Chapter 11 - Thirsty Second to Ruin

CHAPTER 11 - Thirty Seconds to Ruin

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He looked directly at me. “A second picture. Much clearer. Much more… compelling.”

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I felt the blood drain from my face. “You’re lying.”

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“Am I? ” he asked casually. “You should check your inbox.”

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My phone vibrated at that exact time.

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I reached for it with shaking hands.

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But he lifted his finger.

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“I wouldn’t open it here,” he said. “You might faint.”

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“You’re manipulating us,” I whispered.

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“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe I’m warning you.”

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He walked toward the door, still smiling.

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Before leaving, he stopped and turned slightly.

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“Oh, and Ethan? ”

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He looked up quickly.

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Marcus’s smile disappeared totally.

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“You’re playing a game you don’t understand.”

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Then he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

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The silence he left behind felt deadly.

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I felt myself shaking. “He knows something. He must.”

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He approached me quickly. “Adrianlistendon’t panic yet.”

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“Don’t panic? ” I whispered. “Marcus doesn’t bluff. If he has another photo”

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He grabbed my arm.

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“Look at me. We handle this together.”

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His voice was strong, but I felt him shaking too.

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“We found the leak,” he said. “We clear your name. We shut down Marcus before he kills everything.”

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My voice broke. “I don’t trust anyone.”

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“Trust me,” he said softly.

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“And if trusting you ruins me? ”

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His eyes softened. “I won’t let that happen.”

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I wanted to believe him.

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God, I wanted to.

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But then my phone vibrated again.

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I unlocked it slowly.

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A new email.

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From an unknown source.

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My heart hammered terribly as I whispered, “This could end me.”

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He stepped closer. “Open it. You won’t face it alone.”

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I tapped the message.

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A picture loaded.

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And everything inside me fell.

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Because this one

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This one didn’t look innocent.

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This one didn’t look like a security meeting.

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This one wasn’t fuzzy.

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This one caught the moment earlier

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the moment when our fingers almost touched.

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It looked close.

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It looked intentional.

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It looked like a confession frozen in time.

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He whispered, “Adrian… say something.”

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But I couldn’t talk.

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My throat burned.

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My chest felt hollow.

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Someone wanted this.

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Someone planned this.

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Someone wanted to ruin me.

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No

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not just me.

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“Someone wants us broken,” I whispered.

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He reached for me, but I pulled back, scared of being seen, terrified of losing more.

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He looked at me with fear and frustration. “Adriandon’t shut me out.”

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“If this goes public,” I whispered, “I won’t survive it.”

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“You will,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

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“You can’t protect me from this.”

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“Then I’ll take the blame,” he said. “All of it.”

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I stared at him, stunned. “You would do that? ”

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He nodded. “Without hesitation.”

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Something inside me tightened painfully.

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But before I could speak, my phone buzzed again.

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A new message.

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Same mystery number.

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My breath caught.

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I opened it.

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A single sentence stared back at me:

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“He won’t survive this game.”

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I looked at him slowly.

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The words weren’t about me.

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They were about him.

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Someone wasn’t just targeting the crown.

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They were targeting him.

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My voice shook with terror as I whispered

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“They’re coming for you next.”

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I stared at the message again, the words burning into my skin.

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He won’t survive this game.

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My breath hitched. “They’re not threatening me anymore. They’re threatening you.”

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He stepped closer, unwilling to show fear. “I don’t care about threats.”

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“Well, I do,” I snapped. “I can lose my crown, but I cannot”

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I stopped myself.

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He caught the pause. “You cannot what? ”

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I swallowed hard. “I cannot watch someone destroy you because of me.”

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His eyes softened in a way that made my chest tighten. “Adrian… you’re not a burden. You’re not a risk. I’m

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here because I choose to be.”

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“You don’t understand,” I whispered. “People who get close to me get hurt. My father. My mother. My”

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I shut my eyes.

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Too much.

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Too raw.

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He touched my wristsoft, steady, grounding.

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“Look at me.”

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I shook my head. “We shouldn’t be this close.”

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“Then push me away,” he said. “Tell me you don’t want me here.”

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I opened my mouth.

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But no words came out.

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He breathed shakily. “Exactly.”

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The air between us felt charged dangerous like one wrong move could burn down the entire house.

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“You think I’m walking away now? ” he whispered. “After everything? ”

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I felt myself leaning toward him without meaning to. “This is dangerous.”

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“So is breathing,” he whispered. “But you still do it.”

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Before I could speak, my phone buzzed again.

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We both froze.

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A new picture appeared live, time-stamped.

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It showed me.

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It showed him.

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It showed us standing too close right now.

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A message followed immediately:

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“Step away from him.

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Or this goes public in thirty seconds.”

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My throat tightened.

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He muttered, “Adrian… What do you want to do? ”

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I felt the world spin as I muttered back

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“I think we’re being watched.”