CHAPTER 7
THE FACE BEHIND THE CURTAIN
The darkness didn't last long.
Just enough to make my heart forget how to beat properly.
Suddenly,
Emergency lights flickered on.
Red.
Warning.
Every monitor in the room blinked alive again like nothing had happened… except everything had.
My breath came out uneven.
"What just happened?" I whispered.
No one answered immediately.
Liam stood in front of me now.
Closer than before.
Protective.
Like a shield.
Still.
His entire body had shifted,no longer businessman, no longer husband. Taken a position at warfront.
Something sharper.
Something dangerous.
"Everyone out," he said coldly.
The men in the room didn't argue.
They left instantly.
Doors shutting one after another until it was just us.
And the screens.
And the message is still glowing faintly on the monitor.
HE'S HERE.
My skin prickled. I felt tension crawling beneath my gown to my face.
"He's here?" I repeated. "Who is he?"
Liam didn't look away from the door.
"That's not a question you want answered in the open."
I stepped forward anyway.
"No, Liam. I'm tired of being kept in the dark. Every time I turn around, I'm either a target, a tool, or a mistake in someone else's plan."
My voice cracked.
"I need the truth."
Silence.
Then Liam turned.
And for the first time,
He looked tired.
Not cold.
Not calculated.
Tired.
"You're not a mistake," he said quietly.
That hit harder than I expected.
"So what am I?"
His jaw tightened.
Before he could answer,
The lights flickered again.
Once.
Twice.
Then stabilized.
A new sound came through the speakers.
Slow.
Controlled footsteps.
Coming closer.
From the hallway outside.
My body went rigid.
Liam noticed immediately.
"Behind me," he ordered.
But I didn't move.
Not this time.
Because something inside me snapped.
"No," I said.
He turned sharply.
"What did you say?"
My voice shook tremendously, but it didn't break.
"I said no. I'm done hiding behind you while my life is being written and controlled by someone else."
The footsteps stopped.
Right outside the door.
Silence fell so heavy it felt physical.
A voice.
Calm.
Familiar.
"Interesting."
My blood turned cold.
That voice.
The same one from the restaurant.
Liam's expression changed instantly.
Recognition.
Anger.
Warning.
The door opened.
Slowly.
No rush.
No fear.
A man stepped in.
Dark suit.
Perfect posture.
Same sunglasses.
Same calm smile.
But now,
Up close.
He didn't feel like a stranger anymore.
He felt like something worse, like danger itself.
Someone who had been here all along.
His eyes landed on me first.
Not Liam.
Me.
"Zara Williams," he said softly, like he was tasting my name. "Finally."
My throat went dry.
"You know me?" I questioned genuinely.
He smiled.
"I helped choose you."
The room tilted.
Liam stepped forward immediately.
"Don't speak to her."
The man finally looked at him.
And smiled wider.
"Oh, Liam…"
A pause.
"You still think you're protecting her?"
My heart slammed. Confused by the ongoing word exchange contest.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
He tilted his head slightly.
Then removed his sunglasses.
And everything inside me froze.
Because I recognized him.
Not from the event.
Not from the files.
From somewhere deeper.
A memory I had buried.
A job interview I never forgot.
A rejection that felt too personal.
A man who looked at me like I was already owned.
My lips parted.
"No…"
Liam turned sharply toward me.
"You know him?"
My voice barely came out.
"He was at the agency I applied to, before I met you."
Silence exploded in the room.
The man smiled gently.
"Good memory."
Then he added,
"I didn't just watch you at that event."
He stepped closer.
"I've been watching you for a very long time."
My chest tightened.
Liam moved instantly between us.
"Stay away from her."
The man sighed like he was disappointed.
"You always were protective, Liam. That's what made this so easy."
My head snapped up.
"Easy?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
Then he looked at me again.
And his voice dropped.
"You were never random, Zara."
"You were selected."
My breath stopped completely.
"Selected for what?" I searched the face of the two men for answers.
He smiled.
"For him."
He pointed at Liam.
The room went silent.
Dead silent.
Liam didn't move.
But something in his eyes shifted.
Something I had never seen before.
Warning… and fear.
My voice cracked.
"What is he talking about?"
The man walked slowly around us like we were part of a circus display.
"Tell her," he said softly to Liam. "Or I will."
Liam's jaw tightened.
And for the first time since this started,
He looked like a man losing control.
"Don't," Liam warned.
But the man only smiled.
"Oh, but she deserves the truth."
He stopped behind me.
And muttered the words that shattered everything.
"She was never your wife by accident."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
He stepped back into view.
"She was assigned to you."
My knees almost gave out.
Liam finally spoke.
In a low tone.
Dangerous.
A stern looking passing across a warning.
"You're lying."
The man smiled again.
"Am I?"
He raised a hand.
And the screens behind us changed again.
A new file opened.
OLDER THAN THE FIRST.
And a video began to play.
My face appeared on the screen.
Before I ever met Liam.
Before the contract.
Before the marriage.
A file labeled:
PROJECT: FACE CARD INITIATION
My breath shattered.
"No…" I breathed out. Visibly shaken.
Liam turned to the screen.
Then back to me.
Something inside him broke, I saw a flash of panic on his face briefly but he hid it fast.
Too fast.
The man's voice softened again.
"She was never just a target."
He leaned in slightly.
"She was designed to reach you."
My world collapsed.
And then,
The final words came like a blade.
"And you, Liam…"
"You were never the protector."
A pause.
"You were the objective."
The lights flickered again.
But this time,
It wasn't the building failing.
It was everything. Everything I believed from the beginning, everything I thought was springing out between us.
And I finally understood.
This wasn't a scandal.
This wasn't a marriage.
This was a system.
And I was never a person in it.
I was a weapon.