CHAPTER 8- CLOSE QUARTERS, CLOSER SECRETS

(Jane’s POV)

After breakfast, I couldn’t bring myself to return to the dining table.

I needed to get some fresh air or at least some semblance of it in this penthouse, which felt so detached from the real world below. Everything about this place was too grand, too immaculate, almost too staged. It wasn’t designed for living; it was crafted for control.

Just like the man who owned it.

As I wandered through the spacious rooms, I let my fingers lightly brush against the cold, flawless walls. They felt so sterile, there wasn’t a single family photo or any hint of personal warmth.

William lived as if he expected to vanish at any moment.

I paused in a long corridor lined with towering doors. One door was closed,his office, the forbidden room. The others stood open, leading to areas I wasn’t quite ready to explore. I couldn't face uncovering too much about him just yet or risk being caught knowing more than I should.

My steps carried me to the living room, where enormous windows opened up to the city sprawled out below like a glittering map. Cars zipped by like tiny sparks, and people walked with purpose, while I felt imprisoned within someone else’s luxurious cage.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

This wasn’t my life.

This wasn’t my home.

This wasn’t… anything I recognized.

A shaky breath escaped me. “What am I doing here?”

The penthouse provided no answer.

Then I flinched at a sharp voice cutting through the silence.

“Jane.”

I turned to see William standing several feet away, his expression as unreadable as ever. His hair was impeccably styled, and he stood as rigid as if he were carved from stone. Even the way he held his tablet exuded a sense of control.

“You’re supposed to be preparing for the briefing,” he said.

I gestured helplessly around the room. “I was just… trying to breathe.”

He blinked once. “Breathing is perfectly fine.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He didn’t smile, of course he didn’t. He seemed allergic to anything resembling happiness.

His gaze flicked past me, toward his closed office door. “Stay away from that room.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you hiding a dead body in there?”

“Only my sanity.”

I stared, stunned.

He stared back.

Was that… sarcasm?

Dry, sharp, and subtly dangerous sarcasm.

From William.

I had to be imagining things.

Before I could respond, he turned away.

“Come. You need to speak with my head of security.”

I followed reluctantly.

But as I passed his office door, a nagging feeling whispered in my mind:

There’s something inside he doesn’t want you to find out.

The briefing room was sleek, with screens lining the walls. Waiting for us was a tall woman with piercing eyes and a tighter bun than any ballet dancer. She didn’t look pleased to see me.

“This is Elena,” William introduced her. “She’s in charge of security.”

Elena offered a stiff nod. “Miss Mark.”

“I prefer Jane,” I replied.

“Miss Mark,” she reiterated.

Okay, then.

She handed me a folder thick enough to be a college textbook. “This contains your safety protocols. You will memorize it.”

“Memorize?” I nearly gasped. “How many pages is this?”

“Seventy-two.”

“Seventy-two?!”

William crossed his arms. “This is for your protection.”

“I thought being here was for my protection.”

“That’s step one,” he said. “This is step two.”

Elena clicked a remote, and the screens lit up with images of paparazzi, bloggers, and reporters faces everywhere.

“You’re currently the most photographed civilian in the city,” she said flatly. “Your actions must be predictable. Controlled.”

Heat drained from my face.

Elena continued, “You don’t answer unknown calls. You don’t read the comments. You never go anywhere alone. You don’t open the door under any circumstances.....”

“She won’t remember all that,” I muttered under my breath.

“She will,” Elena insisted.

“This is ridiculous,” I whispered.

“No,” William said, his voice dropping in volume but rising in intensity, “this is necessary.”

The weight of that word hung heavily in the air.

Necessary.

As if it were a declaration of war.

Maybe it was.

Once we stepped outside, it felt like my brain was doing somersaults.

“How do ordinary people manage around you?” I asked, trying to keep it light.

“They don’t,” William responded, his tone flat.

“Good one,” I muttered under my breath.

“It wasn’t meant to be funny.”

I rubbed my forehead, feeling the weight of everything. “This is overwhelming.”

William walked ahead, his hands tucked into his pockets, seemingly unfazed by the chaos swirling around us. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I’m not a machine, William.”

“No,” he replied, stopping to look back at me. “You’re a person living in a fishbowl. That necessitates discipline.”

His serious demeanor made my throat tighten, and I leaned against the wall for support.

“I didn’t wake up yesterday expecting my life to unravel,” I whispered. “I never asked for any of this.”

He regarded me thoughtfully.

