Traitor
1810 Words
Lana’s POV
“Zade.”
The name barely left my mouth and all of a sudden I couldn’t breathe right.
On the television screen, he sat across from some business reporter in a charcoal suit worth more than most people’s rent.
He looked calm and polished.
Like he hadn’t once ruined every peaceful thought I’d ever had.
My eyes locked on the screen.I stared too long.
Long enough that the sudden sound of my doorbell nearly made me jump out of my skin.
“Jesus—”
I grabbed the remote and switched the television off almost violently.
Silence crashed into the apartment.
The doorbell rang again.
I dragged a hand through my hair and forced my legs to move.
By the time I opened the door, my face was neutral again.
Or close enough.
Maya stood there holding a paper bag and a bottle of wine.
She took one look at me and sighed.
“Oh, wow. You look terrible.”
I stepped aside immediately. “Good evening to you too.”
“You have mascara under one eye.” She walked past me like she owned the apartment. “And your left eye is twitching.”
“My company is collapsing, Maya.”
“I know.” She placed the bag on the kitchen counter. “That’s why I brought food.”
The smell of Thai takeout filled the apartment almost instantly.
I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until then.
Maya glanced around slowly.
There were files everywhere, my laptop was open and our financial reports spread across my coffee table.
Three untouched cups of coffee sat on the table.
She looked back at me.
“When was the last time you slept?”
I dropped onto the couch with a long exhale. “Define slept.”
“That bad?”
“Worse.”
Maya disappeared into the kitchen.
A few seconds later, I heard cabinets opening.
Then plates.
Then the sound of wine pouring.
God.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Maya had been doing this for years.
She’d show up and do things without making me explain myself first.
“You know,” she called from the kitchen, “normal people cry during nervous breakdowns.”
“I’m busy.”
“That’s not what I said.”
I almost smiled.
Almost.
She returned carrying two plates and handed me one before sitting beside me on the couch.
“Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Lana.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
We stared at each other for a second.
Then she pointed her fork at me threateningly.
“Eat the damn noodles.”
I rolled my eyes but took the plate anyway.
The first bite nearly made me emotional.
Which honestly felt humiliating.
Maya noticed immediately.
“Oh my God,” she laughed softly. “You forgot food existed again.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
Unfortunately… she was right.
For the first time all day, the tension in my shoulders loosened slightly.
Just slightly.
Maya leaned back into the couch. “Talk to me.”
I stared down at my food.
“Investors pulled out.”
“How many?”
“Enough.”
“And the fake emails?”
I looked up sharply.
“How do you already know about that?”
“You called me crying six months ago because somebody moved a comma wrong in a financial projection.” Maya took a sip of wine. “Obviously Rachel called me.”
Traitor.
“Someone’s inside the company,” I muttered quietly.
The words sounded worse out loud.
“I know it.”
Maya’s expression softened slightly.
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I usually do.”
“But?”
I looked away.
“But I can’t find the entry point.”
That was the part making my skin crawl.
Not the money.
Not even the investors.
It was the feeling that someone had been standing inside my life unnoticed for months.
Maybe longer.
Maya studied me carefully for a moment.
Then she suddenly reached for the remote.
I frowned. “What are you doing?”
“You need background noise before you start trying to solve accounting fraud at midnight again.”
Before I could stop her, the television flickered back on.
And there he was again.
Zade Forbes.
Maya slowly turned her head toward me.
Oh no.
That annoying smile appeared instantly.
“No,” I said immediately.
Maya’s grin widened. “Interesting.”
“There is nothing interesting happening.”
“You looked like you saw a ghost.”
“I saw an asshole.”
She laughed softly.
On the television, the reporter smiled at Zade. “Forbes International’s growth this year has been unprecedented. Especially after your recovery.”
Recovery.
The word hit harder than it should have.
Zade barely reacted.
Years ago, he would have smiled at questions like that.
Back then his smiles came easier.
Before the pills.
Before the disappearing acts.
Before rumors of rehab rehab rumors started spreading across Manhattan like wildfire.
“I still don’t understand how you dated him,” Maya admitted.
Neither did I.
My eyes locked on the screen.
I watched the screen quietly.
“He wasn’t like this before,” I said before I could stop myself.
Maya’s expression shifted slightly.
Careful territory now.
“He looks exactly the same to me.”
“No.” I shook my head slowly. “No, he doesn’t.”
