Revealing Secrets

Luelle(Elena)

Elena's gaze lingered on the door, watching as the faint sound of Sarah's heels faded into the silence of the hallway. The room felt heavy, the tension pressing against her shoulders like a weight she couldn't shake. She could sense Ethan's eyes on her—steady, searching, patient in a way that unsettled her more than Rowan's simmering frustration. Rowan, on the other hand, was practically radiating disapproval, his posture stiff, his presence like the brewing storm she'd been avoiding.

"It looks as if you have something to tell us, Elena?" Ethan's voice broke the quiet, calm but pointed. His question sliced through her defences, forcing her attention back to him.

She turned toward him, meeting his gaze briefly, her thoughts swirling beneath her composed exterior. Ethan deserved an explanation. Rowan deserved it too, though she knew he would judge her actions more harshly. And for the first time, she wasn't entirely sure how to approach the truth she had carefully guarded. Her fingers brushed against the armrest of the chair, gripping it for stability as she straightened her posture.

"I do," she said softly, her voice firm even as a faint flicker of vulnerability passed through her chest. For a split second, her eyes searched Ethan's face, as if asking for an apology for what she was about to say. "You need to understand something before we move forward."

She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts as she felt Rowan shift on the couch, his tension palpable. The atmosphere crackled as she began. "There's a lot about the Dominion that doesn't sit right with me," she said, her tone sharper now, her words deliberate. "A lot that I can't trust."

Rowan's arms dropped as he stood abruptly. "Excuse me?" he snapped, the sharpness in his tone cutting through the room. "What are you saying, Elena? That you don't trust us? That you don't trust the Dominion?"

Elena turned to face him fully, her composure strained but unyielding. She had known this would provoke him. She had known this conversation would test every ounce of patience in the room. But Rowan's hostility didn't shake her—not after everything she had uncovered. "I don't trust blind loyalty," she shot back, her voice rising slightly. "And the Dominion, for all its power, isn't infallible. I've seen it—shadows lurking beneath what should be clear-cut decisions. People dismissed, discarded. Favors called in when ethics should have mattered. Are you telling me you trust it implicitly?"

Her words hung in the air, their weight undeniable, before Ethan raised a hand to quiet Rowan and prevent the tension from escalating. "Keep going, Elena," he said, his tone steady, composed—but layered with disappointment that cut deeper than Rowan's anger.

She nodded faintly, exhaling sharply as she released the armrest and crossed her arms. "I've been conducting my own investigations for months now. I keep tabs on the Dominion and other high-ranking people," she admitted, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Unofficial investigations. As CEO of EK Enterprises, I have access to resources, and I've used them to watch certain individuals. Sarah's assistant, Daniel, was one of them."

"And Ethan?" Rowan interrupted, his frustration bubbling over.

"Yes, all of you," Elena acknowledged, her jaw tightening as she faced the accusation in his tone. Her heart clenched as she glanced at Ethan again. His expression remained neutral, but she could see the shadow of unease flickering in his gaze.

"So our meeting at the bar was planned to get near me?" Ethan asked abruptly, his words cutting deeper than she expected.

"No," Elena whispered, her voice soft but steady. "That was unplanned. I didn't plan to ever meet you face to face."

Ethan's gaze didn't waver, but the weight of his silence pressed against her chest. "But you did attend the ball at the end," he said, his voice carrying an edge of disbelief.

"Yes, I did," Elena admitted, her words coming quickly now. "Our meeting at the bar kept playing in my head, and the fact that Rowan invited me to discuss business gave me an opportunity to meet you again."

She looked at Ethan again, her breath catching at the blankness of his expression. She hadn't expected his disapproval to hurt as much as it did, but it weighed on her, her chest tightening as guilt clawed at her resolve.

"So you don't trust the Dominion," Rowan cut back into the conversation, redirecting the focus sharply. "Is that what you're saying?"

"No," Elena replied, her voice rising slightly. "I don't. There are things that just don't feel right. I am sorry, I know you trusted me, but I couldn't tell you everything. Dammit, Ethan is supposed to be the next Dominion leader!"

