Arabella stepped into ValeCorp the next morning, heels clicking confidently, lips glossed in a quiet pink. Her curls were pulled back in a sleek ponytail, skin glowing — and not just because of the highlighter.
No, this glow was different.
Last night changed everything.
She and Cassian hadn't spoken much after the fire they started — but they didn't need words. His touch lingered in her memory like perfume. His kiss still warm on her lips.
Arabella was no longer just Mrs. Vale by contract.
She was his — and he was starting to become hers.
Or so she thought.
---
The elevator doors opened on her floor, and she instantly felt it.
The shift.
People whispered. Glanced at her. Some looked smug. Others… pitying.
Lena, the assistant she never trusted, gave her a tight smile and said, "Morning, Mrs. CEO."
Arabella's heart thudded.
Not Arabella. Not Ms. Quinn. Not even Barbie.
Mrs. CEO.
Something was wrong.
---
She walked to her desk — and paused.
Someone had placed a white envelope on her keyboard. No name. No sender.
Her stomach tightened.
She opened it.
Inside was a printed photo. Grainy. Surveillance-style.
It showed her and Cassian in the company parking lot… last week. His hand was resting on the small of her back. Intimate.
Written over the photo in red ink:
> "You'll never replace her."
---
Arabella dropped it instantly, her breath catching.
Who would do this?
Was it about his ex? The one who vanished?
Was someone watching her?
---
Cassian found her minutes later in his office, the envelope on his desk.
His face went hard when he saw it.
"Who has access to this floor?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Because someone clearly knows more than they should."
"I'll find out," he said.
Arabella studied him. "You're calm."
"I'm not," he said quietly. "But if I show fear, they win."
She turned away, staring out the window.
"They want me gone."
"They can want," he replied, stepping closer. "But they don't decide who I choose."
---
He didn't touch her. But his presence was enough.
His voice, low and unshakable: "You are not her replacement. You are you. That's the difference."
But Arabella still couldn't shake the chill running through her.
Who hated her enough to threaten her?
And why did part of her feel like… she was being watched right now?
---
Later that day, as she passed the hallway near the archives, she heard two voices.
One was Lena.
"She really thinks she belongs here now? Sleeping with the boss doesn't make her powerful."
The other girl laughed. "Maybe not, but it might make her a target."
Arabella stopped.
Listened.
Then walked on — faster this time.
---
That night, Cassian came to bed late.
Arabella didn't ask where he'd been.
Instead, she whispered in the dark:
"Was she threatened before she vanished?"
Cassian didn't answer.
She turned toward him.
"Cass."
He exhaled. "Yes."
Her blood ran cold.
"And now it's happening again," she said softly.
---