All Chapters of Never Meant to Share: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

‎My throat tightened. ‎My brain had officially abandoned me. ‎Say something. ‎Anything. ‎Apologize. ‎Run. ‎None of those felt like a good idea. ‎Mr. Moretti's fingers tapped the mahogany desk once. ‎“Mr. Hart.” ‎His calm voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. ‎“Sit.” ‎My legs felt strangely heavy as I crossed the room and lowered myself into the chair opposite his desk. His presence felt overwhelming. ‎I shifted uneasily in my seat, my palms damp with sweat as I clasped my hands together. ‎He picked up my résumé, scanning it in silence. ‎The quiet stretched long enough to make me wonder if he'd forgotten I was sitting there. ‎Finally, he spoke. ‎“So... tell me about yourself.” ‎I cleared my throat. ‎“My name is Elias Hart. I graduated with a degree in Accounting and worked as an accountant at—” ‎“I've already read your résumé.” ‎My words died instantly. ‎His piercing gray eyes lifted to meet mine. ‎“I'm asking about the person behind t

‎The hollow beneath the loose floorboard stared back at me. ‎Empty. ‎My gaze remained fixed on it, my mind refusing to understand what my eyes were seeing. ‎"...No." ‎The word slipped out as little more than a breath. ‎I reached into the opening, my fingers brushing against the rough wood. ‎They scraped along every corner until splinters dug into my skin. ‎Nothing. ‎I pushed my hand in deeper. ‎Maybe the envelope had slipped farther back. ‎Maybe I'd tucked it into the wrong corner. ‎My fingers searched again. ‎And again. ‎Nothing. ‎My breathing quickened. ‎"It has to be here." ‎I searched beneath the bed. ‎Inside my backpack. ‎Behind the wardrobe. ‎Anywhere my panicked mind could convince itself I'd hidden it. ‎Nothing. ‎A painful sob caught in my throat. ‎My chest tightened until every breath burned. ‎The room blurred as I spun around, staring at the destruction. ‎Drawers hung open. ‎Clothes littered the floor. ‎The mattress leaned awk

‎The following morning, something felt... off. ‎The moment I stepped into Moretti Corporation, I noticed it. The office looked the same as always, but the people didn't. Conversations were quieter than usual. Every now and then, someone glanced toward the elevators before quickly looking away. It was as if everyone was waiting for something. ‎I set my bag on my desk and looked around. Even Marie hadn't complained about me being late by two minutes or breathing too loudly. That alone was enough to make me suspicious. Caleb wasn't any better. He kept checking the time before looking toward the elevators again. After the fifth time, I gave up pretending not to notice and walked over to his desk. ‎"Did I miss something?" ‎Caleb looked up, but before he could answer, Marie spoke first. ‎"If you spent half as much time working as you do asking questions, maybe you'd know." ‎She snorted, picked up a folder from her desk and walked away without another glance. ‎I rolled my eyes then loo

‎The car pulled onto the main road, merging smoothly into the morning traffic. ‎For a while, no one spoke. ‎I looked out the window before turning to Enzo. ‎"So... how long have you worked for Mr. Moretti?" ‎"A few years." ‎I nodded. ‎"Do you always go with him to meetings like this?" ‎"Most of them." ‎I was about to ask another question when Mr. Moretti's voice came from behind us. ‎"Focus on the road, Enzo." ‎His tone was cold. ‎Enzo's eyes lifted to the rearview mirror. ‎For a brief moment, they met Dante's cold gray eyes staring back at him. ‎"Yes, Boss." ‎Enzo immediately returned his attention to the road. ‎The car fell silent again. ‎I looked back out the window as the city gradually gave way to quieter streets. ‎A short while later, the car rolled to a stop. ‎Enzo switched off the engine and stepped out first. I followed behind Mr. Moretti, stopping for a moment to look at the building in front of us. ‎It was... nice. ‎Really nice. ‎The kind of place rich p

‎The room went silent. ‎The bald man glanced at me for a long moment, dropping his cigarette on my floor before speaking again. "How much did Simon tell you?" ‎I frowned, lost. "...Tell me what?" ‎A rough laugh tumbled in his chest. "That bastard really kept you in the dark, didn't he?" ‎"I don't know who you people are," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "And I don't know what you're talking about." ‎The man didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a photograph. He glanced at it once before looking back at me, grinning. "So it really is you." ‎He tossed it onto the floor at my feet. I hesitated before bending down to pick it up. It was a photograph of me. Leaving Moretti Corporation. My heart lurched. "...Why do you have this?" ‎No one answered. My grip tightened around the photograph as I slowly looked up. "Who are you people?" ‎The bald man leaned back in the chair. "We're the people your father owes." ‎My stomach tightened. "What?" ‎Befor