Chapter 75

Lila’s POV

The sound woke me before the light did.

It wasn't the quiet city hum drifting through skyscrapers. Neither was it the faint buzz of my phone. This was sharper and deliberate. I could hear a low shuffle of footsteps, the faint clink of glass and the zip of a bag.

For a moment, my brain lagged, still heavy with sleep, and I didn’t recognize it. My body thought I was home. But the bed beneath me was too soft and the sheets too smooth. The faint scent of expensive detergent clung to the pillow, threaded with something deeper, faint cologne and leather.

And then it hit me.

Drew’s penthouse.

My eyes snapped open. The digital clock glowed red on the bedside table, stabbing its numbers into my vision.

7:27a.m.

“Oh God,” I gasped, shooting upright.

I was late. I was already past the time I usually left for work. Panic tightened my chest as I stumbled out of bed, tugging on the cardigan I had dropped over the chair. My feet hit the floor, carrying me too fast toward the door, as if speed alone could erase the mistake.

The living room stretched wide before me when I pushed the door open. And there he was.

Drew Sinclair.

Already dressed in a steel gray suit, his tie knotted perfectly, not a single strand of dark hair out of place. He stood tall, gathering documents into a sleek leather briefcase, his movements efficient and unhurried, as though the morning bent to his will.

I froze in the doorway, my breath shallow, and then words tumbled out of me, too fast, too anxious.

“I’m so sorry, Drew. I didn’t realize the time and I woke up late. I will get ready right now and be at the office as soon as possible.”

He didn’t look up, just kept putting files into his briefcase and when he was done he clicked it and the sound of the briefcase lock echoed too loudly in the vast space. Finally, he lifted his gaze to mine.

“You’re not coming in today.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” His voice was clipped, firm and immovable. “You’re not coming into the office.”

The apology on my lips died. My pulse kicked harder, confusion rushing in. “But… Drew, I still have so much to do. The launch is practically here. I can’t just…”

His hand lifted, silencing me with a single gesture. “I said no.”

The word cracked through the air like a whip.

Heat rose in my chest. “If this is about yesterday, I assure you that I am fine, really. I feel better already.” I tugged at my sleeve, forcing a smile that felt forced. “See? It's all covered. No one will even notice.”

His jaw clenched. His gaze dropped briefly to my arm where Max’s bruises lay hidden and then flicked back up with a hardness that burned.

“This has nothing to do with appearances. You’re not going in because Max is still out there on the loose. Which means you’re not safe.”

The way he said it, sharp and certain, like it was an absolute truth made my skin prickle.

I crossed my arms, trying to steady my voice. “So what? You want me to just hide? For how long?”

“Until he’s arrested.”

The finality in his tone made my stomach twist. “No, Drew” I shot back. “I only agreed to stay here one night. One. I’m not about to move in here like this is permanent. That’s not happening.”

His eyes flashed, the dark heat in them so intense it rooted me to the spot. “You’re staying here Lila,” he said again, slower this time, but sharper. “It’s the only secure and sensible thing to do.”

Anger flared inside me. “You can’t just decide that for me, Drew! You don’t get to control where I live or how I…”

“I can.” His voice cut through mine like steel. “And I am.”

The air between us snapped tight.

My breath came fast, my chest rising and falling too quickly. “You’re making it sound like this is for me, but it’s not. This is about control. You’re just trying to run my life like it's yours or something.”

Something flickered in his eyes. For a second, I thought he might actually admit it. But instead, he exhaled sharply, like he was giving up an argument he couldn’t explain.

“Fine,” he said at last. His voice was cold and deliberate. “Do you want to hear the truth? Then listen carefully. I’m doing this for my company. I can’t afford to have my event planner distracted or hurt days before launch. If Max is targeting you because you sabotaged his plan, then that makes you my responsibility. So consider this repayment. You’re staying here because you saved me, and I owe you.”

His words slammed into me, clean and rehearsed, like a script. But underneath, I caught the deceit. The lie.

I swallowed, my throat tight. With the look on his face I knew there was no way I was winning this one. “Fine. I’ll stay, but only until the launch. After that, you don’t need to protect me anymore.”

His jaw worked, like he was grinding something between his teeth. But then he nodded. “Until the launch then.”

He smoothed his tie, checked his watch, then snapped the moment shut like it was nothing. “I’ll have your things brought here from the office. You’ll work from home until then.”

Before I could reply, he was at the door, his back a wall I couldn’t get through.

“Help yourself to whatever you need. If you need anything do not hesitate to text or call me.”

And then he was gone.

I tried to keep myself busy, but time moved like wet sand in an hourglass.

I showered, made breakfast, ate slowly, dragging it out as if chewing could kill hours. I even texted my mom, just to check on her but I left Max entirely from our conversation and said everything was going well. I couldn’t bring that fear into her world.

The day stretched endlessly. I cleaned dishes that weren’t dirty. Flipped through my phone without seeing the words. Walked to the windows, stared down at the glittering city far below, then walked back again.

By evening, the walls of the penthouse pressed in like glass bars. I couldn’t sit still anymore.

So I wandered.

The penthouse was vast, like a maze of rooms all too clean, too empty, as though no one truly lived there. The guest bedrooms looked like hotel suites. There was even a gym with equipment that was so polished that it looked unused. Then a library lined with books, all about wealth, dominance and control.

As I kept wandering I came across a door. Adoor left slightly ajar.

And it was his office.

The air changed when I stepped inside.

It was smaller than his company office, but it breathed him more. Dark wood shelves lined the walls, stacked with books. Notebooks and files lay arranged in neat piles, perfectly squared at the edges. The faint scent of leather and ink lingered, sharp and masculine.

I moved carefully, my fingers brushing the edge of his desk. Papers stacked with precision, pens aligned in a cup. Everything screamed control.

I drifted toward the little bookshelf. And scanned through the books there. They looked similar to the ones I saw in the library. Not a single lighthearted title among them.

I almost turned to leave, but my eyes immediately caught something interesting

Not a book. Not a file.

But a picture frame.

Nestled between two thick volumes, almost hidden.

I frowned and reached for it.

The glass was cool under my fingertips, the silver frame polished and out of place among the heavy books.

As soon as I saw the image my breath got slammed out of me.

It wasn’t a family photo or a photo of a woman, probably his girlfriend.

It was an ultrasound.

A sonogram image of an unborn baby in a glass frame.

My chest constricted, breath catching in my throat.

Why would Drew have this?

Did he… have a child? Did he lose someone? Was this the secret behind his fury, his walls and his obsession with control?

Questions barreled into me, one after another, faster than I could process. My stomach flipped, my hands trembling as I stared at the grainy black and white image, the curve of a tiny body suspended in shadows.

I didn’t even notice the sound of footsteps until a voice sliced through the silence.

Cold and Controlled.

“What are you doing here?”

I froze in that moment and the frame nearly slipped from my hands.

As I turned slowly, dread flooded every inch of me.

Drew stood in the doorway, his eyes dark as midnight, his expression unreadable but terrifyingly sharp and his eyes quickly went to the frame in my hands.

I then realized, too late, that I had just stepped into a part of him I was never meant to see.