Chapter Twelve: Unholy Alliance
873 Words
The next morning, Alina walked into Voss Tower with a new badge, new clearance level—and a head full of warning sirens.
She had officially crossed the line.
The enemy had become her partner.
The man she was meant to destroy… was now standing beside her in battle.
And somehow, that was more terrifying than hating him.
Marla raised her brows as Alina swiped into the executive floor. “Whoa. New badge color. What did you do, sleep with the CEO?”
Alina gave her a flat stare. “No. I earned it.”
“Same thing,” Marla muttered.
Alina walked away before she could say something worse.
She didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
But she owed herself the truth—and right now, even that felt like a luxury.
In Damon’s private operations room—a high-security glass cube with multiple screens tracking real-time financial data—Leo sat tapping impatient fingers against the desk.
“You’re really doing this,” he said as Alina entered.
“No turning back now,” she replied.
Damon stood by the window, looking out at the skyline like it owed him answers.
“We’re not here to be friends,” he said without turning. “We’re here to end Arclight’s grip on this company.”
Alina crossed her arms. “Good. I wasn’t planning on making friendship bracelets.”
Leo snorted, but his eyes flicked to Damon.
There was tension between them. Not hostility, but something quieter.
Suspicion.
Damon finally turned. “I’ve cleared a sandbox server for you. Full audit logs, ghost vendor routing, and encrypted offshore accounts Arclight might be using.”
“And in return?” Alina asked.
“You don’t lie to me again.”
She flinched—but nodded. “Deal.”
They both knew it wasn’t that simple.
The hours blurred.
Alina dove into spreadsheets and financial traces while Damon made calls in and out of the office—some in English, some in French, one in Mandarin.
He wasn’t just a CEO.
He was a machine.
But every now and then, she’d catch him looking at her.
Not just glancing.
Watching.
Like she was the only question he didn’t have an answer to.
At lunch, Leo slid into the break room beside her.
“Mind if I ask you something uncomfortable?”
“Would it stop you if I said yes?”
He smiled faintly. “Why are you really doing this?”
Alina looked at him. “I told you. Arclight ruined my father.”
“Yeah,” Leo said. “But I think it’s more than that.”
Alina stiffened. “You think I’m here to hurt Damon?”
Leo paused.
“No,” he said quietly. “I think you already have.”
She didn’t answer.
Didn’t have one.
That night, she stayed late again.
Damon was still at his desk when she walked past his open door.
“Got a minute?” he asked without looking up.
She hesitated.
Then stepped in.
“I reviewed the Arclight ghost accounts. They’re routing through a shell firm tied to your old CTO,” she said. “Eli Hart.”
Damon’s face darkened. “I fired him six months ago.”
“Then he’s still in the system,” she said. “And he’s working from inside someone else’s company.”
Damon stood. “He was one of the few people who knew how to hide high-level reroutes. I should’ve shut him out sooner.”
Alina hesitated. “You blame yourself?”
“I blame my mercy.”
Their eyes locked.
Silence stretched between them.
Then Damon stepped closer.
“Be honest with me,” he said. “If I go down... do you still win?”
Alina didn’t move.
“I don’t know anymore,” she admitted. “What happens when your enemy becomes the only person who believes you?”
Damon reached out—lightly brushing his fingers against her hand.
Not a grab. Not a demand.
Just contact.
It was enough.
Her heart raced.
He didn’t lean in. Didn’t kiss her again.
But somehow, that made it worse.
Because she wanted him to.
Because she didn’t trust herself if he did.
“I don’t know if I’m the villain in your story,” Damon said softly. “But I want to be the man who helps you end it.”
She swallowed hard.
“I don’t want help.”
“But you need it,” he whispered. “And maybe… so do I.”
The next morning, a new email landed in her inbox.
Sender: Anonymous
Subject: He’s Lying to You
Attachment: (1) Audio File
Alina stared at it, blood chilling.
The message came with no body.
Just that sentence. Just that file.
She looked up—and across the room, Damon was on a call, calm and unreadable.
She clicked download.
And hit play.
[Recording Begins]
Male Voice: “So she doesn’t know?”
Damon’s voice: “She’s useful. Let her think she’s in control. When it’s t
ime, I’ll handle her.”
[Recording Ends]
Alina sat frozen.
Her stomach twisted.
Her fingers trembled over the keyboard.
She had crossed the line.
But had he already pushed her off a cliff?
- Writer
