UNRAVELING THREADS
299 Words
The late-night silence in Donovan Grey’s office was disturbed only by the rhythmic ticking of the antique clock above his bookshelf. The city outside hummed quietly under a blanket of stars, but inside the glass-walled corner, tension lingered like a shadow.
He sat behind his desk, brows furrowed, fingers steepled under his chin.
*Donovan (quietly, to himself):*
“They left nothing… no real trace.”
The first file his team had compiled on Vici Monroe had seemed—on the surface—impressive. Powerful businesswoman. Clean track record. But something about the profile felt too curated, too polished.
So he’d dug deeper.
*Donovan (to his assistant over the phone):*
“The details on Monroe… they don’t match her instincts. She’s hiding something. Find out what.”
*Assistant (hesitating):*
“But sir, everything checks out. Education, acquisitions, board history—”
*Donovan (curtly):*
“I didn’t ask if it *checked out*. I asked for the truth.”
He ended the call and leaned back, eyes drifting to the large framed photo behind his desk: his team in New York, the day GreyCorp went public. A younger him stood in the center, eyes sharper, jaw clenched with purpose.
That same purpose was returning now—but it wasn’t about business anymore.
It was about her.
Ever since that dinner, Vici had lingered in his mind. Not just for her wit or guarded charm—but because something inside her felt... familiar.
And tonight, staring at the redacted parts of her early life in the latest report, he knew one thing:
*Donovan (muttering):*
“Someone went to great lengths to bury her past.”
He stood and crossed to the tall window. Below, Valemont glowed with late-hour life, a city of ambition and secrets.
He wouldn’t stop until he knew hers.
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- Writer
