Chapter 3 In The Shadows

Zane had always believed control was everything.

And control, he had in abundance.

In boardrooms, he was the man they feared. On paper, he didn't exist, no photos, no interviews, no digital footprint outside of aliases and shell corporations. Even David Cross had met him once. He knew that name whispered in industry like a coming storm: Z. Blackwell.

He knew perfectly well not to mess with him.

But none of that prepared him for the chaos brewing inside his own chest every time he looked at her.

Alina.

She was the one thing he hadn't planned.

Someone he could never ignore no matter how much he wanted to.

Now he couldn't stay away.

...

Zane sat inside his matte-black Range Rover, parked half a block from her apartment. Rain fell in streaks across the windshield, city lights flickering through it like ghosts.

She was home.

He'd watched her move through the tiny apartment like a shadow, quiet, careful, guarded.

She smiled less now than she had that night they met.

She moved slower, too protecting something or someone.

Their child.

He should've walked away.

But every time he tried, his mind dragged him back to the softness of her lips, the way she had looked at him like he was more than a name, more than a means to an end. Just... a man.

She didn't know his power, his past, his mission.

She only knew his touch.

And that was dangerous.

...

Zane didn't approach her. Not directly. Not yet.

First, he worked around her edges.

A discreet job offer was made to the struggling bookstore where she worked, funding granted through a "mystery donor." The shop suddenly had money for new shelving, better pay, and shorter hours.

Alina's manager gave her a raise without warning. Told her she could work mornings only if she needed to rest.

She never knew the reason.

Zane watched from across the street that day as she stepped out, a small smile tugging at her lips for the first time in weeks.

It twisted something in his chest.

He didn't want gratitude.

He just wanted her to have a moment of peace.

And yet he hated how he needed to see it.

...

Two days later, news broke of David's supposed mistress, the headline carefully crafted, leaked to the right gossip columnists, amplified by a few bots Zane's tech team deployed.

David's world was beginning to crumble.

"Billionaire David Cross Spotted With Mystery Woman while his wife is nowhere in Sight."

Alina saw it. Zane knew because her body tensed when she left her apartment that morning, her steps stiffer than usual.

She was hurting again.

He hated seeing her in that state.

Zane's fists clenched.

David deserved to burn.

But Alina didn't.

So Zane made another move.

That night, she got a call from her landlord. Rent had been mysteriously paid three months in advance.

She tried to fight it. Asked questions.

Got no answers.

Just silence.

Zane didn't want her to owe him.

But if she was carrying his child, she would not suffer.

Not on his watch.

...

Constantly drawn into Alina's world.

he let himself be seen "accidentally", of course.

He "bumped" into her at a small cafe two blocks from her work.

He wore a hoodie, jeans, no bodyguards. Just an average man grabbing a coffee.

She barely recognized him at first.

Until her eyes lifted from her cup and froze.

Their gazes locked.

And the world felt stagnant

Everything moving at its lowest pace.

Alina blinked. Her lips parted.

"You..." she whispered. "You're..."

She couldn't believe her eyes.

Zane gave a half-smile. "Yeah. Small world."

She looked like she wanted to run or scream or cry.

He knew that feeling.

So he kept it casual.

"Didn't expect to see you again," he said.

"Neither did I," she muttered, hugging her coat tighter.

She looked down, fingers curling nervously.

"You okay?" he asked, voice softer.

A pause.

Then: "I'm fine."

He didn't push it, Just nodded.

"Good. You look... well."

Liar.

She looked exhausted. Pale. But still beautiful in a way that made his gut tighten.

He wanted to reach for her.

But instead, he stepped back.

"Take care of yourself," he said quietly.

Then walked away.

...

Back in his penthouse, Zane watched her from security feeds.

He knew it was wrong.

But he couldn't help it.

She paced her apartment that night. Sat by the window. Picked up her phone. Set it down again.

Then she curled into the couch, hand resting on her stomach, eyes brimming with tears.

Zane stood in the dark, his reflection cold in the glass.

This wasn't a game anymore.

This wasn't just revenge.

She was real.

Their child was real.

And he didn't know what to do with that.

...

Meanwhile...David

Across town, David Cross threw a phone at the wall, screaming at his PR manager.

"Fix it!" he roared. "I don't care what it costs, fix the damn story!"

"Fuck!" He roared. Why is this happening now?

"It's out of control, sir. They've linked it to the woman at your office party. Someone's feeding the tabloids."

"Then find out who!"

His manager swallowed hard. "There's... a rumor... Z. Blackwell might be involved."

David's face went pale.

He'd heard the name before.

A man that mustn't be messed with. A ghost that lingers in the shadows with a presence that cannot be ignored. Why would he be after him?

If that man was targeting him...?

He was already losing.

---

Zane knew she wouldn't call him.

So he left a letter.

Slipped under her door by one of his men, untraceable, with only five words:

"Dinner? Just to talk. -Z"

No pressure. No threat.

Just an offer.

And for hours, he waited for a reply that didn't come.

He was becoming impatient as sweat formed at the back of his head, pacing from one end to the other.

Until finally, at midnight, a single message buzzed on the burner phone he left her.

"One dinner. That's it."

His heart punched against his ribs.

He allowed himself one deep breath.

Then whispered to no one, "That's all I need."

...

He wasn't ready to tell her everything. Not yet.

But he would get close. Get under her skin. Make her trust him again.

He had to...because when the truth finally came out...

That he was Zane Blackwell.

That he was using her...at first.

That he was the reason David's world was crumbling.

She would either love him.

Or hate him.

And he didn't know which would destroy him more.