Chapter 3 - The Price of Loyalty
I didn't hear from Nathan for two days. The office was a pressure cooker of rumors—gossip that Elena was forcing a hostile board takeover, that Nathan was going to be removed as CEO, and that I was the reason for the chaos.
I sat in my cubicle, watching my inbox. Nothing.
On Thursday, I received an anonymous envelope on my desk. Inside was a series of photos: me and Nathan walking by the river, me at dinner, me laughing in the elevator. And then, a photo of my apartment building with a red ‘X’ marked over my bedroom window.
My heart stopped. This wasn't just corporate sabotage; this was personal.
I left work early, terrified. As I reached my front door, a black sedan pulled up to the curb. Nathan stepped out. He looked exhausted, his tie undone, his eyes rimmed with red.
"Maya, thank God," he said, rushing toward me.
I backed away, holding up the envelope. "Is this your game, Nathan? Are these the pawns you play with? She came to the office, she threatened me, and now I’m being followed."
Nathan’s face went pale. He grabbed the envelope, his hands shaking as he saw the contents. "I didn't know," he whispered. "I swear, Maya, I didn't know she would go this far."
"She said you’d break me," I cried, the tears I had been holding back for days finally spilling over. "She said you’d get bored. And looking at you now, with all this mess... maybe she’s right. I’m just an analyst, Nathan. I don't know how to survive in your world."
Nathan closed the distance between us in one stride, pulling me into a hug that felt like a shield. "You aren't an analyst to me. You’re the only thing that’s made me feel human in years. I’m going to end this. Tonight. I’m giving up the merger, I’m cutting her father’s ties, and I’m taking the hit. If I lose Northstar to save you, then it’s a trade I’ll make every time."
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"You’d give it all up?"
"It’s just money, Maya," he said, looking into my eyes with a fierce, terrifying intensity. "You are the only thing in this life that actually means something."
