Katherine
The second Damien left my office, the calm façade I wore cracked like thin glass.
I gripped the edge of my desk, fingers digging into the polished wood, my breathing sharp and uneven.
He doesn't believe me.
For the first time in years, Damien Wolfe—the man I've protected, covered for, fought beside—looked me dead in the eye… and questioned my loyalty.
Everything was spiraling too fast.
The spy evidence, the emails, the planted data trail—it was all meant to be flawless. Tight. Unbreakable.
Yet somehow, cracks had formed.
And when Damien senses cracks, he digs. He peels. He uncovers.
If he finds the truth…
I shoved the thought aside and grabbed my phone.
"Miranda," I barked, pacing to the window. "My office. Now."
Her heels clicked down the hall within seconds. She slipped inside, her glossy hair bouncing, that usual smug smirk on her lips.
The smirk disappeared the moment she saw my expression.
"We have a problem," I snapped.
Miranda arched an eyebrow. "Eva again?"
"No. You." I turned sharply, glaring. "You were sloppy."
Her jaw tightened. "Sloppy? Katherine, what have I done?"
"Clearly nothing," I hissed, shoving the printed report onto my desk. "Your job is to make Damien fall in love with you and not that bitch." I clenched my fists. "None of this was supposed to happen. Damien was meant to cut her loose by now. Instead, he's questioning me—looking at me like I'm the enemy, thanks to your sloppiness."
"Oh please! It is not my fault but yours! He is your brother, and you're losing him," Miranda replied bluntly, her tone like acid. "Don't blame me for your mistakes, Katherine."
I rounded on her, anger flaring. "Watch your tone, Miranda."
She smirked coldly. "Or what? You'll frame me next?"
We stood inches apart, the tension between us sharp enough to slice skin.
For a second, I almost did it—lashed out, screamed, slammed something against the wall.
But I didn't.
I pulled back, fixing my blazer, straightening my posture like armor.
"We aren't done," I said, voice low but steady. "If the spy angle's compromised, we escalate."
Miranda crossed her arms. "How?"
I smiled thinly. "We plant new evidence—bigger. Dirtier. Financial fraud. Embezzlement. Money trails leading straight to Eva."
Miranda's eyes gleamed with approval. "Framing her for stealing money will bury her."
"Exactly," I replied, moving to my desk. "We leak enough… the board won't hesitate to press charges."
"And Damien?"
I hesitated, my chest tightening.
For all his power, Damien's weakness is legacy. Reputation. If he believes Eva threatens both—he'll destroy her himself.
"He'll fall in line," I said finally, though a small part of me wasn't sure anymore.
Miranda watched me carefully, sensing the crack in my confidence.
I dialed the intercom.
"Nico," I said, my voice cool. "Get in here."
The door opened, and Nico entered.
Tall. Discreet. The perfect shadow operative in a suit.
"You called?" he asked, shutting the door behind him.
"You were supposed to bury her the first time," I snapped, voice sharp as glass. "Emails. Drafts. The planted trail—it was all flawless, or so you claimed."
I handed him the folder. He flipped it open, eyes scanning the documents. His lips twitched at the name. "That's impossible," he muttered. "I triple-checked the server logs—They've been tampered with!" Nico's voice cracked louder than he wanted. He forced himself to breathe, pressing trembling fingers to his temples. "Someone covered for her. Buried parts of the evidence."
Miranda's eyes darkened. "How?" She folded her arms, eyes narrowing. "And yet, here we are. Damien doubted us."
Nico's jaw tightened. His calm mask barely slipped, but I caught the flicker of frustration in his eyes.
"I did everything right," he said coolly. "The data was solid. The logs pointed directly at her."
"Then explain," I demanded, stepping closer, "why Damien is breathing down my neck asking if I set this up? Why the files look tampered with? You missed something."
Nico exhaled slowly, straightening his posture like a soldier under fire.
"I didn't miss anything," he replied, voice low but firm. "Like I said, someone's protecting her. Covering her tracks from the outside. And they are better than we thought."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "So now you're saying she has backup?"
"I'm saying," Nico cut in, his tone turning sharp, "that the evidence was compromised after I did my job. Either we underestimated her… or someone else is playing this game."
The room fell silent for a moment, tension thick enough to suffocate.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palm.
I hated chaos.
I hated uncertainty.
But most of all, I hated when control slipped through my fingers.
I straightened, fixing my expression.
"Fine," I said coldly. "You get one more shot. Financial fraud. Irrefutable. Make it so tangled, not even Damien can save her this time."
Nico's eyes glinted with quiet confidence.
"It'll be clean," he promised. "They'll believe every word."
"Adjust her profile. You'll plant files on her work account suggesting large-scale embezzlement. Make it believable—spread small irregularities across the last two weeks."
Nico nodded once. "Can do."
"No mistakes," I warned. "The hacker already covered for her once."
Nico's eyes sharpened. "Won't happen again."
Miranda leaned closer. "If you succeed, you'll be generously rewarded. Fail… and we all burn."
"I won't fail."
"Good," I replied, stepping back. "Because next time, if this falls apart… it won't just be Eva facing consequences."
Miranda stood beside me, arms crossed, satisfied.
Nico slipped the folder under his arm and left without another word.
The moment the door clicked shut, I allowed myself to exhale.
My hands trembled faintly.
Losing control. You're losing control…
This company was mine to protect.
Damien was mine to protect.
And yet, Eva—the ghost of Claire's mistakes—was ripping everything apart.
I moved to the mirror by the cabinet, staring at my reflection. My eyes looked harder. My mouth, thinner.
"How far are you willing to go?" Miranda asked softly from behind me.
I met my own gaze in the glass.
"As far as I have to," I whispered back.
Even if it means tearing Damien's life apart to save it.