Semua Bab BENEATH THE MASK : Bab 81 - Bab 90

POV: AkaydaThe sound of my phone ringing cut sharply through the quiet of the night. I turned on the couch, my body was already stiff from sleeping there all night.I groaned as I stretched out my hand blindly towards the center table, knocking over a cup before I finally managed to locate my phone and then grab it. My eyes fluttered open, barely, and I squinted at the screen. It was an unsaved number.I frowned. Who calls this late in the night? If the person didn't want to sleep, I did. So I did the only reasonable thing I could. I ended the call and went back to lay my head back down, but barely a second passed before the phone rang again.I grabbed it, letting out a hiss, clearly I was irritated. “Who is this?” I muttered, my voice heavy with sleep. I turned and looked at the clock, and my eyes widened—it was past 1 a.m.I held the phone tightly and pressed it to my ear. “Hello?”“Hello… Kay?” came a trembling voice.I froze. I didn’t recognize the number, but the voice… it

POV: AkaydaLast night had been… a lot.Too much for me to handle.I was presently standing in front of the mirror in my bedroom,looking at my reflection, but my mind wasn’t here. It was still stuck somewhere between the police station, Melina’s bruised face… and Damian standing in my apartment like he belonged there.I hadn’t slept.Not even a little.I had tried.God knows I had tried but I wasn't able to go back to sleep even long after Damian had left Because every time I closed my eyes, everything from last night came flooding my brain all over again.The call from the police station.Melina’s shaky voice.The panic.The rush.Then Damian showing up.Being in my space.My small, personal, private space.Everything had happened so fast I hadn’t even had time to breathe.But that wasn’t the real reason I hadn’t slept.No.The real reason was something far worse.Something that made my chest tighten with fear even now.I had made a mistake.A very big mistake.And that mistake had

POV: DamianI turned the steering wheel slowly and drove away from Akayda’s apartment building.My eyes stayed on the rearview mirror as I watched her.I watched the way she walked toward the building like everything was normal.Like her whole world hadn’t been shaking just a few minutes ago.Like she hadn’t been gripping her phone in that elevator like it held her life together.My jaw tightened.“Message from Melina… my ass,” I muttered under my breath.I kept driving for a few seconds more.Then…When I was sure she couldn’t see my car anymore—I turned the wheel sharply.The car made a smooth U turn.I pulled over to the side of the road, just a little distance away from the building.Then I turned off the engine.Silence filling the car instantly.I leaned back slightly, my eyes looking ahead.Waiting.Just waiting.And then—A black car sped past me.Fast.Too fast.My eyes narrowed slightly as I followed it with my gaze.The windows were tinted.Dark.You couldn’t see shit insi

POV: DamianI was in my office, sitting behind my desk, pretending to focus on reports I didn’t care to read. All day long, I had been trying my best not to drag Akayda aside and demand answers—why she had gotten into Marcus’ car last night, what exactly was going on in her life. But I held myself. I had learned the hard way that timing was everything. Strike too soon, and you ruin everything. Strike too late, and you lose your advantage.So I decided to watch and waited.And I noticed.I noticed everything.She was avoiding me. But not just me. She was avoiding Marcus too. Her every movement seemed calculated to avoid any encounter, her posture was tight, her eyes were constantly looking behind, always moving to her phone. I swear, If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was being blackmailed. But I didn’t jump to conclusions. I’d wait for the right moment.Marcus, on the other hand, was having a field day. Every time he typed something on his phone, a smirk would spread on his face

POV: MarcusI walked down the hallway with my team, my hands in my pockets, my steps calm and steady.We were just coming back from lunch.The cafeteria at Knight Enterprises was… impressive. Clean. Organized. Expensive looking. Everything about this place screamed power.Typical Damian.The food was nice too. I'll give them that.Some of my team members were talking behind me, their voices relaxed after eating.“I’ve never been to Knight Enterprises before, or even inside it,” one of them said, looking around like a tourist. “If not for this Lincoln project, I wouldn’t even step foot here.”Another one laughed lightly. “Same here. I actually applied for a job here, you know.”“Oh yeah?” the first guy asked.“Yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “But I don’t think my application was even considered.”The first guy burst out laughing. “I’m sure just your passport photo was enough for them to screen you out.”The rest of them laughed loudly.I smirked slightly but didn’t say