The next few days passed quietly, but the silence felt tense, like a thin glass about to crack.
Seren learned the house quickly.
Which stairs creaked.
Which guards changed shifts.
Which cameras turned slightly away from the hallway at night.
She told herself it was habit. Nothing more.
Alaric stayed busy. Meetings, calls, late nights. Sometimes he did not come home until morning. Other times, he sat in his study for hours, door closed, lights on.
They barely spoke.
And yet, she felt his presence everywhere.
At breakfast, he read the news on his tablet while she drank her coffee in silence. At dinner, they sat across from each other, the table too long, the space too wide.
It was strange how two people could live together and still feel like strangers.
On the fourth night, Seren made a mistake.
She forgot her phone downstairs.
She realized it only when she was already in bed. After a short debate with herself, she slipped out of the room and walked quietly down the hall.
The lights in the study were on.
She stopped.
Voices drifted through the door.
"…trace the transfer," someone said over speaker. "It came from inside the company."
Seren's heart picked up speed.
"I want names," Alaric replied. His voice was calm, but cold. "Not guesses."
"We'll need time."
"You have forty eight hours."
The call ended.
Seren stepped back before the door could open. She moved fast, silent, turning the corner just as Alaric stepped into the hallway.
They nearly collided.
She gasped before she could stop herself.
Alaric caught her arm out of reflex. His grip was firm, instinctive. For a second, neither of them spoke.
"What are you doing up?" he asked.
"I forgot my phone," Seren said, pointing behind her.
His eyes searched her face, sharp and unreadable.
He released her arm. "This wing is off limits at night."
"I didn't know."
"Now you do."
She nodded and walked past him, her heart racing.
Back in her room, Seren locked the door and leaned against it.
Inside the company.
So the threat wasn't coming from outside.
Good to know.
---
The next morning, Seren decided to stop playing invisible.
At breakfast, she spoke first.
"You're being watched," she said casually.
Alaric paused mid-sip. "Everyone is watched."
"Not like this," she replied. "Someone close to you."
His eyes lifted slowly. "Careful."
"I'm not accusing," Seren said. "Just stating what's obvious."
"Obvious to whom?"
"To someone who grew up around people who smiled while stealing from you."
Silence fell.
Alaric placed his cup down. "You notice more than you should."
"I had to."
He studied her for a long moment. Then he stood.
"Get ready," he said. "You're coming with me today."
Seren blinked. "Where?"
"My office."
That surprised her.
"I thought you wanted me away from your business."
"I do," he replied. "But today, I want to see something."
"What?"
"How you react."
---
Vale Tower was tall, cold, and sharp, just like its owner.
Employees straightened as Alaric walked by. Some glanced at Seren with curiosity. Others with quiet judgment.
She walked beside him, calm on the outside, alert on the inside.
In his office, Alaric handed her a tablet.
"Read," he said.
Seren scrolled through reports. Numbers. Transfers. Names.
Then she saw it.
A familiar surname.
Her breath caught before she could stop it.
Alaric noticed.
"Do you know it?" he asked.
Seren hesitated.
This was another mistake.
"Yes," she said. "They worked with my father."
Alaric leaned back slightly. "Interesting."
"I didn't say they were guilty."
"I didn't say they weren't."
Their eyes locked.
For the first time, they were not pretending.
"Why bring me here?" Seren asked.
"Because lies sound different when someone is close," he replied. "And you don't sound like a liar."
That unsettled her more than suspicion would have.
---
That night, Seren dreamed of fire.
Of documents burning.
Of voices shouting her name.
Of a man standing in smoke, face unclear.
She woke with a sharp breath.
A soft knock came at the door.
She froze.
Then she heard Alaric's voice. Low. Careful.
"Seren. Open the door."
She hesitated, then did.
He stood there, no suit, no armor. Just a man who looked tired.
"We need to talk," he said.
"About what?"
"About the fact that someone is trying to destroy me," he replied. "And you might be the only person in this house who isn't lying to my face."
Seren swallowed.
This was not part of the plan.
But plans changed.
She stepped aside and let him in.
And in that moment, both of them crossed a line they could not undo.