The morning light is simply starting to channel through the blinds of our penthouse, creating long shaded areas across the cleaned floors. The city outside murmurs with life, the usual chaos of blaring vehicles and the blur of individuals hurrying to their next destination. Yet, inside, everything is still. The air feels as if it’s not moving, as if it’s holding its breath, waiting there expecting something.
I sit at the kitchen island, gazing down at a cup of coffee that has gone cold. My fingers twist around the porcelain, however my mind is somewhere else. It’s been right around fourteen days since I moved into this penthouse, and I’ve become used to the quiet between Alexander and me.
The briskness, however, still present, feels less choking out now, more like a far–off murmur. Yet, it’s still there, waiting like a shadow I can’t exactly
shake off.
Just as I take a sip of the now tepid coffee, the lift tolls, signalling Alexander’s return. He steps into the room, his presence as commanding as could be expected; however, his face is more tense than I’ve at any point seen it. I look up, scanning his demeanour for any indication of what’s annoying him,
but he’s fast to cover whatever is on his mind.
“Morning,” I say softly, setting the cup down with a small clink. My voice feels louder in the empty room than I intended.
–
Alexander doesn’t reply immediately. He pulls a seat out from the dining table and sits, rubbing a hand over his face. It’s a sign I’ve seen from him multiple times now – something he does when he’s stressed. I hang tight for him to talk, yet he doesn’t. Instead, he takes out his phone, his fingers moving rapidly over the screen.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, trying to gauge his mood. I don’t know if I’m prepared for whatever might come next, but I can’t just sit here pretending things are fine between us. Not after the strange distance that’s settled in the last few days.
He looks at me for the first time since entering. His gaze is sharp, almost too sharp like he’s seeing right through me. “Just business,” he says curtly, tossing the phone onto the table. His eyes drift to the papers in front of him, but they don’t seem to hold his attention. There’s a tension in the air, something I can’t name but feel in my bones.
“Business?” I repeat, my brow furrowing. “You seem…” I hesitate, choosing my words carefully. “.
“…on edge.”
“Nothing I can’t deal with,” he murmurs. However, I notice the edge in his voice. He’s lying. The words might be casual, but the tightness in his jaw deceives him.
I push forward, naturally detecting there’s another component underneath the surface. “Alexander, assuming that something’s wrong-
“Leila.” His voice cuts through mine, sharper than expected. “I would rather not discuss it.”
81
–
The air between us pops with implicit strain. I don’t have the foggiest idea how to make him open up, but something inside me the very quiet voice that has gone through years being overlooked – urges me to continue onward. “You’ve been far off,” I say softly, more to myself than to him. “I don’t have any idea. What’s changed?”
He stands unexpectedly, his chair scratching against the floor. I flinch at the sound. He doesn’t look at me when he talks, his back turned as he walks toward the window, gazing out at the city beneath.
“Everything’s changing,” he says silently, nearly to himself. “I can feel it.”
I stand, uncertain if I should follow him, unsure if I even have the right to push him further. But something in his voice calls out to me, something I can’t disregard.
“I need to help,” I express, moving toward him. My voice is milder now, very nearly a whisper. “I don’t have the foggiest idea what’s going on, yet you don’t need to deal with it single–handedly.”
He doesn’t answer right away. Briefly, I believe he will not express anything by any means. However at that point, as though some inward fight is pursuing inside him, he turns, his look locking with mine. There’s a glint of weakness in his eyes that I haven’t seen before.
“You can’t assist with this, Leila,” he says, his tone low yet touched with dissatisfaction. “I have this taken care of.”
I don’t withdraw. I will not. “Why do you appear as though you’re going to break?”
Alexander’s jaw fixes. Briefly, it appears as though he will detonate, but instead, he takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes, his hand going through his hair in agitation.
It is quite difficult,” he murmurs.
I step nearer, my heart beating in my chest, however I don’t stop. “Try me.”
He gazes at me for a long beat, as though discussing whether to give me access. I recognize the contention whirling clearly – he needs to safeguard me. However, I likewise know he’s worrying about a concern alone that is excessively weighty for only one person.
“Fine,”
,” he says, at last, his voice calm but serious. “It’s not only the business, Leila. There’s somebody – somebody from quite a while ago attempting to bring everything down.”
CHAPTERS
+25 Bonus
I feel a cold chill go through me at the heaviness of his words. The tension in the room appears to thicken, choking. “Who?” I ask, almost afraid to know. He hesitates for a moment, his gaze darkening. “A former business partner. Someone I trusted. But now… he’s doing everything he can to ruin me.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I’m not sure what to feel–shock, confusion, or fear. All I know is that this is bigger than I thought.
“Why?” I ask, my voice shaking slightly. “Why would someone do that?”
Alexander finally meets my eyes, his expression colder now. “Greed. Power. Control. You wouldn’t understand.”
The words sting, but I push them aside. “Try me,” I say again, my resolve hardening. “What’s he doing?”
“Everything,” Alexander snaps, his frustration apparent. “He’s making things happen I didn’t know existed. Making bargains despite my good faith, making monetary unsteadiness. He’s after my organization, and when he has it, he’ll have me.”
I make a stride back, attempting to process all that he’s recently said. “And, I’m simply expected to stay here while this occurs?”
11
His demeanour mellows briefly, yet it’s gone before I can get it. “I didn’t need you included,” he says quietly. “This is my battle.”
“But I’m your spouse,” I remind him, the words emerging before I can stop them. “I’m supposed to stand by your side. Don’t shut me out.”
“I’m not shutting you out,” he says, his tone softer now but still distant. “But you don’t understand what you’re asking for. This is dangerous.”
A weighty silence occupies the space among us, and briefly, neither of us talks. I can feel the heaviness of his words looming over me, the fear and vulnerability ripping at the edges of my mind.
“I couldn’t care less about risk,” I say at last, my voice firm. “I care about you.”
His look mellow, only briefly, and for the briefest second, I see something weak gleam in his eyes. However, it’s gone nearly as fast as it showed up.
“You’re in a tough situation, Leila,” he says, his voice low, practically surrendering. “And, I can’t protect you from this.”
My heart races as I attempt to retain what’s going on. He’s right this is greater than the two of us. But, I can’t simply leave. Not at present. Not when I’ve recently begun to comprehend the man standing before me, the man I’m married to, the one who’s beginning to feel like he’s the one I want to save.
“I’m not leaving,” I say discreetly, yet with assurance.
His look gleams, vulnerability blazing in his eyes briefly before he gets some distance from me, his back once again to the window.
“We’ll see,” he says unobtrusively. “We’ll see.”
“I
As the quiet stretches between us once again, I feel it – the heaviness of the world pushing down on my shoulders. I don’t have the foggiest idea what’s coming straight away. However, I know one thing without a doubt: our lives are about to change forever.
As Leila’s words linger palpably, a shadow crosses the window, hindering the sun and causing qualms about the room. Alexander’s demeanour solidifies, and the disquiet sinks into my chest like a lead weight. Something is coming, and I don’t know if we’ll survive it.
日
