Chapter 7
724 Words
Roman was still standing too close.
“You didn’t answer me,” he said again.
She turned slowly, meeting his gaze. “I didn’t owe you one.”
His jaw tightened, but he stepped back, giving her space. That alone unsettled her more than his closeness had. Roman Wolfe didn’t retreat unless he was recalibrating.
“You look shaken,” he said. “Did Ezra say something?”
She thought of the message.
Do you know much about the snake, Ezra?
Her pulse thudded harder.
“No,” she replied. “But someone else did.”
Roman’s eyes sharpened, searching her face. “Who?”
She lifted her chin. “If you’re hoping I’ll start confiding in you now, you’re mistaken.”
Something flickered across his expression… not anger, not arrogance. Fear. It was gone almost instantly, but she caught it.
Roman exhaled. “Liana, whatever this is…”
“Stop,” she cut in. “You don’t get to manage my reactions anymore.”
A tense beat passed between them. Then Roman nodded once, slow and deliberate. “Fine.”
She grabbed her bag and walked past him without another word, her heels striking the marble floor in steady rhythm even though her insides felt anything but steady.
---
Ezra didn’t answer her calls that night.
Nor the next morning.
By the third unanswered message, Liana stopped trying. She went to work instead, burying herself in numbers and meetings, pretending her chest didn’t ache every time her phone buzzed with anything that wasn’t his name.
Ezra still showed up.
Just not for her.
He was present in meetings, sharp and composed, speaking only when necessary. When their eyes met, his expression remained polite. Professional. Impenetrable.
It hurt more than anger would have.
During a strategy meeting that afternoon, Liana noticed Roman watching Ezra instead of the presentation. His jaw worked slowly, tension coiled tight beneath his calm exterior.
“You’re distracted,” Liana said coolly when it was Roman’s turn to speak.
He looked at her. “I was thinking.”
“About business,” she pressed.
Roman’s eyes flicked briefly to Ezra. “Among other things.”
Ezra didn’t react, but Liana caught the subtle tightening of his shoulders.
After the meeting, Ezra gathered his papers quickly, avoiding her gaze. Liana followed him out into the corridor.
“Ezra,” she called.
He stopped but didn’t turn.
She approached slowly, heart pounding. “We need to talk.”
He finally faced her. His eyes were tired, guarded. “We already did.”
“No,” she said softly. “We didn’t finish.”
He studied her for a long moment. “I’m not angry, Liana. I’m just… stepping back.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“For me, it is,” he replied. “I don’t want to be in a constant comparison. And whether you admit it or not, Roman is still very much here.” He gestured vaguely, meaning more than just the building.
She swallowed. “I told you I needed time.”
“And I told you I’d give it,” he said. “But time doesn’t mean access.”
Before she could respond, Roman appeared at the end of the corridor, his presence immediate and disruptive. Ezra noticed him too.
Ezra’s mouth curved into a faint, humorless smile. “See? He doesn’t even need to try.”
Liana turned. Roman stopped several feet away, eyes flicking between them.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked.
“Yes!” Ezra shouted flatly.
Roman held his gaze. “Good.”
The air thickened.
Ezra stepped closer to Liana, lowering his voice. “Be careful,” he said. “Not with him. With yourself.”
Then he walked away.
Liana stood frozen, Roman’s presence like a shadow creeping up behind her.
She turned to face him. “What do you want?”
Roman came closer to her. Almost smelling the cologne of her perfume.
Then her phone beeped…
A message from an unknown person again.. she picked up her phone in her pants pocket and viewed it written…
ANONYMOUS: What you believe about Ezra is a lie. Beneath the charm lies something far more dangerous. He is the real snake—you will soon uncover the truth.
What again?!! She shouted, almost pushing her body away from Roman.
- Writer