"Why didn't you tell us about Daniel?" Ethan asked, his tone steady but heavy.

"I couldn't afford to be wrong," Elena snapped, frustration bubbling over now. "You both know what happens when information leaks in Dominion channels—people vanish, questions stop being asked. I wasn't going to expose myself or anyone else until I had confirmation."

Ethan stepped closer now, his movements deliberate, his voice steady but commanding. "What did you find?"

Elena's shoulders stiffened as she met his gaze fully, steadying herself as she answered. "The day of the attack," she began, her voice quieter now but no less firm, "I saw Daniel near the plaza. On the boardwalk. He was there minutes before the attack. At first, I wasn't sure it was relevant. But his name came up in my surveillance reports—not just once, but repeatedly. I found out he's an operative for the Dominion."

Her words hung in the air, and she glanced between Ethan and Rowan, catching the faint flicker of recognition in Ethan's eyes. As the heir to the Dominion's leadership, he knew of the organization's shadowy operations, but even he seemed unsettled by her revelation.

"A Dominion operative?" Rowan repeated, his tone astonished. "Even we don't know who the deep undercover operatives are. How did you find that out?"

"I have my spies," Elena said quietly, her words heavy with the weight of her confession.

"So you monitored Daniel?" Ethan asked.

Elena nodded slowly. "He's tied to Dominion operations, yes, but there are gaps in his movements. Unaccounted-for time. Locations flagged for suspicious activity."

Rowan's jaw tightened again. "And what does this have to do with Sarah?"

Elena hesitated, her thoughts swirling as she pieced everything together. "I don't know," she admitted finally. "But her connection to him feels deliberate. And her timing—showing up here right after the attack, with him by her side—it's too perfect. I don't trust her, Rowan. You shouldn't either."

Rowan huffed, pacing a step closer. "And the attacker?" His voice was cold now, heavy with accusation. "What about Mark Leston?"

Elena keeps her eyes locked with his, "We had him before the Dominion. I knew about him before you did."

"So your security detail intercepted him—before Dominion agents could even get close." Rowan asked surprised.

"Yes, because it had to be done," Elena retorted sharply, her composure cracking slightly. "Leston was disposable. Whoever hired him didn't want him talking, and if the Dominion had gotten there first, we wouldn't have learned anything. My team ensured Ethan's safety, and they gathered enough to confirm that Leston wasn't acting alone. He was a distraction. The real threat is still out there."

"Who are you protecting Ethan from, Elena?" Rowan demanded bitterly. "Us? Because that's what it sounds like."

Her voice didn't falter as she stepped closer to Rowan, meeting his anger head-on. "From anyone who means him harm. And if that includes someone within the Dominion, then yes—from them too."

Ethan raised a hand again, silencing Rowan as he stepped closer to me. "Enough," he said firmly. His gaze held mine, steady and demanding. "You should have told me this sooner. No more secrets, Elena. From now on, we work together."

Elena nodded reluctantly, the weight of his words settling over her like an unyielding tide. "Agreed," she said softly. Her voice steadied, though her chest still felt tight. "But you need to trust my instincts, Ethan. They're not just paranoia."

Rowan muttered something under his breath, pacing to the fireplace. "This is a mess," he said aloud, the frustration clear in his voice. "But if we're in it, we'd better clean it up fast."

Ethan turned to Elena once more, his voice softer now, almost resigned. "For now, I need rest." He studied her carefully, his tone shifting into something gentler. "Is your security strong enough to keep you safe tonight?"

The question hit harder than Elena expected, though she knew it wasn't meant as an insult. He needed space—time to process everything she'd revealed—and she couldn't blame him.

"Yes," she said firmly, forcing my voice to sound confident. "They're strong enough."

"Go with Rowan, he will take you home," Ethan nodded once before walking away, leaving the room heavy with silence. The click of his door shutting behind him felt louder than it should have, echoing in the stillness.