Chapter four: Cracks in the Glass
800 Words
The Hale tower dominated the London skyline like a monument to power.
Amina stood across the street, staring up at the glass-and-steel structure, her heart pounding. She hadn’t planned to come here today—but plans had stopped meaning much the moment she returned.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number:
You said he was asking questions.
She typed quickly.
Amina:
He’s suspicious. All of them are.
A pause.
Unknown Number:
Then don’t let him see the child. Not yet.
Her fingers trembled as she slipped the phone back into her bag.
“I won’t,” she whispered.
Inside the building, the air was cool and immaculate. Amina moved through the lobby quietly, unnoticed among executives and assistants who didn’t know her name—but once did.
The elevator doors opened on the top floor.
Elias’s office.
She hadn’t expected him to be there.
But he was—standing by the window, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, looking every inch the man who ruled empires.
He turned sharply when he heard the door.
“Amina?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should’ve called.”
“You never liked calling,” he replied, softer than she expected. “What’s wrong?”
She hesitated, then said carefully, “Valeria invited me to lunch.”
His jaw tightened instantly. “And?”
“She wanted to talk.”
“That’s never good,” he muttered.
“She asked questions,” Amina continued. “About my life after I left. About… changes.”
Elias’s gaze sharpened. “Did you answer?”
“No.”
He studied her face, then nodded slowly. “Good.”
She blinked. “Good?”
“I don’t trust her,” he said. “And I won’t let her corner you.”
The protectiveness in his voice unsettled her.
“You don’t have to protect me.”
“I want to,” he replied quietly.
Silence stretched between them.
Then a knock.
Noah entered without waiting.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked, eyes flicking between them.
“Always,” Elias replied dryly.
Noah smirked—then grew serious. “Valeria’s been making calls. She’s digging.”
Amina’s breath caught.
“I knew it,” Elias said. “She’s trying to force something into the open.”
“And she won’t stop,” Noah added. “Not until she gets what she wants.”
Elias looked at Amina. “Which is why you need to be careful.”
She nodded. “I will.”
⸻
That evening, the mansion prepared for another gathering—smaller, quieter, but no less dangerous.
Amina arrived late, hoping to avoid attention.
She failed.
“There you are.”
Valeria’s voice cut through the room.
Amina turned slowly. “Valeria.”
Valeria smiled brightly. “You disappeared today. I was worried.”
“That’s generous of you.”
Valeria leaned closer. “You don’t like me.”
“I don’t know you,” Amina replied calmly.
“Yet,” Valeria said. “But I know you.”
Amina stiffened.
“You left suddenly,” Valeria continued. “People don’t usually do that without reason.”
“I had reasons.”
Valeria tilted her head. “Was one of them a man?”
Amina met her gaze coolly. “That’s none of your business.”
Valeria laughed softly. “Everything in this house is my business.”
Before Amina could respond, Adrian appeared at her side.
“Is there a problem?” he asked pleasantly.
Valeria’s smile tightened. “Not at all.”
She walked away—but not before casting Amina one last, calculating look.
Adrian exhaled. “She’s circling.”
“Yes,” Amina said quietly. “And she’s close.”
⸻
Later that night, Amina sat alone in the mansion’s quiet sitting room, scrolling through photos on her phone.
One image stopped her breath.
A child’s small hand holding hers.
A familiar curve of a smile.
Eyes too much like his father’s.
She locked the phone quickly as footsteps approached.
Elias appeared in the doorway.
“You look like you’re hiding,” he said gently.
She forced a smile. “Old habit.”
He crossed the room, stopping a few steps away. “You’re afraid.”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Of me?”
She met his eyes. “Of losing control.”
He nodded slowly. “Whatever you’re carrying alone… you don’t have to.”
Her heart broke a little at that.
“If I tell you,” she whispered, “everything changes.”
“Some things are meant to,” he replied.
They stood there, suspended in truth and restraint.
From the hallway, Valeria watched unseen.
And smiled.
Because she had seen the way Amina guarded her phone.
And now she knew—
There was more to uncover.
- Writer
