The morning started like any other, with the soft hum of the city outside our penthouse and the steady rhythm of life moving forward. But as I entered the living room, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the view–it was Alexander.
He was standing near the window, phone in hand, eyes narrowing at something on the screen. I could feel the tension radiating off him, even from across the room.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.
He didn’t look up immediately, and for a second, I almost regretted asking. But then he finally turned, his expression hard, almost guarded.
“It’s just the news,” he muttered, shoving the phone into his pocket. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
I frowned, crossing the room toward him. “Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not shutting you out. I just don’t want to drag you into this mess.”
But I had already seen enough. I’d been living with Alexander long enough to know when something was off. His eyes, normally cold and distant, were now clouded with a flicker of something–something dark, something familiar.
“What’s going on?” I pressed, reaching for his arm. “You’re not yourself.”
He looked at me then, really looked at me, as though weighing the decision of whether or not to let me in. It was clear I wasn’t going to get any answers from him right away, but before he could speak, the door to the office swung open.
“It’s him again,” Daniel, one of Alexander’s closest business partners, said as he walked in, the worry evident in his eyes. “The media’s taking his side. Public opinion is turning against you.”
Alexander’s face darkened, but he didn’t respond immediately. I glanced between them, the tension in the air palpable.
“Who’s doing this?” I asked, my voice sharp with a mix of confusion and anger.
Daniel exchanged a look with Alexander before replying. “Harrison Vaughn. He’s pulling every trick in the book, manipulating the press, twisting the facts. And it’s working.”
I felt the sting of betrayal in my chest. Harrison Vaughn? I knew that name. He’d been one of Alexander’s closest allies in the past, a man Alexander trusted implicitly. What had changed?
“Why would he do this?” I asked, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “You were partners. He owes you everything.”
Alexander’s face was unreadable as he finally spoke. “People change, Leila. They don’t always stay loyal. And some people are willing to destroy everything for power.”
I turned to Daniel. “Is there anything we can do? Anything to stop this?”
Daniel shook his head, frustration lining his face. “Not without exposing some things that might hurt Alexander even more. The damage is already done. The public perception is shifting. People are believing the lies.”
I watched as Alexander moved toward his desk, his shoulders tense, his hands gripping the edge of the table. I could see the weight of it all on him, the pressure mounting with every passing minute. And yet, he still refused to share his burden with me. He was closing me out again.
I didn’t know what to do with that, or with the sudden wave of frustration that threatened to drown me. I was his wife, his partner in this mess, but all I seemed to be was a bystander.
“Alexander,” I said softly, stepping closer. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
He turned toward me, his eyes full of a mix of gratitude and pain. “I don’t need your pity, Leila. I’m not a charity case.”
“I’m not pitying you,” I said, my voice firm now. “I’m trying to help you. You don’t have to carry this all by yourself.”
There was a beat of silence, and for a moment, it felt like he might finally open up. But then, as if bracing himself against something, he looked away.
“This isn’t your fight,” he said, his voice low, hard. “You don’t understand the stakes.”
That stung more than I cared to admit. It was like a punch to the gut, the implication that I was incapable of understanding, of helping him.
“I understand more than you think,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “I understand that you’re pushing me away, and I don’t know how much longer I can stand by and watch you drown in this alone.”
Alexander’s expression softened just a fraction, but the walls around him remained intact. He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned back to his desk, his back
to me now.
“I need to think,” he muttered, dismissing me,
1/2
+25 Bonus
I stood there for a moment, watching him, my heart aching for him–and for myself. There was so much I wanted to say, so much I needed to understand. But every time I tried to reach him, he pulled further away.
I turned to leave, but then something caught my eye. A piece of paper on his desk, half–hidden under a stack of reports. I knew it wasn’t my place to look, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to know what was going on.
I walked over and picked it up, unfolding the paper carefully. My eyes scanned the contents, and my stomach twisted with unease.
It was a contract. And not just any contract—this was one between Alexander and Harrison Vaughn. A clause buried deep within the terms of the agreement, one that could bring down Alexander’s entire empire if exposed.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Harrison’s betrayal, the sabotage–it wasn’t just about power. It was about money, and Alexander’s vulnerability was laid out in black and white.
I stepped back, the paper still clutched in my hand, my heart pounding. What had Alexander gotten himself into? And how could he possibly get out of this mess?
Just as I was about to leave the office, a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Leila,” Alexander called from behind me, his tone softer now, but laced with something I couldn’t quite place.
I turned, the paper still in my hand. He was watching me carefully, his expression unreadable.
“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I’ve been shutting you out. But I can’t do this without you.”
A mixture of relief and confusion washed over me. I wanted to believe him, to step forward and finally break through the walls he had built around himself. But a part of me knew better. There was more at play here than I could see, and the truth was far from what I expected.
“I’m with you, Alexander,” I said, my voice steady. “But I need you to trust me. Trust me enough to share this with me.”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment, as if weighing his next move. And then, with a heavy sigh, he nodded.
“Fine. But we need to move fast. Harrison’s just getting started.”
As the weight of his words settled over us, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were both standing on the edge of something we couldn’t control
And I had no idea just how deep this would go.
Leila uncovers a **critical piece of information** that could either save or destroy Alexander’s empire. But with the stakes higher than ever, will she be able to help him in time? And what is Harrison after? The tension between them grows as they confront their shared future—if they can survive the
coming storm.
