6:15 a.m. – Vale Industries, 47th Floor
Ava arrived early.
Again.
Her heels echoed through the quiet office as she passed the glass conference rooms and entered the main floor of executive operations. The janitorial staff gave her a glance but said nothing. She was quickly becoming a fixture—Damien's shadow.
But today wasn't about impressions.
It was about action.
She slipped into her new office—smaller than Damien's, but elegant, and unfortunately, under surveillance. She knew that already. She'd spotted the camera in the smoke detector on day one.
So she smiled into it now, turned to unpack her bag… and discreetly slid a small device from her purse: a bug the size of a contact lens, housed inside a modified lipstick tube.
She moved fast.
Target: Damien's conference room.
It had no cameras—just silence and privacy. That meant it was where the real conversations happened.
Ava made her move during the morning coffee run, when Damien and Vincent were locked in the CEO suite. She passed the lounge, entered the room with a tablet in hand as if she were checking the presentation screen.
She reached under the edge of the long oak table.
Click.
The bug latched on magnetically.
A faint green light blinked, then turned off.
Mission complete.
---
8:00 a.m. – CEO's Office
"You're confident," Damien said as she handed him the schedule.
"You told me to take initiative."
He looked at her, unreadable. "I did."
Their hands brushed.
Brief. Cold.
"Meeting with Vale Biochem at ten," she said. "Conference call with Zurich at one. Lunch with Vincent—though he didn't confirm."
"Vincent never confirms. He just appears."
He took the tablet and scrolled through. "You left something off."
Ava raised a brow. "Did I?"
He turned the screen around. At the bottom of the list: Private Gala—Vale Foundation—Saturday 9 PM.
"I'd rather you join me than make me attend alone."
Ava played it cool. "Personal or professional?"
Damien smiled—barely. "Yes."
Before she could answer, Vincent stepped in. Late. Unannounced. As usual.
He looked at Damien, then at Ava.
"What's she wearing to the gala?" Vincent asked.
"I haven't decided," Damien said, eyes never leaving Ava's.
Ava gave them both a slow smile. "I'll surprise you."
---
9:15 a.m. – Ladies Room
Ava activated the listening app.
Voices crackled through her earpiece—clear, strong.
Vincent: "I don't trust her."
Damien: "You don't trust anyone."
Vincent: "She's too polished. No history. No real connections. Something's off."
Damien (quietly): "That's exactly why I hired her."
Ava froze. The hair on her neck rose.
Vincent: "You want to prove something."
Damien: "I want to see how far she'll go."
The conversation ended.
But her questions didn't.
---
9:30 a.m. – Ava's Office
Elena's message arrived.
> "First bug planted?"
Ava replied:
> "Yes. But Damien knows something. He's watching me—too closely."
> "Then make him look harder."
Ava stared at the screen, lips parting in thought.
She was meant to expose Damien Vale. But the deeper she moved inside his world, the more tangled it became.
One step forward. Two secrets deeper.
And behind his cold, unreadable eyes… Damien was already playing a game of his own.
---