LOGIN“Read the last line again.”Theo didn’t argue.He handed the phone back to me.I stared at the message like it might change if I looked long enough.NOW YOU’RE EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT YOU.A slow breath left my chest.“They wanted that scene,” I said.Theo nodded once. “Yeah.”Victoria crossed her arms. “Which means we gave them something.”“More than something,” I replied. “We gave them leverage.”Silence.Not the comfortable kind.The kind that pressed in from all sides.“So what now?” Theo asked.I looked up.Straightened.“We take it back.”Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You think that’s still possible?”“I know it is.”“That’s confidence,” she said.“That’s survival.”I turned toward the mirror again.Adjusted my posture.My expression.Because whatever this wasWhoever was behind itThey were watching.And I was done reacting.“They think they’re ahead,” I said quietly. “Let’s show them what that really looks like.”The room felt different this time.Heavier.Charged.Word ha
“You weren’t invited.”I didn’t turn immediately.I didn’t need to.His voice had a way of cutting through everything else.Sharp. Familiar. Unwelcome.“I didn’t think that would stop you,” I said, still facing the mirror.Behind me, the room buzzed with quiet conversations, clinking glasses, and low laughter. The event was supposed to be controlled. Polished.It was anything but now.Damian stepped closer.I could feel it.That shift in the air.That tension that didn’t belong anywhere else but between us.“You handled the press well,” he said.I met his eyes through the mirror.“You handled showing up uninvited… less well.”A flicker of something crossed his face.Amusement? Annoyance?Maybe both.“I needed to see you,” he said.My grip tightened slightly on the edge of the table.“That’s not a reason. That’s an excuse.”Silence stretched.Heavy.Then he said quietly, “You’re in deeper than you think.”I turned then.Fully.Facing him.“And you think you’re not?”A pause.Then, “I k
The lights flickered once, and my screen went black.I froze.Not panic. Not yet.Just stillness.Then the screen came back on.Same files. Same reports.But one thing had changed.A single line sat in the middle of the document I had been working on.WE SEE YOU CLEARLY NOW.My throat went dry.“Theo.”My voice came out quieter than I expected.He was in my office within seconds.“What happened?”I didn’t answer. I just turned the screen toward him.He stared at it.Didn’t speak for a moment.Then, “That wasn’t there before?”“No.”He moved closer, already pulling up system logs.“Don’t touch anything,” he said.“I didn’t.”Good.At least I still had that instinct.His fingers moved fast across the keyboard.“Someone accessed your system,” he muttered. “But not in a normal way.”“What does that mean?”“It means they didn’t break in,” he said. “They walked in.”A chill slid down my spine.“Inside access?”“Or something close to it.”I leaned back slowly.The room suddenly felt smaller.
“You lied to me.”Lila didn’t even look up.She kept scrolling through her tablet like the words hadn’t just landed between them.“Good evening to you, too, Damian.”His jaw tightened.“This isn’t a greeting.”“No,” she said calmly. “It’s an accusation. Those usually need proof.”He stepped further into her office, closing the door behind him with a quiet but deliberate click.“I’m done asking nicely,” he said. “Start talking.”That made her pause.Just for a second.Then she set the tablet down and leaned back in her chair, studying him.“You’ve been busy,” she said. “Running around. Asking questions. Chasing ghosts.”“I’m not chasing anything,” he replied. “I’m finding patterns.”“And you think I’m part of one.”“I think you’re closer to this than you should be.”Silence.Then Lila smiled.Slow.Measured.“And what exactly is ‘this’?” she asked.Damian took a step closer to her desk.“The leaks. The media pressure. The internal hits on both companies.”Her expression didn’t change.
“They’re calling you a fraud.”I didn’t flinch.Theo stood across from my desk, tablet in hand, eyes sharp, waiting for a reaction.I gave him nothing.“Anything new?” I asked.He let out a short breath. “You don’t want to ask what they’re saying first?”“I already know the tone,” I said. “Give me the damage.”A pause.Then he nodded, turning the screen toward me.Headlines filled it.ELENA VOSS UNDER FIRE, INTERNAL CHAOS EXPOSEDLEAKS SUGGEST MISMANAGEMENT, POWER STRUGGLE INSIDE VOSS MEDIAIS THE COMEBACK COLLAPSING?My jaw tightened slightly.Not at the words.At the time.“They moved fast,” I said.“Too fast,” Theo replied. “This isn’t organic.”Of course it wasn’t.Nothing was anymore.I scrolled.More articles.More speculation.And thenA document.Leaked.Internal audit fragments.Not enough to tell the full story.Just enough to twist it.“They’re framing it like I’m hiding something,” I said.“You are,” Theo pointed out.“Not like this.”“No,” he agreed. “Not like this.”I le
“The leak came from inside your own press circle.”Theo didn’t knock.He never did when it mattered.I looked up from my desk, already tense. “Define ‘inside.’”He dropped a tablet in front of me. “Close enough to hear everything. Far enough to stay invisible.”That wasn’t comforting.I leaned forward, scanning the screen.Articles. Timelines. Publication patterns.All the same tone. Same angle.Too consistent.“That’s not a coincidence,” I said.“No,” Theo replied. “It’s coordination.”My chest tightened.“Walk me through it.”He dragged a chair closer, already pulling up another file.“These stories about you,” he said, tapping the screen, “they don’t just appear. They build. Step by step. First admiration, then curiosity, then doubt.”“I noticed.”“Yeah,” he said. “But look at the bylines.”I scanned quickly.Different outlets.Different journalists.Different names.“What am I looking for?”Theo zoomed in.Highlighted one name.Nina Reyes.My brows pulled together. “She’s just a c







