MASKS AND MOTIVES
975 Words
*Vici’s Penthouse – 9:47 PM*
*(The dim lights of the penthouse reflected softly off the glass walls. Vici sat curled on her armchair, one leg tucked under her as she scrolled through Donovan’s online profile for the third time.)*
*Vici (murmuring):*
“CEO of GreyCore. Twenty-three mergers in less than ten years. No controversies. No legal battles. No public scandals… please.”
*(She rolled her eyes and slammed the laptop shut. With a sigh, she stood and walked toward her sleek black desk, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She pressed a small silver button on the intercom.)*
*Vici:*
“Lena?”
*Lena (calm, alert):*
“Yes, Miss Vici?”
*Vici:*
“I want you
Certainly! Here’s the *expanded dialogue version* of the scene, now including Lena’s investigation detail about Donovan being sent to the States at 20 by his father:
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*Scene: Vici’s Penthouse – 9:47 PM*
*The skyline of Valemont shimmered outside. Vici, now barefoot and tense, stared at her laptop screen in deep thought. Donovan’s photo sat open beside a dozen tabs filled with praise-heavy articles.*
*Vici (softly):*
“Too clean. Too perfect. That kind of image takes work to maintain… or hide something.”
*(She leaned back, expression unreadable, before reaching out and pressing the intercom.)*
*Vici:*
“Lena.”
*Lena (prompt):*
“Yes, ma’am?”
*Vici:*
“I want a deep background search on Donovan Grey. Not the public stuff—I’ve seen enough of that PR fluff. Go beneath the surface. I need to know who he is behind the suits and headlines.”
*Lena (slightly hesitant):*
“Understood. Do you want the search routed through the proxy network?”
*Vici:*
“Yes. Full ghost mode. I don’t want GreyCore’s digital team tracing the inquiry. Scrub all traces after you’re done.”
*Lena:*
“Got it. It may take a few hours.”
*Vici:*
“I’ll wait.”
---
*[1:24 AM – Vici’s Office, lights dimmed]*
*Her phone vibrated softly. Vici snatched it from the desk. A secure message from Lena lit up the screen.*
*Lena (via voice call):*
“I’ve got something.”
*Vici:*
“Go on.”
*Lena:*
“Donovan Grey was sent to the United States when he was 20—by his father, Bernard Grey. No official reason stated, but sources hint it was a disciplinary exile of sorts after some... internal dispute.”
*Vici (intrigued):*
“Go on.”
*Lena:*
“Once in the States, he kept a low profile for almost five years. No university record found, but he was reportedly working under an alias in smaller firms—learning, watching. Then suddenly, GreyCore was founded, and his first deal was backed by silent investors from offshore accounts.”
*Vici (murmuring):*
“Which means someone was pulling strings…”
*Lena:*
“There’s more. He’s erased most digital traces from his early twenties. But a few whispers remain—someone called *Elena*. Referred to in a few archived financial memos. Disappeared from his records after a certain acquisition.”
*Vici (tense silence):*
“Elena…”
*Lena:*
“Do you want me to dig into her next?”
*Vici (shaking her head slowly):*
“No. Focus on Donovan. Patterns. Anything connecting him to private mergers that went silent after signing. I want connections, Lena. Even the ones buried six feet under NDAs.”
*Lena:*
“Understood. One more thing—his profile file from the States? It reads like it was scrubbed and rewritten. The real Donovan Grey… might not be the man on paper.”
*Vici (coldly):*
“Exactly what I thought.”
*(She ends the call, staring at Donovan’s photo glowing on her screen. A tight smirk forms at the corner of her lips.)*
*Vici (to herself):*
“We all hide parts of ourselves, Donovan. The question is… which of us will find the truth first?”
---
*: Vici’s Penthouse — 1:37 AM*
*After her late-night research on Donovan Grey, Vici sits at her desk, files now closed but her mind still spinning. The silence is interrupted by her phone blaring to life with Selene’s custom ringtone.*
*Vici (groaning):*
“Ugh… why now?”
*(She answers the call)*
*Vici:*
“Selene—”
*Selene (cutting her off, yelling):*
“VICI! You went on a date with DONOVAN GREY and didn’t breathe a WORD to me?!”
*Vici:*
“Selene, calm down. It’s 2AM.”
*Selene:*
“Exactly! I’ve waited *days* for the tea! How could you ghost me after something that major? You know I live for chaos like this!”
*Vici (sighing with a smile):*
“It wasn’t that serious.”
*Selene:*
“Stop lying to yourself. You met with the *Donovan Grey*. The man’s practically a legend. And mysterious as hell. You two sitting in the same room is a boardroom romance waiting to explode!”
*Vici:*
“We didn’t explode. We talked. A bit.”
*Selene:*
“Talked? Girl, I *need* more than that. Spill. Did he lean in? Did he try that slow-burn eye contact thing rich men do?”
*Vici:*
“He was... composed. Intense. He observed more than he spoke. And I think he’s curious.”
*Selene (mock gasp):*
“Ooooooh. Curious is sexy.”
*Vici:*
“Selene.”
*Selene:*
“Okay, okay, but listen—I need details in person. Let’s meet tomorrow. Somewhere quiet. You pick the place, and I’m there.”
*Vici (thinking):*
“Midtown café. Noon?”
*Selene:*
“Perfect. And Vici?”
*Vici:*
“Hm?”
*Selene (serious now):*
“If this guy is digging into your past, even a little… I need to know what he’s really after. Not just what he shows you.”
*Vici (softly):*
“Same here.”
*Selene:*
“Alright then. Sleep. Or obsess. Whichever comes first.”
*Vici:*
“You know me too well.”
*Selene (laughing):*
“See you at noon.”
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- Writer
