Chapter Ten: The Woman on the Line
1006 Words
Sheila always knew something had been off that day at the spa.
The soft, venom-laced voice behind the wall. The words that made her blood run cold.
“She’s too naïve. He’ll never choose her.”
She had brushed it off back then—chalked it up to paranoia, insecurities, maybe even coincidence.
But now, standing in the cold, dim archives room of MorganTech, sorting through outdated vendor contracts and scanned legal documents, that voice came roaring back. Like a ghost finally stepping into the light.
She had stumbled on the file by accident, wedged between two maintenance contracts. It was unmarked on the outside, just a plain gray binder. But when she opened it, the bold stamp leapt out:
CONFIDENTIAL
Inside:
Lena Harper — Private Consultancy Project: HORIZON
Client: Kingston International
Primary Contact: Daniel Kingston
Sheila’s stomach dropped.
Lena. And Daniel. Together.
Before the breakup.
Her heart pounded as she flipped through the pages—timelines, strategy memos, email printouts. The dates went back months. Before Daniel had ended things with her. While they were still together. While he was still looking her in the eyes and swearing he loved her.
She had been played. Worse—betrayed. Not just by Daniel, but by someone who knew her.
---
Two Years Ago – Flashback
Lena Harper perched on the edge of Daniel’s desk, legs elegantly crossed, lipstick slightly smudged from his mouth. The boardroom was dark, lit only by the blinking skyline beyond the glass. His jacket was draped over the back of a chair, her heels discarded beneath the table.
“I thought you were going to end it with her,” Lena said, adjusting the strap of her dress. “You promised.”
Daniel didn’t look up as he buttoned his shirt. “I will. My father was still alive back then. Everything had to look... stable. Family values, and all that.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “She’s weak, Daniel. She cries when commercials get too emotional. She practically writes her soul on her sleeve. I don’t get why you’re dragging it out.”
He stepped closer, grabbing her waist and pulling her in. “You don’t need to understand. Just be patient.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Careful. You keep me in the shadows too long, I might turn the lights on myself.”
He silenced her with a kiss—rough, hungry, controlling. When they pulled apart, she exhaled shakily.
For a while, she stayed quiet. All she wanted was to be recognized as the woman in Daniel's life. to not have to hide from shiela. she wanted to humiliate her by taking her lover, Until she realized something worse.
He didn’t love her either.
---
Lena and Lance – Five Years Ago
Before the lies. Before the betrayal. Lena had been a different woman. Hungry, yes. But not yet poisoned.
She had worked directly under Lance at MorganTech, back when the company was a scrappy tech disruptor still fighting for relevance. He had mentored her, trusted her, even defended her in closed-door meetings.
And she’d wanted his respect more than she ever admitted.
Sheila had only been an intern back then. A name whispered in passing. A smile too bright for a room full of cynics.
“She’s got potential,” Lance had said one evening after a late pitch meeting. “She just needs time.”
Lena had scoffed, tossing her sleek hair. “She’s fragile. Soft. She won’t last a month.”
But Lance had looked at her then—not with anger, but disappointment.
“No. She’s real. There’s a difference.”
It was the first time Lena had felt something coil inside her.
Jealousy.
---
Back to Present
Sheila burst into Lance’s office, the folder clutched tightly in her hand. He was mid-call, standing near the window, but the moment he saw her expression, he froze.
“Sheila?”
She held up the folder, voice tight. “You knew.”
Lance’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“Lena. Daniel. She was consulting for him while he was still with me. Before the breakup. You didn’t think that was relevant to mention?”
He took a step forward. “I didn’t know. Not then.”
“But you know now?”
His silence was answer enough.
She laughed, bitter. “Of course you do. You all know. You men, with your secrets and your noble intentions.”
“Sheila, I was trying to protect you—”
“Was she the woman I overheard at the spa?” she asked. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Talking about me? Talking about you?”
Lance didn’t respond.
That silence cut deeper than any admission.
She stepped back, folding her arms around herself. “So let me get this straight. Lena was your prodigée. Then Daniel’s lover. And now, what? His partner in sabotage?”
Lance moved toward her. “Whatever she was, she is not a threat to you.”
“No,” Sheila said, her voice cracking. “She’s a threat to us.”
He reached for her, but she turned away.
“I need space,” she whispered. “I can’t keep discovering things like this. I can’t keep wondering who knew what, and when. I want truth, Lance. Not curated damage control.”
“Sheila—”
But she was already gone.
The door closed with a soft click that echoed like a gunshot.
Lance stood there for a long moment, staring at the door she’d disappeared through. Then slowly, he pulled out his phone.
One number. One call.
When the line picked up, there was no greeting.
He spoke flatly.
“You were right. She knows everything now.”
On the other end, a slow, triumphant laugh.
Lena.
“Good,” she said. “Then the real game begins.”
Outside, the sky turned from steel gray to storm-dark.
Inside, the last illusion of safety cracked.
And the war for the future of MorganTech—and Sheila’s heart—was officially underway.
- Writer
