Bound to his Dark Vow

The Name on the File

I barely slept that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the black car outside Blackwood Holdings.

I kept telling myself there had to be a reasonable explanation.

Maybe the person inside had nothing to do with me.

Maybe Adrian was simply being overly cautious.

Maybe I was turning a strange evening into something much bigger than it was.

But one question wouldn't leave me alone.

Why had Adrian looked genuinely worried?

By seven the next morning, I had made my decision.

I was going back.

Not because I wasn't afraid.

Because I hated not knowing.

When I arrived at Blackwood Holdings, Adrian's car was already in the parking garage.

I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the thirty-second floor.

The doors opened.

Claire was standing outside his office.

She looked surprised to see me.

"You're early."

"I couldn't sleep."

She studied my face.

"Neither could I."

I stopped.

"What?"

She immediately looked away.

"Nothing."

Before I could ask another question, Adrian's office door opened.

"Elena."

His voice was calm, but his expression wasn't.

"Come in."

I walked inside.

He closed the door behind me.

"You should have stayed home today."

"Why?"

"Because I told you to be careful."

"I was careful."

"You don't understand what you're involved in."

"Then explain it to me."

Silence.

I folded my arms.

"Yesterday, someone was watching the building. You warned me about Daniel. You told me not to discuss the Morrison project. And now you're telling me to stay home."

I looked directly at him.

"How am I supposed to understand any of that?"

Adrian walked toward his desk.

"You're not supposed to."

"That's not good enough."

He stopped.

For several seconds, he simply stared at me.

Then he opened a drawer.

He removed a thin black folder.

He placed it on the desk.

"This is confidential."

I looked at it.

"What's inside?"

"Information about the Morrison acquisition."

I frowned.

"I already read the project documents."

"Not these."

He pushed the folder toward me.

I opened it.

The first page contained a list of names.

Executives.

Lawyers.

Investors.

Then I saw one name that made my breath catch.

Marlowe, Elena.

I stared at it.

My hands went cold.

"What is this?"

Adrian's expression was unreadable.

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

I turned the page.

There were notes beneath my name.

My university.

My department.

My address.

Even the date I had applied for the internship.

Someone had been collecting information about me.

Before I could say anything, Adrian took the folder from my hands.

"That's enough."

I looked at him.

"You knew about this."

"I suspected."

"When?"

"Before your interview."

My heart sank.

"Then why did you hire me?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Finally, he said, "Because I needed to know why someone connected to the Morrison project was interested in you."

I stared at him.

"So I was an experiment?"

"No."

"Then what was I?"

His voice softened.

"A question I didn't have an answer to."

I looked away.

For the first time, I wasn't angry.

I was scared.

"Do you think I'm in danger?"

Adrian didn't answer.

That was an answer by itself.

A knock sounded at the door.

Adrian immediately turned.

"Who is it?"

Claire's voice came from outside.

"It's me."

"Come in."

She entered holding a small envelope.

"I found this at Elena's desk."

My stomach dropped.

She handed it to Adrian.

There was no name on the front.

No address.

Nothing.

Adrian opened it carefully.

His expression changed as he read the note inside.

I watched him.

"What does it say?"

He didn't respond.

"Adrian."

He finally looked at me.

The color had drained from his face.

He handed me the paper.

There was only one sentence.

You should have left her alone.

I looked up.

"Who wrote this?"

Adrian's eyes remained fixed on the note.

"I don't know."

A second later, his phone rang.

He answered.

"Blackwood."

The person on the other end spoke.

I couldn't hear the words.

But I watched Adrian's expression change.

His eyes moved toward me.

Then he said quietly,

"Don't touch her."

He ended the call.

I stared at him.

"Who was that?"

Adrian slipped the phone into his pocket.

"Someone who just made this personal."

And for the first time, I realized that whatever secret surrounded the Morrison project...

My name was already part of it.