Chapter 38: Beneath the Mask

The storm came fast—and it didn't wait for permission to strike.

At Blackwell Industries.

By morning, headlines had erupted like wildfire across every major business network.

Blackwell Industries Tied to Illegal Surveillance Ring — Anonymous Source Claims Internal Espionage.

Luna stared at the newsfeed, the bold letters glowing off her screen, bile rising in her throat. The article cited insider leaks, alleged misuse of internal data networks, and even unconfirmed links to government systems, painting a grim picture of systemic corruption, betrayal, and a shattered trust within the very core of the company.

None of it was true. Not one bit. 

But it was written so convincingly that it didn't need to be.

And worse—it meant only one thing.

Someone from inside had leaked it.

Celeste had retaliated.

Luna's confrontation hadn't deterred her. It had only provoked her.

"She's showing you exactly what kind of war this is," Elijah said grimly from across the room. "Precision attacks. Psychological warfare."

"Killian should see this," Luna said, her voice low but tight.

"He already has."

Luna turned toward the door just in time to see Killian enter, dressed in black, the sharp lines of his suit as cold and ruthless as the storm in his eyes. He didn't look at anyone as he walked in—just went straight to the large screen and pulled up the full article.

"I want every trace of this article mapped," he said, voice like steel. "I want IP addresses, metadata, timestamps. I want the publisher's call logs and the coffee shop the journalist drank from when they wrote this filth."

Luna swallowed. There was no warmth in his voice today.

Only frost and fire.

Avery stepped forward. "We're running diagnostics now. Whoever leaked this had inside-level clearance—senior level."

Killian's gaze sharpened. "Then we're starting from the top."

The atmosphere thickened.

Everyone in the room could feel it—this wasn't the usual Killian Blackwell. This was the version who built empires on silence and strategy. The version who didn't hesitate to break what needed to be rebuilt.

Luna had seen this version once before—years ago, in a negotiation room where a billion-dollar deal hung by a thread and Killian had dismantled a rival company in under three hours without blinking.

She didn't know if she admired it… or feared it.

Maybe both.

By midday, the unmasking began.

Elijah's team pulled up access logs from internal systems. Cross-checked emails. Tracked behavior patterns.

And it didn't take long to find it.

The security feed flashed red as a name lit up on the screen.

Director Simon Vale.

Luna's heart dropped.

"He was head of internal compliance," Avery said, eyes wide. "He's been in every confidential meeting we've held for the past three years."

Killian's jaw tightened. "And now we know how the Circle stayed ahead."

They brought Simon in within the hour.

He didn't deny it.

Didn't even flinch when Killian stared him down in the private interrogation room.

"I didn't have a choice," Simon said. "They approached me two years ago. Promised protection… offered a seat on something bigger."

"Something bigger than Blackwell Industries?" Killian asked coldly.

"They said it wasn't just about one company," Simon said. "It's a system. A network that's already in place across half the global economy. If you're not part of it, you get eliminated."

Luna watched from behind the one-way glass as Killian's expression darkened.

Simon continued. "They said you were a threat. That your way of running things—clean, contained—it made you dangerous. They wanted you gone."

"And you gave them a front-row seat," Killian said.

Simon didn't answer.

Avery turned to Luna quietly. "Should we hand him over to the authorities?"

Luna looked through the glass, at the man who had smiled in every board meeting, who had sat beside her in executive briefings without so much as blinking.

"No," she said. "Not yet."

Avery frowned. "Why?"

"Because if we turn him in now, we lose the only chance to feed the Circle what we want them to see."

Avery nodded slowly. "You want to use him."

"Exactly."

Killian came out a moment later. His face gave nothing away.

Luna approached him, her voice low. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said without looking at her.

But she knew that wasn't true.

She followed him into his office, closing the door softly behind her.

"You're not fine," she said gently. "You're just pretending to be."

Killian leaned against his desk, arms crossed. "It's easier that way."

"You shouldn't have to do this alone."

"I've always done it alone."

"You don't have to anymore."

He didn't respond right away.

Then, slowly, he turned his head to look at her.

Something in his expression shifted—just for a second. The icy veneer cracked, and underneath it, she saw exhaustion. Strain. Maybe even fear.

"Everything feels like a trap now," he said quietly. "Every person, every move."

Luna stepped closer. "Then you need someone you don't have to second-guess."

"I trust you," he said without hesitation.

She blinked.

Those three words—so casually spoken, yet deeper than anything he'd ever told her.

"Then let me help," she said softly.

He nodded once.

But just as the distance between them narrowed, the air shifting with something heavier—something warmer—Killian pulled back slightly.

His gaze dropped for a second, and when he looked at her again, it was like he'd put the mask back on.

"This is temporary, Luna," he said, voice calm but cool again. "Don't forget that."

Luna felt the words like a sharp gust of wind cutting through warm air.

She nodded slowly. "I haven't."

"Good," he said. But his eyes lingered on her longer than they should've.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them said anything else.

But something had changed.

Even if they wouldn't admit it yet.

Even if they weren't ready to say what it was.

They both knew that their one-year contract—that wall they kept between them—was starting to crack.

Not because of obligation.

But because of everything they refused to feel.

And everything they already were.