CHAPTER THREE — THE FIRST LIE
1184 Words
Amara didn’t sleep.
She lay in the guest room too big, too clean, too quiet and stared at the ceiling until her eyes
burned. Every time she closed them, she saw the board member’s face again. The night she
witnessed what he did. The folder he destroyed. The threats he whispered into the dark.
She turned in the sheets restlessly.
If Alexander ever discovered she was connected to that crime
He’d drag the truth out of her.
He’d demand answers she wasn’t allowed to give.
And when the real culprits realized she was near him
They’d come for her.
The thought made her stomach twist.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
“Amara?” Alex’s deep voice came through.
“Are you awake?”
Her heart jumped. She scrambled to sit up.
“Y..yes.
”He opened the door a little. No suit jacket tonight just a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants.
Somehow that made him even more intimidating.
“I thought you might be hungry, he said simply”
Hungry?
She couldn’t even breathe properly, but she nodded.
Alex stepped aside.
“Come to the kitchen.”
Amara followed him, keeping a careful distance. His penthouse looked different at night
warm lights, storm still tapping the windows, city glowing below. She wrapped her arms
around herself. She felt small in a place like this.
Alex placed a bowl on the counter.
“Eat.”
She stared at the steaming soup, confused.
He cooked? No way.
“You made this?”
He shrugged.
“I can follow instructions. Mostly.”
A tiny smile pulled at her lips nervous, surprised.
He didn’t smile back, but the corner of his mouth softened.
She sat and took a small spoonful.
Warm. Gentle. Comforting.
It almost made her cry.
As she ate quietly, Alex leaned on the counter, arms folded, watching her in that thoughtful
way he had.
“You were shaking earlier,” he said.
“Nightmares?”
She froze.
“O…oh. Just stress.”
“You react like someone who’s been scared for a long time.”
Her spoon clattered against the bowl.
He didn’t miss it.
“Amara,” he said slowly,
“are you in some kind of trouble I should know about?”
Her blood went cold.
This was too close. Too sharp.
She needed to lie but a lie believable for a weak girl.
So she lowered her eyes and whispered,
overwhelmed.
“The debt… my mother’s house… I’m just
Alex stared at her like he was reading between every word.
Then he nodded once.“Fine. For now.”
He pushed away from the counter.
“Finish eating. Tomorrow will be loud. Reporters, board members, investors They’ll all want
answers.” He paused.
“We’ll handle it together.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
Together.
She wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near his company. The financial crime she witnessed
didn’t just involve some executive.it involved Cain Holdings. The company he built. The
empire he defended.
And tomorrow, he wanted to walk her right into it.
She couldn’t go.
She shouldn’t go.
But she didn’t know how to say no without exposing herself.
Later that night…
Amara returned to the guest room, only to find Alex standing near the window with a phone
pressed to his ear. She didn’t mean to overhear but he hadn’t noticed her yet.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“I know he’s missing. And I know he’s behind the leak.”A pause.
“Find him. Fast.”
Her pulse jumped.
He continued, with a lower voice .
“If he sabotages this deal, the company won’t survive
another hit.”
Amara pressed a hand to her chest.
He wasn’t being dramatic
He was in real trouble.
Alex ended the call and finally noticed her.
“You overheard,
” he said.
She swallowed.
“I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter.
” His voice was calm, almost tired.
us wants it.”
“You’re involved now whether either of
She hugged herself, suddenly feeling exposed.
“I don’t want to cause problems for you.”
His gaze softened, just slightly.
“You’re not the problem.”
She didn’t know how to answer that.
Alex stepped toward her, stopping just close enough that she could feel the heat from his
body.
“I need to know something,” he said quietly.
what was his name?”
“The man who promised to marry you for money
Her breath caught.
She couldn’t say it. His name would connect too many dots. It would lead straight to the
people she was hiding from.
So she let her shoulders slump, voice small and breaking.
“I… I can’t say it.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed, but not with anger. With suspicion.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m ashamed,” she whispered.
“It makes me look foolish.”
His expression changed again conflicted, almost gentle.
“Amara,
” he said, a low voice,
“you don’t have to be afraid of me.”
But she was.
He just didn’t understand why.
Morning
Alex woke her before sunrise.
“Get up,
” he said from the doorway.“We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
Amara’s stomach dropped.
Cain Holdings.
The place she’d been avoiding for months.
The place connected to the crime she witnessed.
It felt like walking into a lion’s mouth.
She dressed in the clothes Alex placed on the bed a simple white blouse and black skirt.
Modest. Clean. Corporate enough to blend in.
When she stepped into the living room, Alex looked her over. Not in a romantic way more
like he was checking that she looked safe enough to face the media.
“You’ll stay behind me,
” he said.“Speak only if spoken to. And don’t run.”
Her breath shaky.
“I won’t run.”
Not yet.
The elevator ride was tense. Alex stood close beside her, tall and solid, like a wall blocking
the world from getting too near.
“You’ll be fine,” he said quietly.
She nodded, but her hands shook.
The elevator opened directly into the private garage. His car waited.
As they got in, Alex glanced at her trembling fingers.
“You’re still scared,
” he said.“Why?”
She almost said,
“Because I’m walking into the place where a crime happened.”
But instead she whispered,
“Because I’m not used to your world.”
He didn’t reply, but his jaw tightened guilt? frustration? She couldn’t tell.
As the car exited the garage, Amara’s pulse skyrocketed.
Because Cain Holdings towered above the city like a dark giant.
And she knew
absolutely knew
Someone inside that building had tried to bury the truth.
And she was walking straight back into the danger she barely escaped from.
Alex reached over and placed his hand gently but firmly over hers.
“Don’t worry,” he said.
She forced a small breath.
But worry wasn’t the problem.
The problem was the people who feared what she knew would not stay quiet forever.
And today might be the day everything exploded.
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