The Weight of Secrets

Elena hadn't heard Matthew Kingston's voice in years.

Yet the moment he spoke, it was as if time collapsed inward, pulling her back to a version of herself she had tried to forget.

She pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply. "Matthew," she said, keeping her tone measured. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

A low chuckle came through the receiver, laced with something unreadable. "I imagine not. But we both knew this conversation was inevitable."

Inevitable.

Elena almost laughed. There had been nothing inevitable about this.

She had spent years ensuring that whatever happened seven years ago stayed buried. That no one—especially him—would ever bring it up again.

And yet, here they were.

"Why now?" she asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the window.

Another pause. Then, Matthew's voice dropped slightly. "Because Alex Carter is asking questions."

A chill curled down her spine.

Of course.

Of course, Alex wouldn't leave it alone.

"Alex doesn't know anything," she said. "And he won't."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Matthew exhaled. "But he's too smart to let this go. If he keeps digging, he's going to find out what really happened. And if you think you can control that, Elena, you're wrong."

Her fingers tightened around the phone. "So what? You called to warn me?"

"Yes," he said simply. "And to remind you that you weren't the only one who got burned."

Elena closed her eyes briefly.

No. She hadn't been the only one.

Matthew had been there, too. A promising young architect, just like her. They had both been rising stars in the industry, both on the verge of something bigger—until it had all gone wrong.

Until they had been forced out.

And the worst part?

They had never even been given a choice.

Elena had learned the hard way that power didn't always belong to the talented. Sometimes, it belonged to the ones willing to manipulate the game from behind the scenes.

She had walked away with her reputation intact, but her career had never been the same.

Matthew… he hadn't been as lucky.

"Elena," Matthew said, quieter now. "We can't pretend this didn't happen."

Her throat tightened. "We've been pretending just fine for seven years."

"Until now," he said. "Until Alex."

She exhaled, pressing her fingers against her temple. "I'll handle Alex."

"Will you?"

Something in his voice made her pause.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you two," Matthew continued. "But whatever it is, you need to be careful. If he gets too close to the truth…" He trailed off, leaving the warning unspoken.

Elena swallowed. "I know how to handle him."

A beat of silence.

Then—"I hope so."

And just like that, the line went dead.

Elena stood there for a moment, phone still in her hand, the weight of old ghosts pressing in around her.

Then, with a quiet exhale, she turned back toward the window.

Alex Carter was a problem.

And she needed to figure out exactly how to deal with him—before it was too late.

Alex knew he was getting close.

He had spent the last three days following a trail that had taken him across old project reports, confidential design revisions, and buried industry whispers.

And now, as he stood in front of the sleek glass doors of Kingston & Murphy Designs, he was sure of one thing—

Someone had gone to great lengths to erase what happened seven years ago.

But they hadn't erased it well enough.

With a deep breath, Alex pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The receptionist looked up, offering a polished smile. "Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?"

"No," Alex said easily. "But I think Matthew Kingston will want to see me."

She hesitated. "Mr. Kingston is in a meeting—"

"Tell him it's about a project from seven years ago," Alex interrupted. "And tell him it involves Elena Murphy."

The receptionist blinked, her professional mask slipping just slightly.

Then, without another word, she picked up the phone.

Alex didn't move.

Didn't let himself acknowledge the tension winding through his chest as he waited.

A minute later, she hung up.

"Mr. Kingston will see you now."

Alex inclined his head. "I thought he might."

And then, without looking back, he stepped toward the office where he was sure he would finally get the answers he was looking for.