Chapter Six: Eyes in the Dark
The CEO did not raise his voice.
That was what made it terrifying.
He stood behind his desk, fingers resting flat on the polished wood, staring out across the skyline like a man looking over a battlefield he already owned.
"Marcus."
Marcus straightened instantly. "Sir."
"My wife was not home last night."
A pause.
"And she lied about it."
Marcus's eyes narrowed just a fraction. "You want me to find where she was."
"Where," the CEO said calmly, "and with whom."
Marcus nodded once. "I'll start with her phone records, her office key logs, and security feeds."
"Good," the CEO replied. "I don't like being made a fool."
Marcus turned to leave.
"And Marcus," the CEO added softly.
"Yes, sir?"
"If you find something… I want to know before anyone else breathes it."
Marcus swallowed. "Of course."
The door closed behind him.
The hunt had begun.
Across the building, Elena sat in her private office, staring at nothing. Her hands trembled slightly around a cup of tea that had long gone cold. The faint ache beneath her makeup throbbed like a warning.
He knows, she thought.
He always knows when something changes.
Her mind went to Kai again, against her will.
The warmth of him.
The way he had held her without fear or cruelty.
The way she had felt safe for the first time in years.
She pressed her eyes shut.
You can't want him. Wanting him will destroy you.
But her heart did not listen.
Kai wasn't doing much better.
He sat at his desk, staring at spreadsheets that blurred into meaningless shapes. The image of her walking beside the CEO burned into his mind like a brand.
So elegant.
So controlled.
So trapped.
And those faint shadows under her makeup.
His jaw tightened.
Noah appeared beside his desk, silent as always. "You look like someone just kicked your reality in the teeth."
Kai exhaled slowly. "She's married."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "You already knew that."
"Not just married," Kai said. "She's his. The CEO's."
Noah froze.
"Oh," he said quietly. "That kind of married."
Kai nodded. "And she's not safe."
Noah studied him. "What did you see?"
"Fear," Kai replied. "The kind that doesn't come from arguments. The kind that comes from surviving."
Noah's tone softened. "You're already in too deep."
"I know," Kai said. "But I don't know how to walk away."
Noah folded his arms. "I can start looking into her. Quietly."
Kai met his gaze. "No risks."
"No promises," Noah replied faintly. "But I'll be careful."
Meanwhile, Marcus was already pulling threads.
Security logs showed her badge used late at night.
Elevator cameras showed her leaving alone.
No driver. No company escort.
Interesting.
Then a second badge showed up.
A man entering moments later.
The cameras caught only a blurred profile.
Marcus frowned.
He pulled the employee ID.
Kai
Low-level employee.
No red flags.
No known connection to her.
Which made it far more suspicious.
Marcus leaned back slowly.
"Well," he murmured, "this just got very interesting."
Elena left work early that evening, her heart heavy. She had hoped, secretly, foolishly, that Kai would be there.
He wasn't.
The hallway felt colder without him.
She checked her phone again.
Nothing.
No message.
No sign.
No trace of the night that still lived in her skin.
Had she imagined it?
Had she been a mistake he walked away from?
Back at her apartment, she sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her arms around herself, staring at the door like it might open if she wished hard enough.
"Come back," she whispered to the empty room. "Just once more."
Kai stood in his own quiet apartment, staring out at the city lights.
Her face kept rising in his thoughts.
Her voice.
Her closeness.
He reached for his phone.
Then stopped.
If he contacted her, he risked exposing her.
If he stayed silent, he might lose her.
For a man who owned everything, he had never felt so powerless.
And somewhere across the city, the CEO poured himself a drink, eyes dark with suspicion, while Marcus dug deeper into shadows that were already beginning to stir.
Three hearts were now moving in the dark.
And one of them was bleeding.