Chapter 3: The lies that trembled
945 Words
Snow Green — POV
Something about Dylan felt… off.
I couldn’t explain it, but the thought lingered at the back of my mind like an unfinished sentence. His calm confidence, the way he spoke with quiet certainty—it didn’t match the idea of a random employee heading to the fourteenth floor. Still, whatever strange feeling tugged at me, I brushed it aside.
He looked kind.
And kindness was rare in this place.
“Miss Snow.”
I stiffened the moment I heard that voice.
Turning around, I forced a professional smile as I faced Mr. Daniel, my supervisor—and the devil who made my work life unbearable.
“Everything is in order, sir,” I said immediately, handing him the documents.
He skimmed through them, nodding slowly. Then his eyes narrowed as he looked up at me.
“Oh, that’s good,” he said, lowering his voice. “You didn’t tell anyone you were the one who handled this project… did you?”
His words made my heart skip.
For a split second, Dylan’s face flashed through my mind—the strange elevator encounter, the questions, the smile. Maybe he’s no one, I told myself firmly.
“No, sir,” I replied quickly, miming a zipper across my lips. “My lips are sealed.”
Daniel chuckled softly, the sound fake and unpleasant. “Good. You can leave.”
I nodded and walked away, but something didn’t sit right.
Why is he suddenly speaking so gently? I wondered.
Then it hit me.
Of course.
There were people around. Important people. Cameras. Executives. Daniel wasn’t being kind—he was performing. The real Daniel, the cruel and demeaning man I knew too well, would never treat me decently unless he had an audience.
Pathetic.
I excused myself quietly. After all, who was I to linger near a man drunk on borrowed power?
Dylan Donovan — POV
Snow Green.
The name echoed in Dylan’s mind longer than it should have.
She stirred something within him—something that had been dead for years. A faint craving. An unfamiliar pull. He disliked it instantly.
That was why he didn’t tell her the truth.
She didn’t need to know he was part of the meeting. Didn’t need to know who he really was—not yet. Curiosity tasted better when it was untainted by fear.
Changing direction, Dylan headed toward the executive wing instead, stepping into the private elevator reserved solely for him. The doors closed silently as the car ascended to the fourteenth floor.
His expression hardened.
Business first.
Third Person POV
Dylan Donovan walked into the boardroom with an aura so oppressive it could crush the unprepared.
His strides were measured, confident—each step echoing authority. Power clung to him like a living thing, raw and overwhelming, filling the room before he even spoke.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
“Good morning, Mr. Donovan,” the board members greeted in perfect synchronization, standing so fast their chairs scraped against the floor.
Moments ago, the room had been cool and sterile.
Now, it felt like hellfire had been lit beneath it.
“Sit,” Dylan said calmly.
They obeyed.
“Let’s begin.”
The meeting unfolded swiftly—charts projected, data analyzed, strategies proposed for domestic and international expansion. Voices trembled slightly as they spoke, each director keenly aware of the man at the head of the table.
Dylan listened in silence, sharp eyes missing nothing.
When it finally ended, he rose first.
“That will be all.”
Chairs shuffled as the board members stood, relief etched on their faces. One by one, they exited.
“Mr. Daniel,” Dylan said suddenly. “Stay.”
Daniel froze mid-step.
“Yes, sir,” he replied, forcing a smile as he sat back down.
The door closed.
The room seemed to drop ten degrees.
Daniel swallowed, trying to convince himself it was just the air-conditioning. He failed to notice how Dylan’s presence alone was enough to drain warmth from the air.
Dylan turned slowly, his gaze locking onto Daniel like a predator fixing on prey.
“Do you know what I hate most?” Dylan asked quietly.
Daniel’s throat tightened. “N-no, s-sir. Wh-what is th-that?”
“Lies.”
The word landed like a gunshot.
Dylan stepped closer. “This welcome occasion,” he continued. “Was it planned by you?”
Daniel’s palms grew slick with sweat.
“U-um… no, sir,” he stammered. Then panicked. “I m-mean—yes! Yes, sir, it was!”
Silence.
Deadly silence.
Dylan stared at him, expression unreadable.
“You know,” Dylan said slowly, “the proper response to a lie like that would be to shoot you dead.”
Daniel’s heart nearly stopped.
“But I won’t,” Dylan added. “Not today.”
Daniel sagged with relief—too soon.
“Go and call Snow Green,” Dylan ordered coldly. “I need her in my office. Immediately.”
“Yes—yes, sir!” Daniel said quickly, standing up.
Dylan walked toward the door, then paused without turning.
“And Daniel,” he said softly.
Daniel stiffened.
“Do not touch her when you go to call her,” Dylan continued, his voice laced with something terrifying. “If you do… you will never see daylight again.”
The door opened.
Then closed.
Dylan Donovan was gone—but the cold he left behind lingered, creeping into Daniel’s bones, devouring his sanity second by second.
Daniel collapsed back into his chair, trembling.
What… what kind of man is he?
And far away, Snow Green had no idea that her life had just shifted irrevocably.
- Writer
