The knock shattered the tense silence like a hammer on glass. Thud—thud—thud. Sharp and unrelenting, each pound rippled through Lila’s chest, stirring the iron taste of fear rising from her throat.

She stayed still, breaths shallow but trapped, waiting for the next move.

Then, a low voice whispered from the shadow beyond the door. “Lila? It’s me. Please, open up.”

Her heart shoved against her ribs, hope laced with suspicion. The voice was familiar—soft, but edged with urgency she hadn’t heard in days.

She peeled back from the console, every nerve screaming as the door clicked open just a crack.

Jessie slipped inside like a ghost, eyes darting from the room’s corners before settling on Lila with a strange, unreadable expression.

“Jessie,” Lila breathed, her voice fracturing between relief and the sharp edge of mistrust. “What are you doing here?”

Jessie closed the door behind her, her gaze sharpening. “I heard about... everything. Damian. The contract. The threats.”

Lila stiffened, muscles tightening. “You shouldn’t be involved.”

Jessie’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m already involved. More than you think.”

The room felt smaller, the walls inching closer as the gravity of those words settled like dust. Shadows pooled in the corners, thick and watchful.

Lila’s pulse hammered as she stepped toward the cluttered window, staring out but seeing nothing past the glowing tangle of neon lights and endless steel.

“Tell me,” Lila murmured without turning. “What do you know about him? Damian. What aren’t you telling me?”

Jessie hesitated, swallowing hard. Then, voice dropping, she said, “He’s not just the ruthless billionaire you think. There are... layers. People he’s betrayed. Allies he’s crushed, quietly. But it runs deeper—into places you don’t want to touch.”

A sudden chill slithered down Lila’s spine, the city’s hum outside unable to drown the noise of the secrets now pulsing between them.

“Why tell me now after all this time?” Lila’s voice cracked like dry earth.

Jessie’s eyes flickered to the door, then back, nerves bubbling beneath her calm mask. “Because I don’t know who else to trust. And right now, your secret... it’s dangerous. More dangerous than you realize.”

The air thickened. Lila’s fingers twitched, craving clarity but drowning in the fog Jessie was weaving.

Before she could respond, a sharp click echoed from behind the door.

Lila froze. Jessie’s head snapped toward the sound.

Voices whispered low—scratchy and urgent. Words tangled in the dim hallway.

Lila moved silently to the narrow crack and pressed her ear against the wood.

Jessie’s voice spilled out, tense and guarded.

“—She has no idea what’s at stake. If he finds out I’ve told you, it’ll be over.”

A second voice, deep and cloaked in shadows, responded just out of her sight.

“She’s fragile. Can’t have her unraveling the plan.”

A cold knot seized Lila’s gut.

Jessie continued, speaking in hushed tones, “I’m only protecting her. That’s all.”

The stranger’s reply was a murmur, too low to catch.

Lila pulled back, breath catching in ragged bursts. Her mind raced, fingers clutching the edge of the frame as the words sank in.

Jessie—her closest friend—was speaking about her, covertly, to someone unknown.

Trust shattered into thousand jagged pieces, each sharp edge cutting deeper.

The knock came again from the hallway, but this time, Lila didn’t think she wanted the door to open.