ged, her sweat-clung skin a testamen

r, the only sound heard was the stead

a cold, dark rectangle. As she stared at it, her chest tightened,

she couldn't quite place. It wasn't the words themselves that unsettled

o breathe through the panic crawling up her throat. The p

e seemed to fuel the tension. And then, there was the meeting with Dam

. She reached for her phone and dialled her best friend's number, the one per

the other end made Chloe sm

me of us like sleep." Chloe rubbed her temples, feeling a head

" Chloe hesitated, unsure how to artic

an, Sienna, work...I feel

, and Ryan is an asshole. You deserve so much better th

mysterious voice. She knew she couldn

t myself drunk and sl

, her voice piercing t

e'd said too much. "It's a

ven through the phone. "And I wan

tranger." Chloe paused. "Just like every heartbroken girl in that club." Regret tinged her

ot?" Nina ask

p but laugh. "Oh,

's good, maybe it's

en though Nina couldn'

gonna be fine, I promise. You're just super st

ross soon'" her friend continued. "If he's at sca

ht." She needed to focus. This wasn't the time t

me and get a good night's rest an

over her. She sunk into her bed, her arms wrapped

__

xt morning. Determined to ground herself, she forced he

ink would help her clear her mind. The city hummed around her-car horn

ween towering office buildings, a spot she frequented when she needed a moment of solitude. The scent o

heir worlds. Chloe moved to join the short line. Her eyes scanned the room as s

aning towards his companions, his voice low but eager.

e trio - a young man and two women, all dressed sharply, their co

the girls scoffed

rp for two years, and I've never even seen him. It's al

inner circle has ever actually se

owerful has managed to stay

sentmindedly, "the fact that he's finally ste

for Damien Cross's absence? She felt a sudden urge to know more abo

ost instinctively. Damien Cross. She was meeting him soon,

ing the results. But there was nothing recent.

go. But nothing about Damien himself. No interviews, no photo

-his father, she assumed. But the heir to Cross Corp remained a ghost. Her finger

present, Chloe grabbed her coffee and headed for the door, her mind still racing. Dam

nto the busy sidewalk, a strange sensation settled over he

ing around, but the morning crowd bustled o

ing against the pavement. But the feeling only grew stronger. She wasn't imagi

car door. But just as her fingers brushed the handle, a shadow fell over her. Someone was sta