THE MAN BEHIND THE mASK
684 Words
Chapter Seven: The Man Behind the Mask
The next morning, Luna arrived at the office earlier than usual. She told herself it was to catch up on work — but deep down, she knew it was because she wanted to see him.
The top floor was quiet, sunlight spilling across the polished marble. Liam’s door was slightly open. She hesitated, then knocked gently.
“Come in,” came his deep voice.
He was seated behind his desk, jacket off, shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms. For once, he didn’t look like the untouchable CEO — just a man carrying too many secrets.
“You’re early,” he said without looking up.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted softly.
His eyes lifted to hers, something unreadable flickering there. “Because of last night?”
Luna hesitated, then nodded. “You said someone wants to hurt me. I just don’t understand why.”
He leaned back in his chair, studying her carefully. “They want to hurt me. You’re a way to do that.”
Her stomach twisted. “Who are they, Liam?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood and walked to the window, his hands in his pockets. The city stretched out below — cold, indifferent.
“There are men who would destroy everything I’ve built,” he said finally. “People I’ve buried in the past… who should’ve stayed there.”
Luna’s voice was barely a whisper. “And now they’re coming back?”
“Yes.” He turned, his jaw tight. “Which means you’re part of this, whether I like it or not.”
The words should’ve frightened her. And they did — but not in the way he thought. What scared her most was how much she cared.
She stepped closer. “You don’t have to face it alone.”
He let out a low, humorless laugh. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Then tell me,” she said fiercely. “Tell me who you are, Liam. All of it.”
He looked at her — really looked at her — and for a brief moment, the mask slipped.
“I was seventeen when I learned how cruel this world can be,” he said quietly. “My father was killed in front of me. My mother died a year later because of what he left behind. I built this empire from ashes, and I did whatever I had to.”
Her breath caught. “You built it… to survive.”
“Yes.” His gaze softened, the darkness in his voice turning to something fragile. “And now, the one thing I want to protect — the one thing I can’t afford to lose — is standing in front of me, asking me to let her in.”
Luna’s heart ached. She didn’t think; she just reached out and took his hand.
He froze — not because he didn’t want her touch, but because he did.
Their eyes met, and the air changed. The world outside ceased to exist.
“You shouldn’t touch me like that,” he murmured. “It makes me forget everything I promised myself.”
“Maybe you need to forget,” she whispered back.
For a second, he almost kissed her. Almost. But then his phone rang — sharp and cold, shattering the moment.
He stepped away instantly, answering it.
“What is it?” His voice dropped, deadly calm.
Luna watched the change — the warmth in him vanishing, replaced by pure control.
After a few clipped words, he hung up and turned to her, eyes stormy again. “We have to go. Now.”
“Go? Where?”
He walked around the desk, already grabbing his jacket. “My men just intercepted someone outside your building this morning. They weren’t there by accident.”
Her stomach dropped. “Oh my god…”
He looked at her, his expression hardening. “You’re not going home tonight, Luna.”
“Then where—?”
He met her gaze, voice low and final. “With me.”
- Writer
