“Your parents didn’t kill themselves, Sylvia.”
Her name sounded wrong in his mouth.
He leaned forward. “Kai Voss destroyed Bennett Holdings. You think I don’t recognize a hostile takeover when I see one?”
Careful.
Too eager meant trap. Too defensive meant guilt.
“I took the job because I needed one,” she said, voice bored. “Not everything is a conspiracy.”
Miles studied her like a chessboard.
“You hate him,” he said quietly. “I can see it.”
Hatred was easy to hide.
Grief was harder.
“You’re projecting.”
He smiled. “What if I told you I want Voss gone too?”
There it was.
The offer.
“I’m listening,” she said.
He outlined it smoothly.
Kai had been expanding aggressively. Cutting into Carter Industries’ pharmaceutical contracts. Undermining deals. Manipulating stock prices.
“If we expose internal corruption,” Miles said, “his empire cracks. You get justice. I get market share.”
Transactional.
Clean.
Tempting.
“What’s in it for you?” she asked.
“Twenty percent of whatever division we dismantle.”
Of course.
No one moved without profit.
“And how do you propose we get this… corruption?” she asked.
He slid a small flash drive across the table. “I know you don’t have high-level clearance. But Kai trusts quickly when he thinks someone is harmless.”
Sylvia suppressed a bitter smile.
Trust.
“Find financial discrepancies. Internal memos. Anything linking him to illegal acquisition tactics. I’ll handle the rest.”
She stared at the flash drive.
An alliance with Miles could accelerate everything.
But it also meant risk.
Trusting another shark in a tank already full of blood.
She met his gaze. “If you betray me—”
“I won’t.”
“—I will burn your company to the ground.”
His smile widened. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
They shook hands.
His grip was warm.
Too warm.
—
That evening, Kai watched security footage in silence.
Gavin Reed stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back.
On screen, Sylvia and Miles leaned across the café table. The flash drive slid between them.
Kai’s expression didn’t change.
“Carter moves faster than expected,” Gavin said.
“Yes.”
“And the girl?”
Kai’s gaze lingered on Sylvia’s face. Animated. Fierce.
Beautiful in her fury.
“She thinks she’s choosing her own battlefield.”
Gavin nodded once. “Shall I intervene?”
“No.”
Kai’s lips curved faintly.
“Let her run.”
—
The next week unfolded exactly as planned.
Kai began feeding Sylvia information.
Subtle leaks. Access to non-essential files. Casual mentions of upcoming investments.
She devoured it.
He watched.
Late one evening, she found herself alone in the executive archive room—a privilege Kai had personally approved “for efficiency.”
Too easy.
Her pulse pounded as she inserted Miles’s flash drive into the system.
Files transferred quickly.
Financial data. Internal communications.
And then—
A folder labeled: Bennett Acquisition.
Her breath caught.
She opened it.
Contracts. Signatures.
Her father’s name.
Kai’s name.
But something was wrong.
The timestamps.
The clauses.
Details that didn’t align with her memories.
Had her father agreed willingly?
No.
Impossible.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She hesitated, then answered.
“You look stunning under fluorescent lighting,” Kai’s voice murmured.
Her blood froze.
She slowly lifted her gaze to the security camera mounted in the corner.
“You’re working late,” he continued. “Ambitious.”
“I wanted to prove myself,” she replied evenly.
“By accessing restricted files?”
Her stomach dropped.
He knew.
“Everything in that folder is legitimate,” he said softly. “Careful what you accuse people of, Sylvia. Truth is rarely flattering.”
The line went dead.
Her hands trembled for the first time since she’d stepped into his world.
Was this a warning?
Or a trap?
—
The following morning, Miles called an emergency meeting.
“We move at the product launch next week,” he said, pacing his office. “Public exposure. Financial scandal. We leak the Bennett documents.”
Sylvia frowned. “It feels rushed.”
He stopped. “Are you backing out?”
“No.”
But doubt coiled in her chest.
Kai was too calm.
Too accommodating.
As if he wanted her to dig.
She thought of his words.
If you’re going to hunt, learn to hide your teeth.
Across the city, Kai signed a document authorizing increased surveillance on Sylvia Bennett.
“Shall I prepare the containment suite?” Gavin asked.
“Not yet.”
Kai leaned back in his chair, eyes dark with anticipation.
“Let her believe she’s winning.”
Outside, Los Angeles glittered under the California sun.
Inside Voss Tower, the trap tightened—silent and inevitable.
Sylvia didn’t see it.
Not yet.