Chapter10
832 Words
Lucas stood by the window, watching the skyline stretch into a hazy dusk. The city looked calm from this height silent, distant, beautiful. But inside his chest, unease pulsed like a second heartbeat.
Damien was behind bars. The confessions were recorded. The digital evidence was damning. And yet…
Something didn’t add up.
Behind him, Elena entered the room quietly, her footsteps soft on the hardwood. “You haven’t said much since we got back.”
Lucas turned. “Because I’m not sure it’s over.”
She frowned. “You think he lied?”
“No,” Lucas said, crossing to her. “I think he told the truth but not the whole truth. Someone helped him. Someone on the inside. He couldn’t have accessed the security logs, gotten into the penthouse building, or tracked your location without help.”
Elena’s brow furrowed. “You think someone in your company betrayed you?”
He nodded slowly. “Or someone I trusted personally.”
She stepped closer, taking his hand. “Then we find them. Together.”
The next morning, Lucas called a private meeting in his office. Only two people were invited: Marcus and Nadine.
Marcus sat in his usual composed silence, eyes flicking between Lucas and the monitors on the wall. Nadine, Lucas’s longtime assistant, entered with her usual polished calm—though something about her smile felt a little too tight.
“You asked to see us both?” she said, crossing one leg over the other.
Lucas steepled his fingers. “Yes. There’s something I need to say. And I want it on record.”
Nadine straightened. “Of course.”
Lucas clicked a button. Audio played—Damien’s voice from the motel:
“I had help. People you’d never suspect. Right under your nose.”
The audio cut. Silence followed.
Lucas looked at Nadine. “That could mean anyone. But the access logs show the rooftop security was bypassed using Level-3 clearance. Not many people have that.”
Nadine’s eyes didn’t flicker. “I assume you’ve checked my credentials?”
“I have,” Lucas said. “You weren’t in the building that night.”
She smiled faintly. “Then why am I here?”
Marcus answered, his voice low. “Because someone with your login credentials was.”
Nadine’s face twitched just slightly. “That’s not possible.”
“It is,” Marcus said. “We have surveillance footage of someone entering the server room using your code. The person wore a hoodie. Short build. Same height. Same stride.”
Lucas stood slowly. “We’re not accusing you, Nadine. Not yet. But if someone stole your clearance or if you gave it willingly it puts you right in the center of this.”
Nadine stood too. “I’ve been loyal to you for years, Lucas. I cleaned up your messes, protected your time, canceled meetings when you were too heartbroken to face the world. And now, suddenly, I’m the villain?”
Lucas’s voice was calm but razor-sharp. “I never said that. But if you are the villain, I’d rather hear it from you than watch it unfold on a courtroom screen.”
Her jaw tensed. “You’re making a mistake.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Then prove me wrong.”
After she left, Marcus spoke first. “She didn’t deny it outright.”
“No,” Lucas said. “She danced around it. Played the loyalty card.”
“You still trust her?”
“I don’t trust anyone right now.”
Marcus gave a curt nod. “I’ll keep her monitored.”
That evening, Elena found Lucas in his study, reviewing files by lamplight. He looked tired, eyes red-rimmed but focused.
“Did you ever suspect her?” she asked softly.
He didn’t look up. “Not until recently. Nadine was always efficient, always on top of things. But she was also… possessive. Subtle about it. She hated when I dated. When I smiled too much after certain meetings.”
Elena sat beside him. “You think she wanted more than just to be your assistant?”
“I think,” he said carefully, “that she may have wanted to matter more than she did.”
Elena leaned her head against his shoulder. “If she’s the last loose thread, we’ll find out soon.”
Lucas closed the file. “She’s not the last thread.”
“What do you mean?”
He turned to her. “Before Damien was taken in, he asked me a question. He said, ‘What if she didn’t come back by choice?’”
Elena’s blood ran cold. “What?”
“He said someone wanted you to return. That all of this Vivian, the press, the leaks it wasn’t a reaction. It was a setup. To draw you back to me.”
Elena sat back. “But… who would do that?”
Lucas stared at her.
And for the first time in days, he didn’t have an answer.
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