whispers beneath the surface
626 Words
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Chapter 5 – Whispers Beneath the Surface
Rhea lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling of the unfamiliar guestroom in Xian’s penthouse. The sheets were soft, the air-conditioned room cozy—but sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind replayed his words on a loop.
"I failed someone once..."
She turned over, sighing.
How could a man like Xian—sharp, unreadable, feared by half the city—carry such a wound? It unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. And why did it matter so much?
Maybe because when he said those words, he didn’t sound ruthless. He sounded... human.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the tall windows. Rhea woke up early, dressed, and made her way to the kitchen. To her surprise, Xian was already there, sleeves rolled up, flipping something in a pan.
“You cook?” she blurted.
He glanced at her. “I burn things with flair.”
Rhea chuckled, her tension easing. “Well, it smells edible.”
He placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of her. “Don’t get used to it.”
They sat across from each other in silence, the kind that felt oddly natural.
Midway through breakfast, Xian's phone buzzed. He checked it and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Rhea asked, noticing the change in his expression.
“There was a break-in at one of my factories last night,” he said. “Nothing stolen. Just… a message left behind.”
Her fork hovered mid-air. “What kind of message?”
He met her eyes. “Your name. Spray-painted on the wall.”
Rhea’s heart skipped a beat.
“Someone’s trying to scare you. Or use you to get to me,” he added, voice low.
She swallowed hard. “This has to do with your past, doesn’t it?”
Xian stood up, walking to the window. His back was straight, but Rhea could tell he was coiled—tense.
“There are things I’ve done… enemies I’ve made. I thought burying the past was enough. But clearly, someone’s digging.”
Rhea rose from the table. “Then we fight back. I’m not going to hide.”
He turned sharply. “This isn’t a game. These people don’t play by rules.”
“Neither do I.”
Their eyes locked—an unspoken challenge.
Then, unexpectedly, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You’re stubborn.”
“I’ve had to be.”
He took a step toward her. “And reckless.”
“You like that about me.”
He didn’t deny it.
Before the moment could turn into something heavier, Chen Yue burst through the front door without knocking.
“Rhea!” she called out breathlessly, waving her phone. “You need to see this!”
“What is it?” Rhea asked.
Chen Yue handed her the phone. It was a news article with a headline that made her stomach drop.
"Mystery Woman Spotted Leaving CEO Xian Lu’s Penthouse."
Below it, a blurry image of her from last night. Her face wasn't fully visible, but the internet was already flooded with theories.
“Great,” Rhea muttered. “Now the whole world thinks I’m your secret mistress.”
Xian read over her shoulder. “Let them think what they want. It might buy us time.”
“Time for what?”
He looked out the window again, expression unreadable. “To figure out who’s hunting you… and why they waited until now to strike.”
Rhea crossed her arms. “You think this has something to do with my father’s company?”
Xian’s silence said everything.
And for the first time, Rhea realized something terrifying.
Her father’s death wasn’t an accident.
It was the beginning.
- Writer
