Chapter 34
925 Words
Mara's POV
I wasn’t expecting to see him in my office.
The door had barely closed behind me before my gaze locked on the tall figure standing near my desk, his back half-turned, one hand braced against the glass wall as though he’d been pacing.
For a second, I simply stood there.
“What are you doing here?” The question stayed lodged in my throat, refusing to come out.
My pulse stumbled, heat rushing to my face without warning. My mind betrayed me, drifting to the suite. To the way his eyes had lingered when he’d seen me bare and unguarded. My skin felt suddenly exposed again, as though memory alone could strip me.
He turned at the sound of my movement.
For the briefest moment, something unreadable crossed his face. Surprise. Tension. Guilt—maybe. Then it vanished, replaced by that familiar, controlled mask.
“I…” he began, then stopped.
I crossed my arms slowly, grounding myself. “You were saying?”
He cleared his throat, glancing around as though the walls might offer him an answer. “I was… checking something.”
Checking what?
He didn’t elaborate. Instead, he straightened, jaw tightening, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall. “We have somewhere to be later,” he added abruptly. “After work.”
The words landed wrong. Too rushed. Too careless.
We?
Before I could ask anything, before I could stop the questions tumbling in my head, he was already moving past me.
“I’ll see you later,” he said, not looking back.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
I stood there long after he was gone, staring at the space he’d occupied, my heart thudding unevenly. Whatever that was… it wasn’t nothing.
Night came too quickly.
The club was nothing like I expected—dark, pulsing with bass that vibrated through my bones, the air thick with perfume and smoke and something electric. Lights cut through the shadows in flashes of blue and red, illuminating faces just long enough to disappear again.
We were led to the VIP section, tucked away from the main floor but close enough that the music still wrapped around us. Elias walked ahead, composed as ever. I followed beside him, thinking about why we were here in the first place until I sighted Amira, who was already seated in the VIP lounge as if she had been waiting for us.
The moment we sat, Amira turned to me, surprise flickering across her features before she masked it with a smile. “Oh,” she said lightly, eyes darting between us. “I didn’t expect you to bring Mrs. Mara. I thought it would just be you.”
Her tone was polite. Casual.
But the words stung anyway.
Elias didn’t hesitate. “I wanted her here.”
For what exactly, to watch them?
I nodded once, forcing my lips into a neutral line. A server approached, offering drinks. I shook my head. “I’m fine.”
Amira accepted hers, laughing softly as she thanked him. She leaned toward Elias, her fingers brushing his arm as she spoke animatedly about the successful partnership with the company. He listened, occasionally responding, his posture relaxed.
Too relaxed.
I watched them without meaning to. The way she smiled at him. The way he met her gaze. And though his eyes flicked toward me more than once, it didn’t help. If anything, it made it worse.
Why bring me here?
Why make me watch this?
My chest felt tight. The noise around me grew louder, suffocating. The smell of alcohol turned my stomach.
I stood.
“Excuse me,” I said quietly.
Neither of them stopped me.
I walked out of the VIP section, past the flashing lights and bodies moving in rhythm, until the doors swallowed me into the cool night air outside. The music dulled behind me, fading into a distant thrum.
I breathed in deeply, my hands trembling.
That was stupid, I told myself. Stupid to feel anything. Stupid to care. Elias Lawson didn’t owe me explanations. He didn’t owe me restraint. And yet…
I stared up at the night sky, swallowing hard. Why invite me at all? If he’d wanted to come alone, he could have. If he wanted me to understand my place, he’d succeeded.
Footsteps approached.
I turned slightly, only to find a man stepping into my path. He wasn’t swaying. Wasn’t slurring his words. His eyes were sharp, assessing.
“Hey,” he said smoothly. “You look like you could use company.”
“I’m fine,” I replied, stepping back.
He stepped forward.
A prickle of unease slid down my spine. I glanced toward the club entrance, calculating the distance.
Another shadow moved at the edge of my vision.
My breath caught.
A second man emerged from around the corner of the building, his gaze locking onto me with unsettling focus. Too coordinated. Too intentional.
Fear surged.
I turned and walked fast, heels clicking sharply against the pavement. The first man followed. Then the second.
My walk became a run.
My lungs burned as I rounded a corner, heart pounding in my ears. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.
I collided with something solid.
Hands grabbed me before I could scream. A sharp scent filled my senses as a cloth was pressed over my mouth and nose. I struggled, kicking, clawing, but the world began to blur.
My phone slipped from my grasp, clattering to the ground. Its screen lit up once before everything went dark.
- Writer