Not with scorn.

Not with annoyance.

But with something deeper could it be… concern?

“You didn’t choose this,” he said, “but it’s your reality now. All you can do is heal.”

I swallowed hard. “That sounds easy when you say it.”

“It’s not easy.” He paused. “But it is achievable.”

With a slow and painful nod, I acknowledged his words.

He gestured for me to follow him. “You should eat something.”

“Seriously? You treat me like I’m a starving cat.”

“You look like you might faint.”

I shot him a puzzled look.

“And you just say things like that to people?”

“It’s just an observation.”

“An unfiltered and offensive one.”

“Most truths are,” he shrugged.

I sighed. “I need some space.”

“We're in a penthouse, Jane. There's plenty of space.”

“I mean emotional space!”

“Oh,” he nodded as if he understood. “That I can’t provide. It would only complicate matters.”

“Complicate things for whom?”

“For you.”

I felt the urge to argue, but something in his tone held me back.

It was laced with an experience I couldn’t ignore.

I left him standing there in the hallway and wandered off until I found a quiet spot in the living room. I settled into a seat by the window and gazed out at the city.

I longed for my mother. I craved normalcy. I needed…

Then a voice caught my attention, making me look up.

William.

He wasn’t speaking with his usual calm demeanor.

There was no control.

No coldness.

He was angry.

Truly, deeply angry.

The door to his office was slightly ajar, allowing his voice to spill into the hallway.

“I told you this shouldn’t have gone public,” he hissed into his phone. “It was supposed to be internal. PRIVATE.”

I froze.

His tone was razor-sharp.

“No...listen to me...someone leaked this to the bloggers before the PR team even caught wind. Someone from within.”

My heart raced.

From within his organization?

I held my breath as he continued.

“If I find out who did this, I swear....”

A pause.

“I’m not concerned about contracts. I don’t care about negotiations. Someone has been undermining me for months and this....this photo was intentional.”

My pulse quickened.

Intentional?

He was pacing now, his boots echoing against the floor.

“This wasn’t a coincidence. Someone wanted the scandal. Someone desired the chaos.”

My stomach churned.

Someone wanted this?

Wanted me to be destroyed?

Wanted to tarnish him?

The clarity hit me like a bucket of cold water.

This was no accident.

Someone had set it all in motion.

My palms turned clammy.

William's voice dropped to a dangerously low tone: “Find out who has access to internal footage. Check every staff login, every device, every timestamp. I want names before midnight.”

Footage?

Of what?

Of me and him?

I swallowed hard.

He ended the call abruptly, and silence enveloped the space.

Then, in a softer but still razor-sharp tone, he asked, “Who’s there?”

I jumped slightly.

The office door swung open wider, and William stepped out, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on me.

He approached, his movements deliberate but intense.

“How much did you overhear?”

I swallowed, guilt creeping in. “Not… everything.”

“That’s not very specific.”

I took a deep breath. “Just that someone leaked the photo on purpose.”

His jaw tightened.

“That information was private,” he said, his voice low.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop....”

“But you did.”

“I was just sitting.....”

“It doesn’t change anything.”

His gaze locked onto mine sharp, unreadable, charged with something volatile.

“You weren’t supposed to find out about this yet.”

“Why not?” I asked in a hushed tone. “Is it to keep me from freaking out?”

“Because,” he replied carefully, “I didn’t want you to realize that you’ve been targeted.”

The word hit me like a cold wave.

Targeted.

Me.

My legs felt unsteady beneath me.

He moved closer, lowering his voice. It was steady, but still warm.

“Jane,” he said, “this wasn’t just a random incident. Someone set this scandal in motion. Someone intended for the world to view you in the worst light.”

I felt my lip tremble. “But why would anyone do that? I don’t know anyone who would want to hurt me. I’m nobody important.”

“Perhaps it wasn’t really about you.”

His expression turned serious.

“Maybe it was about me.”

A chill coursed through me.

“William,” I breathed, “what exactly have we gotten ourselves into?”

He didn’t respond directly.

Instead, he murmured,

“You’re not safe yet.”

The weight of his words struck me hard.

My heart raced.

“And until we figure out who’s behind this,” he continued, “you need to stay close. Very close.”

I looked at him, my heart pounding in my ears.

It dawned on me for the first time

This wasn’t merely public relations.

This wasn’t just about managing a reputation.

This was a real threat.

And William…

The aloof, composed, seemingly unreachable man…

Was my only line of defense.