Chapter Five – The First Cracks

The office smelled of polished wood and lingering coffee, the hum of the city below faint against the quiet tension that had wrapped itself around me like a second skin. I was supposed to be reviewing contracts, preparing for Edward’s next round of meetings, managing my empire with precision. Instead, I was thinking of her. Selene. Every inch of her poised elegance invaded my thoughts, and no amount of focus, no number of documents, could push her out.

It began innocently enough—or so I told myself. A glance across Edward’s boardroom table, just as she adjusted the cuff of her sleeve. A faint shimmer of diamond against the soft curve of her wrist caught my eye. My chest tightened, my mind short-circuited, and I missed a clause in the contract I had reviewed twice before. A minor oversight, but in this world, nothing was minor. Mistakes multiplied quietly, like seeds in fertile soil, and I was beginning to see the harvest.

Marcus, ever attentive, appeared at my side, a folder in hand. “Mr. Voss… Edward wanted these documents signed before he left.” His voice was polite, but I could see the slight crease of concern in his brow. Something had shifted, though he didn’t know what. He couldn’t know that my distraction wasn’t professional—it was personal, dangerous, and entirely forbidden.

I took the folder, flipping through the pages with mechanical precision, but each line blurred. I could almost see Selene’s reflection in the polished surface of the table, her presence impossible to ignore. It wasn’t just obsession; it was a slow erosion of every rule I had built my life around. Step by step, glance by glance, she was dismantling the fortress of control I had spent decades constructing.

Edward entered then, calm, perfectly composed, his presence filling the room like a predator marking territory. His gaze swept the table before settling on me briefly, assessing, measuring. I met it with my usual neutral smile, but inside, a storm raged. He saw more than he let on. He always did. One look, and he could unravel everything. One slip, and I would fall.

The meeting began. Words flowed, deals were made, alliances discussed, but my attention was fractured. Every time Selene moved, whispered with Evelyn Drake, adjusted her posture, my mind followed. I caught her glance from the corner of my eye—sharp, teasing, aware. She was testing boundaries, I was sure of it. I hated her for it, but I hated myself more for wanting her.

By the time the meeting ended, I was on edge. The city outside had faded to darkness, the office lights casting long shadows over polished surfaces. I walked the hallway slowly, my mind replaying every interaction, every fleeting moment with her. And then, in the reflection of the glass, I saw her.

Selene was standing at the end of the corridor, reviewing documents with Edward. She didn’t look up when I entered, but I could feel the weight of her awareness. She knew I was watching, perhaps even noticing how badly I was unraveling. A subtle tilt of her head, the soft line of her jaw—enough to ignite a fire I could not extinguish. My pulse spiked, my control frayed, and I realized just how far I was already lost.

I turned my attention back to the folder in my hands, forcing myself to breathe, to focus, to act like a man who commanded an empire. But the damage was done. Every choice I made, every document I touched, was now tinged with distraction. I missed a minor discrepancy—a number off by a fraction—but in the world Edward had built, nothing was insignificant. A whisper of suspicion could become a storm if nurtured.

Marcus approached again, lowering his voice. “Sir… there’s a question about the payment schedules.” His words should have been routine. They weren’t. Not tonight. My response was curt, too sharp, too quick, and I could see the subtle hesitation in his eyes. He didn’t speak further, but I knew he had noticed. Everyone noticed. Every step I took, every glance toward Selene, was observed by more than just the extras in the room. And that thought terrified me more than I cared to admit.

I left the office under the pretense of checking something on my phone, but I was acutely aware of her. She was everywhere—in my mind, in the reflection of the glass, in the soft sigh of the air conditioning. And then it happened. A brush. A near-touch. Nothing intentional, nothing overt, but enough to feel it ripple through me like a shock. She didn’t step away. She didn’t even acknowledge it. And that subtle, deliberate calm was worse than any flame. It was a challenge. And I was losing.

Later that evening, I returned to my private suite, the city lights casting a jagged glow over the skyline. I should have been reviewing reports, securing alliances, consolidating power. Instead, I found myself pacing, imagining her standing there, poised, untouchable, aware. I poured a glass of whiskey, the burn in my throat nothing compared to the ache in my chest. Desire had become treason, and every step I took, every sip I swallowed, reminded me that I was falling further.

My phone buzzed. Marcus again. Another minor issue—a financial discrepancy that should have been minor, but in the delicate balance of Edward’s empire, even the smallest fracture could widen into a canyon. I clenched my fists around the device, feeling the tension coil in my chest. My mind screamed at me to fix it, to act, to maintain control. But the image of Selene haunted me, and I realized something terrifying: obsession had begun to dictate my decisions. Mistakes, distractions, and desire were intertwining in ways I could not yet control.

Sleep came in fragments, nightmares blending with memories of her presence. I woke with her name on my lips, the echo of her laughter in my ears, the subtle tilt of her head seared into my vision. Every instinct screamed to resist, to retreat, to focus. But the war inside me had already begun.

The next day, the first tangible consequences appeared. A deal I had personally overseen began to unravel—not catastrophically, but enough to attract scrutiny. Victor Lang noticed, subtle but precise, his questions cutting sharper than any blade. Lila’s whispered comments reached Edward’s ears, though she framed them innocently. Marcus, loyal but nervous, fumbled a minor instruction. Each small misstep was a domino, and I could feel the chain reaction building.

And Selene? She was poised, elegant, serene. Calm. A storm contained within human form. Every glance, every carefully measured movement, tested my self-control. I knew she noticed the way I hovered near decisions, the way my gaze lingered longer than it should, the way my hands trembled just slightly when I thought no one was watching. And the thought that she might enjoy this — that she might understand exactly the power she held over me — drove me further into obsession.

By the end of the day, I realized the truth. Desire was no longer a choice—it was a necessity. Treason had moved from thought to action in ways subtle enough to escape notice but profound enough to change the course of my life. The war had escalated. My empire, my control, and my very identity were at risk. And I knew, deep down, that I was powerless to stop it.

The night was silent outside, but inside me, every heartbeat shouted her name. Every thought circled around her presence, her power, her allure. I poured another glass of whiskey, staring out at the city, wondering how far I could fall before the inevitable reckoning arrived. Selene Hawthorne had crossed my boundaries before I even realized they existed. And I would never be the same.