Cracks in the Mask

The golden glow of sunrise spilled into Evelyn's office, illuminating her as she sat at her desk, reviewing security footage from the previous night. She had pulled strings to get access to the city's street cameras near 9th and Lexington.

"Come on," she murmured, pausing and rewinding a grainy clip.

There—just as she had thought. A black SUV had been idling nearby before the gunshot. It peeled away seconds after the man hit the ground. Evelyn noted the license plate but wasn't hopeful. Whoever was behind this was too smart to leave an easy trail.

A knock at her door startled her. She quickly minimized the video and composed herself.

"Come in," she said.

Adrian entered, balancing a tray with her coffee and breakfast. His sharp suit and effortless charm were as polished as always, but Evelyn's gaze lingered on him longer than usual. She couldn't shake the nagging suspicion growing in the back of her mind.

"You're in early," he noted, placing the tray on her desk.

Evelyn gave a noncommittal shrug. "Busy night. What's on the agenda for today?"

Adrian picked up his tablet, scrolling through her schedule. "You've got a meeting with the board at ten, followed by a conference call with our European investors. I've also arranged for additional security to be stationed outside your office."

Evelyn's eyes snapped to his. "Additional security? Why?"

Adrian's expression was calm, but his eyes held a flicker of concern. "You're the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, and your father's death is still fresh in everyone's minds. It's a precaution."

Her instinctive response was to dismiss the idea, but the memory of the man bleeding out in her arms silenced her protest.

"Fine," she said, her tone clipped. "But they report to me directly. I don't need a bunch of hired guns hovering around and asking questions."

"Understood," Adrian said, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Anything else I can do for you?"

She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then shook her head. "That's all."

As Adrian turned to leave, Evelyn's voice stopped him.

"Adrian."

He paused, glancing back.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her tone sharper than intended.

He tilted his head, feigning confusion. "You hired me, remember?"

"That's not what I meant." Evelyn leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. "You're overqualified for this job. Someone with your skills could be running their own company. So why take a role as a secretary?"

Adrian's smile didn't falter, but his gaze darkened slightly. "Not everyone is driven by ambition, Miss Chase. Sometimes, people are looking for something... different."

"And what are you looking for?"

Adrian hesitated, his mask slipping for the briefest moment. Then he smiled again, a calculated move. "A challenge. Working for you provides plenty of that."

Before she could press further, he exited the room, leaving Evelyn with more questions than answers.

Hours later, Evelyn stood at the head of the boardroom table, addressing a room full of skeptical faces. The board members had been testing her leadership from the moment she took over, and today was no different.

"Revenue projections for the next quarter are promising," she said, clicking through slides on the presentation screen. "We've secured partnerships that—"

"Forgive me for interrupting," a gray-haired man with a smug expression said, raising a hand. "But don't you think these figures are a bit... optimistic? Given the recent turmoil surrounding the company?"

Evelyn's grip on the remote tightened, but her voice remained steady. "The numbers are supported by data, Mr. Hawthorne. If you'd care to review—"

"Data can be manipulated," he said with a smirk. "We wouldn't want to overpromise and underdeliver, would we?"

The subtle jab wasn't lost on her. Evelyn forced a tight smile, her sharp mind calculating the best response.

"Under my leadership, this company will not only meet expectations but exceed them," she said firmly. "If you doubt my ability to deliver, I suggest you step aside and watch as I prove you wrong."

A tense silence fell over the room. Evelyn met each board member's gaze, daring them to challenge her further.

"Well said," a voice drawled from the doorway.

Evelyn turned to see Adrian leaning casually against the frame, holding a stack of folders. He walked in, placing the documents in front of each board member.

"These are the finalized contracts with our new partners," he said smoothly. "They solidify the projections Miss Chase presented. If anyone has concerns, feel free to address them—preferably with facts."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Adrian's charm worked its magic. The board members grudgingly flipped through the documents, murmuring among themselves.

"Thank you, Adrian," Evelyn said, her voice cool but with an undercurrent of approval.

"Just doing my job," he replied with a wink, stepping back into the shadows.

Later that evening, Evelyn sat in her penthouse, nursing a glass of wine. The day's events replayed in her mind, but her thoughts kept circling back to Adrian.

There was something about him that didn't add up. His poise under pressure, his uncanny timing, the way he always seemed to know exactly what to say—it wasn't normal.

She pulled up her laptop, her fingers hovering over the keys. With a deep breath, she began typing his name into a private database she'd used during her investigation into her father's death.

"Adrian Black," she murmured, pressing enter.

As the search processed, Evelyn sipped her wine, her heart pounding.

Moments later, the screen filled with results. Most of them were ordinary—school records, past jobs, a clean criminal record. But one document caught her eye: a report from nearly two decades ago involving a mysterious fire that killed two prominent figures in the criminal underworld.

Evelyn's breath hitched. The names of the victims were familiar—they had been business associates of her father.

And Adrian Black's name was listed as a witness.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. The puzzle pieces were starting to align, and Adrian was more connected to her father's past than she'd realized.

But whether he was friend or foe remained to be seen.