Assignment: Infiltration
614 Words
Flashback — One Month Earlier
The room smelled of old secrets and fresh ink.
Aveline stood still as her handler slid a black folder across the table, the blue glow from overhead monitors catching the glint in her eyes.
"Langston Global," he said. "You’ll be inside by the end of the week. Your alias: Aveline moore. Executive assistant to the CEO."
She raised a brow. "Direct contact?"
"Exactly. Cade Langston isn’t just any executive. Too many questions surround him. Hidden transactions. Private ports. And now—encrypted communications with flagged names. We need answers."
She flipped open the folder. Cade’s photo stared back at her—sharp suit, sharper eyes. Charisma with a blade underneath.
"You want dirt," she said.
"I want truth. Charm him if you have to. Just don’t forget why you’re there."
Aveline closed the file slowly. "He won’t even see me coming."
Her handler gave her a look. "Make sure you don’t get too close. He’s dangerous. Charming men like that usually are."
---
Three Weeks Later — Langston Global HQ
Aveline had blended in seamlessly. A few polite smiles. A calendar managed with ruthless efficiency. She had spoken to Cade only twice—once to confirm a meeting, the other to hand him a document.
He barely looked at her.
And that was perfect.
Every night she filed her reports under her breath—into a secure mic sewn inside her bra strap. No anomalies yet. Just whispers of something deeper.
Until the gala invitation came.
---
Back to Present —The office
The morning after the gala dawned with a quiet ache in the air.
Aveline stood in front of the mirror, her fingers lingering at her collar where the pendant still hung—the one she’d worn to the gala. She hadn’t taken it off. Not yet. It felt like a reminder… of the version of herself she’d pretended to be, and the man whose eyes lingered far too long.
She took a deep breath, fastened her coat, and stepped out into the soft hum of the city.
---
Langston Global Headquarters
The office buzzed with post-event energy. Staff exchanged stories, compliments, and photos from the night. There were whispers of connections made, deals hinted at, flings implied.
But none of it reached Aveline.
She walked past reception, nodding politely, slipping into the elevator that would take her up to the 39th floor. Cade’s floor.
The doors opened with a quiet chime.
He was already there. Behind his desk. Alone.
He looked up the moment she entered.
Just for a second.
His gaze lingered longer than necessary—cool, unreadable, but sharper than usual. Then he looked away.
"Morning," she said, her voice steady.
"You're late by four minutes," Cade replied without looking up.
She wasn’t. Not technically.
Aveline raised a brow but said nothing. She walked past, noting the slight tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers tapped twice on the edge of his desk before settling.
He was off balance.
She felt it.
And the dangerous part? So was she.
---
Inside His Head
He’d dreamt about her.
Not in the way he expected.
It wasn’t the dress or the way she’d looked under the ballroom lights. It was her voice. Her gaze. The way she’d stood in silence like she wasn’t afraid of it.
He hated that he noticed.
Worse, that he cared.
"Miss moore" he said suddenly.
Aveline paused, just as she was setting down a file.
He looked up again, eyes unreadable.
"You handled yourself well at the gala."
That was all.
But it wasn’t nothing.
"Thank you, sir," she said softly.
And for a heartbeat, silence stretched—comfortably sharp.
- Writer
