---
Episode 16 – Tension in the Shadows
The morning air at Phoenix Corp was unusually heavy. Jasmine walked into the building, the clack of her heels echoing a rhythm that didn't match her unsettled heart. She hadn't slept properly, her mind replaying every moment from the previous night—the conversation with Callum, his tone, the way his eyes held hers like he was trying to speak without words.
She was beginning to see the cracks behind the CEO mask. But was she ready to find out what hid behind them?
"Good morning, Miss Hart," Victor said as she passed the executive floor. He offered her a polite smile, but his eyes scanned her face with quiet curiosity. Everyone around here had eyes like hawks—nothing ever slipped past unnoticed.
"Morning," she replied with a nod, then stepped into her office.
Just minutes after settling in, her phone buzzed.
Callum Reed: My office. Now.
Her stomach tightened. The message was as cold and clipped as always, but something about it made her pulse skip. She stood, smoothed her skirt, and headed to his office.
When she entered, Callum was standing by the window, his back turned to her. The London skyline painted a moody backdrop behind him.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked.
He turned slowly, his gaze unreadable. "Sit."
She obeyed without argument, though her mind was already trying to guess why she was here.
"I read your report," he said, placing a printed document on the desk between them. "Thorough. Insightful. But you missed one thing."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And what's that?"
"You," he replied. "You wrote it like a stranger. Detached."
Jasmine blinked. "Isn't that what you wanted? Professional detachment?"
His eyes darkened. "No. I hired you because you used to challenge me. Not hide behind polite words."
The silence stretched between them like a live wire.
"Maybe I don't know how to challenge someone who disappeared on me without a word," she said quietly, surprising even herself.
Callum's jaw clenched.
"That was five years ago."
"It still matters," she whispered.
Before he could respond, there was a knock. Victor entered, his expression serious.
"We have a situation," he said, glancing between them. "Someone leaked internal documents. The media's already got wind of it."
Callum stood immediately, every trace of vulnerability gone. "Find the source. Now."
Jasmine felt the shift instantly—Callum, the man, had disappeared. The CEO was back in full armor.
But just before he left the room, he turned to her briefly. "Don't go far. We're not done."
And with that, he was gone.
Jasmine sat frozen for a moment. Not because of the leak—but because for the first time, Callum Reed had let her see beneath the surface… and it was a dangerous place to be.