CHAPTER 11 — Blocked
899 Words
The moment the car stopped, I felt it.
Nothing obvious had changed. The building stood where it always had, the timing precise, the setting untouched. But something beneath the surface had shifted, as a move had already been made before I arrived.
“Miss Evelyn,” Arman said beside me, his tone measured, “there’s been a change.”
I kept my gaze forward. “What kind of change?”
A brief pause.
“The Cole Holdings deal… has been blocked.”
I didn’t react.
No surprise. No anger.
Just stillness.
Because I already knew who had done it.
Rafael.
Earlier that morning, inside Knight Group, the decision had come quickly.
“Freeze it,” Alexander said, standing behind his desk.
Daniel hesitated. “Sir, that will affect multiple partners connected to Cole Holdings.”
“I’m aware.”
“And the consequences—”
“I don’t care.”
The words ended the discussion. Daniel lowered his head. “Understood.”
Rafael turned toward the window, the city stretching beneath him, but his attention wasn’t there. His mind replayed a single image. Evelyn walks away, choosing someone else without hesitation.
His jaw tightened.
“You don’t get to choose anyone else.”
Back outside the restaurant, I stepped out of the car. The glass doors reflected the morning light as if nothing had changed, but the balance had already shifted.
Adrian stood beside me, composed as always. He didn’t need an explanation.
“Knight?” he asked.
I didn’t answer.
A faint smile crossed his face. “I should be flattered.”
“That you’re being targeted?”
“That I’m worth his attention.”
I glanced at him briefly. “You are.”
He let out a quiet laugh. “Good. I’d be disappointed otherwise.”
We walked inside.
At the private table, the atmosphere remained controlled, quiet enough for strategy, never careless.
Adrian studied me. “He’s trying to corner me.”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
I met his gaze. “I don’t get cornered.”
Something in his expression shifted, approval without words. “I thought so.”
I picked up the tablet and reviewed the report. Frozen accounts, delayed transactions, disrupted flows. Clean. Efficient. Exactly his style.
“He moved fast,” Adrian said.
“He always does.”
“And yet you’re not reacting.”
I set the tablet down. “Because this doesn’t change anything.”
“That’s a bold statement.”
“It’s accurate. He blocked one path, not the entire system.”
Adrian watched me more carefully now. “Most people would panic.”
“I’m not most people.”
A slow smile formed. “No. You’re not.”
Across the street, a black car remained parked.
Inside, Rafael watched.
His attention stayed fixed on the window, on the table where she sat. Calm, composed, unaffected.
As if his move meant nothing.
His fingers tapped once, then stilled.
“Sir,” Daniel said quietly, “this may escalate things.”
Rafael didn’t answer.
Something wasn’t right.
She should have reacted. There should have been pressure, disruption, and some visible cracks.
But there was nothing.
And that unsettled him more than resistance ever could.
Back inside, Adrian leaned forward slightly. “What’s your next move?”
“Rebuild.”
The answer came without hesitation.
“That’s all?”
“For now.”
Silence settled, thoughtful rather than empty.
Then Adrian laughed softly. “I like that.”
His tone shifted, more serious. “You’ll need support.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Everyone does.”
I held his gaze. “If I take it, it will be on my terms.”
He considered that, then nodded. “Fair.”
Something shifted between them, subtle but undeniable. This was no longer just negotiation.
Outside, Rafael’s expression darkened.
From where he sat, their interaction looked effortless. Too effortless. Their rhythm, their ease, the absence of tension.
And then he saw it.
She smiled.
Not polite. Not calculated.
Real.
His fingers tightened.
“She’s smiling,” he said under his breath.
Daniel stayed silent.
Because that was the problem.
Inside, I stood, gathering my things without urgency.
“This doesn’t stop anything,” I said.
Adrian stood as well, his interest no longer subtle. “I’m curious to see how you handle this.”
“You will.”
We walked toward the exit.
Across the street, Rafael didn’t move.
Didn’t look away.
Because something inside him had shifted into something colder, sharper, far less controlled.
This wasn’t business anymore.
My phone vibrated just as I stepped outside.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
“He didn’t just block the deal. He found the offshore account. Should I erase it?”
My steps slowed, just slightly.
So he hadn’t only moved against Adrian.
He had started digging into me.
Faster than expected.
More precise than before.
I stared at the message for a moment, then typed a reply.
“Leave it.”
Then I added,
“Let him think he’s winning.”
I locked the screen and lifted my gaze.
Across the street, behind tinted glass, a black car remained still.
Watching.
A faint smile touched my lips.
Because if Rafael believed this was control, then he had misunderstood the game completely.
And the truth he was about to uncover—
Was never meant to stay buried.
- Writer
