Deep Consuming Addiction

Chapter 96

✨Under Oath✨.

Elena Vale

The morning didn’t feel like morning.

It felt like a setup.

Elena saw them before the car fully stopped—clustered along the sidewalk outside the federal building, cameras already raised, voices cutting through the air before she even stepped out.

Her stomach tightened.

“Stay with us, ma’am,” one of the security men said, already stepping out ahead of her.

Ari’s doing.

She exhaled slowly and opened the door.

It hit her all at once.

“Miss Elena! Is it true you’re involved with Darven’s heir?”

“Are you still leading the case?”

“Is this a conflict of interest?”

“Did you compromise the investigation?”

“Are you just another one of his women?”

"Is he using you to end the investigation?"

"Are you sharing bed with the other women.?"

"Where is your code of conduct?"

“Who are you without the badge—investigator or just another woman in his world?”

“Was your success earned… or influenced?”

“Are you still objective—or already biased?”

“At what point did the investigation become personal?”

“Were you building a case—or a relationship?”

“Can you really separate duty from desire?”

“Did Darven win you over—or did you let him?”

“Do you trust yourself around him?”

“Did you fall for him… or were you always compromised?”

The last two cut sharper than the rest.

Elena’s jaw tightened, but she kept moving.

Security closed in around her, firm and practiced, creating a path as flashes went off nonstop—blinding, invasive, relentless.

“Ma’am, over here—”

“Did you sleep with him to gain access?”

“Is Darven Holdings manipulating federal oversight?”

Her heels hit the pavement harder than usual, her posture straight, controlled.

Professional.

Even if her pulse wasn’t.

“Move,” one of the security officers said sharply, guiding her forward.

A hand reached too close—too bold—and was immediately blocked.

“Back up.”

The doors couldn’t come fast enough.

And when they finally opened—

Silence didn’t follow.

But it was quieter.

Contained.

Inside, the building carried its usual weight—structured, controlled, disciplined.

Unlike the chaos outside.

“Elena.”

She looked up.

Frank.

Waiting.

Not pleased.

Not even trying to hide it.

“Office. Now.”

No greeting.

No pause.

Just command.

Elena nodded once, keeping her expression neutral as she followed him down the hall. She could feel the eyes on her—whispers already starting, low and quick.

The photos had done their damage.

Frank didn’t sit.

He stood behind his desk, hands braced against it, his expression tight.

“What the hell was that?” he barked.

Elena didn’t flinch.

“Press,” she said calmly.

“Don’t get smart with me,” he snapped. “You’ve got a circus outside a federal building. My building.”

“They’re not here because of the building,” she replied evenly.

“They’re here because of you,” Frank shot back. “And who you’re tied to.”

A beat.

Then sharper—

“Darven.”

Elena held his gaze.

“Yes.”

Frank dragged a hand down his face, pacing once behind the desk before turning back to her.

“Tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” he said.

Elena didn’t rush her answer.

“It’s not what they’re making it,” she said carefully.

“That’s not what I asked,” he fired back.

A pause.

Then—

“I’m involved with him,” she said.

The words sat heavy in the room.

Frank stared at her.

Unimpressed.

“You’re assigned to a case that touches Darven Holdings,” he said slowly. “And you’re telling me you’re personally involved with the heir to that empire.”

“I haven’t compromised the case,” Elena said firmly.

“That’s not the point,” Frank snapped. “Perception matters. Optics matter. You’ve just handed defense counsel a reason to tear this entire investigation apart.”

Elena’s jaw tightened.

“I’ve maintained professional boundaries—”

“You’ve got paparazzi screaming about you sleeping with the subject of a federal investigation,” Frank cut in sharply. “There are no boundaries in that headline.”

Silence stretched between them.

Then—

A knock.

Frank didn’t look away from her. “Come in.”

The door opened, and two men stepped inside.

Sergeant Cole.

Inspector Harris.

Internal.

Elena straightened slightly.

“This isn’t optional,” Frank said. “Sit.”

She did.

The shift in the room was immediate.

Formal.

Procedural.

Inspector Harris took the lead, his tone measured, precise.

“Agent Vale,” he said, opening a file. “We’re conducting a preliminary review regarding potential conflicts of interest tied to your current assignment.”

Elena nodded once. “Understood.”

“Let’s be clear,” Harris continued. “This is not disciplinary—yet. This is fact-finding.”

Sergeant Cole stepped forward slightly, arms folded.

“When did your personal relationship with Mr. Ari Darven begin?” he asked.

