SHADOWS AND SECRETS
542 Words
Lena
Lena Hayes tapped her pen against her notebook, half-hearing the lecture of the professor. Her mind was elsewhere—on Ava's texts, on the campus rumors, and most of all, on the guy glaring at her from across the lecture hall.
Xander Reed.
Cold. Calculated. Scary as hell.
And, by bad luck, her new business strategy professor.
Lena had heard of him before—how he was a genius CEO, a man who could ruin a company with a single decision. But seeing him now, dressed in a sharp black suit, eyes as biting as ice, made the rumors seem too real.
He wasn't just brilliant. He was dangerous.
But she had bigger problems.
Ava had been acting strangely since the gala. Something had happened between her and Damien Lancaster, and Lena was determined to find out what.
So the moment class ended, she rushed out of the lecture theatre and called Ava.
"Finally," Ava sighed. "Tell me you're free. I need to get out of this house before my father ties me down to a deal."
Lena's brow furrowed. "That bad?"
Worse. Meet me at our usual café?"
Lena glanced at her watch. She had one more class, but Ava took precedence. "On my way."
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Ava & Lena – The Café Meeting
Lena arrived first, grabbing their usual booth in the corner of the café. Ava arrived a few minutes later, tighter than Lena had ever seen her.
She was still wearing designer clothes, but something was off. The swagger in her step was there, but beneath it was stress.
Lena didn't waste time. "Alright, spill."
Ava sighed, collapsing into the chair. "My father is trying to set something up between Damien Lancaster and me."
Lena almost choked on her iced coffee. "What?"
Ava scooted closer, lowering her voice. "I don't know all of it yet, but I know it's a deal. A merger. And I think—" She hesitated. "I think I'm part of the trade."
Lena's stomach dropped. "That's insane."
Ava let out a bitter laugh. "Tell my father that."
Lena's frown intensified, her nails tapping against the table. "Okay, so what's Damien's angle? Does he actually want this?"
Ava paused. "I don't know. He said he hasn't committed to anything yet. But the way he looks at me…" She stopped, something flashing across her face.
Lena raised an eyebrow. "The way he looks at you?"
Ava rolled her eyes. "Don't start."
Lena smiled wickedly. "I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it.".
Lena leaned back. "Alright, let's be sensible. If Damien Lancaster hasn't agreed yet, then you still have time to find a way out of this. And if I know you, you don't seem like the kind of person who would willingly be someone's pawn."
Ava's lips compressed. "I don't have much choice if my father has his way."
Lena's mind worked overtime. "Then we find out why Damien is even considering this."
Ava frowned. "How?"
Lena's smile was slow, calculated.
"We go straight to the source."
Ava blinked. "You want to go to Damien Lancaster?"
Lena shrugged. "You want answers, don't you?"
Ava groaned, hitting her head against the table. "This is a bad idea."
Lena smiled. "That's what makes it fun."
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- Writer
