Chapter 5 Trust Is Lost

Zara POV

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving me alone with Sebastian, the pressure of his rage bearing down on me like a vice.

I drew in a breath, attempting to calm my thundering heart. "Sebastian, let me explain..."

"Don't," he snapped, cutting me off.

"Just don't."

The lump in my throat was rising, but not because I was scared. Because I was pissed.I'd done everything right. Everything exactly.

Now I was sitting here on a plane, sitting here listening to the stewardess mumble through.the white cartoon mask over the loud speaker, and all I had to show for it was the lump catching in my throat.

Sebastian came another step closer to me, his eyes burning with anger and a hint of betrayal. "You think you can play me, Zara? You think I wouldn't figure it out?"

"I wasn't...."

"Save it," he growled at me, his voice so low and dangerous I would've been afraid if I'd had a hand in breaking us.

"I don't care what your reasons are. What you did . . . It ends now."

And that made this even more dangerous.

But I couldn't back down now. I had come too far.

"This isn't about you, Sebastian." My voice trembled but I fought to sound strong. "It's bigger than that."

He gazed at me for a long beat and then his jaw jumped with tension. "You're right. It is bigger than that. But you made it personal."

I tried to reply, but the words stuck in my throat as he spun on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving me there with the impression of absence so heavy I wasn't sure how I would carry it.

I had made my play. But it was a long game.

And now, with both Noah and Sebastian circling me like sharks, I wasn't sure how long I could keep my head above water.

---

Sebastian's POV

As I walked, flames flickered through my slippers. What had I done? How had things gotten so out of hand?

Zara Morgan wasn't just dangerous, she was a threat. And she had played me perfectly.

But it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

I would find out exactly what she and Noah were up to, and when I did, they would both regret ever trying to cross me.

No one outmaneuvers Sebastian Knight.

And no one escapes the consequences.

---

Zara's POV

Sebastian left, clicking off the light behind him and leaving me to silence in the still-falling early morning dark.

Pressing a shaking hand to my chest, I gasped for breath, trying to stop my heart's wild drum from shattering right out of it's cage.

This was falling apart.

I had lost my grip and unless I could somehow recover it soon the game would be up.

I needed a new plan. I needed a way to salvage this before it was too late.

I glanced at my phone, fingers itching to call Noah, to tell him what had just happened, to demand answers for why he had provoked Sebastian like that.

But something stopped me. Something deeper, darker.

And for the first time, I wondered if Noah was playing his own game, one I wasn't meant to win.

And suddenly, I didn't know who I could trust anymore.

--------

I sat there trembling, still staring at the closed door. The pounding in my pulse seemed to lead my pounding ears. My thoughts whirled in a cyclone.

The game was shifting, and I sensed the floor moving under my feet. I hadn't factored in Noah's move or Sebastian's response.

Suddenly, I wasn't sure whose side I was on, which side anyone else was on, or if we were all pawns in some greater scheme.

The sudden vibration of my phone pulled me from my thoughts, and I reached over to grab it, half-expecting the name Noah to light up the screen. But it wasn't him.

It was a number I didn't recognize.

I paused for a moment before swiping the screen. "Hello?"

"I thought you were smarter than this," a low voice rumbled back.

My blood froze. I recognized the voice, it was Noah.

"You pushed Sebastian on purpose," I hissed, my hand tightening around the phone.

A soft laugh floated down the line.

"I told you, Zara, it's a game. And in this game, you need to know how to play your hand. You've been dealt a golden opportunity."

"Opportunity?" I spat. "Sebastian is furious. He's onto us, Noah. He knows something's off."

"That's the point," Noah said, his tone smug. "Let him stew. Let him think he's got control. The more emotional he gets, the sloppier he becomes."

I could feel my heart rate speeding up again. Noah was toying with fire, and I was stuck in the middle. "What's your endgame, Noah? You want to burn him to the ground, fine. But I'm not your puppet."

There was a pause, and when he spoke again, his voice was lower, almost dangerous. "You're not my puppet, Zara. You're my partner. Remember that. If Sebastian's empire crumbles, you get what you came for too. We both win."

I hesitated, glancing toward the window as if I could see through the skyline to where Noah likely sat in some posh office, completely in command.

"Okay," I ground out. "But no more surprises, if you pull something like that again"

"I'll be in touch soon," Noah interrupted, his voice smooth. "Just be ready when the time comes. And Zara?"

"What?" I asked, irritated.

"Don't let Sebastian get too close. He's more dangerous than you realize."

The line went dead before I could reply, and I was left with the echo of my own voice. Throwing the receiver on my barren desk, I brooded over recent events.

How had things gotten so bad? I had to regain the edge or I'd be under that bus in no time.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I kept my head low, avoiding Sebastian as much as I possibly could, although I knew it was only a matter of time before he would corner me once again.

The thick tension in the air around the office felt stifling and I swear eyes were being directed at me from every angle, almost as if everyone could tell that there was something dangerous going on involving me.