The old Zade had rough edges.
He laughed more.
Touched more… Felt more human.
This version looked carved from stone.
Maya tilted her head. “You still angry at him?”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“Angry?”
The word felt too small.
“He vanished for three days during one of his relapses.” I stared at the screen. “Three days, Maya.”
Maya stayed quiet.
“She called me.”
“Who?”
“His assistant.” My jaw tightened instantly. “They found him unconscious in some penthouse downtown.”
Maya winced softly.
“I spent two years convincing myself I could save him.” My voice dropped lower. “Then one day I realized I was drowning with him.”
The silence afterward felt heavier than before.
On television, Zade answered another question calmly.
Like none of it had ever happened.
Bastard.
Maya studied my face carefully.
“You loved him.”
Past tense.
Good choice.
I looked away from the television.
“He made me stupid.”
“That bad?”
“I stayed.”
That answer alone said enough.
Maya reached over and squeezed my knee gently.
Neither of us spoke for a few seconds.
Then—
A knock sounded against the apartment door.
I frowned immediately.
“It’s midnight.”
Maya glanced toward the hallway. “Maybe your secret billionaire boyfriend finally came to his senses.”
“He’s not my—”
Another knock interrupted me.
Harder this time.
I stood and walked toward the door carefully.
The second I opened it, Damon brushed past me without waiting..
“Hey.”
My frown deepened immediately.
“You have keys.”
“I forgot.”
“You forgot where you live?”
“Temporarily.”
Maya snorted softly from the couch.
Damon flashed her a grin before quickly heading straight for the kitchen.
Like he was trying to outrun something invisible.
I watched him carefully.
His clothes were wrinkled and his eyes were tired.
The phone clenched tightly in one hand.
Something was wrong.
“You okay?” I asked slowly.
“Fantastic.”
Liar.
I crossed my arms.
“Damon.”
“What?”
“You disappeared after the office.”
He opened the fridge. “I’m here now.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Lana, please.” He rubbed one hand down his face. “I’m exhausted.”
Maya looked between us silently.
I stepped closer.
“Are you in trouble?”
His entire body went still for half a second.
Tiny reaction.
But I caught it.
Then the charm snapped back into place.
“No.”
I stared at him harder.
“Look at me and say that again.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Jesus Christ.” He grabbed a bottle of water. “Can we not do this tonight?”
“Do what?”
“This.” He gestured between us vaguely. “The interrogation thing.”
“Because you’re acting weird.”
“I’m obviously tired.”
“No.” I shook my head slowly. “You’re acting guilty.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Damon looked at me then.
Really looked at me.
And suddenly he seemed older than twenty-six.
Just for a second.
Then he smiled again.
“You need sleep.”
I hated that deflection because it almost worked.
His phone buzzed again.
He checked it instantly.
And whatever he saw drained the color from his face.
“Damon—”
“I gotta go.”
“What?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“You literally just got here.”
“I know.”
He moved toward the door quickly but I grabbed his wrist before he could leave.
“Damon.”
He froze.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
For one terrible second…
I thought he might actually do it.
Tell me everything.
Instead, he gently pulled free.
“I’m handling it.”
Then he walked out.
The door shut behind him quietly.
And the apartment instantly felt colder.
Maya exhaled softly from behind me.
“That looked bad.”
“Yeah.”
“You think he’s involved?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
“I think my brother is hiding something.”
Maya stayed quiet after that.
Smart enough not to push further.
An hour later, Maya left too.
The warmth disappeared with her.
Silence settled heavily across the apartment again.
I tried working.
Tried reviewing numbers.
Tried tracing accounts and contracts and vendor histories.
Nothing made sense anymore.
At some point, I ended up sitting on the floor beside the couch staring blankly at my laptop screen while rain tapped softly against the windows.
Three-thirty in the morning.
I was so tired my bones hurt.
And still I had no answers.
Who was doing this?
Why did Damon look terrified?
Why was Zade suddenly back in New York?
Everything felt connected somehow.
At 3:30AM i still had no answers.I just couldn’t see how yet.
My phone rang suddenly.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Almost.
Instead, I answered tiredly. “Hello?”
“Miss Lana Siegel?”
Every muscle in my body tightened instantly.
“Yes.”
“This is Detective Harris with Manhattan Central.”
A cold feeling slid down my spine.
“We currently have your brother Damon Siegel in custody.”
- Writer
