The USB drive felt like it weighed a thousand pounds in Amira's hand as she sat cross-legged on the bed, her laptop open in front of her. The house was silent—Jordan was still out at a late meeting, and the staff had long gone to bed.
Her finger hovered over the touchpad. One click, and she'd open a door she couldn't close again.
Do it, a voice whispered inside her. You need to know who he really is.
She plugged it in.
The screen loaded quickly. A series of files appeared:
Project X – Overview
Surveillance Reports
Asset Contracts
Confidential – Subject A
Her pulse quickened. None of this looked like anything related to a typical business. She clicked on the overview file first.
Her eyes scanned the text. And froze.
"Project X: An undisclosed operation under J. Kingsley Holdings. Primary Objective: Concealment and protection of classified heirs and covert assets linked to the Kingsley legacy. All non-disclosed personnel involved must be bound by irreversible NDA."
Heirs? Covert assets?
She quickly clicked the Surveillance Reports. Names popped up. One caught her eye.
Richard Sterling – Former associate turned rival.
Another.
Jonathan Blake – Deceased.
And then—her own name.
Amira Khalid – Monitored. Risk Level: Moderate. Emotional instability due to prior familial trauma. Potential leverage subject if contract compromised.
Tears stung her eyes. Jordan had been watching her. Assessing her. She wasn't a person to him. She was leverage.
---
Confrontation in the Dark
She didn't hear the footsteps until it was too late.
Jordan stood at the doorway, his tie loosened, his eyes locked on the laptop screen.
"You went into my study."
Amira snapped the laptop shut and stood. "You've been watching me?"
His jaw clenched. "I had to. It's protocol. You don't understand the danger—"
"Don't you dare try to make this sound noble!" she shouted. "You lied to me. You don't want a child. You want control!"
"It's not that simple."
"Then make it simple!" Her voice cracked. "Tell me why you needed someone like me. Why the contract? Why the surveillance? What are you hiding, Jordan?"
His expression shifted. From anger… to something else.
Pain.
"I'm protecting something bigger than myself," he said quietly. "Bigger than both of us."
Amira stared at him. "Then tell me the truth."
He took a step forward. "I can't. Not yet."
"Then I can't stay."
She turned toward the door—but his voice stopped her.
"Amira, if you leave now, you'll walk straight into danger. There are people who'd hurt you just to get to me."
She looked back at him. His eyes weren't cold anymore. They were pleading.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have dragged me into your mess in the first place," she whispered.
And with that, she walked out, her heart pounding louder than the slam of the door behind her.