CHAPTER FIVE
891 Words
WHISPERED WALLS AND DOORS THAT ARE SHUT
Julian couldn't get to sleep.
He lay awake in his small apartment the night after dinner, one hand behind his head and the other on the sealed folder Camille had given him. He hadn't opened it again since he left her penthouse, but it was all he could think about.
Not just the papers.
Her.
The exactness of her words. The heat in her eyes. The way she tested him by giving him secrets with a warning of danger instead of trust. Camille Devaux didn't let anyone in unless she was already three moves ahead.
But still...
That time in the elevator.
There had been a crackle in the space between them.
She had gotten close, not to seduce him, but to challenge him.
And he was almost leaning in.
Almost.
Camille: The Day After
Camille sat alone in her private library, the London rain making soft lines on the glass as it fell. Her silk robe clung to her. She sat in a velvet chair with her elbows on the armrest and a cup of tea in each hand. She was staring at nothing.
Nadia came in without making a sound.
"I'm putting off the New York pitch meeting," Camille said, not looking up. "Rafael can wait."
Nadia said in a low voice, "You haven't put anything off in two years."
"I don't believe him."
"You never did."
Finally, Camille looked up. "I believe in you."
Nadia stopped moving.
That was more than love for Camille; it was sacred money.
She nodded once. "What do you want me to do now?"
"Watch Rafael closely." On the board. And... on Cross.
That made Nadia tense up. "You're not sure about him?"
"I'm interested."
Nadia's lips curled up a little bit. "Curiosity is what brings down kingdoms."
Camille smiled a little. "Then let me choose how mine falls."
Julian in the studio
The plans for Suffolk were coming together.
Julian worked for hours without stopping, adding privacy features, hidden paths, and raised gardens that could also be used as surveillance points. He built a structure that was meant to listen, not just stand.
But some parts of the map Camille had given him were blacked out.
Blocked.
There were hallways that didn't seem to have any doors. Bunkers that don't have access to the floor. A central foundation that went too deep for any normal house.
He frowned.
Something wasn't right.
Julian opened the folder again and found a small piece of handwritten paper stuck between the pages.
It said:
"Some doors were meant to stay shut."
Draw what I told you to. That's all.
No name.
But Camille wrote it.
He leaned back in his chair.
She was either protecting him...
Or giving him a warning.
Camille—Memory: My First Love
She remembered how lavender smelled.
The girl had been gentle. Kind. Eyes like the evening.
Camille barely remembered the boarding school where they had kissed behind heavy library shelves. It had been quiet. Safe.
Until it wasn't.
Until the pictures got out.
Until Camille's mother found out and the girl was gone, expelled, and erased.
No one talked about it again.
Camille learned that love was a bad thing. A weakness that can be used against someone.
After that, she never let anyone get close.
Up until now.
Tyrese—Arrival
A tall, broad-shouldered man in a gray jacket walked through the side door at Devaux's main office.
Tyrese Okwuoma.
Former members of the Special Forces.
Now the head of security.
He moved like a man who was aware of everything, from the camera above the west door to the sound of footsteps in the hall.
He nodded to the guards, went up to the top floor, and walked into Camille's office without knocking.
He simply said, "You wanted eyes on your new architect."
Camille looked up from her tablet.
"Julian Cross." Yes, a friend of yours?
Tyrese smiled a little. "From the past."
"Then you'll keep an eye on him."
"Are we ready for trouble?"
Camille bent down.
"I'm expecting secrets." I want to know what he does when no one is watching.
Nadia—Access at Night
That night, Nadia was alone at her office terminal.
She took Julian's personnel file out of the system and opened a secret file folder that only she could see.
She played the video from the Suffolk site visit.
Put it on hold.
Zoomed in.
He had stopped at the gate.
A part that Camille clearly said should not be revealed.
Nadia's lips got tighter.
She answered her phone.
Wrote a note.
Found something. He was close to the gate. Keep a closer eye on him.
She didn't give it to Camille.
She sent it to Tyrese.
Voices in the Hall
Two board members walked by in the hall as the staff cleared out the upper floors of Devaux Innovations. They were men in gray suits who spoke softly.
"I heard she's making something outside of town." "Off the record."
"She's always making something. The question is why.
"And who's that new guy?"
"The architect? Work for yourself. No ties. "Looks too cle
an."
"Camille treats everything like a game." And games have parts. Things you can't always see.
They turned the corner without knowing that Nadia was right there, listening.
Always paying attention.
- Writer
