Chapter 50

I didn’t even realize I’d stopped breathing until the screen dimmed again.

One message. That was all it took to shift everything.

I sat frozen for a heartbeat too long, staring at Max’s phone like it might flash again and confirm what I thought I saw.

But it didn’t.

It just sat there, innocent and silent, like it hadn’t just detonated something in my chest.

My pulse pounded so loudly I barely noticed Max coming back until I saw his reflection in the glass behind me. I quickly picked up my glass, pretending to sip. Pretending everything was still normal.

“Miss me?” he said with that lazy smile as he returned to his seat.

I smiled. Or tried to.

“You took your time.”

“Couldn’t resist checking myself out in the mirror,” he joked, slipping back into his chair, completely unaware of what I’d just read.

I couldn’t stop the questions racing through my mind.

The irony wasn’t lost on me, how I had once leaned on Max for protection, for support, for some kind of security. And now here I was, sitting across from him, calculating my next move while pretending I still trusted him.

It made my stomach twist.

Who was the contact? Who sent that message? And more importantly, why was someone expecting Max to get anything from me?

He noticed the shift. He was watching me now, trying to read something in my face. If he sensed it, he didn’t say. Instead, he picked up his phone, the very one that had just betrayed him and dropped it casually into his pocket like it hadn’t just tried to use me.

I told myself to focus. To act normal.

Max continued eating like nothing had changed. Like this was still a lunch date.

But for me, the air had shifted.

I pushed the rest of my salad around my plate, my appetite now completely gone.

“Still thinking about work?” he asked.

I nodded. “It’s a busy season.”

Max reached for his drink, leaned in a little. “You’ve always been a workaholic. That’s one of the things I admire about you, you know. You never do anything halfway.”

I almost laughed. You have no idea, I wanted to say.

But I just smiled tightly. “Thanks.”

“I hope they didn’t forget our dessert,” he said, glancing around like we were still on some casual date.

I let the silence stretch for a few seconds too long before forcing my voice to work again. “Actually… I should probably get back soon. There’s still quite a bit to wrap up at the office.”

Max blinked. “Already?”

“You know how it is,” I said, trying to sound apologetic. “Deadlines.”

He nodded slowly, then smiled. “Of course. But I’m still taking you to your appointment next week.”

I offered a non committal hum. “I’ll send the details.”

We stepped out of the café together, and he walked me back to the car and drove me to the office. His hand brushed mine once, lingering a little longer than necessary, but I kept my arms folded.

I was no longer listening to the words coming out of his mouth. I was watching everything else, his eyes, his tone, the subtle shift in energy. Things I hadn’t noticed before now screamed at me to pay attention.

We stopped outside the building and I turned to him.

“Thanks for lunch,” I said softly.

“Anytime, Lila.”

He leaned in, brushing a kiss against my cheek before stepping out to open my door like nothing had changed.

But everything had.

I didn’t head straight back to my desk. I ducked into the restroom, locked the farthest stall, and sat down, my heart still hammering.

That message.

I kept replaying it.

Has she told you anything interesting about the launch?

He wasn’t just curious.

He was reporting back.

And if that message meant what I thought it did, then Max wasn’t just fishing. He was working with someone. For something. And I was the bait.

Or… I had been.

Until now.

If I wanted to know what Max was up to, I needed to play this right. I couldn’t confront him yet, not without proof. I didn't know if I should tell Drew, it concerns him as much as it concerned me because this wasn’t just about a rocky relationship or a secret betrayal. This was about the launch, about the one project Drew had poured himself into. The one thing he had trusted me to guard, nurture, and deliver.

I wanted to tell him. My first instinct was to walk into his office, shut the door, and say everything, the message, the suspicion, all of it.

But then I paused.

Would he believe me?

Would he think I was just projecting doubts because Max and I had history?

Worse… would he see me as someone unreliable? Someone torn between loyalties? Would he question why I hadn’t come clean sooner?

And what if I was wrong?

What if I misunderstood the message?

It could’ve been about something else entirely… couldn’t it?

But no. It couldn’t have. Not with the exact wording. Not with the way Max had been pressing for launch details. Not with how carefully he’d wrapped his questions in care and concern.

Still, this wasn’t something I could toss into conversation casually.

Drew thought Max and I were… something.

Even though I was no longer sure of what we were, Drew probably saw us through the lens of appearances. And in his eyes, I would be betraying someone I claimed to love.

He wouldn’t expect that from me.

So I decided not to tell him anything.

For now.

Instead, I did something else.

If Max was trying to manipulate me, I needed to be one step ahead. I needed proof. I needed to know how far he’d go and who he was working with.

Which meant it was time for a bait.

Something believable, harmless… but traceable.

So I’d give Max exactly what he was looking for.

Sort of.

A decoy. Something believable. Tempting, even.

If this was a game, I was done playing defensively.

It was time to see how far Max was willing to go.

The plan is not to trap him.

Not yet.

But to watch.

To wait.

To see what he would do next.

This time around I wasn't going to let my feelings cloud my judgment.

And I am going to make sure that I am ready when the truth finally revealed itself.