A lie Wrapped in Truth

The morning air at William Group was crisp, sharp, and unforgiving just like the people inside.

I arrived early, dressed in calm confidence, my steps steady as I entered the towering building. Working here was no longer just about duty. It was about survival. About reclaiming what had once been taken from me my voice, my dignity, my truth.

I had barely settled at my desk when whispers began.

Soft at first. Then louder.

“She’s bold for someone who just married into power.” “I heard she left work early yesterday… with another man.” “Isn’t Selena the one William trusts?”

I ignored them.

I should have known better.

By mid-morning, my assistant approached me nervously. “Luna… Mr. Miller wants to see you. Now.”

The way she avoided my eyes told me everything.

I walked toward William’s office, my heart steady but alert. My wolf stirred uneasily.

The door was already open.

Selena was there.

She stood beside William’s desk, her eyes red, tears clinging delicately to her lashes. She looked fragile. Innocent. Broken.

A masterpiece of deception.

William stood behind his desk, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

“Sit,” he said.

I didn’t.

“I’d rather stand,” I replied calmly.

Selena flinched, as if my voice alone wounded her.

“William,” she whispered shakily, “I didn’t want to say anything. Truly. But I can’t keep quiet anymore.”

I finally turned to her. “About what?”

She gasped, placing a hand over her chest. “You altered the project files. The financial proposal for the Northern Pack merger—you changed the numbers.”

That got my attention.

William’s gaze snapped to me.

“That’s a lie,” I said immediately. “I haven’t even been granted clearance to finalize that file.”

Selena shook her head slowly, tears spilling. “I saw you. You stayed late yesterday. You accessed the system. I didn’t understand why at first… but then the auditors flagged inconsistencies.”

My fingers curled.

Clever.

Too clever.

William pressed a button on his desk. “Pull up the access logs.”

The screen lit up.

And there it was.

My name.

My ID.

My access code.

Time stamped: 9:47 p.m.

The room went silent.

Even I froze.

“That’s impossible,” I said, my voice firm despite the shock coursing through me. “I wasn’t even in the building.”

Selena sobbed softly. “Why would you do this? Are you trying to ruin the company? Or… are you angry at William because he takes care of me?”

Her words were gentle.

Her intent was lethal.

William’s jaw tightened. His Alpha aura leaked into the room, heavy and suffocating. The bond between us trembled, confused, strained.

“Explain,” he said quietly.

Not accusing.

But not defending either.

That hurt more than anger.

“I left early yesterday,” I said evenly. “You know that. I met a childhood friend. I came home late. I never returned here.”

His eyes flickered.

He remembered.

But doubt crept in anyway.

Selena wiped her tears. “She has motive, William. She’s unhappy. She barely tolerates you. She said herself this marriage is nothing but a contract.”

I know you hate me Annie, but you can't keep taking it out on Williams.

I laughed once—short, bitter.

“So now honesty is a crime?”

“Enough,” William snapped.

The room fell silent again.

He looked at Selena.

Then at me.

For the first time, he looked unsure.

“Until this is resolved,” he said slowly, “you’re suspended from active projects.”

My chest tightened, but I kept my chin high.

“And Selena?” I asked.

“She stays,” he replied.

That was the moment something cracked inside me.

Not because I was suspended.

But because, once again, he chose her first.

I turned to leave.

At the door, I paused. “William, I was betrayed by the people I trusted once. It cost me my life.”

His eyes widened slightly.

“I won’t let it happen again,” I finished quietly. “Believe whoever you want and I don't want Selena coming to the mansion again. The truth doesn’t disappear just because it’s inconvenient.”

I walked out.

Behind me, Selena’s tears vanished the second the door closed, Annie you don't get to decide.

Her lips curved into a victorious smile.

But she didn’t see William’s hands shaking.

She didn’t hear his wolf growl in confusion.

And she didn’t know that somewhere deep within the system, a hidden log one she forgot to erase—was waiting to be found.