Shadows Between ThemThe city outside Ethan’s penthouse glimmered like scattered diamonds, but inside, shadows clung to every corner. Clara sat on the edge of the sofa, her fingers tightening around the delicate stem of her wine glass, though she had hardly taken a sip. She wasn’t sure whether it was the silence pressing down on her chest or the fact that Ethan Sterling had barely looked her way since they returned from the boardroom.He had been different since Kane’s cryptic interference. Guarded, sharper than usual, his coldness refined into a blade that seemed to cut between them every time she tried to close the gap. But beneath that controlled exterior, Clara sensed something else—an unrest he refused to name.Ethan stood by the window now, his tall frame carved against the city skyline. His reflection in the glass was all sharp edges, the faintest curve of his jaw tense as though holding back words that might cost too much if spoken. He hadn’t said anything since pouring himse

Behind Locked DoorsClara had never felt more out of place in Sterling Manor than she did that night. It was as though Kane’s words had seeped into the wallpaper, reshaping every corner of the house into something colder, darker, and filled with secrets.Ask him about the fire. Ask him why he locks the doors.Those sentences looped in her head like a curse she couldn’t shake off.She had promised herself she wouldn’t let paranoia rule her, that she wouldn’t give Kane the satisfaction of watching her unravel. Yet here she was, padding silently down the dimly lit hallway, barefoot, her pulse hammering with each creak of the floor.Ethan’s study door was closed. She knew he’d been in there earlier—he always retreated there after late dinners, his fortress of solitude. Sometimes, she thought he hid in that room to avoid her questions, her gaze, her touch. Tonight, she prayed he was still buried in paperwork and not roaming the halls.Clara stopped in front of a locked door she’d walked pa

The FalloutClara’s footsteps echoed faintly in the corridor as Ethan steered her away from the locked room, his grip on her elbow firm but not rough. She fought the urge to wrench free, her whole body trembling from what she’d seen—the photos, the ledger, the locket now burning like fire in her pocket.Her chest heaved as she finally tore herself away once they reached the main hall. “Stop touching me!” she snapped, her voice cracking.Ethan froze, his jaw tightening, but he let go. For a long moment, they stood staring at each other in the dim light, silence stretching heavy and unbearable.Her eyes blazed with fury. “You’ve been spying on me. Watching me. For years. Was any of this real, Ethan? Was it all some kind of setup?”He didn’t flinch at her words, but something in his expression wavered—a flash of pain quickly hidden behind his usual steel. “It’s not what you think.”She laughed bitterly, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Not what I think? Do you have any idea how that sou

Splinters of SilenceClara didn’t sleep that night. She couldn’t. The echo of Ethan’s words — “I don’t know if I can forgive this” — kept replaying in her head like a cruel melody. She lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling while Ethan remained in his study, the door closed, his presence a ghost in the penthouse.When dawn broke, the tension was still thick enough to choke on. Ethan emerged, perfectly dressed, crisp suit, immaculate tie, as if the night had left no mark on him. His eyes flicked toward Clara once — cold, unreadable — before he grabbed his briefcase.“You’re leaving without saying anything?” Clara whispered, her voice hoarse from silence.He paused at the door, his back to her. “There’s nothing left to say right now.”Her heart crumbled at the finality in his tone. “Ethan—”“Don’t.” He didn’t raise his voice, but the weight of that single word slammed into her chest like a hammer. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”And then he was gone.The sound of the

Shadows of AllianceThe silence in the Sterling penthouse was not the silence of peace. It was the kind of silence that pressed down like a weight, full of unspoken words and sharp edges. Clara sat by the long glass windows, arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes following the city lights below. Ethan stood near the bar counter, pouring himself a drink he wouldn’t taste. Both were in the same room, yet they felt worlds apart.And yet, despite the wreckage of the last forty-eight hours—the shouting, the accusations, the revelations—they were still here. Together.The decision to form an alliance hadn’t come easily. Ethan had resisted it until the very last moment, his pride wounded by Clara’s accusations and his own guilt gnawing at him for failing to protect her. Clara had hesitated too, wary of giving her trust to a man who seemed determined to keep her at arm’s length. But Kane had made sure they had no other choice. His moves were tightening around them like a noose.Now,