You Shouldn’t Be Here
1212 Words
CHAPTER 8
Elena couldn’t move.
Her fingers were still curled around the edge of the file, knuckles pale, her breath caught somewhere between her chest and her throat.
Ethan’s brother.
Standing in front of her like he belonged here.
Like nothing about this was wrong.
“You…” her voice came out uneven. “You shouldn’t be here.”
A soft chuckle left his lips.
Low. Amused.
“And yet,” he said, stepping further into the room, “here I am.”
Every instinct in Elena told her to step back.
But her legs refused to cooperate.
He closed the door behind him.
Gently.
Deliberately.
The sound echoed louder than it should have.
The two men who had brought the file were gone.
The maid was gone.
Now it was just the two of them.
Elena’s pulse spiked.
“What do you want?” she asked, forcing her voice to stay steady.
His gaze moved over her slowly.
Not in a way that felt inappropriate—
But in a way that felt… assessing.
“Relax,” he said. “If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t be standing this far away.”
That didn’t help.
Not even a little.
“I didn’t know about you and my sister,” Elena said quickly. “Whatever this is—I’m not part of it.”
He smiled.
“That’s what makes you interesting.”
Her brows pulled together.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
He tilted his head slightly, as if deciding how much to say.
“It means,” he replied, “you weren’t supposed to be here.”
A chill ran through her.
“Of course I wasn’t,” she said. “I was never meant to marry Ethan.”
“No,” he said softly.
A pause.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Elena’s stomach dropped.
Something about the way he said it—
It didn’t feel casual.
It felt… precise.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward the table.
Picked up the file.
Flipped it open like he already knew exactly what was inside.
“You saw the photos,” he said.
“I asked you a question, “ she said, staring dead at him.
“Patience,” he said. “I’m getting there.
“You saw the photos?” he asked again.
She nodded reluctantly.
“My sister and you,” she said. “That doesn’t explain shit
“No,” he agreed. “It doesn’t.”
He closed the file.
Then looked at her again.
“Do you know why your sister agreed to marry Ethan?”
Elena hesitated.
“For the alliance,” she said. “For our family.”
Another soft chuckle.
“That’s what you were told.”
Her chest tightened.
“What are you saying?”
He stepped closer.
Not too close.
But enough to make her aware of him.
“That marriage was never about love,” he said. “It wasn’t even just about business.”
A pause.
“It was about control.”
Elena’s heart skipped.
“Control over what?”
His gaze darkened slightly.
“Over people who know too much.”
The words settled slowly.
Uncomfortably.
“I don’t understand—”
“You don’t need to,” he cut in gently. “Not yet.”
Frustration flickered through her fear.
“Stop saying things like that,” she snapped. “If you came here to talk, then talk. Stop speaking in riddles.”
For a moment—
He just looked at her.
Then—
Something shifted.
Not anger.
Not annoyance.
Approval.
“Good,” he murmured.
Elena frowned.
“What?”
“You’re not as weak as you pretend to be.”
“I’m not pretending,” she shot back.
That smile again.
“Maybe not.”
A pause.
Then his expression turned serious.
“But you should start.”
Her stomach twisted.
“Why?”
His answer came immediately.
“Because Ethan is already watching you.”
Her breath caught.
“And if he decides you’re a threat…” he continued, his voice dropping slightly, “he won’t hesitate.”
A cold wave washed over her.
“I’m not a threat to anyone,” she said.
“That’s not how men like him think.”
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
Elena asked the one question she couldn’t ignore anymore.
“What do you want from me?”
This time—
He didn’t dodge it.
“Nothing,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“That’s not true.”
“No,” he admitted. “It’s not.”
He stepped closer.
Close enough now that she could see the faint shift in his expression.
Not playful anymore.
Serious.
“I want you to survive.”
The words caught her off guard.
“…what?”
He held her gaze.
“Because whether you realize it or not,” he said, “you’ve just been placed in the middle of something much bigger than you.”
Her heart pounded.
“And if you don’t learn how to move carefully…”
A pause.
“…you won’t last long.”
A chill ran through her.
Before she could respond—
The door opened.
Hard.
Sharp.
Both of them turned.
And Elena’s heart dropped.
Ethan.
He stood in the doorway, his presence filling the room instantly.
His gaze moved from Elena
to his brother.
And in that moment
The air changed.
Completely.
Tense.
Dangerous.
Silent.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Ethan said.
His voice was calm.
But there was something underneath it.
Something dark.
His brother didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
“I was invited,” he replied casually.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“By who?”
A pause.
Then—
His brother smiled.
“Does it matter?”
Silence.
Thick.
Heavy.
Elena felt it
The tension between them.
This wasn’t just a disagreement.
This was something deeper.
Older.
More dangerous.
Ethan stepped into the room.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
His gaze never left his brother.
“Leave,” he said.
Simple.
Direct.
A command.
But his brother didn’t move.
Instead
He looked at Elena.
And that was when everything went wrong.
“Careful, Ethan,” he said lightly. “You might scare your wife.”
Ethan went still.
Completely still.
And Elena knew
That was worse.
Much worse.
“Get. Out.”
This time
There was no calm.
No control.
Just quiet fury.
But still
His brother didn’t move.
Instead
He said something that changed everything.
“You should tell her.”
Elena’s heart skipped.
“Tell me what?” she asked quickly.
Neither of them answered.
They were too busy looking at each other.
Locked in something Elena couldn’t see—
But could definitely feel.
“Tell her why you really agreed to this marriage,” his brother continued.
A pause.
Then—
Very softly
“Or should I?”
The room went silent.
Dead silent.
Elena looked at Ethan.
Waiting for an answer.
But Ethan
didn’t speak.
Didn’t even look at her.
Just stood in silence.
And that
That scared her more than anything else.
Elena couldn’t shake the feeling in her gut,
That something terrible is about to unfold
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