Malik's POV
He watched them; watched Mara fire words like precision knives, her voice wrapped in silk but backed with steel. It was unexpected. Beautiful. Dangerous.
And suddenly, Malik Haidar couldn't breathe.
Layla had always been the sharp one. The untouchable one. But standing there in the middle of that tension, it hit him—Mara wasn't soft.
She was quiet fire.
A woman who didn't need to scream to be heard.
Back in his office, he shut the door behind him harder than necessary.
He was losing control; and not of his company.
Of himself.
She wasn't supposed to affect him like this. She was an intern. A temporary assistant. A file-stumbler. But now, she was something more.
And that scared the hell out of him.
He sat at his desk, rubbing the bridge of his nose when his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Message: "Be careful who you trust, Malik. Not everyone is who they pretend to be."
His brows pulled tight.
The timing was too perfect.
The message too personal.
He stood and paced, heart ticking like a clock set to explode.
There were pieces moving; on and off the board.
Layla. Mara. That file leak. This warning.
And for the first time in a long time…
Malik Haidar didn't feel like the one in charge.