—
“Sit,” Adrian said, nodding toward the chair beside him.
Zara raised a brow. “That wasn’t a request.”
“No,” he agreed. “It wasn’t.”
For a second, she considered refusing.
Then, slowly, she walked over and sat.
Not because he told her to.
Because she wanted to see where this went.
The space between them felt smaller now.
Too small.
The kind of close that made everything noticeable.
The quiet.The tension.
The way neither of them looked away for too long.
Adrian slid a document toward her.
“These numbers don’t match the public reports.”
Zara leaned in slightly, scanning the page.
“They’ve been altered,” she said immediately.
“Exactly.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Which means someone inside had access.”
“High-level access,” Adrian added.
Zara’s fingers tapped once against the paper.
Thinking.Fast.Focused.
“They’re not just trying to damage the company,” she said. “They’re trying to make it look like I did it.”
Adrian’s gaze stayed on her.
“Which means they know you.”
Zara stilled slightly.
Just for a second.
“That doesn’t narrow it down.”
“Maybe it does.”
Her eyes flicked up to his.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
Adrian leaned back slightly, studying her now.
“People don’t go this far unless it’s personal.”
The words hung there.
Heavy.Uncomfortable.
Too close to something real.
Zara looked away first this time.
Walking a few steps toward the window.
“You don’t know anything about my past,” she said quietly.
“Then tell me.”
Her laugh was soft.
“Not happening.”
Silence stretched.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was charged.
When Zara turned back, Adrian was watching her differently now.
Less like an opponent.
More like a question.
“You built everything yourself,” he said.
Not a question.A statement.
Zara crossed her arms slightly.
“Yes.”
“No investors at the start. No family backing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve done your research.”
“I always do.”
A pause.
Then—
“That kind of rise doesn’t come without enemies,” he added.
Zara held his gaze.
“And you think one of them is doing this?”
“I think someone wants you to fall,” Adrian said.
A beat.
“Badly.”
Zara stepped closer again.
Not thinking about it this time.
Just moving.
“And you?” she asked. “Where do you stand?”
Adrian didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t lose.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Another step closer.
Now they were too close again.
But neither of them moved away.
“I stand where the truth is,” he said quietly.
Zara searched his face.
Looking for a crack.
A lie.
Anything.
But all she found was something steady.
Something dangerous in a different way.
“Careful,” she murmured.
“With you?” Adrian replied softly.
A pause.
“Always.”
And then—
It happened.
Small.Accidental.
But not really.
Their hands brushed.
Just slightly.Over the document between them.
Zara froze.So did he.
It meant nothing.
Just contact.Just skin.Just a moment.
But it lingered.
Longer than it should have.
Zara pulled her hand back first.
Again.
Her breath just slightly uneven now.
“Focus,” she said.
But it sounded more like a reminder to herself.
Adrian didn’t respond immediately.
His gaze dropped briefly to where her hand had been.
Then back to her.
“Right,” he said quietly.
But something had changed.
Before either of them could say anything else—
Zara’s phone buzzed sharply against the table.
The sound cut through everything.
She grabbed it quickly, her eyes scanning the screen.
And then—
Her expression changed.
Not shock.Not fear.
Something colder.
“What is it?” Adrian asked.
Zara didn’t answer immediately.
She turned the screen toward him.
LEAKED FOOTAGE: ZARA STERLING IN SECRET MEETING WITH UNKNOWN INVESTOR
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“This just dropped?”
“Seconds ago.”
Zara’s grip tightened on the phone.
“Whoever this is,” she said slowly, “they’re not done.”
Adrian stood.So did she.
The moment from before?Gone.
Replaced by something sharper.
More dangerous.
“They’re escalating,” he said.
Zara nodded slightly.“Yes.”
A pause.
Then she looked at him.
Really looked at him.
“We don’t have a choice anymore,” she said.
Adrian’s gaze held hers.
“we don't” he agreed
For the first time—
They weren’t just fighting each other.
They were standing on the same side.
But the tension?
Still there.
Still dangerous.
Still waiting.
- Writer
