Secret that should’ve stayed Buried
983 Words
He was looking at her differently now.
Not like a problem.
Not like a reminder.
Something else.
Something he hadn’t expected.
“Let go,” she said quietly.
For a second, it seemed like he wouldn’t.
Like he was standing right on the edge of something—
Something he shouldn’t do.
Then, slowly—
He released her.
But neither of them moved.
“You’re right,” he said after a moment.
Her brow furrowed slightly. “About what?”
“I don’t know you.”
His gaze dropped—just briefly—to her lips.
Then back to her eyes.
“But I’m starting to want to.”
That wasn’t part of the plan.
Lena felt it instantly.
That shift.
That dangerous, unfamiliar pull.
“No,” she said quickly, stepping away. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“This,” she gestured between them. “Whatever this is. You don’t get to hate me and then suddenly—what? Be curious?”
A faint, almost amused exhale left him.
“I’m not ‘curious.’”
“Then what is it?”
For the first time—
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
And that alone said too much.
Because Adrian Voss always had control.
Always had answers.
But right now—
He looked at her like she was something unpredictable.
Something he couldn’t quite figure out.
And maybe…
Something he wasn’t supposed to want.
“That’s the problem,” he said quietly.
Lena’s pulse quickened. “What is?”
His voice dropped just enough to send a chill through her.
“I’m not sure anymore.”
The room felt smaller.
Closer.
More dangerous than before.
Because this—
This wasn’t just revenge anymore.
And they both knew it.
That line?
He hadn’t just crossed it.
He had no intention of going back.
Lena didn’t sleep.
Not really.
Every time she closed her eyes, she felt it again—
His hand around her wrist.
His voice, low and controlled.
That moment where something shifted… and didn’t shift back.
This was dangerous.
Not because of him.
Because of how easily she was starting to understand him.
And that?
That was worse.
⸻
“Ms. Carter, you’ll be presenting today.”
Lena froze mid-step. “I’m what?”
Elise didn’t even look up from her tablet. “Boardroom. Ten minutes.”
“You didn’t send me anything about a presentation.”
“It was sent at 6 a.m.”
“I was asleep at 6 a.m.”
Elise finally glanced at her. “Then you should wake up earlier.”
Right.
Of course.
Lena exhaled slowly. “What am I presenting?”
“Elaborate redevelopment projections.”
“…You mean the ones I’m still working on?”
“Elaborate them faster.”
Before Lena could respond, Elise added—
“Oh, and one more thing.”
A pause.
“Mr. Voss invited an external advisor.”
Something about that felt off.
“Who?”
⸻
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Lena stopped dead at the entrance of the boardroom.
Because sitting at the table—casual, relaxed, like he belonged there—was Daniel Reyes.
Her chest tightened.
No.
Not here.
Not now.
Daniel looked up—and then smiled.
Slow. Familiar. Dangerous in a completely different way.
“Well,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “this just got interesting.”
Across the room, Adrian was already watching her.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Watching.
Like he’d been waiting for this exact reaction.
“You know him,” Adrian said.
Not a question.
Lena forced her voice steady. “Yes.”
Daniel’s smile widened slightly. “We go way back.”
Adrian’s gaze shifted between them.
Sharp. Calculating.
“How far back?” he asked.
Lena didn’t answer.
Daniel did.
“University,” he said easily. “Same time as you, actually.”
That landed.
Hard.
Because now there were three people in the room—
And all of them were connected to the same past.
The same incident.
The same truth no one fully agreed on.
⸻
The presentation was a mess.
Not because Lena didn’t know her work—
But because every second felt like a setup.
Daniel interrupted too smoothly.
Adrian questioned too precisely.
They weren’t just evaluating her.
They were cornering her.
“And these projections,” Daniel said casually, flipping through her slides, “they rely heavily on trust from investors.”
They rely on strategy,” Lena corrected.
“They rely on credibility,” Adrian added.
Her jaw tightened.
“I have credibility.”
Daniel let out a soft laugh. “Do you?”
Silence.
Sharp. Intentional.
Adrian didn’t stop him.
Didn’t step in.
He just watched.
Again.
That same pattern.
Push her.
Test her.
Break her—
No.
Not this time.
Lena straightened, her voice cutting clean through the room.
“Let’s stop pretending this is about numbers.”
That got their attention.
“If you have something to say,” she continued, eyes locking on Adrian, “say it directly.”
A beat.
Then Daniel smirked. “Careful. You don’t want to invite that conversation.”
“I’m not afraid of it.”
Adrian leaned back slightly, studying her.
“No,” he said quietly. “You’re not afraid.”
Something in his tone shifted again.
Interest.
Dangerous interest.
“But you should be careful,” he added.
“Why?” she challenged.
“Because you don’t know what he knows.”
Lena’s stomach dropped.
Her eyes snapped to Daniel.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel tilted his head slightly, like he was enjoying this far too much.
“You really don’t know?” he said.
“Know what?”
Silence.
Then—
“That the report you exposed?” Daniel said slowly, “wasn’t Adrian’s.”
The room went still.
“What?” Lena whispered.
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
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