Worried

Ethan blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. "Status? We've been trying to get him to talk for three weeks. You think one more day is going to change anything?"

"I need him to break."

"He's not going to break, you know that. We both know that."

"Then we're asking the wrong questions." I stood, moving to the window. The estate stretched out before me, dark and imposing. "He's not working alone, he never was. Find out who he was in contact with before he was caught. Someone on the outside knows something, someone close to him."

Ethan was quiet for a moment. "You think I haven’t dug into his personal connections?"

"I don’t care, I want you to find me a lead. That's all I need." I turned back to face him. "Time is against us, Ethan. You know what happens if we don't get answers soon, you know what's at stake."

He nodded slowly. "I'll search again tonight. But I'm telling you now, this is a long shot."

"It's the only shot we have. And also, leave him for me, there is a discussion I should have had with him earlier on, the moment he was brought in. I gave him an easy way but he chose the hard way."

Ethan nodded and moved toward the door, then paused. His hand rested on the handle, his back still to me.

"One more thing," he said quietly. "About your new wife"

I waited.

"There are people who don't want her here. You know that, right? Evelyn, Victoria. They're going to come for her, especially Victoria. You just gave her the perfect weapon, a wife no one knows anything about. She's going to exploit that."

"I know."

"Then why?" He turned, his expression was filled with confusion. "Why put her in that position? Why put yourself in that position? You could have silenced her in a dozen other ways. You could have made her disappear and no one would have ever known. But instead"

"She's mine to deal with." The words came out before I could stop them.

Ethan stared at me.

“You should leave.” I dismissed him.

"I'll get you those names," Ethan said finally, his voice softer now. "But Landon, be careful, you've never let someone get this close in a long time. There's a reason for that."

He left after that, knowing fully well I won’t give him a response.

I stood in the middle of my sanctuary, the whiskey long forgotten, Layla's face burned into my memory like a brand.

*You've never let someone get this close before.*

He was right.

But he didn't understand.

I had my reasons.

---

Third Person POV

Nicole Hart, Layla's close friend, more like a family friend, was in the middle of editing her latest article when her phone buzzed across her desk.

She glanced at the screen and frowned.

Daniel.

It was past midnight. Daniel never called this late unless something was wrong.

She answered on the second ring.

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

There was a pause on the other end. Then his voice came through, rough and strained like he hadn't slept in days.

"Nicole, I need to tell you something."

She sat up straighter, her editing forgotten. "You're scaring me. What happened?"

"It's Layla."

Nicole's heart dropped. "What about Layla? Is she hurt? Is she—"

"She's married."

The words hung in the air between them.

Nicole blinked. "What?"

"Layla is married."

"That's not possible." Nicole laughed, but there was no humor in it. "She would have told me, I'm her best friend, she tells me everything. She would have"

"Nicole." Daniel's voice cut through her rambling. "I'm serious."

She went quiet.

A cold feeling crept up her spine. "Daniel." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Who did she marry?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Landon Cross."

Nicole felt the world tilt. "Landon Cross," she repeated slowly. "As in... the Cross family? The Cross empire? That Landon Cross?"

"Yes."

"How?" The word came out sharp and demanding. "How is that possible? She hates them. She's spent years"

"I know what she's spent years doing." Daniel's voice was heavy. "I was there. Remember?"

Nicole pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to process everything. "When did this happen? How long has she been married to him?"

"Today. It happened today."

"Today?" Nicole's voice cracked. "She got married today and didn't tell me? She didn't call me?"

"She didn't call anyone." Daniel's voice was hollow. "She didn't even tell me properly. I had to find out when her new husband's men showed up at her apartment to pack her things."

Nicole was on her feet now, pacing her office, her mind racing.

"Daniel, this doesn't make sense. This doesn't make any sense. Layla would never do such."

"I know she wouldn't." His voice broke slightly. "That's why I'm scared."

Nicole stopped pacing.

"Explain." Her voice was steel now. "Tell me everything. From the beginning."

Daniel took a deep breath. Then he told her.

"I asked her if she was being forced," he finished. "She said no. But Nicole, you know her. You know when she's lying."

Nicole's jaw tightened. "Yes, I do."

"I tried to follow her," Daniel continued. "I tried to stop her. But those men, they're not normal bodyguards, they're trained, very trained. I couldn't get past them."

"Daniel." Nicole sat down heavily in her chair. "Do you have any idea what this means? Layla Vance, married to Landon Cross? The Cross family has been her enemy for years."

"I know what the Cross family did." Daniel's voice was sharp. "I was there when her father fell apart." He stopped, breathing heavily. "The point is, I don't know what's happening to her. And she doesn’t even want to talk to me."

"Because her husband's men are probably monitoring her," Nicole said flatly. "You're lucky you got through at all."

"Shit." Daniel cursed.

"I'll look into the Cross family." Nicole suddenly voiced out.

Daniel was silent. "How is that possible? They are very thorough, I doubt you will see anything."

"I mean what I said." Nicole was already pulling up files on her computer. "I'm a journalist. I have resources and I have contacts, really nice ones. If anyone can find out what's really going on in that house, it's me."

"Are you"

"Don't tell me to be careful." Her voice was firm. "Layla is like a sister to me, I've known her since we were six years old. If she's in danger, I'm not going to sit back and do nothing."

Daniel sighed. "I wasn’t going to stop you, I just want you to keep me updated."

"I will."

"Why don’t we meet tomorrow, in the morning. The coffee shop on Kensington."

Nicole's eyes narrowed. "Daniel, what did you find?"

"I will tell you tomorrow. I can't say anything over the phone."

"Daniel?"

"Please." His voice cracked. "Just meet me. 9am."

Nicole closed her eyes, her grip tightening on her phone. "Fine. 9am. But don’t you dare do anything stupid that can jeopardize Layla’s safety."

"I know." His voice was barely audible.

Nicole ended the call and let out a deep breath.

“What type of game are you playing Layla?” She whispered.