The Package on the Balcony

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• Until Paperwork Do Us Part    Smoke and Mirrors

  The boardroom wasn’t cold because of the air conditioning. It was cold because of the undercurrents—the quiet tension that stretched across the long glass table like invisible wires. You could feel it in the way people sat a little too straight, in the clipped tones of their greetings, in the tight smiles that didn’t reach their eyes. Elena stood at the head of the table, shoulders squared, a digital report clutched tightly in her hand. Her expression was unreadable, but her fingers betrayed her—the slightest tremble as they gripped the edges of the screen. She hadn’t spoken yet. Not a word. She was waiting. Across the table, Mark lounged back in his seat. Calm. Poised. His fingers tapped slowly against the armrest, one beat off rhythm. His suit was perfect, his tie a shade too dark to be casual. And yet, there was something rehearsed in his ease. Like he was prepared for a fight, and didn’t mind being the one to draw first blood. He’d made a move—again. Quietly. Strategically. He

• Until Paperwork Do Us Part    Beneath the Surface

  Elena didn’t go to Mark. Not yet. The letter from her mother felt like a shard lodged deep in her chest—painful, immovable, and far too raw. Her mother had written in gentle honesty, but it carried the weight of a blade.So she did what her instincts had always taught her to do: she hunted for the truth.She and Jack retreated into the bowels of Vale Corp, down into the archives where the lights flickered like tired secrets and the air smelled of old data and colder betrayal. Security clearance codes, thumbprints, two-factor identifications—it took everything to get in. And once inside, the chill that met her felt less like air conditioning and more like ghosts.“What are we even looking for?” Jack asked quietly, sifting through an index that hadn’t been touched in years.Elena didn’t answer at first. Her fingers danced across file tabs and blinking logs, until her gaze landed on a strange pattern—an inactive project listing that had somehow never been officially closed: Project Arden

• Until Paperwork Do Us Part    Underlying threats and a letter

  The sun dipped behind a bank of late afternoon clouds, casting a gray light over the Vale Corp tower. Inside the building, the halls were quiet except for the soft tapping of heels echoing through the executive floor. Elena walked beside Jack, the silence between them not uncomfortable, but heavy with the weight of everything unspoken.They had left early that day, earlier than usual, citing the need for rest after a week that had felt like a year. Jack’s fingers brushed lightly against Elena’s as they exited the elevator and walked into the apartment. It was a simple touch, but it anchored her. She didn’t pull away.The moment the door closed behind them, Elena let out a slow breath. Jack watched her carefully. The days had drawn something taut in her spirit—fatigue, betrayal, and the pressure of carrying a legacy she hadn’t asked for. He wanted to take some of that from her, even if just for a while.“Sit,” he said gently, pulling a blanket from the back of the couch. “I’ll get you

• Until Paperwork Do Us Part    Fault Lines and ghosts in the archives

  The drive home had been quiet, but not heavy. Just... reflective. Like they were each sifting through layers of unspoken things too delicate to touch yet too important to ignore.Elena sat curled into the far corner of the couch, one leg tucked under her, a silk robe tied loosely around her frame. Jack stood in the kitchen with a glass of whiskey in hand, staring into nothing. The air between them was still warm from the earlier closeness. But there was something else now. A shift neither of them could explain."You ever get the feeling like you're being moved?" Elena said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Not walking. Not running. Just... moved. By someone else. Like a hand on your back you can’t see."Jack turned, his brow furrowed. "Yeah. Lately I feel it every time I walk into that building."She looked at him, not asking for more, not yet. But he gave it anyway."Security logs have been tampered with. Whole days wiped clean. At first I thought it was Damien again. But this isn't

• Until Paperwork Do Us Part    Shadows at Sundown

  The ride home was quiet, but not uncomfortable.Jack had one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift—his fingers occasionally tapping, like he was keeping time with thoughts he hadn’t yet voiced. Elena sat beside him, one hand propped beneath her chin, watching the city slide past her window. Dusk bathed the skyline in honeyed light. The tension of the day still lingered on her shoulders, but her heartbeat had begun to slow in Jack’s presence, like her body understood what her mind hadn’t said aloud yet.That she trusted him.Still.After everything. Even with the world spiraling, even with the mole hiding somewhere in their walls and Mia’s name lurking like a quiet echo in her head—Jack was still her anchor.When they pulled into the private drive beneath the penthouse, Jack parked and turned off the engine but didn’t move to get out. Instead, he looked over at her.“You’ve been quiet,” he said gently.She didn’t look at him immediately. “I’m thinking.”“Dangerous ha

• Until Paperwork Do Us Part    Under The Surface

  Jack's boots echoed sharply against the marble floors of Vale Corp's upper executive level, a tempo that matched the storm brewing inside his chest. He adjusted his cufflink with a mechanical flick, then reached up to brush back a lock of damp hair that had fallen over his brow. He hadn’t fully dried off before rushing out of Elena’s apartment, still tasting her on his lips, still feeling her warmth on his skin. But the call had been urgent. Too urgent.Something about the way Marvin from cybersecurity had said, “Sir, you need to see this for yourself,” didn’t sit right with him. Jack had been in the business of reading between lines for too long to miss the tension in the man's voice.As the elevator doors whispered shut behind him, he stepped into the dimly lit operations room. Marvin stood near the central console, flanked by two younger tech analysts with tight expressions."Talk," Jack said.Marvin nodded grimly and tapped the screen. "Three hours ago, a ghost signature pinged on