Love in his luxury world

Chapter Four: When Masks Start to Fall

Linna didn’t speak for a long time after Sebastian told her the company was fake. She just sat there, staring at nothing, trying to put the pieces together but the more she thought about it, the worse it got. Every detail she remembered suddenly felt wrong. The emails had been too perfect. The interview too easy. The job offer too fast. At the time, she had been relieved… now it just felt like she had walked straight into a trap with her eyes open. “So let me get this straight,” she said finally, her voice slow and heavy. “Someone created a fake company… hired me… gave me access to sensitive files… just so I could see something I wasn’t supposed to see?” “Yes,” Sebastian said calmly. “That doesn’t even make sense.” “It does,” he replied. She turned to him, frustrated. “Then explain it to me, because I’m clearly missing something.” He leaned back slightly, studying her like he was deciding how much to say. “There are two possibilities,” he said. “Either you were meant to see those files… or you were meant to take the fall for them.” Linna froze. “Take the fall?” she repeated. “Yes.” Her heart started beating faster. “You mean… they could make it look like I’m the one responsible?” “It wouldn’t be hard,” Sebastian said bluntly. “Your name is already linked to the system. Your access logs would show you opened the file. If anything leaks or gets exposed…” “They blame me,” she finished quietly. The room suddenly felt too small. “That’s insane,” she whispered. “I didn’t do anything.” “That doesn’t matter,” he said. “What matters is what they can prove.” She stood up abruptly, pacing the room. “No, no, no… this is crazy. I didn’t even download the file. I didn’t send anything. There has to be a way to show that.” “There might be,” Sebastian said. “But whoever is behind this planned it carefully. They wouldn’t leave obvious holes.” Linna ran her hands through her hair, trying not to panic. “So I’m either a witness… or a scapegoat.” “Exactly.” She let out a shaky laugh. “Wow. That’s comforting.” Sebastian didn’t respond to that.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was her pacing back and forth. Then she stopped suddenly, turning to face him again. “Why are you helping me?” she asked. The question came out sharper than she intended. Sebastian didn’t look surprised. If anything, he looked like he had been expecting it. “You already asked me that,” he said. “And you didn’t really answer,” she shot back. He stood up slowly, closing the distance between them. “You were in danger,” he said. “I stepped in.” “That’s not enough,” she said immediately. “You don’t just risk everything for a stranger.” His jaw tightened slightly. “Maybe I do,” he replied. She shook her head. “No. People like you don’t do things without a reason.” “And what kind of person is that?” he asked, his voice calm but with an edge.n“A billionaire who controls an entire empire,” she said. “You don’t make moves unless there’s something in it for you.” Silence fell between them again but this time, it was different, Tense. Sebastian held her gaze, his expression unreadable. “You think I’m using you,” he said finally. “I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “Everything about this is wrong. The fake company. The files. The fact that I somehow ended up here with you.” “And that makes you suspicious,” he said. “Yes,” she said honestly.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, unexpectedly, Sebastian let out a quiet breath almost like a small, tired laugh. “You’re not wrong,” he said. That caught her off guard. “What?” “You’re right to question everything,” he continued. “Including me.” Linna frowned slightly, confused. “So… you’re admitting you might not be trustworthy?” “I’m admitting,” he said, “that you don’t know me.” “That’s exactly my point.” “And yet,” he added, stepping a little closer, “you’re still here.” Her breath caught for a second. He wasn’t wrong. Despite everything the danger, the confusion, the doubts she had stayed. “I didn’t have a choice,” she said, though her voice was quieter now. “There’s always a choice,” he replied. “Not when someone is chasing you,” she said. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the tension shifted into something else. Something softer. Something neither of them was ready to name. Linna was the first to look away. “This is too much,” she muttered, stepping back. “I need air.” Before he could respond, she walked toward the balcony and pushed the glass door open. Cool air rushed in immediately, brushing against her skin and calming her racing thoughts just a little. She stepped outside, gripping the railing as she looked down at the city far below. Everything looked normal from up here. People going about their lives, cars moving, lights glowing. No one would guess what she was going through. “No one ever sees it coming,” Sebastian’s voice came from behind her. She glanced back slightly. “Sees what?” “When your life changes overnight,” he said. She turned to face him fully this time. “Has that happened to you?” He didn’t answer right away. But something in his expression shifted just for a second. “Yes,” he said quietly. That surprised her. “You?” she asked. “I thought people like you were born into this.” “Into money?” he said. “Yes.” “Then what changed?” He leaned against the doorframe, his gaze drifting past her to the city. “Everything else.” “That’s not very specific,” she said. “It’s not meant to be,” he replied. She studied him carefully. For the first time, she noticed something she hadn’t before not just control, not just confidence… but something deeper. Something guarded. “You don’t like talking about yourself,” she said. “No,” he admitted. “Why?” “Because it doesn’t change anything.” She frowned. “It changes how people see you.” He looked at her then, his eyes steady. “And why would that matter?” Linna hesitated. “Because maybe,” she said slowly, “people would understand you better.” Something about that made him pause. But before he could respond, his phone rang again. The moment was gone. He stepped back inside to answer it, his tone immediately shifting back to business. “Yes… I see… no, don’t move yet. I’ll handle it.” Linna watched him from the balcony, her thoughts still spinning but now mixed with something else. Curiosity. Who was he, really? And what wasn’t he telling her?

A few seconds later, he ended the call and turned back to her. “We have a problem,” he said. Her stomach dropped. “Another one?” “Yes.” She walked back inside slowly. “What is it this time?” He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the laptop and turned it toward her again. “Look at this,” he said. She leaned closer, her eyes scanning the screen then widened in shock. “That’s…” “Yes,” he said. Her face went pale. “That’s my name,” she whispered. Right there, on the screen, was a report. A detailed report. With her name on it, Transaction log, File access records, Digital signatures. Everything pointed to her. “It’s already happening,” Sebastian said quietly. “They’re setting you up.” Linna felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her feet. “No…” she shook her head, panic rising again. “No, this isn’t real. This can’t be real.” “It is,” he said. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear. “What do I do?” For the first time since all this started… she wasn’t questioning him. She was asking for his help. Sebastian met her gaze, his expression firm. “We fight back,” he said. And just like that… The game had changed.