Betrayed Together

Chapter 10: The Deal

The next morning, Elena arrived at the office determined to act as though nothing had changed.

It lasted exactly eleven minutes.

"You're staring at the same page."

She looked up.

Adrian stood beside her desk, one hand in his trouser pocket.

"I'm reading."

"You've been reading the same page for five minutes."

"Maybe it's a very interesting page."

"It's a financial report."

"Maybe I've developed a sudden passion for finance."

Adrian gave her a skeptical look.

"That's concerning."

Elena almost smiled.

Then she remembered the message from the night before.

Ask him what Victoria was afraid he would discover.

She closed the report.

"Can I ask you something?"

Adrian's expression became more serious.

"Of course."

"What was Victoria afraid you'd discover?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Elena watched his face carefully.

Finally, he said, "I don't know."

"That's not what I expected."

"Neither did I."

He pulled out the chair opposite her desk and sat down.

"Victoria admitted the affair. She told me it had been going on for months. But when I asked what else she was hiding, she wouldn't answer."

"Did she mention Marcus?"

"Yes."

Elena nodded slowly.

"There's something else."

"I think so."

The two of them sat in silence.

For the first time, they weren't boss and secretary.

They were two people trying to understand the same betrayal.

Adrian leaned forward.

"How much do you know?"

Elena hesitated.

"Enough to know Marcus has been lying to me for a long time."

"Anything else?"

She thought about the black box.

The warning.

Don't tell him about the box yet.

She couldn't explain why she trusted the anonymous messenger enough to listen.

But she also couldn't ignore the possibility that the box was connected to everything.

"Not yet," she said.

Adrian studied her.

"You're hiding something."

"So are you."

He almost smiled.

"Fair."

Elena leaned back.

"I have something that belonged to Marcus."

"What?"

"A box."

Adrian's expression changed.

"What kind of box?"

"I don't know."

"What's inside?"

"I haven't opened it."

"Why?"

"Because I was told not to."

"By Marcus?"

"No."

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

"Then who?"

"I don't know."

The silence that followed was heavier than before.

"You've been receiving messages," Adrian said.

It wasn't a question.

Elena nodded.

"Since the photograph."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know if I could trust the person sending them."

Adrian looked at her.

"And now?"

"I still don't know."

He nodded slowly.

"Neither do I."

Elena looked at him.

"What are you suggesting?"

"That we find out."

"Together?"

"Unless you have a better idea."

She considered it.

Working with Adrian was not something she had ever imagined doing outside the boundaries of his job.

But this wasn't about work.

It was about Marcus.

Victoria.

And the truth both of them had been denied.

"What exactly would we do?"

"Find out what they're hiding."

"That's vague."

"It's the beginning."

Elena folded her arms.

"And what's in it for you?"

"Justice."

She raised an eyebrow.

"That's a very CEO answer."

"What would you call it?"

"Revenge."

Adrian's expression remained calm.

"I wouldn't say no to that either."

Elena stared at him.

Then, unexpectedly, she laughed.

"You really are terrible."

"So I've been told."

Her smile faded.

"If we do this, there are rules."

Adrian nodded.

"Name them."

"No lying to each other."

"Agreed."

"No using company resources without telling me."

"Agreed."

"No confronting Marcus or Victoria until we know exactly what we're dealing with."

Adrian considered that one.

"Agreed."

"And if either of us decides this is going too far, we stop."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"Agreed."

Elena held out her hand.

Adrian looked at it.

Then he shook it.

The agreement was simple.

Two betrayed people.

One investigation.

No promises beyond the truth.

Neither of them knew where the deal would lead.

But both understood one thing.

They were no longer facing the betrayal alone.

That evening, Elena returned home and placed the black box on her dining table.

She stared at it for a long time.

Then her phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

Good.

Elena's heart skipped.

Another message arrived.

Now you can start.

She typed quickly.

Who are you?

The message was seen.

No reply.

Elena's eyes moved back to the box.

For the first time since she had received it, she wasn't afraid to open it.

She reached toward the lid.

Then stopped.

A small sound came from inside.

A faint electronic vibration.

Elena froze.

There was something powered on inside.

Something alive.

Something waiting.

She slowly pulled her hand away.

Across the city, Adrian stood in his office staring at another message from the same unknown number.

Ask Elena what Marcus gave her.

His expression hardened.

He looked toward the empty chair where Elena had been sitting that morning.

The deal had barely begun.

And already, someone was watching them.