Alle Kapitel von Veiled Deception: Kapitel 41 – Kapitel 50

I realised very quickly that working in Damien’s company was not going to be normal.Not even a little bit.It started the moment I sat down.The desk they gave me was just outside Damien’s office. Not beside it. Not down the hall.Right outside.Close enough that if I breathed too loudly, he’d probably hear it.I stared at the setup for a full five seconds before slowly turning my head toward him.“You’re not even pretending this isn’t intentional.”Damien didn’t look up from the document in his hands.“It’s efficient.”“Of course it is.”I dropped my bag onto the chair and sat down, crossing my arms as I looked around.The office was… intimidating.Not loud. Not chaotic. Just controlled.Everyone moved like they had somewhere important to be, even if they didn’t.Phones rang, keyboards clicked, quiet conversations passed between desks.But underneath all of that—There was awareness.People noticed things here.I could feel it.Especially now.Because every few seconds, someone walk

I didn’t sleep properly.Again.At this point, I wasn’t even going to pretend it was temporary.I woke up before my alarm, staring at the ceiling like it personally offended me.“…great,” I muttered.Because today—Today I was seeing Zoey.And instead of feeling relieved…I felt nervous.Which didn’t make sense.Zoey was my person.The one person I shouldn’t feel weird about seeing.So why did it feel like I was about to walk into something complicated?I sat up slowly, dragging a hand over my face.“Okay. Get it together.”Because overthinking it wasn’t going to help.It never did.The drive was quiet.Too quiet.I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window, watching the city pass by in a blur.Damien was driving.Of course he was.Apparently I didn’t make decisions like “transportation” anymore.“You’re tense.”I didn’t look at him.“I’m going to see my best friend after disappearing from her life.”“That’s reasonable.”“I don’t think she’s going to greet me with a hug and a

Zoey saying “he’s not coming” would’ve been funny…If it wasn’t about to become a problem.A very immediate one.Because Damien was still standing right there.Quiet.Watching.And somehow, without saying anything, he had already made it clear—He wasn’t leaving.I rubbed the side of my face.“…okay,” I muttered under my breath. “This is already going badly.”Zoey crossed her arms.Not dramatically.Just… firmly.Like she had already made up her mind and wasn’t interested in negotiating.“You can go,” she said, looking directly at Damien now.That got his attention.Not that he hadn’t been paying attention before.But now—Now he focused on her.Fully.“I don’t think that’s necessary,” he said calmly.Zoey blinked once.Then let out a short breath.“Oh. You don’t think.”Her tone didn’t rise.It sharpened.“That’s interesting. Because I wasn’t asking.”I closed my eyes briefly.“…Zoey.”“What?” she said, not even looking at me. “He can hear me.”“Yes. That’s the problem.”“I don’t see

By the time I got back to the office the next morning, I was already tired.Not physically.Just… mentally.Like my brain had been running all night without asking for permission.Which, honestly, it had.Because every time I tried to sleep—I kept thinking about the manuscript.Katherine.The way she wrote.The way everything started normal…and then slowly stopped being normal.I rubbed my temple as I walked into the building.“Yeah, that’s not concerning at all,” I muttered.“You’re talking to yourself again.”I didn’t even react this time.“Grey, if you’re going to keep appearing like this, at least bring coffee.”“I can arrange that.”“Don’t joke. I’m serious.”“I wasn’t joking.”I paused.Turned.“…you might be my favorite person here.”“That’s a low bar.”“Extremely.”I dropped into my chair, setting my bag down and turning on the computer.The screen lit up.I stared at it.Then immediately thought about the drawer back at the house.The manuscript sitting there.Waiting.I fr

I woke up tired.Not the kind of sleep fixes.The kind that sits in your chest and follows you around like it pays rent.“…great,” I muttered, dragging myself out of bed.Because apparently thinking too much now came with side effects.I got ready slower than usual.Paused more.Checked my phone twice without realising it.Still nothing from Zoey.That bothered me...Not because she hadn’t reached out—But because I knew she was waiting.Waiting for me to say something real.And I hadn’t.I exhaled.“…I’ll deal with that later.”Which was a lie.But a convenient one.By the time I got to the office, I already felt off.Like I had walked in slightly out of step with everything else.Again.That feeling was becoming familiar.Which I didn’t like.“You’re late.”I blinked.Then looked at Grey.“I’m… three minutes late.”“That’s late.”“That’s dramatic.”“It’s accurate.”“Everything is accurate here. I’ve noticed.”He didn’t respond.Just watched me for a second.Long enough that I frowne