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Fire in the headlines

Penulis: Valia Vaceia
last update Tanggal publikasi: 2026-03-19 20:44:19

The silence in the boardroom after Adrian Voss left felt heavier than the confrontation itself.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then the directors erupted into overlapping voices.

“This is a disaster.”

“We should consider the merger.”

“If he keeps buying shares we could lose control of the company!”

Vanessa watched the chaos unfold around the table, but her attention remained on Alexander.

He hadn’t moved.

His gaze was fixed on the door Adrian had walked through.

His expression had hardened into so
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  • The contracted heart    Always chosen

    The first thing Vanessa noticed was the silence.No shouting.No running.No alarms screaming in the distance.Just the soft hum of the city waking up.Morning light spilled across the hospital room in pale gold streaks, stretching across the floor and climbing the edge of the bed where she lay. Her body ached in that deep, bone-tired way that only came after adrenaline burned itself out.Her eyes blinked open slowly.For a moment, she didn’t move.Didn’t think.Didn’t remember.Then everything came back at once.Victor.The warehouse.The gunshots.Alexander.Her head snapped to the side.He was there.Slumped in the chair beside her bed, still in yesterday’s clothes, tie loosened, sleeves rolled, eyes closed. His hand was wrapped around hers like he was afraid she might disappear if he let go.Her heart cracked open in her chest.

  • The contracted heart    Wake up fighting

    Darkness didn’t feel peaceful.It felt heavy.Thick.Like Vanessa was sinking through it instead of sleeping inside it.Voices floated somewhere above her.Muffled. Distorted. Distant.“…how long... ”“…dose was strong... ”“…boss said no marks... ”Her brain clawed upward through the fog.No marks.Boss.Dose.Her heart slammed hard enough to hurt.Memory rushed back in fragments.The street.The SUV.The needle.Alexander.Her eyes flew open.The ceiling above her was unfamiliar, metal beams, industrial lighting, no windows.The air smelled like dust and engine oil.Warehouse.Her wrists jerked instinctively.Pain shot through them.Zip ties.Tight.Her ankles were bound too.She sat on a metal chair in the center of a wide, e

  • The contracted heart    The wrong turn

    Vanessa didn’t notice the car at first.The street looked ordinary.Busy. Loud. Harmless.Horns blaring.Vendors calling.People weaving between traffic like they did every day.Normal.After everything that had happened upstairs, normal felt like oxygen.She inhaled deeply and pulled out her phone to order a ride.Her hands trembled slightly.Not from fear, she told herself.From adrenaline.From the argument.From the way Alexander’s voice had broken when he said that distance might save your life.Her ride request sent.Two minutes away.Vanessa exhaled and stepped closer to the curb.Across the street, the man with the newspaper ended his call.He folded the paper neatly.Placed it on the bench.And walked away.The black SUV rolled forward seconds later.Slow.Careful.Invisible in the flow of traffic

  • The contracted heart    Control doesn't love

    The elevator doors closed.And the silence they left behind felt louder than the alarms ever had.No one moved for several seconds.The guards waited for orders.The analysts watched the screens.But Alexander stood perfectly still in the center of the hallway like the world had narrowed to a single, terrifying point.Vanessa.Victor’s last words echoed in the air like a curse.The one thing he can’t control.Vanessa turned slowly toward Alexander.His expression scared her more than Victor had.Not angry.Not furious.Cold.Focused.Terrified.“Say something,” she whispered.Alexander didn’t look at her.“Escort him out of the building,” he told security. “Then double every guard rotation. No one enters without my approval.”“Yes, sir.”The team moved quickly, disappearing down the corridor.Only when the hallway emptied did Alexander finally turn toward her.His voice came out quiet.“You’re moving back tonight.”Vanessa closed her eyes.“We’re not doing this again.”“We’re absolute

  • The contracted heart    Face to face

    For a moment, no one moved.The red emergency lights cast long shadows down the corridor, stretching Victor Hale’s silhouette across the floor like something unreal.Vanessa felt Alexander’s arm tighten around her waist.Not gently.Instinctively.Like his body had decided before his mind could catch up.Victor noticed.His smile widened.“There it is,” he said softly. “The famous protective instinct.”Alexander’s voice came out low and lethal.“You have five seconds to explain how you got past my security.”Victor tilted his head slightly, amused.“You always did skip the greeting.”Alexander didn’t blink.“One.”Victor chuckled.“Still counting. Still controlling.”“Two.”Victor slipped his hands into his coat pockets, completely relaxed.“I walked in the front door.”“Three.”“I told you, Alexander. People are persuadable.”“Four.”Victor’s gaze slid to Vanessa.“And this must be the woman worth destroying an empire for.”Alexander stepped forward instantly, blocking her from view.

  • The contracted heart    Lights out

    Darkness swallowed the war room in a single breath.For half a second there was nothing.No screens.No data.No city skyline glowing through the glass.Just the distant howl of emergency alarms echoing through the building.Vanessa’s grip on Alexander’s hand tightened instinctively.“Tell me that’s a drill.”“It isn’t.”His voice had changed again.Cold. Controlled. Dangerous.Backup lights flickered on, casting the room in dim red.Every screen remained black.The analyst’s voice came through the hallway, panicked.“Sir! We’ve lost the network!”Alexander moved immediately, pulling Vanessa with him into the corridor.“How?”“Full system shutdown! Someone triggered an internal failsafe!”Alexander stopped walking.“Internal?”“Yes, sir. It came from inside the building.”Vanessa felt the floor tilt beneath her.“He has someone here.”Alexander’s silence confirmed it.A traitor.Inside Cole Industries.The realization hit harder than the blackout.Victor hadn’t just infiltrated their

  • The contracted heart    Ghosts of the past

    The backstage room went silent.Vanessa stared at the headline on Collins’ phone as if it might change if she looked at it long enough.MYSTERIOUS WOMAN CLAIMS SHE WAS ALEXANDER COLE’S FIANCÉE BEFORE VANESSAHer chest tightened.Slowly, she lifted her eyes toward Alexa

  • The contracted heart    Under the flash of cameras

    The noise outside Cole Tower sounded like a storm.Voices.Shouting.Camera shutters snapping like rapid fire.Vanessa stood in Alexander’s office watching the live feed Collins had pulled up on the tablet. The building entrance had become a sea of reporters and

  • The contracted heart    The first move

    The morning after the confrontation with Rebecca Hall felt strangely calm.Too calm.Vanessa stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, watching the Lagos skyline slowly wake up beneath a hazy golden sunrise. Traffic hummed in the distance. Boats cut through the water near the harbor.

  • The contracted heart    Shadows of the past

    The morning light filtered through the penthouse windows, casting long, angular patterns across the polished floors. Vanessa sat on the edge of the sofa, the tablet Rebecca had shown her the night before clutched tightly in her hands. Her mind raced, refusing to settle. The revelation from the ga

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