Chapter 29: Beneath the Surface

The atmosphere was charged with unease as I found myself alone in Dominic's office, my fingers gliding along the desk's edge as if searching for hidden truths waiting to be revealed. Each step I took into this realm blurred the lines between forward motion and a plunge into chaos. 

Thomas's menacing words still reverberated in my thoughts. He had materialized out of nowhere, a specter bringing with him a history that Dominic had fought tooth and nail to conceal. Now, with Dominic missing—vanished without a trace after their altercation—my anxiety was stretched to its breaking point. 

My phone vibrated. I grabbed it, half-hoping it was a message from Dominic. It wasn’t. 

Liam: Trust no one. I’m on my way. 

That was all. No details. No reasoning. 

My heart raced. Liam hadn’t spoken to me since the night Dominic disappeared—the night I witnessed him confront his demons and walk away from me, silent and broken. And now his twin was re-entering the fray? Why? 

I made my way to the Caldwell penthouse, the one refuge I believed Dominic would seek if he wanted to vanish. Every instinct screamed that something was amiss, and I was desperate for answers. 

As I stepped into the elevator, the building's security attempted to block my path—but I flashed the custom gold keycard Dominic had entrusted to me weeks earlier. “Go ahead, try me,” I said coolly, and they parted ways. 

The penthouse was shrouded in darkness when I arrived. Moonlight poured over the frigid marble floors, draping everything in a silvery veil of shadows. I moved cautiously, the sound of my heels softly echoing as I traversed the expansive living area. 

“Dominic?” My voice barely resonated. 

Silence answered.

I approached the study, the last place he had taken me before everything fell apart. My hand lingered on the door handle, uncertain. If he was inside—what could I possibly say? 

Before I could make up my mind, the door creaked open, slowly. 

Dominic was there. 

But he wasn’t by himself. 

He was bent over a desk, papers strewn about, blood marking the edge of his white shirt. A fresh cut marred his jawline, as if someone had attempted to silence him in a brutal manner. 

I gasped. “What on earth happened to you?” 

His eyes shot up, wild and confused, until recognition washed over him like a fog lifting. “Elena…” 

I rushed to him, reaching for his arm, but he recoiled. 

“Don’t,” he whispered hoarsely. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous.” 

My heart raced in my chest. “You vanish for two days, return looking like you’ve just escaped from a grave, and now you want to shield me by keeping me in the dark? That’s not going to work.” 

He slumped into the chair, his head in his hands. “Thomas isn’t acting alone.” 

My breath hitched. “Then who is?” 

He looked up, fear evident in his eyes—not for himself; he had faced worse. But for me. 

“There’s someone else. Someone who has been pulling the strings from the start. Thomas is merely the messenger. The real danger… it’s someone close. Someone within the company. Within both our families.” 

I sat across from him, my heart pounding like a drum. “Do you suspect it’s someone in the Sinclair circle?” 

“I’m certain of it,” he replied grimly. “There’s a file… evidence. But it’s missing.” 

I frowned. “What file?” 

He hesitated. 

“Dominic.” 

“It was the original report that linked your father to mine. The one that revealed the true reason my mother died. And the one that proves your father wasn’t acting alone.

The world tilted under me. “You had this the entire time?”

“I was going to show you—after the wedding. I didn’t want you to see it until I could explain everything. Until I could protect you from what it meant.”

A laugh broke from my lips, bitter and sharp. “You don’t get to decide what I’m protected from, Dominic. I’m not some fragile thing you can shield with silence. I’m in this now. Whether you like it or not.”

He stared at me, then nodded slowly. “I know. And I’m sorry.”

But the moment was cut short by the sudden blaring of the building’s alarm. Red lights flashed outside the windows. Dominic was on his feet before I could speak, pulling a sleek black pistol from the hidden panel behind his desk.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered.

I didn’t argue.

We crept through the hallway, the sound of the elevator rising like a death knell. When the doors slid open, it wasn’t security that stepped out.

It was Liam.

And he wasn’t alone either.

Behind him stood a woman I didn’t recognize—tall, blonde, and unmistakably dangerous. Her eyes locked onto Dominic with the kind of hatred that spoke of history. Long, bloody history.

“Hello, brother,” Liam said coolly. “Did you really think you could keep her in the dark forever?”

Dominic’s arm tensed, weapon still raised. “You brought her here?”

Liam smiled. “You always did like to keep your enemies close, Dom. I just thought I’d return the favor.”

The woman stepped forward. “You must be Elena. I’ve been dying to meet you.”

I raised my chin, refusing to show fear. “Who the hell are you?”

She grinned. “Let’s just say I’m the one who’s been pulling the strings. And you… well, you’re the final piece of the puzzle.”

Dominic moved in front of me, blocking her line of sight. “You touch her, and I will bury you.”

But the woman wasn’t fazed. “Then maybe you should’ve thought twice before setting this war in motion, Dominic. Because now? It’s too late to stop it.”

A deafening crack shattered the room.

Gunfire.

I was thrown to the floor by the force of Dominic’s body slamming into mine, shielding me. Another shot rang out. Then another.

And then—silence.

Dominic rolled off me, clutching his side. Blood bloomed across his shirt again, darker this time, more urgent.

“Dom!” I screamed, grabbing his face, panic rising like a tidal wave.

But his eyes were still open, still on me. “Get out of here, Elena.”

“No. No, I’m not leaving you—”

“You have to.” His breath hitched. “Find the file. It’s the only way to end this. Liam… he’s not what you think.”

“But—”

He grabbed my hand, his grip surprisingly strong despite the blood. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks.

The woman was gone. Liam too. But their threat lingered in the air like poison.

And now?

Now it was my move.