Elena didn’t hesitate.

“A matter of months.”

“Define months.”

“Eleven to be exact.”

Harris made a note.

“During that time, did you access, review, or handle any materials related to Darven Holdings?”

“Yes,” she said. “As part of my assignment.”

Cole’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Did you share any of that information with Mr. Darven?”

“No.”

“Did he attempt to obtain any information from you?”

“No.”

“Did your relationship influence any decisions made within the scope of your investigation?”

“No.”

Each answer was steady.

Controlled.

But her pulse was loud in her ears.

Harris looked up. “Are you aware that continuing this relationship during an active investigation could be viewed as a breach of ethical conduct?”

“Yes.”

“And yet you continued?”

Elena held his gaze.

“Yes.”

A pause.

Not judgmental.

But not neutral either.

“Why?” Cole asked.

That one landed differently.

Elena exhaled slowly.

“Because whom l date is separate from who is under investigation,” she said.

The room stilled slightly.

Harris closed the file halfway, studying her.

“This isn’t about whom you're dating,” he said calmly. “It’s about whether it compromises your position.”

“It doesn’t,” she replied.

Frank let out a sharp breath from behind the desk.

“That’s not for you to decide,” he muttered.

Harris straightened. “Effective immediately, you are to step back from active involvement in the Darven case pending review.”

Elena’s chest tightened.

“Sir—”

“That’s not a suggestion,” Cole added firmly.

A beat.

Then Harris finished—

“You are placed on administrative leave. Two weeks. During that time, we will complete our review and determine next steps.”

The words landed heavier than anything outside.

Frank didn’t look at her.

“Turn in your access badge before you leave. I will inform you when you will meet with internal affairs about the conflict of interest,” he said.

Elena stood slowly.

Professional.

Even now.

“Yes, sir.”

She turned toward the door, but paused for just a second.

Not long enough to be questioned.

Just long enough to steady herself.

Then she walked out.

The hallway felt longer this time.

Quieter.

But not better.

Because now?

It wasn’t just noise anymore.

It was real.

And for the first time—

What she had with Ari wasn’t just theirs.

It was under review.

The walk back to her office felt longer than it ever had.

Every step echoed.

Every glance lingered just a second too long.

Elena kept her chin up, her pace steady, but she felt it—the shift. The quiet murmurs behind closed doors, the subtle looks that weren’t there before.

By the time she reached her office, her hand hesitated on the handle.

Just for a second.

Then she pushed it open.

The room looked the same.

Desk. Files. Chair slightly angled from where she’d left it yesterday.

Nothing had changed.

And somehow… everything had.

Elena stepped inside slowly, closing the door behind her with a soft click. The noise felt too loud in the silence that followed.

She stood there for a moment.

Just… looking.

This place had always been her constant. The one space that didn’t ask questions. Didn’t demand anything outside of her discipline, her focus, her work.

It was where she came to think.

To breathe.

To forget everything else.

And now—

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.

Now it felt like it was slipping out of her hands.

Elena moved toward her desk, picking up a file, then setting it back down without opening it. Her movements were slower than usual, like she didn’t quite know what to do with herself.

Her badge sat near the edge.

She stared at it.

That small piece of metal had always meant something clear.

Structure. Purpose. Identity.

Now it felt… fragile.

Like it could be taken from her just as easily as it had been handed to her.

Her chest tightened.

“This shouldn’t be this hard,” she whispered under her breath.

Her voice sounded unfamiliar in the quiet room.

Elena exhaled slowly, pressing her palms against the desk, grounding herself.

Her relationship shouldn’t feel like a risk.

It shouldn’t feel like something she had to defend, justify, or hide behind carefully chosen words.

And yet—

Here she was.

Being questioned.

Pulled back.

Put under review.

Because of him.

Because of them.

Her eyes stung, but she blinked it back quickly.

No.

Not here.

Not like this.

She straightened, forcing her shoulders back, reaching for her things with more intention now. Her bag. A few personal items. Nothing too much—she’d never made this place personal enough for that.

That realization hit harder than she expected.

There was nothing here that belonged to her.

Not really.

Just work.

And now even that felt uncertain.

Her hand hovered over the badge again.

Then she picked it up.

Held it for a second longer than necessary.

Then placed it back

A quiet surrender.

Or maybe just… a pause.

Elena took one last look around the room.

Not sentimental.

Just… aware.

Then she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her without looking back.

Because if she did—

She wasn’t sure she’d be able to leave.

And for the first time in a long time…

She didn’t know where she was supposed to go next.