The Interrogation

“Three days just became a liability.”

The words landed in the room like a gavel.

Bisi didn’t flinch. “Yeah, no kidding. You’re telling me my best friend is accidentally cohabitating with a man who has a Wikipedia page and a security team?”

Zara was still stuck on the name. _Bastian Cole._ Not just Bastian. _Cole._ As in Cole Capital Group. As in the building with his name on it, which owned half the city.

She looked at him. Really looked.

The watch. The apartment. The way security had said “Mr Cole” like it was a verb.

“Is it true?” Her voice was quiet.

Bastian didn’t look at her. He looked at Bisi. “How many people know I’m here?”

“Just me,” Bisi said. “As of thirty seconds ago. Congratulations.”

“Who told you I was missing?”

“No one had to tell me.” Bisi crossed her arms. “It was in Forbes. ‘Reclusive Heir Vanishes Before Merger.’ Had your picture. The same face you’re using to drink my coffee.”

Zara felt sick, her grip tightened. Not because he was rich. Because he’d lied. By omission, by silence, by _no questions._ Same as Daniel.

“It’s not the same,” Bastian said, and she realised she’d said it out loud.

“It feels the same,” Zara snapped.

“Daniel lied about who he was with.” His voice was flat. “I didn’t tell you who I was. There’s a difference.”

“To you.”

“To everyone.”

“Okay!” Bisi clapped once, hard. “Fun. We’re doing the ‘rich man morality’ TED Talk. Can we do it after we figure out why her psycho ex is currently staring at your building like he’s waiting for a movie to start?”

Bastian’s head turned toward the window. He didn’t walk to it. He didn’t have to. “He’s still there.”

“How do you know?” Zara asked.

“Because men like him don’t leave until they’ve been seen.” He pulled his phone out, tapped once, and held it to his ear. “James. Lobby. The man in the grey coat. I want a name, a plate, and a reason to file a restraining order by noon.” He hung up.

Bisi let out a low whistle. “James?”

“Head of security.”

“Right. Cool. Normal.” Bisi looked at Zara. “Zee, your type has escalated. Impressively. From cheater to corporate overlord in under twelve hours.”

“I’m not…” Zara stopped. “We’re not…” She gestured between her and Bastian. “There is no type. There is a three-day… situation.”

“Three days,” Bastian repeated. “Which you’ve now halved, because your friend knows.”

Bisi raised her hand. “Hey. ‘Your friend’ has a name. And ‘your friend’ is the reason Zara isn’t currently crying in a bus station. So maybe don’t talk about me like I’m a data leak.”

“You are a data leak,” Bastian said. “One Daniel already identified.” He nodded at Zara’s phone on the counter. “He texted her: _I saw your friend Bisi. She knows where you are. That means he followed you here.”

Bisi went pale. “He followed me?”

“Or your car. Or your phone.” Bastian’s tone didn’t change, but the room felt smaller. “You led him here.”

“Whoa.” Bisi held up both hands. “I didn’t…”

“I know you didn’t mean to.” Bastian cut her off, but not unkindly. Precisely. “Intent doesn’t matter to men like him. Access does.”

Zara watched him. This was new. He wasn’t cold. He was _efficient_. Assessing threats. Deploying resources. The same way he probably bought companies.

“Stop,” she said.

He looked at her.

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Zara said. “Stop talking about Bisi like she’s a… a breach. She’s my best friend. She’s the only person who picked up when I…” Her voice caught. She swallowed it. “When I needed someone.”

Something in Bastian’s face shifted. Not soft. Just… less fortified.

He nodded once. “Fine.” He looked at Bisi. “Are you loyal to her?”

Bisi barked a laugh. “Are you serious? I once hid her from her mom in my closet for six hours because she failed math. I’m loyal.”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“I’ve been keeping the fact that she cried at _The Notebook_ since 2019. Yes.”

“Can you disappear for forty-eight hours?”

Bisi’s smile dropped. “What?”

“Daniel knows your face,” Bastian said. “He knows you’re the link. He’ll use you to get to her. Or he’ll use her to get to you. The variable has to be removed.”

“Bastian,” Zara said, warning.

“I’m not hurting her,” he said without looking at Zara. “I’m hiding her. Safe house. New phone. Security until Daniel is handled.” He met Bisi’s eyes. “Two days. Then you decide if you want to stay in this or walk away clean.”

Bisi was quiet for a long moment. Then she looked at Zara. “Is he always like this?”

“I’ve known him for one day,” Zara said. “So, yes?”

Bisi nodded slowly. Then she looked back at Bastian. “If I say no?”

“Then I can’t guarantee her safety,” Bastian said. Simple. True. “Or yours.”

The intercom buzzed again.

All three of them went still.

Bastian hit the button. “What?”

“Mr Cole,” security. “Police are here. Mr Walter got aggressive with the desk. They’re taking him in for trespassing.”

Relief hit Zara so fast her knees almost gave out.

Bastian’s expression didn’t change. “Did he say anything?”

“Yes, sir. He said to tell ‘Zara’ that ‘Vivienne says hi.’”

The name meant nothing to Zara.

It meant something to Bastian.

His whole body went quiet. The kind of quiet that came before storms.

He ended the call.

Bisi looked between them. “Who’s Vivienne?”

Bastian didn’t answer. He looked at Zara.

And for the first time, he looked like a man who was afraid.

“Three days,” he said. “We’re going to need more than three days.”