Chapter 10: Truth will come out
1000 Words
Chapter 10
Leah came back to her senses after the horrible flashback stopped.
Leah didn’t realize it was already morning and she had to go to office. She headed towards office and started to carry on her own duties like a dead living person.
In between that, she noticed an email which had a subject line that read “Appointment of the new vice president of the Black horse”.
She opened it and that’s when she knew she’s screwed.
Its Brian.
Brian is the new vice president of Black horse!
Leah felt like somebody just made her disappear. She grew all white with fear.
She knew how Brian and Alex knew each other and they are friends. But now that both are in the same company, this complicates things more than ever. Leah thought it would be better if she waited till Alex came back from his trip. She can’t explain this situation to him over phone considering Brian might be plotting his death anytime if she screws over.
That’s when she thought she should apply leave for a week and wait until he comes back.
Leah went to the portal and applied leave after she took permission from Jack.
Surprisingly her leave was cancelled each time she applied. She knew it was Brian. She banged the bench in front of her and got furious. There’s absolutely no way out of this situation.
Brian called Leah over to his office on 9th floor.
Leah knew what it was about.
She went to him and Brian stood there beside his desk and just stared at her with cold expression.
Leah stood there and looked down. Brian came closer with each footsteps echoing around in his large office.
“Do you think you can outsmart me Leah? There is no escape for you! I am here to suffocate you! And I will continue to do so! Understand?”
Leah didn’t answer and just nodded.
Brian was getting very furious.
“You have mouth right? Speak you b***h!”
“Yes Brian I understood!”
“Good .. good! It seems you answer better if I reckon you with the word b***h I see!”
Leah looked into his eyes and remained silent.
The silence in the office was thick, broken only by the hum of the air conditioning and the distant muffled sounds of the 9th-floor busywork Leah was no longer a part of. Brian leaned back against his mahogany desk, crossing his arms. The expensive suit he wore was a far cry from the grass-stained jeans he’d worn when they were kids, but the predatory glint in his eyes was brand new.
"Don't look at me like that, Leah," he said, his voice dropping to a low, conversational tone that was somehow more terrifying than his shouting. "Like I’m the monster. We both know who the real monster is. The one who walked away from a burning car while my sister stayed in it."
Leah’s breath hitched. "I didn't walk away, Brian. I was pulled away. I tried—"
"You tried?" He took a step toward her, his polished shoes clicking sharply on the floor. "Is that what you tell Alex? Is that why he thinks you’re this fragile, broken lily he needs to protect? He has no idea he’s sleeping next to the person who destroyed his best friend's life."
He reached out, not to touch her, but to flick the ID badge hanging from her neck. It rattled against her chest.
"I saw your leave request. 'Personal reasons,' you wrote. Let me guess—you wanted to hide under the covers until Alex came home to save you? Or maybe you were going to try and run?
Leah froze. He knew about her plans, her private thoughts, her movements. He was surrounding her before she even knew there was a perimeter.
"You’re not going anywhere," Brian continued. "You’re going to stay right here, in this building, where I can see you. Every time you look at a spreadsheet, every time you attend a meeting, I want you to feel my eyes on the back of your neck. I want you to wonder if today is the day I BCC Alex on that dashcam footage."
Leah looked up, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "What do you want, Brian? If it's not money, and it's not the police... what is this?"
"I want to see you break," he said simply. "I want to see the 'perfect' life you built on the graves of our families crumble piece by piece. Starting with your dignity."
He walked over to his chair and sat down, gesturing to a stack of files on the corner of his desk.
"These are the audit reports for the supply chain. There are 'discrepancies.' I need someone I can 'trust' to fix them. Someone who can't go to the authorities because she’s already a criminal. You’re going to stay late tonight. And tomorrow. And every night until I say you’re done."
Leah stared at the files. It was a trap. If she fixed them, she was complicit in whatever fraud he was committing. If she didn't, he destroyed her life.
"Alex calls me every day from London, you know," Brian said, picking up his phone and spinning it on the desk.
"He thinks it’s great that his 'old buddy' is the new VP. He asked me to look out for you. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do, Leah. I’m going to watch you very, very closely."
He looked back at his computer, dismissing her. "Get to work. And Leah? Smile when you leave this office. We wouldn't want the staff thinking the New VP is anything but a gentleman."
Leah picked up the heavy files, her fingers trembling. She turned to leave, the weight of the paper feeling like the weight of the steering wheel on that rainy night—heavy, uncontrollable, and leading her straight toward a crash she couldn't escape.
- Writer
