Mag-log inDaniella’s fingers tightened around the folded napkin until the paper crumpled against her palm.
Emily isn’t your biggest secret.For several long seconds the words refused to settle. They sat there in clean black ink—simple, deliberate, and terrifying.Christian returned to the table just as she folded the napkin and slipped it into her coat pocket.“Everything okay?”She forced a smile that felt too tight for her face.“Marcus?”“He found nothing unusual. BennettDaniella’s fingers tightened around the folded napkin until the paper crumpled against her palm.Emily isn’t your biggest secret.For several long seconds the words refused to settle. They sat there in clean black ink—simple, deliberate, and terrifying.Christian returned to the table just as she folded the napkin and slipped it into her coat pocket.“Everything okay?”She forced a smile that felt too tight for her face.“Marcus?”“He found nothing unusual. Bennett arrived safely at the safe house.”She nodded absently.“That’s good.”Christian studied her carefully.“You look pale.”“I’m just tired.”He reached across the table and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his touch gentle.“Let’s go home.”She didn’t argue.⸻The drive back to the mansion was unusually quiet.Christian kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting over hers. Usually that small contact made her feel anchored. T
Christian couldn’t move.The old letter lay open in his trembling hands, the paper soft and yellowed at the edges from years of careful folding. The room had gone completely still. Even the usual low hum of the city beyond the glass seemed to hold its breath.Marcus was the first to speak.“What else does it say?”Christian lowered his eyes back to the page. When he spoke, his voice was quieter than anyone in the room had ever heard it.“My father…” He swallowed. “He knew they would come after Harper Global one day.”Mr. Bennett nodded once, the movement slow and heavy.“He spent years preparing.”Christian continued reading, the words scraping against something raw in his chest.“If you’re reading this, it means I’ve failed to keep them away.”Daniella watched him carefully. This was no longer just another corporate conspiracy. This was something Christian’s father had anticipated years before his death—something he had tried, and ultimately failed, to shield his son from.Christian’
Christian didn’t leave Daniella’s side for the rest of the evening.After everything that had happened at the safe house, neither of them trusted the silence anymore. Silence had become dangerous. It usually came just before another disaster.The fireplace crackled softly inside the living room as Christian loosened his tie and sat beside her on the couch. His laptop rested open on the coffee table, displaying financial reports neither of them had looked at in almost twenty minutes.Daniella leaned her head against his shoulder.“You should get some sleep.”Christian smiled tiredly.“So should you.”She laughed quietly.“Neither of us is going to.”He kissed the top of her head.“No.”For a few peaceful minutes, they simply sat together. No board meetings. No scandals. No Angela. No Shadow Council. Just the two of them. It almost felt normal. Almost.Christian suddenly broke the silence.“When this is over…”She looked up.
Chapter 136TOO LATEMarcus didn’t wait another second.“We have to move.”Christian was already halfway to the door before the sentence was finished.“Daniella.”He reached for her hand instinctively.“Stay close.”The urgency in his voice sent a chill through her body.Within moments they were back inside the SUV, tires screeching across the gravel driveway as Marcus sped toward the city. The atmosphere inside the vehicle was suffocating.No one spoke.The only sounds were the engine roaring and the rain beginning to fall once again against the windshield.Daniella’s fingers tightened around the seatbelt.“Do we know who attacked the safe house?”Marcus kept his eyes on the road.“No.”“Our surveillance cameras went offline three minutes before the alarm.”Christian cursed under his breath.“They cut the power.”
Morning arrived quietly, but peace never followed Daniella anymore.She stood in front of the bedroom mirror fastening the buttons of a cream blouse while Christian adjusted the cuffs of his charcoal suit behind her. Neither of them had slept much. Between Emily’s confession, the attempted kidnapping, and the growing pressure from the board, exhaustion had settled into both of them.Christian walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.“You keep disappearing into your thoughts.”She met his eyes through the mirror.“I’m just tired.”“You’ve said that every morning this week.”He turned her gently until she was facing him.“Daniella… whatever this Shadow Council is planning, we’ll stop them. Together.”Her heart squeezed painfully. If only he knew there were still secrets she couldn’t tell him. She forced a smile and kissed him softly.“I know.”His phone vibrated. Marcus. Christian answered immediately.“I’m on my wa
The drive back to the mansion was unusually quiet. Rain tapped softly against the windshield as Christian kept both hands firmly on the steering wheel, his jaw tight with concentration. Beside him, Daniella stared out the window, but she wasn’t really seeing the passing buildings. Her mind remained trapped in Marcus’s office, replaying those photographs over and over again.Someone had followed her. Not once. Not twice. For days. Every move she had made had been documented with frightening precision.Christian finally broke the silence. “You’ve been blaming yourself.”She turned to look at him. “I should have been more careful. I shouldn’t have gone after Angela alone.”Christian shook his head. “You weren’t careless. They were prepared.”Daniella sighed heavily. “It still doesn’t change the fact that I walked straight into their trap.”Christian reached across the console and intertwined his fingers with hers, his grip warm and steady. “They wanted informati
“I want you to go undercover.” The moment the words left Christian’s mouth, Daniella genuinely thought she had heard him wrongly. She stared at him from across the office, her brows slowly pulling together in confusion while her brain tried to process what he had just said. “W
“My secretary,” Christian said simply. “Starting now.” The words did not settle immediately. They hung in the air between them, heavy, unexpected, almost unreal. Daniella stared at him, her brows slowly knitting together as if her mind refused to process what she had just heard.
“This will be your room” the older woman spoke as she pushed a door at the end of the hall way open Daniella walked in her eyes observing the entire room, she said nothing to the woman and only nodded. “Don’t you speak?” The woman asked honestly Daniella has been too quiet for her liking and it w
“Stand straight. If you slouch again you’d walk out of that door and never return.” The girl behind Daniella adjusted herself immediately.“I’m sorry,” she whispered, turning her face around to make sure she didn’t embarrass herself in front of the other girls. “Sorry? Really?” another voice scof







