Elena didn't respond immediately.
She stared at the message like it might rearrange itself into something less irritating.
It didn't.
"Elena. We need to talk. It's about Adrian"
Of course it was.
Everything, somehow, always circled back to him.
Her jaw tightened slightly before she typed back.
"Then talk."
The reply came almost instantly.
"Not over text. Meet me."
She leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowing.
Suspicious. Annoying.
And unfortunately…effective.
Because now she was curious.
Twenty minutes later, Elena stepped into a quiet, dimly lit lounge tucked between glass towers and expensive silence.
The kind of place people came to have conversations they didn't want overheard.
She spotted him immediately.
Daniel Reeves.
Mid-thirties. Clean-cut. Polished in a way that felt intentional. Too intentional.
He stood as she approached, offering a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Elena. Thanks for coming."
"You said it was about Adrian," she replied, skipping pleasantries as she took the seat across from him. "So start talking."
Straight to it. Good.
Daniel sat back down slowly, studying her for a moment like he was reassessing something.
Then….
"I'm sure you're aware Adrian's company is in the middle of a major acquisition."
She didn't blink. "I read the news."
"Then you know how sensitive it is."
"I know how public it is," she corrected. "So unless you're about to tell me something that isn't already online, you're wasting my time."
A flicker of something crossed his face.
Annoyance? Maybe.
Good.
"Off the record," he said quietly, leaning forward, "there's a leak."
That got her attention.
Not visibly.
But internally, everything sharpened.
"What kind of leak?" she asked.
Daniel held her gaze.
"Internal data. Strategy documents. Negotiation terms."
Elena's fingers tapped once against the table. Controlled. Measured.
"And you think I care because…?"
"Because," he said, voice dropping slightly, "it looks like it's coming from someone close to him."
Silence. Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just…heavy.
Elena's expression didn't change.
But something in her eyes did.
"That's a serious accusation," she said.
"I'm aware."
"And you're telling me instead of handling it internally because…?"
"Because if this goes public," Daniel said, "it doesn't just hurt Adrian."
A pause.
"It destroys him."
Across the city, Adrian was already in a bad mood.
Which, for him, meant colder than usual.
Sharper. Less patient.
The meeting in front of him blurred into background noise as his attention drifted again to his phone.
Unacceptable.
He forced himself to focus.
Numbers. Strategy. Risk. Control.
That's what mattered.
Not...
A buzz.
His gaze flicked down before he could stop himself.
Damn it. He ignored it.
Kept his attention forward.
"…we'll need your approval before moving forward," someone was saying.
Adrian nodded once. "You'll have it."
Another buzz.
His jaw tightened.
"Meeting adjourned," he said abruptly, standing before anyone could respond.
Chairs shifted. Voices murmured.
He didn't care.
By the time the room cleared, he was already reaching for his phone.
"You seem distracted today."
His expression stilled.
Nova.
Of course.
He exhaled slowly, sitting back down.
"Work."
A second passed.
Then….
"You don't sound like someone who's just busy."
His grip tightened slightly around the phone.
Observant. Annoyingly so.
"And what do I sound like?"
The reply took longer this time.
Long enough to pull his attention completely in.
Back in the lounge, Elena didn't like this.
Not the conversation.
Not Daniel.
And definitely not the direction this was going.
"You're implying someone in his inner circle is betraying him," she said. "That's not something you 'suspect.' That's something you prove."
"We're working on that."
"Then work faster."
Daniel's gaze sharpened slightly. "You're not surprised."
That almost made her smile.
"Should I be?"
"Most people would be."
"I'm not most people."
No hesitation. No defense.
Just fact.
Daniel studied her for a moment longer.
Then, he proceeded…
"There's more," he said.
Elena didn't respond.
Didn't encourage him to go on.
Just waited. Carefully. Deliberately.
"Whoever is leaking information," he continued, "isn't just targeting the company."
A pause.
"They're targeting Adrian personally."
That…That was new.
Her fingers stilled completely now.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Daniel said quietly, "they know things they shouldn't."
A slow, controlled breath left her.
"Be specific."
Another pause.
Then he said,
"They know about his off-record communications."
Everything in Elena went still.
Not visibly obviously.
But internally, everything was calculating,
Sharp. Alert.
Dangerous.
"Define off-record," she said.
Daniel didn't look away.
"Anonymous contacts. Private exchanges. Conversations that aren't tied to his public identity."
Her pulse ticked once.
Just once.
Slow. Measured.
Impossible to notice unless you knew where to look.
"That could be anyone," she said evenly.
"True," Daniel agreed.
"But this one seems… consistent."
A beat.
"Frequent."
Another pause.
"Important."
Across the city, Adrian's phone buzzed again.
He looked down.
"You sound like someone who's about to lose control."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I don't lose control."
The reply came instantly.
"Everyone does. The question is whether you admit it…or let it destroy something first."
Adrian stared at the screen.
Something about that, It hit too close.
Too precise.
Like she wasn't guessing.
Like she knew.
And for the first time since this started, a thought crossed his mind.
Sharp. Unwelcome.
And impossible to ignore.
Back in the lounge, Elena stood.
Slowly. Gracefully.
Done with the conversation.
"If you're trying to scare me," she said, picking up her bag, "you should try harder."
Daniel didn't move.
"Just be careful, Elena."
She paused.
Not turning. Not reacting.
Just enough to acknowledge the words existed.
Then she said,
"I always am."
And she walked away.
Outside, the air felt colder.
Harsh. Cleaner.
Elena pulled out her phone without thinking.
Opened the chat.
Stared at it.
At him.
At the one place where things felt, simple.
Honest. Safe.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Just for a second.
Then, She typed.
"Tell me something you've never told anyone."
Across the city, Adrian read the message.
Once. Twice.
Slower the second time.
His jaw tightened.
Because suddenly, this didn't feel like a game anymore.