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Chapter 16: The Enemy in the Shadows
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2025-11-15 00:55:35Lena stared at Alexander, her breath caught in her throat.
Someone trying to “destroy them both”?
Her pulse hammered painfully.
“Alex,” she whispered, “who is it?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he checked the hallway, closed his office door, and locked it — something he never did during work hours.
That alone terrified her.
He turned back to her, his expression darker than she’d ever seen. “The note wasn’t sent by Victoria.”
“Then who—?”
“It came from the Board.”
Lena’s blood ran cold. “The… Board? As in, the people who run the company?”
Alexander nodded. “One of them. Maybe more.”
She shook her head slowly. “But… why? What did I do?”
“You exist,” he said quietly. “That’s enough.”
The words hit her like a slap.
Alexander approached her, voice low and urgent. “Lena, I’ve been fighting battles behind the scenes for years. The Board wants control of the company. They want to weaken me — and they’ll use anything they can.”
“Even me,” she whispered, heart breaking at the thought.
“Especially you.” His jaw tightened. “Because they see you as leverage.”
Lena’s legs felt weak. She sank into the nearest chair. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have—”
“No.” His voice cut through the air, sharper than she’d ever heard. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one they want. You’re just the easiest way to hurt me.”
Lena’s chest tightened so painfully she could barely breathe. “Then what do we do?”
Alexander rubbed the back of his neck — a rare sign of stress. “We stay quiet. Careful. Invisible. And you do not let them corner you.”
“I didn’t let them,” she said softly. “They backed me into a wall.”
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, as though trying to contain the storm inside him. “I shouldn’t have let this happen. I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess.”
“Alex…” She reached out, hesitating before touching his hand. “I walked into this too. You didn’t force me.”
His eyes opened, locking onto hers. They were softer now — full of something dangerously close to regret. “I care about you more than I should,” he whispered. “And that’s exactly why you’re in danger.”
Before she could answer, a sharp knock echoed through the door.
Alexander stiffened. “Don’t move.”
He unlocked the door, pulling it open slightly.
Jamie stood there again, holding a stack of files. Her expression was neutral — too neutral.
“Mr. Knight,” she said. “I need a signature. The Board is calling an emergency meeting this afternoon.”
Alexander’s eyes flickered with suspicion. “Did they say why?”
“No,” Jamie said. “But they requested Lena’s presence, too.”
Lena’s stomach dropped. “Me?”
Jamie nodded slowly. “Yes. They want to ‘clarify’ the situation.”
Alexander’s voice darkened. “She’s not under investigation.”
Jamie hesitated. “That’s… not what I heard.”
Fear surged through Lena.
Jamie handed Alexander the document. “The meeting is in two hours.”
She turned to Lena, offering a sympathetic glance. “Just… be honest. They’re not the enemy.”
But Lena watched her carefully.
Jamie knew more than she was saying.
When she left, Alexander shut the door again, his shoulders rigid with anger.
“They’re trying to trap you,” he muttered. “They want you scared. Unsteady. Vulnerable.”
Lena hugged her arms to her chest. “Why me?”
“Because you’re close to me,” he said. “And they want to know how close.”
The implication hit Lena like ice.
The glances.
The tension.
Did someone see something?
Alexander stepped closer. “Listen to me carefully. In the meeting, say nothing extra. Answer only what they ask. Don’t volunteer anything.”
She nodded shakily. “What will you say?”
A dark smirk crossed his lips — the kind he reserved for moments he was preparing for war.
“The truth,” he said. “That you are a valuable employee. That you’ve done nothing wrong. That this investigation is a waste of time.”
“And if they push?” she asked.
His eyes hardened. “Then I push back.”
Lena exhaled slowly, fear and hope twisting together inside her.
“Alex… what if this destroys your career?”
He stepped closer, so close she could feel his warmth.
“I’m more worried about losing you.”
She froze — her breath catching, her heart stuttering.
Before she could respond, a shadow passed under the office door.
Someone was listening.
Alexander’s expression darkened instantly.
“Lena,” he whispered, “the enemy is closer than we thought.”
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