Zoe pulled away from Mason, her chest heaving, his release still slick and heavy inside her, a truth she wasn't ready to name.
Her hands shook as she pulled her skirt back down, fingers fumbling over the scattered papers littering his desk.
Mason didn't move.
He just leaned back in his chair, watching her with eyes so dark they looked endless.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice low and rough, like broken glass soaked in whiskey
She swallowed hard, reaching down to grab her phone from the floor. "Work emergency," she said, too fast.
He tilted his head. "You sure it's not lover's guilt?"
She shot him a sharp frown. "Don't flatter yourself."
And just like that, she turned and walked out. No goodbye. No glance back. Just the sharp, defiant echo of her heels cracking against the marble floor.
Her heart hammered in her chest, loud, wild, refusing to calm down.
Inside the elevator, she pierced the lobby button and gripped her phone so tight her knuckles went white.
She pulled up Ethan's message again.
We need to talk. I know who leaked the story. It's worse than you think.
She typed fast.
Where are you?
His response came in seconds.
My place. Come now.
The elevator dinged softly.
She stepped out into the reception area, marching right past Tina, who looked at her like she'd just seen a ghost walk by in heels.
Ethan's Apartment – 20 Minutes Later
The rain had finally stopped, but the night air still clung to her skin, heavy with the scent of wet pavement and leftover regrets.
She knocked once, didn't wait for an answer, and pushed the door open.
Ethan was pacing the living room, barefoot, hair damp from a fresh shower, wearing nothing but loose grey sweatpants that clung to his hips like an afterthought. Black tee stretched across his chest like it barely contained him.
He turned when he heard her.
His eyes snapped to her, dragging over her tangled hair, the smeared lipstick staining her mouth, the fresh red mark blooming on her throat where Mason's short beard had scraped her skin too rough.
His jaw tightened, muscle ticking like he was fighting words he didn't want to say.
"You were with him," he said.
She didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Ethan let out a curse, dragging his hand through his hair like he didn't know what to do with it.
"Zoe… this is bad. "It's really bad."
She folded her arms tight across her chest, hugging herself like she was trying to hold all her pieces together. "Then tell me."
He looked at her like he didn't want to. Like it might ruin something fragile between them.
But he said it anyway.
"I traced the leak. It wasn't Mason. And it wasn't me."
She held her breath.
"It was Hannah."
Her head jerked. "Hannah? My, what?"
"Your agency's PR director," he said, voice low. "She's been on Mason's payroll for months."
Zoe's knees trembled, giving out just enough for her to grab the back of the couch, fingers clenching so hard her knuckles whitened against the leather.
"No… No, that can't be right. Hannah and I, we've survived everything side by side."She's family."
Ethan shook his head. "She's been feeding him info. Your meetings. Your whereabouts. Your files."
Her stomach clenched so tight it hurt.
It was like someone had reached in and tore the air right out of her chest.
"But… why?" The word scraped out of her throat, small and broken.
Ethan stepped closer. quiet, controlled, and hurting.
"Because Mason's not who you think he is. He doesn't just want you, Zoe. He wants everything you are. Your brand. Your reach. Your world. "He's been pulling the strings this whole damn time."
Tears burned behind her eyes, rising so fast she couldn't blink them back.
"He wouldn't do that"
"He would," Ethan cut in, voice cracking. "Guys like him.., they don't fall in love. They conquer. And once you're conquered… they leave you bleeding."
Her chest felt like it was cracking wide open.
"Why are you telling me this?" she whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
He reached out, thumb brushing away a tear that slipped down her cheek, like watching it fall tore something in him apart.
"Because I can't stand by and watch you burn yourself out for a man who only sees you as something to win," he said, his voice breaking at the edges. "I can't just stand here and let him destroy you."
She looked at him. The truth. The grief. The history.
"You don't know him," she said softly.
"I know enough," he murmured. "And I know you deserve so much better than this," he added, his voice low and aching.
Her phone vibrated in her hand, vibrating against her palm like it was trying to snap her back to reality.
She glanced down.
Mason:
Come over tonight.
We need to talk. Face to face. Alone.
Her grip on the phone tightened.
Ethan's eyes dropped to the screen. "Don't go."
"I have to," she whispered.
He reached for her arms, holding her steady. "Zoe, listen. He's dangerous."
She looked up at him, voice trembling with the weight of it all. "So are you."
He flinched. But she didn't stay to see the way his face folded behind her.
She slipped out of his grip, grabbed her purse, and walked out the door like her legs were made of shattered glass barely holding her up.
Mason's Penthouse – 9 p.m.
Security let her through without a word, like they'd been told exactly when she'd come.
The elevator opened to a silent world of marble and glass, dim gold light spilling over everything. Her heels sank into the thick carpet as she walked down the long hallway.
Mason stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, city lights painting his shadow in hard, beautiful edges.
He didn't turn.
Not at first.
Then he did.
And his gaze scanned her face like he already knew what had been said.
"Ethan told you, didn't he?" he asked, voice low.
Her throat went dry.
"You used me," she whispered. "You used Hannah. You used everything."
He didn't blink.
Didn't deny it.
"Everything I did," he said, so quietly it hurt, "I did for us."
"There is no us," she spat, backing away. "There never was."
He moved, fast.
Faster than she expected.
His hand caught her wrist. Pulled her in. His mouth crushed hers, hot, punishing, laced with whiskey and something like war.
She shoved at his chest. He only gripped her tighter.
"You think he loves you?" he growled. "You think he's any different? He'll break you all over again."
Her breath hitched. "Then let him."
He stilled.
Just for a moment.
Then
Buzz.
Her phone lit up.
Unknown Number:
Leave both men. Or your career dies tomorrow.
Her blood ran cold.
She stared at the message, her heart thundering so hard she couldn't hear anything else in the room.
She looked up.
Met Mason's gaze.
Something in his eyes shifted.
Dark. Quiet. Calculating.
"Who is this?" she whispered.
He didn't answer.
Because deep down…
She already knew.