The CEO's Dirty Secret: Why the Billionaire Is Hiding?

Chapter 10: The Unmasking

The beam of the headlights cut through the garage like a blade, pinning Rian and Ginting in পাকা the center of the concrete floor. Elvina didn’t move. Her coat was pulled tight against the damp chill, her eyes darting between the smear of blood on Rian’s lip and the glowing, ominous screen in Ginting’s hand.

"Put it down, Ginting," Elvina said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

Ginting laughed, a sharp, ragged sound. "You have no idea what you’re looking at, Elvina. Take a good look. This is the man you’ve been playing house with."

"I told you to put the phone down," Elvina repeated, stepping closer. "Now."

Rian wiped the blood from his chin with the back of his hand, his eyes never leaving Ginting’s thumb. "Elvina, stay back. This isn't your fight."

"It is my fight," Elvina snapped, her gaze snapping to Rian. "I’I’m the one being lied to. Are you going to tell me what’s on that phone, or are we going to stand here and watch him destroy us both?"

Rian took a breath, his shoulders dropping. "It’s leverage. That’s all he has left."

"Leverage?" Ginting sneered, waving the phone. "Is that what you call corporate espionage? Is that what you call a three-year campaign to systematically ruin my firm’s reputation from the inside out?"

Elvina turned to Rian. "Three years? Rian, tell me he’s talking about something else."

Rian looked at the ground, then back at her. "It’s not as simple as he’s making it sound."

"Oh, it’s simple enough," Ginting interrupted, his voice gaining strength as he saw the flicker of doubt in Elvina’s eyes. "Why do you think I’ve been tracking him? Why do you think he knows every move my firm makes before we even discuss it in the boardroom?"

"Rian?" Elvina’s voice was a whisper now, hollowed out by the realization. "Is it true?"

"I did what I had to do to survive in this city," Rian said, his tone turning cold and defensive.

"You didn't survive, you hunted," Ginting shouted. "You were the one who orchestrated the Danau Toba merger from the start, weren't you? You didn't show up at that gala for a drink. You showed up to finish what you started years ago."

"I was a competitor, Ginting. That’s how business works."

"This isn't business," Elvina said, her eyes brimming with a mix of fury and cold disbelief. "This is obsession."

Rian took a step toward her, reaching out a hand. "Elvina, wait. Everything I told you in that sandbox—about wanting something real, about hating the games—it wasn't a lie."

"How can I tell the difference?" she asked, pulling away from his touch as if he were burning. "Every word that comes out of your mouth is part of a transaction. I was just the biggest acquisition on your list, wasn't I?"

"No," Rian said, his voice raw. "You were the only person who ever saw me as anything other than a bank account. I didn't plan for you."

"But you planned for Ginting," she countered. "You planned for every single person in this room."

Ginting smirked, his finger hovering over the upload button. "He’s a ghost, Elvina. He’s been moving in the shadows of this industry since I started. He’s the reason I’m fighting for my life right now. He’s not a man; he’s an algorithm with a grudge."

"Is that all you are, Rian?" Elvina asked, looking at him with a detachment that hurt more than a physical blow. "Just a man who buys and sells people for sport?"

"I’m the man who’s standing here, bleeding for you, while he’s standing there holding a phone like a weapon," Rian spat, glaring at Ginting.

"I’m holding the truth," Ginting countered.

"The truth is that you’re a failure," Rian roared, losing his cool. "You’ve spent your entire life trying to prove you’re my equal, and you can’t even hold onto your own firm without running to the press like a child."

"At least I’m not a fraud," Ginting said. He looked at Elvina, his expression softening into a twisted kind of pity. "Did he tell you his real name yet? Or are you still calling him by the brand he uses to keep his secrets?"

Elvina froze. "His real name?"

"He’s not Rian Sitepu," Ginting said, his voice dropping to a taunting, triumphant whisper. "He’s the founder of the shell company that bought out your firm’s debt back in 2021. He’s been your silent partner, your shadow landlord, and your worst nightmare all at once."

The silence in the garage was deafening. The only sound was the distant hum of Medan and the heavy, ragged breathing of three people whose lives had just shattered.

Elvina’s face drained of all color. She looked at Rian—really looked at him—and saw the mask he had worn for years. "You bought my debt?"

Rian didn't answer. He couldn't.

"Answer her," Ginting urged, his thumb pressing down.

"I bought it to protect it," Rian whispered, the arrogance finally vanishing from his face. "I wanted to keep you stable while I… while I figured out how to be someone else."

"You weren't trying to be someone else," Elvina said, her voice turning into a frozen, jagged edge. "You were just curating the environment."

"Elvina, please."

"Don't," she said, backing toward her car. "Don't you dare say my name."

"I'm giving you the world," Rian said, desperate now. "I can fix this. I can destroy the data. I can hand you back the debt, clear, no strings."

"You think this is about the money?" Elvina’s laugh was brittle, a sound of pure, unadulterated heartbreak. "You really have no idea what it is to be a person, do you?"

"I’I’m learning," he pleaded.

"Then learn this," she said, opening her car door. "Even if you offered me the world, even if you put every single share of my company at my feet, I wouldn't look at you twice. You aren't just a shark, Rian. You’re a vacuum. You suck the air out of everything you touch."

"I love you," he blurted out, the words hitting the concrete like a confession of failure.

Elvina stopped, her hand on the door frame. She looked back at him, her expression so devoid of feeling that Rian felt his heart seize.

"You don't know the first thing about love," she said. "Love isn't something you acquire."

She climbed into her car, slammed the door, and ignited the engine. She didn't look at Ginting. She didn't look back at the man who had been chasing her for months. She just drove, the tires screeching as she left them alone in the dark.

Ginting stood there, his phone still glowing, his victory absolute. He looked at Rian, who was staring at the empty spot where she had been.

"You lost," Ginting said softly.

Rian didn't turn around. He just watched the tail lights disappear into the Medan night.

"I know," Rian whispered. "But I haven't left the game yet."