Manhattan secrets

Lines crossed

MANHATTAN SECRETS

Episode 2: "Lines Crossed"

Fashion Week was 20 days away.

And every single design from _Blake Atelier_ had been leaked.

_Lyra Blake_ hadn’t slept in 48 hours. Legal. PR. New sketches. All at once.

She now had a desk on the 40th floor of Voss Tower. Right across from Damian’s glass office.

Damian didn’t look up from his laptop.

“You’ve been here three days straight.”

Lyra lifted her coffee. “Sleep is expensive. And so is time.”

He tossed a folder onto her desk.

“Vegas. Two days. Meeting with fabric suppliers. And the intern who leaked your designs? His trail ends there.”

“I can go alone.”

“No. Your name is tied to Voss Empire now. If someone comes after you, they come after me.”

He grabbed his coat. “Flight’s at 4. Pack.”

--

Vegas. 110°F in the day. Neon at night.

Bellagio Hotel. Damian had booked two rooms.

Then the storm hit. All flights canceled.

11 PM. Power outage. The whole hotel running on backup lights.

Lyra sat in her room. Laptop open. Sketches everywhere. Exhausted.

Knock.

Damian. Two coffees. One blanket.

“WiFi’s dead. Generator’s slow. Get some sleep.”

“Do you ever sleep?”

He walked to the window. Lightning outside.

“Not since I was 16. That’s when my dad’s company crashed. I spent every night doing math. Figuring out where our next meal came from.”

For the first time, the walls came down.

“So that’s why you need control? Because without it, everything falls apart?”

Damian turned. “You’re sharp, Blake.”

Silence. Just rain and distant thunder.

“The leak,” he said. “It was Eleanor. We have proof. She answers to the board tomorrow.”

Lyra stared. “You’re firing your fiancée?”

His grey eyes met hers. “She’s been my fiancée on paper for 3 years. Business deal. It benefited both of us.”

Lyra’s heart slammed. Why was he telling her this?

At the door, he paused.

“If the board votes against you tomorrow, I’ll resign. Kill the deal. But I’ll save your brand.”

“Why?”

“Because you weren’t built to lose.”

Door closed.

--

Morning. Voss Tower. Boardroom.

12 people. Long table. Eleanor sat stiff in her red power suit.

Chairman: “Ms. Blake’s designs were leaked. Who’s responsible?”

Eleanor stood. “It was a mistake. But Ms. Blake’s team is weak. We can’t risk $2 Million.”

All eyes turned to Damian.

He stood. Slapped a file on the table. CCTV. Emails. Bank transfers.

“The leak came from Eleanor’s assistant. On Eleanor’s orders.”

Dead silence.

“This is a lie!”

“Then prove it in court,” Damian said coldly. “Until then, you’re suspended.”

Vote: 9-3. Eleanor was out.

After the meeting. Elevator. Just them.

“Did you end your engagement… for me?” Lyra asked.

“I protected the company. You’re part of it.”

The elevator stopped.

Damian suddenly grabbed her hand.

“I don’t trust anyone, Blake. But I trust you. Don’t break that.”

Doors opened. They walked away like nothing happened.

--

Night. Lyra’s studio.

The door opened.

“Congrats. You took Eleanor down.”

She spun. Her ex-intern. The one she fired 2 months ago. Holding a USB.

“This has every shady deal Damian Voss has ever made. You give this to the board, Voss Empire falls. And you become queen.”

He dropped the USB on her table and left.

Lyra picked it up. Her hands shook.

One side: her career.

The other: the man who risked everything for her.

Her phone rang. Damian.

“You okay?”

She looked at the USB. Then at the phone.

*“Yeah… I’m okay.”*

To be continued...