CHAPTER 9: CRACKS IN LOYALTY
801 Words
Lila could barely breathe.
The office pressed in on her. Too cramped, too stifling, air thick and heavy.
Ethan’s silence felt worse than his anger at least anger meant he cared. This cold distance? It meant he doubted her. And doubt was dangerous.
“I didn’t do this,” she said again. Her voice slipped softer, desperation bleeding through.
Ethan kept his eyes on the rain outside, back rigid, shoulders tense. He didn’t look at her, didn’t move.
“I know.” He said it without emotion.
Relief hit her, quick and sharp then vanished as he added, “But I also know you’re hiding something.”
Just like that, relief snapped.
Her hands shook. “What does that mean?”
Ethan turned. He locked his gaze on her, sharp and unyielding.
“It means something changed,” he said, stepping in.
Her pulse hammered. He kept coming.
“You were calm yesterday. Confident.” Another step. “Today? You’re nervous.” Another. “You’re shaking.”
He stopped right in front of her, unforgiving. “People only act like that when they’ve got something to hide.”
Lila forced herself to meet his eyes, though her whole body trembled. “I’m acting like this because everything is falling apart!” she snapped. “Ava’s missing, the accounts are compromised, and now you’re treating me like I’m the enemy!”
Ethan stood like stone. “Maybe you are.”
Those words cut deeper than any accusation.
Lila stared at him hurt, angry, scared. “After everything? After what we planned?”
His jaw shifted, just a little. The first crack.
“You’re only useful to me while you’re loyal,” he said, ice in his voice.
“And right now?” He paused. “I’m not convinced.”
Something in Lila twisted. Dark. Dangerous. In that moment, she saw the truth Ethan had never really been on her side. He’d always choose himself. Every single time. Just like he did with Ava. The realization sent a chill through her.
Miles away, Aria watched Lila’s face change. Small, but unmistakable.
“There it is,” she said.
Daniel glanced at the screen. “What?”
“The moment she figures out she’s disposable.”
Aria leaned back, eyes sharp. “Just like I was.”
On screen, Lila stepped away from Ethan. Not much, not physically but emotionally, worlds apart.
“You don’t trust me?” Lila asked, voice quiet.
Ethan didn’t answer and that silence said everything.
Lila’s laugh came bitter and soft. “Of course not,” she muttered.
Ethan’s expression was stone. “This isn’t the time for emotions.”
She shook her head, almost smiling. “It’s exactly the time.”
Aria’s lips curled. Yes. Push. Break. Shatter.
Lila’s voice steadied. “If Ava hadn’t disappeared…” She stopped.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Finish that sentence.”
Lila held his gaze. No softness left in her.
“You would’ve done the same to me, sooner or later.”
Weighty silence.
Ethan didn’t deny it. That’s all she needed.
Aria exhaled, nearly satisfied.
“People like him never share power,” she said. “They replace.”
Daniel watched her. “Now she knows.”
Aria nodded. “And that makes her unpredictable.”
Back in the office, Lila stepped away for real now putting space between them, protecting herself.
“You need me,” she said, steady and low.
Ethan tilted his head. “Do I?”
“I know things. Details, contacts, pieces you can’t fix alone.”
His gaze darkened. She had him, and he knew it.
“Then start being useful.”
Lila’s jaw set. “I will.”
But everything was different now. Irreversible. She wasn’t helping Ethan out of loyalty anymore. She was helping herself survive.
Aria stood, backing away from the screen.
“That’s enough,” she said.
Daniel raised a brow. “You’re stopping?”
“For now.” She walked to the window, her reflection faint in the glass.
“They’re raw. Push too much, they’ll do something reckless.”
Daniel nodded. “So you let it simmer.”
Aria’s expression shifted. “Exactly.”
Fear makes people cautious. But doubt? Doubt makes them tear each other apart.
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
Aria glanced down. “We need to talk.”
Eyes sharpening, she tapped out a reply: “Who is this?”
The answer came fast.
And as she read it, her expression changed just a bit. Not fear. Not panic. Something else. Something dangerous.
She looked up, voice low and steady.
“Seems the past isn’t finished with me.”
Daniel frowned. “Who is it?”
She gripped the phone tighter, smiled cold and curious.
“Someone who wasn’t supposed to know I’m alive.”
- Writer
