LOGINShare
Chapter 1: Cracks in the glass
Last Updated:
2025-11-23 18:03:18Jerome Liu always believed he understood the rhythm of his life, predictable, clean, structured. Every morning at seven, he entered the glass tower of LinƩa Cosmetics as its Managing Director. Every evening, he returned home with messages from Vanessa that made the stress of the day dissolve into softness. Every step of his future was neatly laid out, each piece fitting into the next like a perfect puzzle.
But today felt wrong in ways he couldnāt explain.
Jerome stood behind his office desk, tall windows framing Tokyoās skyline. The late afternoon sun painted the city in molten gold. The beauty of it shouldāve soothed him, it usually did.
Instead, he stared at the silent screen of his phone with a tight, uneasy chest.
Vanessa still hadnāt replied.
He had sent her a simple message three hours ago.
Are we still meeting for dinner?
Seen.
No response.
That wasnāt like her.
Jerome exhaled slowly, his fingers drumming on the sleek table. He told himself she was busy. Experiments ran late. Labs demanded time. She had always been dedicated to her work. But even dedication had limits.
This silenceā¦ It felt like something else.
His door opened gently, and Hana, his personal secretary, peeked in. āDirector Liu, your six oāclock meeting wants to reschedule.ā
Jerome nodded absently. āConfirm a new time tomorrow.ā
Hana hesitated before adding, āYou seem troubled today.ā
He forced a smile. āJust tired.ā
She didnāt look convinced, but she bowed and left him alone with the unsettling quiet.
Jerome tapped the edge of his phone, then put it down. He refused to obsess over three unread messages. Vanessa had been acting distant lately, but relationships passed through phases.
Didnāt they?
His gaze drifted to the framed photo on his desk,him and Vanessa at Hakone, steam rising from the hot springs behind them. She was wrapped around his arm, laughing, eyes bright with the same warmth that had captivated him from their very first date.
He remembered how she used to cling to him like he was her safe place.
When has that warmth faded?
Jerome leaned back, closing his eyes. He knew he was overthinking again,something he had done a lot these past weeks. Work pressure, sleepless nights, upcoming product launches, endless meetingsā¦
His phone buzzed sharply.
He sat up quickly but it wasnāt Vanessa.
It was his mother.
Mother: Come to the penthouse tonight. We need to talk.
Jerome frowned.
No greeting. No emojis. No soft words. Just a command, the usual.
Miranda Liu, founder and CEO of LinƩa Cosmetics, had never been a woman who asked. She expected. She directed. She conquered. That was how she built an empire out of nothing while raising him alone.
Jerome typed back:
Jerome: Is everything alright?
Her response came immediately, almost impatient:
Mother: Weāll talk when you get here. Be home by 8. And donāt be late.
He stared at the message, unease curdling in his stomach.
She never asked him to come home for talks. Not unless something major was happening. Or unless she wanted something.
Jerome dropped his phone on the desk, rubbing his temples.
Work chaos.
Vanessa acting strange.
Mother soundingā¦ urgent?
Something was shifting around him, and he didnāt know why.
Later That Evening at Minato Ward, Liu Penthouse
Jerome stepped into the penthouse exactly at 8 PM. The familiar scent of jasmine and polished wood greeted him, along with the soft glow of warm lighting.
āJerome?ā Miranda called from the living room.
He walked over, loosening his tie slightly.
His mother stood by the glass railing overlooking the city. She wore a fitted black dress, elegant and powerful, her long dark hair pinned back. She looked stunning,she always had an aura that commanded admiration without trying.
āYouāre on time,ā she said with a small smile. āGood.ā
āYou asked me to be,ā Jerome replied lightly, though tension pulled at him. āWhatās going on? You soundedā¦ urgent.ā
Miranda gestured to the sofa. āSit. Have tea first.ā
Jerome sat, though his nerves simmered. She poured him a cup of jasmine tea,a ritual she rarely initiated unless she had serious news.
āMother,ā he said slowly. āIs everything alright with the company?ā
āEverything is better than ever,ā she answered smoothly.
āThen what is this about?ā
Miranda looked at him, her expression unreadable. āJeromeā¦ There is something I need to tell you. Something important.ā
He tensed. āWhat kind of āimportantā?ā
She opened her mouth and his phone suddenly buzzed.
Vanessa.
His heart jumped. He lifted a hand apologetically. āGive me a second, it's Vanessa.ā
Miranda frowned slightly, but nodded.
Jerome stepped aside and answered quietly, āVanessa? Are you okay?ā
There was a pause. Her voice came out softā¦ strangeā¦ nervous.
āJeromeā¦ can we talk tomorrow?ā
āTomorrow?ā His brows furrowed. āIāve been trying to reach you all day.ā
āI know,ā she whispered. āIām sorry. Things have been complicated.ā
āComplicated how?ā he asked gently.
Before she could answer, a male voice sounded faintly in the background.
Low.
Deep.
Familiar.
āVanessa? Are you ready?ā
Jeromeās blood went cold.
He didnāt recognize the voice fully, but something about it pricked his memory,sharp, unpleasant.
Vanessa inhaled sharply. āIā¦I have to go.ā
āVanessaā¦ā
The line clicked dead.
Jerome stared at his phone, heart pounding painfully.
Miranda watched him carefully from the sofa. āSomething wrong?ā
He swallowed, forcing steadiness into his voice. āSheāsā¦ busy.ā
Mirandaās eyes softened just a fraction. āJeromeā¦ā
He turned away, unable to hide the slight crack in his voice. āYou were saying you wanted to tell me something?ā
Miranda watched him for a moment longer,her gaze sharper now, as if assessing his emotional state and then she slowly said:
āWe will talk tomorrow. Youāre not in the right mind to hear it tonight.ā
Jerome frowned. āMotherā¦ā
āWeāll speak in the morning,ā she repeated, firm but strangely gentle. āSleep early, Jerome.ā
He studied her.
