CHAPTER FOUR- FRACTURES IN THE GLASS
1063 Words
Alina stood in front of the Thorne family’s private library, her fingers hesitating on the ornate brass handle. The house was silent—too silent. Liam had left early that morning for a board meeting, and Victor was away on a business trip. For the first time in weeks, she was alone in enemy territory.
Perfect.
She slipped inside, closing the door behind her. The library was enormous, filled with towering shelves of leather-bound books that probably hadn’t been read in decades. But Alina wasn’t here for literature. She was here for secrets.
She crossed to the far wall where she remembered Victor typing a password into a panel last week. After feeling along the edge, she found it—an almost invisible fingerprint scanner. She pulled out the silicone replica of Victor’s thumb Daniel had given her. The green light blinked.
Click.
A portion of the shelf swung open, revealing a safe and a set of filing drawers. She didn’t know what she expected—documents, maybe. Evidence of money laundering or shell companies. But what she found instead were files with names.
Names she recognized.
Her father’s name was at the top of one folder.
She pulled it out with shaking fingers.
Inside were photos. Surveillance. Emails. Bank records. Notes in Victor’s handwriting. All proving what she had long suspected—Victor Thorne had orchestrated her father’s downfall with precision. Every move had been calculated. Every trust broken with a smile.
But there was more.
A second folder bore Liam’s name.
Alina hesitated. Her gut told her to leave it alone. But her curiosity, that relentless fire in her chest, wouldn’t let her.
She opened it.
Inside were documents tracking Liam’s personal accounts, his private correspondences—even psychological evaluations from childhood.
Victor had spied on his own son.
There were annotations in the margins:
“Too soft. Weak under pressure.”
“Needs to be hardened before he can inherit.”
Alina’s stomach turned. Suddenly, Liam’s clipped coldness made sense. The man had been raised like a tool, not a son.
She shoved both files into her bag, closed the safe, and resealed the wall just as she heard the front door open.
Liam was home.
Alina’s pulse quickened. She ducked out of the library and made her way upstairs, smoothing her features into neutrality by the time she reached the landing.
Liam was already in the hallway, loosening his tie.
“You’re back early,” she said, forcing a smile.
He studied her, his eyes narrowed just slightly. “Meeting ended sooner than expected. Where were you?”
“Reading,” she said. Not technically a lie.
He nodded, but the air between them shifted—charged now, suspicious.
She turned to leave, but he caught her wrist. “Alina.”
She faced him, startled by the intensity in his eyes.
“You don’t trust me,” he said quietly.
She swallowed. “Do you trust me?”
He didn’t answer.
His hand fell away, and she walked past him, heart pounding.
Later that night, Alina sat on her bed with the folders spread across the mattress. She stared at the notes, the annotations, the utter lack of empathy in Victor’s reports.
He hadn’t just destroyed her father. He’d dismantled him piece by piece.
And Liam—Liam had been under surveillance his whole life.
No wonder he was emotionally detached. He’d been raised in a glass cage.
Alina reached for her phone and texted Daniel.
I have what we need. But there’s more. Liam’s part of this in ways we didn’t expect.
The reply came almost instantly.
Be careful. If Liam finds out what you’re doing, he’ll choose blood over you. Always.
But Alina wasn’t sure anymore.
The next morning, Liam surprised her by inviting her to the Thorne charity event—something smaller than the gala, but still full of influencers and investors.
They arrived together in a sleek black car, stepping out in coordinated outfits—Liam in a tailored charcoal suit, Alina in a deep sapphire gown. She felt like a weapon, all sharp lines and smooth confidence.
Inside, the event buzzed with polished conversation. Cameras flashed. Champagne flowed. And Alina played the role of perfect wife with flawless precision.
But her mind was elsewhere.
Because across the room stood the governor. A man Victor had once called “his pawn in office.” She’d seen his name in the folder.
Liam leaned in. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Just thinking.”
He gave her a look. “Dangerous habit.”
“I thought you liked dangerous women.”
His lips twitched. “I like honest ones more.”
Her heart gave a traitorous flutter.
“I need some air,” she said, stepping away before he could ask more.
On the balcony, she took deep breaths of the cool night air. She needed to stay focused. This was not the time to waver.
But then Liam appeared beside her, hands in his pockets.
“You’ve been off all night,” he said.
She looked at him, heart heavy. “If I told you Victor wasn’t who you think he is… would you believe me?”
“I know exactly who he is,” Liam said.
That stunned her.
He continued, voice low. “I know what he did to your father. I know what he’s done to me.”
Alina stared. “Then why protect him?”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’ve been gathering my own evidence for years.”
Her mouth went dry. “What?”
He turned to her, eyes filled with something fierce and quiet. “You think I didn’t notice the way he tore people down? You think I didn’t question how convenient your father’s collapse was? I’ve been trying to find a way to expose him without dragging the company into ruin.”
Alina’s pulse raced.
“We’re on the same side,” he said softly.
She wanted to believe that. God, she wanted to.
But she also remembered Daniel’s words.
“If Liam finds out, he’ll choose blood over you.”
“You’re not lying?” she asked.
Liam stepped closer. “No. Are you?”
She looked up at him, breath caught in her throat.
And said nothing.
Because she wasn’t ready to answer that question.
Not yet.
- Writer
