Chapter: CHAPTER 23 — UnblockedNARRATOR’S POV The glass wall felt less like a barrier and more like a lens, magnifying her every move for the man who now sat like a king across the way, already absorbed in the ruthless business of his empire.She forced herself to sit, to power on her sleek terminal. The screen glowed to life, a map of Wade Global’s digital system unfolding before her. Analyze the building, she commanded herself, the hacker’s mind engaging on autopilot. Access points. Server locations. Security rotations. She began to map a cold, logical path through the fortress, a ghost planning her heist.But a tremor in her hands betrayed her. A thought, unwelcome and insistent, broke through the code.What did he mean about Denzel?Michael’s voice, low and graveled with warning, echoed in the quiet room. “He’s meeting with people who have real power, and real cruelty.”She had dismissed it as another layer of his overbearing control. But what if it wasn’t? Denzel’s rage at the club had been wild, unhinged. “I
Última actualización: 2025-12-13
Chapter: CHAPTER 22 — Possession and PerilNARRATOR’S POV"I told you this was a bad idea."His voice was low, a controlled tremor running beneath the words. It wasn't a shout; it was something more dangerous than a verdict.Layla stood her ground, the glass wall of her new cage at her back. "I wanted to prove I was capable."A humorless, sharp sound escaped him. "Capable?" He leaned forward, planting his elbows on the obsidian desk. The move was predatory. "You have no idea what you're walking into. You think this is about code and data streams? This is about gutting competitors before they breathe. It's about lawyers who make evidence disappear and men who make people disappear. It's a beautiful, polished war, and you just enlisted as a civilian." He shook his head, a flicker of raw frustration breaking through his icy control. "You're brilliant, Layla. And you're too stubborn to listen. That's a lethal combination in my world."His words were a wall, each one meant to intimidate her back to safety. He saw a woman he was obs
Última actualización: 2025-12-13
Chapter: CHAPTER 21 — Gilded Cage, Glass WallsNARRATOR The words, "She's hired," still hung in the air of the boardroom, a decision that felt less like an offer and more like a sentence Michael had passed on himself. He didn't look at the approving nods of the board. His gaze was a brand on Layla's skin."Eleanor will get you settled," he said, his voice stripped of all warmth, reverting to the cool, impersonal tone of a CEO. He pulled his phone from his pocket, thumbs moving with sharp, efficient taps. A message sent. A command given.Layla forced a polite smile to the board members and walked out, the click of her heels on the polished floor the only sound in the silent, tense room. She didn't look back, but she felt him watching her until the door swung shut.In the hushed, opulent hallway, a woman was already waiting. Eleanor. Michael’s executive assistant was in her fifties, dressed in immaculate, severe grey. Her hair was a perfect silver bob, and her eyes held the calm, assessing look of someone who had survived decades i
Última actualización: 2025-12-13
Chapter: CHAPTER 20 -I Got the JobLayla’s POVThe morning sun through the penthouse windows felt too bright, too honest. I woke with my plan locked in place, a cold, sharp key turning in my chest. To get inside,to get close,to save Anna and safe myself from going to prison My phone glowed on the nightstand.Miller: Progress?Two words that stole the air from my lungs. I deleted them. Today, I promised the ghost on my screen. It starts today.Michael was already in the kitchen, a tower of silent authority against the skyline. He turned, and the ruthless CEO vanished. His eyes, that pale, cutting blue, softened only for me. It was a look that felt like a claim.“You’re up early,” he said. His voice was low, a private rumble meant just for us.“Couldn’t sleep,” I murmured, pouring coffee. The lie was easy. My hands were steady.He watched me move. He was always watching. “You have a plan,” he stated. He didn’t ask. He knew the look on my face,the one I got when my mind was racing ten steps ahead.I turned, meeting his g
Última actualización: 2025-12-13
Chapter: CHAPTER 19 — The Ghost in the WiresLAYLA’S POVBy the time we reached the penthouse, the city outside felt too bright, too loud, too aware. I stepped through the door first, my pulse still beating out of rhythm from everything that happened at the care home and the club,the photos, the threats, the countdown. The weight of the pen drive in my bag felt like a ticking bomb against my hip.Michael was already there.He stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows with his jacket off, sleeves rolled up, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of water he hadn’t touched. He didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. The moment I crossed the threshold, his shoulders stiffened’like my panic had traveled across the room before I said a word.Something in me curled inward.“Layla?” His voice was low, steady, but edged with something sharp. “What happened?”“Nothing.” The lie came too fast. Too thin.His head tilted slightly, his gaze still fixed on the skyline. “You walked in like you saw a ghost.”“I’m just tired,” I whispere
Última actualización: 2025-12-13
Chapter: CHAPTER 18 — When the Masks FallLAYLA’S POVI hugged Anna tighter than I intended, breathing in the faint scent of her paint-stained hoodie. She giggled, unaware of the war raging behind my eyes, unaware that danger had already walked into her room twice today. We exchanged soft words, promises I wasn’t sure I could keep, but she held me with so much faith that I forced a smile and kissed her forehead. I told her I’d visit again soon, and she squeezed my hand one last time before I left.The moment I stepped outside the care home, the weight returned. My chest tightened, my throat burned, and frustration crawled under my skin until I felt like screaming. My fingers trembled as I opened the app and booked an Uber without thinking. I needed somewhere loud, somewhere dark, somewhere I could breathe before going back to Michael’s penthouse with a pen drive hidden in my bag like a ticking bomb.I needed noise. Chaos. Music. A place where no one cared if I was falling apart.Club Octa.The neon lights hit me the moment I
Última actualización: 2025-12-12
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