All Chapters of SECOND LIFE: CEO’S SHADOW : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The hum of the ballroom felt different when we walked back out. The air was heavier, charged with the kind of electricity that comes right before a lightning strike. I kept my hand anchored to Alistair’s arm. I wasn’t afraid I’d fall. I did it because I needed to feel something solid. My skin still itched where Marcus had touched me in the lounge.We didn’t even make it halfway to the exit before the circle closed in.A dozen reporters swarmed us, their cameras flashing like white stars in my eyes. At the center of it all stood Marcus.He looked completely different than he had five minutes ago. The frantic, sweaty obsession was gone. His tie was fixed, his hair smoothed, his shoulders back. He looked like a man who had never done a wrong thing in his life.“Mr. Reed!” a woman shouted, shoving a microphone toward him. “What about the audio files leaked tonight? Is it true you conspired against your own fiancée?”Marcus looked directly into the camera lens. His expression was calm, alm

The air inside was thick, like it'd been stuck in a time capsule for ages. Old books and a hint of Dad's pipe tobacco lingered everywhere. I kept the lights off, didn't wanna trigger those pesky security cameras or alert the guards Alistair's got posted outside. Slipped in through the back, trying to be a ghost in my own house. What's going on? You're not exactly thrilled to be back, huh?I felt a twinge of guilt for not telling Alistair. He would have been furious. He would have told me it was too dangerous and that he should be the one to check. But this was my father. This was my blood. I needed to know the truth without a CEO or a bodyguard standing over my shoulder.I moved down the long hallway of the study wing. The shadows of the marble statues stretched out across the floor like long, black fingers. Every creak of the floorboards sounded like a gunshot in the absolute silence. This house used to be full of life, of business calls and late-night laughter. Now, it was just a ho

I ran until my lungs burned. The woods were dark and the branches tore at my skin, but I didn't stop. I kept the files clutched against my chest. Every shadow looked like a man with a gun.My phone was dead. I was alone.A hand suddenly reached out from behind a tree and snatched my arm. I tried to scream, but a palm slammed over my mouth."It’s me," a voice growled.Alistair.He didn't wait for me to speak. He pulled me into his chest and held me so tight I could barely breathe. I could feel his heart thumping through his jacket. His hands were shaking. He didn't say a word for a long time. He just held me.When he finally pulled back, I saw him clearly in the moonlight. His dress shirt was torn at the shoulder. His knuckles were split and dripping with fresh blood."You're bleeding," I whispered."It’s not mine," he said. His voice was flat. Cold.He grabbed my shoulders, checking me for wounds. He looked at the cuts on my face and the dirt on my dress. Once he saw I was okay, the w

My phone wouldn't stop screaming.Every time I cleared a notification, three more took its place. Breaking news alerts. Emails from the Board demanding an emergency meeting. Texts from investors pulling out of the launch.Clara Vane: The Fraud?Marcus Reed Speaks: Is the Vane Heiress Unstable?The press was eating the "AI manipulation" story alive. Marcus had painted me as a bitter, desperate woman. He was winning the court of public opinion, and if I didn't move now, I wouldn't have a company left to save."You don't have to do this yet," Alistair said.He was standing by the window of the safe house, watching the street. He looked tired. The cut on his knuckle had scabbed over, but the anger in his eyes was still there."If I wait, I'm dead," I said. "Not just my reputation. Everything."I grabbed a black blazer and pulled my hair back into a tight, sharp bun. I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look like a victim. I looked like a threat."Call the press," I told him. "Tell t

The darkness in the safe house was complete. The hum of the electronics had stopped, leaving a silence so heavy it made my ears ring. Beside me, I heard the faint metallic click of Alistair’s holster. He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe. He simply waited. A floorboard groaned in the hallway. It was a small sound, but in the dead air, it felt like a shout."Stay behind me," Alistair whispered.I gripped the blue folder against my chest. My knuckles ached from how hard I was holding it. I wasn't going to let them take it. Not after everything.The shadow moved across the doorway. A beam of light cut through the dark, sweeping over the desk. Alistair didn't wait. He moved with a speed that blurred in the shadows, lunging for the intruder. There was a dull thud, the sound of a heavy body hitting the floor, and a short, muffled struggle."Clear!" a voice shouted from the garden.The backup generators kicked in. The lights flickered and surged back to life, stinging my eyes. Alistair was pinn