For the first time in a very long timeā¦ she seemed conflicted.
Jerome didnāt know whether to feel relieved or scared.
As he left the penthouse that night, the
city lights blurry around him, one truth weighed heavy on his chest:
Something in his life was about to break.
He just didnāt know yet which piece would shatter first.
Latest chapter
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 38:"THE BIGGER PICTURE"
"It's fabricated," Jerome said immediately, his voice tight. "It has to be. My mother would never…""Look at the timestamps," Collins said quietly, scrolling through the documents. "Look at the details. These aren't crude forgeries."Akihito took the phone, examining the files with the practiced eye of someone who'd spent decades in corporate finance. His expression grew darker with each page."These could be real," he said finally."No." Jerome stood abruptly, pacing the small office. "No. My mother built her company from nothing. She's meticulous about legal compliance. She would never risk everything for illegal profits.""Unless she didn't think it was a risk," Collins said slowly, pieces clicking into place. "Unless someone convinced her these transactions were legitimate. Someone she trusted."They all looked at each o
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 37:" THE SENATOR'S OFFICE"
Senator Ishikawa's office occupied the top floor of a gleaming government building, with views that stretched across Tokyo like a promise. The Senator himself was in his sixties, silver-haired and sharp-eyed, with the bearing of someone who'd spent decades navigating political minefields.He greeted Akihito with genuine warmth, then studied Collins and Jerome with frank curiosity."So," Ishikawa said, settling behind his massive desk. "Akihito tells me you've uncovered corporate fraud. I'm listening."For the next thirty minutes, Collins and Jerome laid out everything,the photographs, the blackmail, the financial manipulation, and Takeshi's involvement. They presented evidence methodically, building their case piece by piece.Ishikawa listened without interruption, his expression giving nothing away. When they finished, he sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers.
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 36:"CALLING IN FAVOURS"
They worked through the night, dividing tasks with military precision. Collins called every contact from his years abroad—journalists in London, investors in New York, board members who owed him favors. Jerome reached out to his network in Southeast Asia, to competitors who would benefit from exposing corruption, to regulatory officials who took corporate malfeasance personally.By 4 AM, they had commitments from three journalists to run the story if they could provide solid proof. By 5 AM, they had two board members willing to call emergency meetings. By 6 AM, they had assembled a presentation that laid out Takeshi's conspiracy in painful detail.By 7 AM, Collins's phone was ringing off the hook.The first call was from his father's lawyer. "Mr. Tanaka, I'm calling to inform you that you've been placed on administrative leave from Tanaka Corp, effective immediately. All company access h
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 35:"DECLARING WAR"
"In exchange for what?" Collins asked, though he knew."In exchange for walking away from this investigation. From Jerome. From this foolish idea that you can have both the company and the boy." Takeshi's voice softened into something almost fatherly. "Choose the company, Collins. It's what you've always wanted."Collins looked at Jerome, saw his own conflict reflected in those dark eyes.A week ago, Takeshi would have been right. The company was what Collins had always wanted,his father's approval, his rightful place, the validation he'd been chasing his entire life.But that was before midnight tea in the library. Before Jerome's hand in his. Before he'd learned that some things were worth more than approval."No," Collins said."Collins…""I said no. You're right about one thing,I did spend my life wa
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 34:"THE NAME BEHIND THE CURTAINS
The name glowing on Jerome's laptop screen belonged to someone Collins had known his entire life.Takeshi Yamamoto. His father's right-hand man. Chief Operating Officer of Tanaka Corp for fifteen years. The man who had taught Collins how to read quarterly reports, who had attended his university graduation, who had been at his mother's funeral standing silent and supportive beside Akihito."It can't be him," Collins said, even as the evidence stared back at him. "Uncle Takeshi has been with my father since before I was born.""The shell companies trace back to his wife's maiden name," Jerome said, his voice tight. "And look at the timeline. The short positions opened the day after your father announced he was marrying my mother. Before anyone outside the inner circle knew about the merger."Collins felt betrayed in a way he hadn't even felt by his father's ultimatum. Takeshi had been constant, reliable,the closest thing to family Collins had after his mother died."Why would he do thi
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 33:"THE EVIDENCE"
They ended up at Jerome's apartment, surrounded by laptops and printed photographs, trying to piece together who was orchestrating their destruction."The letter to your father," Jerome said, reviewing the copy Collins had photographed before they left. "It's written like someone who knows corporate politics intimately. Someone who understands exactly what words would trigger his suspicions.""And someone who had access to take all these photographs." Collins spread them out on the table. "Look at the angles. Some of these were taken from inside the mansion. From hallways, from the garden, from places only family or staff could access."Jerome's face went pale. "You think someone on the staff is working with the Matsuda Group?""Or someone in the family."They stared at each other as the implications sank in."Who would benefit from sabotaging both the merger and our relationship?" Collins asked.Jerome grabbed his laptop, pulling up financial records. "The Tanaka-LinĆØa merger is wort
You may also like
HIS TO CONQUER
Purpleink27.9K viewsMark Me Yours
deadpeopleflowers33.6K viewsSavage Little Nerd
Queen__Bee36.0K viewsRiver Pack and the Vampires
Abigail Phillips125.9K viewsMy Fireheart
A.P. Morgan11.2K viewsLove Finds A Way (MxM)
Marcy Lee4.9K viewsSold to the cursed Alpha
Nabi280 viewsForbidden love
Kandy_TheAuthor3.8K views
