Promises in the Dark

Chapter 3

Six years ago...

"Everything will be fine, I promise you."

The promise lingered in the air like an echo that still stings, now lost in a night that never returned, like so many things they didn’t know were their last. Outside, the engines sang their distant lullaby, and headlights crossed the highway like fireflies doomed to fade in the darkness.

Inside the car, for a fleeting moment, the world shrank to that small refuge of warmth and illusions. Anne Walker felt the cool air slip through the cracked window, softly tousling her hair. Her eyes closed, resting with a serenity full of hope.

She looked at her hand, intertwined with Benjamin Carter’s. Warm skin, the promise still alive. She let out a soft laugh, almost like a sigh, and looked at him again.

"They’re going to hate us for this," she murmured, a smile that wouldn’t leave her lips.

"Let them," Benjamin said, keeping his gaze fixed on the road. He tightened his grip on her hand, just a little.

The words weren’t loud, but they carried weight. Soft, firm. As though leaving no space for doubt.

They talked about a home with walls that embraced, about afternoons without clocks, about a life where business had no place at the dinner table.

Benjamin spoke of her as one speaks of the sacred. Of that which is cared for with one’s life, without conditions.

And she believed him. Believed him as one does for the last time. With everything.

The echo of that memory, which now seems like something left behind... still sometimes reverberates in her thoughts, even as they move forward...

***

Emma crossed the threshold into the boardroom, a folder in her hands. There was something in her gaze, in the tension on her face, that made it clear her outward calm was hiding something more. There was a glint in her eyes, but it wasn’t happiness. It was a shadow, something deep and silent, that Benjamin couldn’t quite place. Still, something was different. He couldn’t say what exactly. Maybe the rigidity in her shoulders. Or the way she avoided holding his gaze for more than a second.

He observed her for a moment longer than usual before returning his attention to the screen.

"The figures?" he asked in his usual direct tone.

"Here they are, as requested," Emma replied, placing the document on the table. She pointed to a graph with precision. Her voice was firm, professional, but there was an undercurrent of tension. As if something else was quietly hanging in the balance.

Benjamin felt an uncomfortable shift in the air. A slight vibration. As if the scene had a subtext he couldn’t quite grasp. He furrowed his brow briefly. Then, he attributed it to the circumstances.

The fall of the M&S contract didn’t disrupt the façade of Carter Group. There were no shouts, no hasty movements. Just stricter order. A heavier silence.

The company continued functioning. Decisions were made. Meetings were held in glass-walled rooms where no one raised their voice.

Benjamin Carter maintained control with the precision of a watchmaker: without hurry, without mercy.

"Review the terms. If there’s a single clause that exposes us, I want to know before noon," he said to Lucas, without looking up.

The tone was the same as ever. But something in his eyes had hardened. Something that had been hidden... but now peeked out.

From her desk, Emma didn’t interrupt. She didn’t look around more than necessary. She remained in place, measuring every movement, every word. But when her eyes briefly met Benjamin’s, the atmosphere changed. There were no words. No obvious gestures. Just that one lingering look, laden with something neither of them wanted to name.

A silent twist. An invisible crack.

He was the first to avert his gaze. Not abruptly, just a slight deviation toward the screen, as though he’d remembered something to check, as though nothing had happened.

But Lucas, from the far end of the room, noticed.

The exchanged glances. The mute tension. He didn’t know how to interpret it, but it was enough for his fingers to halt over the keyboard, lifting his gaze just a fraction longer than usual. Like someone seeing a shadow pass by, without fully understanding where it came from.

Some men build certainties with numbers. Lucas was one of them.

He didn’t believe in intuitions. He didn’t trust gestures. He preferred facts. Numbers. Logical behavior.

And Emma Moore was not logical.

Not because of her work. In that, there were no flaws. It was something else. Something in the way she existed. Moved. Looked. She had a calm that didn’t seem to fit with anyone else at Carter Group. A serenity that came from somewhere else. And that, for Lucas, was a sign. One he couldn’t decipher, but also couldn’t ignore.

He said nothing. Just tucked it away. Like someone mentally noting a detail that might come in handy later.

And when, weeks later, Benjamin decided to put her in charge of the executive protocol for the Carter Night event, Lucas barely blinked. But something stopped within him.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked later, once they were alone, with that tone he used when he didn’t want to sound alarmed.

Benjamin didn’t even look at him.

"Yes. She’ll handle it well."

Case closed.

But for Lucas, it wasn’t. Not entirely. Because he’d learned that when a man like Benjamin relinquished control, even if only a little, it was rarely just for efficiency.

Emma was perfect at what she did.

But Lucas didn’t look for mistakes.

He looked for signs.

And he didn’t trust the ones disguised as perfection.

One ordinary afternoon, when the sun filtered softly through the building’s windows, Lucas walked down the hall toward the administrative area, a couple of folders under his arm. The Carter Night event was fast approaching, and every detail had to be under control.

Upon arrival, he saw Emma standing, picking up the logistics report folder from her desk. He watched her approach, not in a hurry, but with a quiet determination that always characterized her.

"Lucas, regarding the venue confirmation for the gala, there are still a couple of catering details that need to be adjusted," she began, her clear eyes fixed on him as she tried to capture his attention.

However, Lucas didn’t look at her directly. His gaze stayed fixed on the document in his hands, his tone dry and controlled.

"I’ve already handled that with Daniela," he responded, without raising his voice, without any shift in his demeanor, as if the conversation held no particular importance. His tone was curt, like he was speaking to a subordinate he barely knew.

Emma paused for a moment, sensing the coldness in his response. It wasn’t the first time Lucas had shown a distant attitude, but something about this moment felt different. Maybe it was the way he avoided her gaze or the precision with which he spoke, with not a hint of interest in the conversation.

"Perfect," Emma responded, without further ado, as she felt a small discomfort settle in her chest. He had already moved away before she could say anything more, and she didn’t insist. She continued with her task, letting the moment fade into the flow of the day.

She didn’t give it too much thought in that instant, but something hung in the air.