The sunlight creeping through the mansion's arched windows the next morning felt wrong—like something beautiful trying to shine on something broken.
Riley sat at the breakfast table, untouched toast on her plate, eyes distant. Zayden stood by the window, shirtless, sipping black coffee. The moment between them last night had been real, raw... but morning brought reality back with cold hands.
She finally spoke. "You said you've done worse things. I want to know them."
Zayden set down his cup. "Why?"
"Because I need to know what I'm walking into. What I'm already part of."
He exhaled slowly and sat across from her, running his hands through his messy hair. "My family has money, power… and enemies. They make deals that destroy lives, Riley. They fund politicians, buy off judges, make competitors disappear. I've watched it all."
"And you?" she asked softly.
He looked away. "I've lied to cover for them. Paid people off. Faked innocence. And when I was seventeen, I—" He stopped himself, swallowing hard.
"What?"
"I was told to ruin a business. A small bookstore that refused to sell to one of our partners. I arranged for a break-in, staged a robbery, and the place caught fire. The owner had a heart attack that night."
Riley's breath hitched.
"I didn't know he lived alone. I didn't know the place was his life. But I still did it."
Silence settled again.
"I was trying to prove something to my father. That I could be part of their world. I thought if I played their game, I could survive it. But it just made me numb."
Riley's heart ached. Not from fear, but from the realization of how much weight Zayden had carried alone.
"I'm not innocent either," she said quietly. "I've lied too. Pretended I was tougher than I am. I used to think needing people made me weak."
Zayden leaned closer. "And now?"
"Now I think... maybe it's braver to let someone in."
Their fingers touched on the table. A quiet promise in the chaos.
Suddenly, the house phone rang—an old landline Riley didn't even know existed.
Zayden's brow furrowed. "No one calls this line."
He picked it up. "Hello?"
A distorted voice came through. "She thinks she knows you. But the truth hasn't even scratched the surface."
Zayden's eyes darkened. "Who is this?"
Click.
He dropped the phone and looked at Riley. "We need to leave. Now."
Riley stood, already grabbing her bag. "Where are we going?"
"To find answers," he said, voice clipped. "Because someone wants to tear us apart."
And somewhere far from them, Aiden smiled darkly, watching the two on his security screen.
"Let's see how deep their loyalty runs."