I was washing my hands in the executive restroom when I first heard it.
The water was running softly, the mirror fogged slightly from the warmth in the room, and for a brief moment, the office noise felt far away. I had come in to breathe—to steady my thoughts after another intense morning of meetings, after another lingering look from Kayden that made my chest feel too tight.
That was when the door opened behind me.
Maria's voice came first, sharp and hushed.
"I'm telling you, Brianna, this isn't just gossip."
Brianna laughed nervously as the door closed. "You always say that. Last time it was that the legal head was laundering money."
"That one was true," Maria whispered back. "He resigned, didn't he?"
I froze slightly, my hands still under the tap.
Don't listen, I told myself.
But my body refused to move.
Brianna lowered her voice. "Okay… so what is it this time?"
Maria exhaled slowly, like someone savoring the weight of a secret. "It's about him."
Brianna didn't need clarification. "Kayden Blackwood?"
"Yes."
The name echoed in the tiled room, heavier than it should have been.
I reached for a paper towel, delaying my exit.
Maria leaned closer. "Finance got word from someone upstairs. Not officially, of course."
Brianna scoffed. "Finance hears everything."
"That's the point," Maria replied. "Apparently, one of the junior analysts has a friend—
Brianna groaned. "Here we go."
—and that friend's cousin," Maria continued, undeterred, "used to fight underground. Illegal circuits. Real dirty stuff."
My fingers tightened around the paper towel.
Brianna's voice dropped. "Underground fighting?"
Maria nodded. "And that cousin said one of the men who funded the rings? Who handled protection, weapons, clean exits?"
She paused dramatically.
"Blackwood."
My heart skipped.
Brianna laughed weakly. "That's insane."
"Is it?" Maria countered. "Think about it. The security contracts. The shipping routes. The way deals get cleared when they shouldn't."
I turned slowly, pretending to adjust my hair, my reflection pale in the mirror.
Brianna crossed her arms. "So you're saying our CEO is—what—mafia?"
Maria shrugged. "Not publicly. But they say he's involved when it matters. Like a ghost. Comes in only when things are… bloody."
Silence fell.
I felt it crawl up my spine.
"That explains the fear," Brianna murmured. "Why no one messes with him."
"And why no woman's ever stayed close," Maria added. "Smart women run."
I swallowed hard.
Is this what I came here to find out? I wondered. Or is this just fear dressed up as truth?
The restroom door opened suddenly, and all three of us flinched.
Queen stepped in, her sharp eyes taking everything in at once.
"Talking about work?" she asked lightly.
Maria smiled too quickly. "Always."
Queen's gaze flicked to me, just for a second. Something unreadable passed between us.
"Be careful what you repeat," Queen said calmly. "Rumors are dangerous in this building."
She left as smoothly as she entered.
The room exhaled.
Brianna whispered, "See? Even she knows."
I dried my hands, my heart pounding louder than it should have.
"Excuse me," I said politely and walked out before they could say another word.
Back at my desk, the office felt different.
Every quiet footstep sounded suspicious. Every closed-door meeting felt heavier.
I looked at Kayden's office.
The glass walls reflected him perfectly—composed, distant, powerful.
Who are you really? I wondered. And how deep does this go?
As if summoned by my thoughts, Kayden's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, his expression shifting—just slightly.
"Clear my schedule for ten minutes," he said quietly.
I nodded. "Of course."
He didn't close the glass blinds completely.
I wasn't trying to listen.
But some things are impossible to ignore.
"Adrian," Kayden said into the phone, his voice lower than usual. "Talk."
A pause.
"Yes," he continued. "I heard."
I held my breath.
"No," Kayden said firmly. "I'm still clean on the surface. That cannot change."
Another pause. His jaw tightened.
"I told you—I only step in when it's critical."
My pulse thundered.
Adrian's voice was faint, but I caught fragments—shipment, territory, warning.
"I don't care who started it," Kayden snapped quietly. "You handle it unless lives are at risk."
Silence.
Then, softer—dangerously calm—"If they touch anyone connected to me, I will end it myself."
The call ended.
Kayden stood still for a long moment, then ran a hand through his hair—a rare, human gesture.
So it's true, I realized, my chest aching. At least some of it.
Fear and understanding collided inside me.
He isn't cruel, I thought. He's guarding something.
Something dark.
Something inherited.
Kayden stepped out of his office and caught me looking at him.
Our eyes met.
For a moment, the world narrowed to that single exchange.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
I forced a small smile. "Nothing, sir."
He studied me, as if weighing how much I could see.
"Good," he said finally.
But as he turned away, I knew something had changed.
The rumors were no longer just whispers.
They were red flags.
And I was standing far closer to the truth—and to him—than I had ever planned to be.