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Chapter 8: The sabotage
Last Updated:
2026-02-03 09:23:19
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SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW Chapter 9: The invitation
The next few days were quiet, but it was the kind of quiet you feel before a bomb goes off. I heard through the grapevine that Marcus and Sienna had a public screaming match in the lobby of Sterling Media. He had accused her of being a traitor, and she had told him he was a loser who was going nowhere. They were still "together," but the trust was gone. The poison I had planted was doing its work.Then came Friday.A black box was delivered to my door at noon. There was no card, just a heavy piece of vellum with a single letter embossed in gold: T.Inside was a gown that made my breath catch. It was black, but not a boring black. It was made of midnight velvet that seemed to absorb the light around it. It had a high neck and long sleeves, but the back was completely open, a deep V that went down to my waist. It looked like armor. It looked like power.I spent hours getting ready. I didn't want to look like the "poor little rich girl" anymore. I pulled my hair back into a tight, sleek
SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW Chapter 8: The sabotage
The silence in my apartment after they left wasn't peaceful. It was heavy. It felt like the air before a massive storm, where everything is too still and you can hear your own heartbeat in your ears. I stood at the window, my forehead pressed against the cool glass, watching Marcus’s taillights disappear into the rain.I knew what they were doing in that car. Marcus would be yelling, blaming Sienna for not "managing" me better. Sienna would be crying fake tears, telling him she was doing her best while secretly wondering if Marcus was actually as smart as she thought he was.In my first life, I was the one crying. I was the one begging for their approval."Never again," I whispered.I walked over to my desk and opened my laptop. The glow of the screen felt like the only real thing in a world made of ghosts. I had a plan, and it started with a very specific email.There was a company called Sterling Media. They were the direct rivals to the firm Marcus was trying to partner with. The C
SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW Chapter 7: mistress appears
Marcus stood up the second he saw me. He looked a mess. His tie was loosened, his hair was pushed back like he’d been running his hands through it all night, and his face was a dark, angry red. He looked at the velvet box in my hand, then at my dress, and then finally at my eyes."Where have you been?" he demanded. He didn't even try to lower his voice. The doorman looked away, pretending to polish a brass railing. "I’ve been sitting here for four hours, Clara. Your phone went straight to voicemail. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?"I didn't stop. I walked right past him toward the elevators. I didn't feel like the girl who used to apologize for being five minutes late. I felt like I was made of iron."I told you I needed space, Marcus," I said. My voice was calm, which I knew would make him even angrier. "I went to an auction. It was a private event.""An auction?" He followed me into the elevator, his shoes squeaking on the marble. As the doors shut, he grabbed my shoulde
SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW Chapter 6: The warning
The interior of Alistair’s car smelled like expensive leather and old secrets. It was silent, the kind of silence that feels heavy in your ears. Outside, the city lights blurred into long streaks of neon, but inside the blacked-out windows, it felt like we were in another dimension.Alistair sat in the corner of the seat, his long legs crossed. He didn't look at me. He was staring out the window, his jaw set in a hard line. He looked like he was thinking about a thousand things at once, and none of them were good."You have eight minutes left," he said. He didn't check his watch. He just knew.My heart was doing a frantic dance in my chest, but I kept my hands folded neatly in my lap. "In three months, Marcus Reed is going to announce a partnership with the South-Side Port Authority. He told you he’s building tech for them, right?"Alistair’s eyes flicked to mine. They were cold and sharp, like the edge of a knife. "How do you know what he told me?""Because I was the one who wrote th
SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW Chapter 5: The Auction
The air inside the ballroom was thick with the scent of lilies and the kind of perfume that cost more than a month of my old rent. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, dripping with light that made the diamonds on everyone’s necks sparkle like ice. In my first life, I would have been hiding in a corner, hoping Marcus would come find me. Tonight, I stood in the center of the room and let them look.I saw Alistair Thorne before he saw me. He was standing by a marble pillar, a glass of dark amber liquid in his hand. He wasn't talking to anyone. He didn't need to. He had this gravity about him—people stayed a few feet away, whispering about him, too afraid to actually step into his circle.He was exactly how the rumors described him. Cold. Dangerous. Like a wolf that had walked into a room full of sheep and was just deciding which one to eat first.I felt a flutter of fear in my stomach, but I crushed it. I had died once. There was nothing this man could do to me that was worse than
SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW Chapter 4:The observation
The next three days were a lesson in how to watch a man drown without jumping in to save him.I stayed in my apartment, keeping the lights low and the door locked. Marcus called me thirty-two times. He sent texts that went from sweet and worried to angry and demanding, then back to sweet again. In my first life, I would have been crying by the third call, apologizing for making him wait. Now, I just watched my phone light up on the kitchen counter like a dying star.On Friday morning, I finally picked up."Clara! God, finally!" Marcus sounded like he hadn't slept. His voice was jagged. "I’ve been coming by your place, but the doorman won't let me up. What is going on? We need to talk about the bank. I found a guy who can help us skip the audit."I leaned back against my headboard, filing my nails. I felt a cold, dark thrill at the desperation in his voice. "I told you, Marcus. I’m stressed. The lawyers told me not to talk to anyone about the finances until it’s cleared.""I'm not 'any
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