Morning light spilled across the sleek marble floor of VossTech's lobby as Ava entered, her heels echoing faintly with each step. She felt the shift in the air immediately — tension, whispers, a subtle unease that threaded through the building.
People avoided eye contact. A few glanced at her, then quickly turned away.
Something had happened.
When she reached the top floor, Ethan's office door was closed. His secretary gave a nervous smile. "He's been in there since dawn. Didn't even go home last night."
Ava nodded, masking her concern. "I'll check on him."
She pushed the door open quietly. Ethan stood by the window, suit jacket discarded, his shirt sleeves rolled up. His desk was a mess — papers scattered, multiple monitors displaying lines of code, red markers flashing across financial reports.
He didn't look up. "Close the door."
Ava obeyed, stepping closer. "What happened?"
He exhaled, voice low. "Someone accessed our secure system last night. Bypassed encryption. Whoever did it knew exactly where to look."
Ava froze inside. The Serpents.
Out loud, she said evenly, "You think it's internal?"
"I don't think — I know." His tone was sharp, colder than she'd ever heard. He turned, eyes burning with exhaustion and anger. "The breach came from an employee terminal. I'm running traces now."
Her pulse jumped. "Do you have suspects?"
"Too many." He looked at her for a beat longer than necessary. "Including people I thought I could trust."
The words hit her like a quiet blade. She swallowed the rising panic and replied calmly, "Tell me what you need me to do."
Ethan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just… keep your eyes open. If anyone acts strange, let me know."
"Of course," she said softly.
He nodded, then turned back to the glowing screens — unaware that the woman standing behind him was the one he was searching for.
---
Hours passed. Ava tried to focus on her tasks, but her mind spun in circles. If Ethan's trace reached the Serpent data stream, he'd expose not only them but her entire cover.
Her phone buzzed.
Marcus: We have a problem.
Ava: I'm aware. Ethan found traces.
Marcus: Then fix it.
Ava: How? He's digging nonstop. He's not like the others.
Marcus: You've gotten soft. End this. Tonight.
Ava stared at the message until the words blurred. End this. That could mean deleting files — or ending Ethan himself.
She closed the phone with trembling fingers.
Not yet. Not him.
---
That evening, the city drowned in rain. From Ethan's office, the skyline looked like a watercolor of lights and fog. He was still there, tie loosened, fingers typing fast.
Ava stood by the door, holding two mugs of coffee. "You'll make yourself sick if you don't rest."
He didn't look up. "I can't. I'm close."
"To what?"
He finally stopped typing and turned the monitor toward her. The screen showed a network map — red threads connecting offshore accounts to shell companies. One of them was a name Ava recognized instantly: Voss Holdings – East Division.
Ethan said quietly, "These accounts aren't mine. Someone's been laundering money through my name for years."
Ava forced a breath. "You can't handle that alone. You should alert—"
"No." His tone cut her off. "I can't trust anyone else. I think someone in law enforcement is feeding them information."
Feeding who? she thought bitterly. People like me.
He leaned back, eyes weary. "You ever get tired of pretending everything's fine?"
Ava froze, caught off guard by the sudden question. "What do you mean?"
Ethan's gaze softened. "You always look composed. But sometimes, when you think no one's watching, there's this look in your eyes — like you're somewhere else entirely."
Her heart thudded painfully.
"I guess we all wear masks," she said quietly.
He studied her for a moment longer. "Maybe. But yours looks heavy to carry."
Before she could respond, lightning flashed outside, flooding the room in white light. Then the building went dark.
Ava's instincts kicked in instantly. She reached for the small blade she kept strapped to her thigh beneath her skirt.
Ethan's voice came through the darkness. "Backup generator should start in thirty seconds."
But it didn't.
Instead, her phone buzzed again.
Marcus: Power outage created by us. Time to finish it. He's digging too deep.
Ava's stomach clenched. "No," she whispered under her breath.
Ethan turned to her, shadowed by the dim glow of emergency lights. "You said something?"
She forced a shaky smile. "Just hoping the power comes back soon."
He grabbed a flashlight from his drawer. "I'll check the server room."
She followed him into the hallway. The silence was eerie — the kind that hummed before chaos. Somewhere below, a generator sparked faintly.
When they reached the server room, the smell of burning wires hit them.
"Stay here," Ethan said, stepping inside.
But Ava saw it — a small metallic device attached to the main power hub. Her training recognized it instantly. A data eraser. The Serpents were wiping evidence, and the blast could take out everything — including Ethan.
She didn't think. She grabbed his arm. "Don't—!"
The explosion was small but fierce. Sparks flew, glass shattered, and the force threw them backward. Alarms screamed. Ava hit the floor, disoriented but alive.
Ethan groaned beside her, clutching his shoulder.
She crawled to him, ignoring the ringing in her ears. "You're bleeding."
"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. "What the hell was that?"
She looked at the smoking wreckage, choosing her words carefully. "Someone wanted to destroy those files."
He stared at her, realization dawning. "You knew something like this could happen."
"No," she lied smoothly, pressing his wound with her scarf. "But someone's clearly after you, Ethan."
He caught her wrist suddenly, eyes dark. "Who are you, Ava?"
Her heart stopped.
For a second, she saw suspicion — sharp and searching. Then, just as quickly, he released her hand.
"Forget it," he muttered. "I'm sorry. I'm just—"
"Scared?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer. But his silence said enough.
---
They waited in his office until security declared the floor safe. His arm was bandaged, and exhaustion had finally crept into his voice.
"You should go home," he said. "You've done enough for one night."
"I'll stay until you do," she replied firmly.
He smiled faintly. "You don't take orders well, do you?"
"Not from people who need me."
That made him pause. His expression softened, as though he didn't quite know what to do with her loyalty.
After a long moment, he said quietly, "You remind me of someone I used to know."
"Who?"
He looked at the city lights, lost in thought. "My brother. He used to protect me the same way — even when I didn't deserve it."
Ava tilted her head. "What happened to him?"
"He died because he trusted the wrong person."
Her throat tightened. "I'm sorry."
Ethan turned to her, eyes tired but warm. "Don't be. I just… don't want to make that mistake again."
Ava met his gaze, heartbeat heavy. "Then maybe you should stop trusting me."
He gave a faint smile. "Too late for that."
---
When she finally got home near midnight, she collapsed onto the couch. Her mind replayed everything — the blast, the blood, the way Ethan looked at her like he was starting to see the cracks in her disguise.
Her phone buzzed again.
Marcus: Mission failed. Data destroyed but target survived. We'll send a cleanup order.
Her breath caught. Cleanup order. That meant assassination.
She typed fast.
Ava: No. Give me time. I can still control him.
Marcus: You're getting attached. Dangerous move.
Ava: Just trust me.
He didn't reply.
She stared at the screen, shaking. For the first time in years, she didn't know whose side she was on.
---
The next morning, she showed up at work as if nothing had happened. Ethan was already there, arm in a sling, typing one-handed.
"You shouldn't be here," she said.
"I could say the same about you."
He looked up and smiled faintly. "You saved my life last night."
Ava blinked, caught off guard. "I just reacted."
"Well, whatever it was — thank you."
She forced a small smile. "You don't have to thank me."
"I do." He hesitated, then added quietly, "It's been a long time since I've trusted anyone. You reminded me what that feels like."
And right there, in the quiet hum of the morning light, Ava knew she was in trouble — not because of the mission, not because of the Serpents, but because of her own heart.
For the first time, she didn't want to complete the job.
She wanted to protect him.