Chapter 10 Smoke Beneath the Silk

CHAPTER TEN

POV: Zayne Thornwell

The Thornwell Tower boardroom was bathed in late-afternoon light, all glass walls and shadows. Zayne sat at the head of the long marble table, but his mind wasn't in the room. Reports were being read out. Figures, forecasts, predictions-all white noise behind the fog of suspicion brewing in his chest.

He had started noticing it.

Whispers. Lingering stares. Papers not where he left them. Files that seemed... altered. Something was wrong. Something deeper than corporate politics.

Across the table, Gerald Roth cleared his throat.

"We need to address the merger offer from KrossTech. Valentina's team isn't backing down."

Zayne didn't flinch.

"We don't bend. Not to her. Not ever."

But even as the words left his lips, he knew Valentina didn't play on the surface. She moved underneath it, slithering through connections and leverage and people.

And someone in this room... might be feeding her.

"Meeting adjourned," Zayne said coldly. "Kene, stay back."

When the others left, Zayne turned to his associate with piercing calm.

"Were you aware Gerald met with someone from KrossTech last night?"

Kene hesitated, then: "I was. I thought you knew."

Zayne stood, slowly buttoning his blazer.

"I'm beginning to realize there's a lot I don't know."

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Scene Shift – Lana's Apartment

Lana watched the encrypted message vanish from her burner phone screen. A part of her still wished she had deleted everything months ago, before Zayne came back into her life. Before she realized how much he didn't remember. Or worse-how much he was pretending not to.

She opened the drawer, fingers brushing the journal.

The one she swore never to read again.

The one Zayne left behind when he disappeared a year ago.

She flipped it open.

"If I don't come back, let Lana know I knew. Tell her to forgive Nanny if she ever finds out."

Lana snapped it shut.

Forgive?

Not when the truth could destroy everything.

Not when Zayne still didn't know who let the devil through the door that night.

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Final Scene – Rooftop of Thornwell Tower

Zayne lit a cigarette-a habit he only returned to when things got ugly. The city lights blinked beneath him like coded warnings. His phone vibrated. A message. Anonymous.

"You're surrounded by ghosts in tailored suits. Be careful who you trust. Even the woman who raised you has blood on her hands."

Zayne stared at the message until the screen dimmed.

He didn't feel fear.

He felt the thrill of confirmation.

They were coming for him.

And he was finally ready to start coming for them too.

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