/Zane's POV/
I think I was out of my mind for a second. Why the fuck did I even do that?
I kept asking myself that, even when Madison said to forget it if I didn't want to talk.
Her irritation and discomfort were clear—the stiffness in her voice, the way her shoulders subtly tensed, the faint pinch at the corner of her mouth.
Later that night, I saw her by the balcony twirling a cigarette with a pensive look on her face. The glow from the city lights brushed the side of her cheek, outlining her silhouette as the cold night breeze tugged at her hair.
I could tell she had a lot on her mind, and I found myself getting curious.
With every flip of that unlit cigarette tucked neatly between her strong, fine fingers—the soft click of her nail tapping it, the rhythmic motion—was she thinking about me? Or someone else?
Maddy remained a mystery to me, maybe the reason I'm drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I can't read her. I can't predict her. Everyone else who ever came to me was easy—people wear their intentions like cheap perfume. But her… she hides whole storms behind a straight face.
I wonder if it's hereditary though, since I'm starting to realise the woman I gave my heart to also had layers I wasn't aware of—hidden edges I never touched, moods I never sensed.
"Zane."
Vikram hurried over to me the moment I walked into their station, his footsteps sharp against the tiled floor, the faint smell of stale coffee and printer ink lingering around the room.
We haven't really talked since I made him hand Allison's case over to someone else. He didn't like that, and I understand why—he definitely held it against me.
I could still feel that quiet resentment radiating off him like heat.
I thought pulling him off the case would slow him down, give him a fresh perspective, but he got even more obsessive.
Noah told me he's been poking around my company too, interrogating Allison's colleagues.
I'm not surprised.
He's always been persistent. I can also tell Vikram has decided to keep the progress of his investigation away from me.
I'm not sure how long until he figures out Madison's been posing as Allison. I can only hope we wrap things up on our end before he does, because I know better than anyone he would never approve of my methods.
"I didn't know you were coming."
His hand rested gently on his waist, his expression blank, but I could tell that was his attempt to hide how he actually felt—his jaw tightening for just a second.
"What brings you here?"
My eyes caught the slight furrow in his brows, and I almost scoffed.
"I came to see my cousin… He's still being held in custody, isn't he?" I asked, suppressing the smirk threatening to spill onto my face.
"Yeah. The odds are pretty stacked against him right now, so until new, clear evidence comes up proving he had nothing to do with the stabbing, we'll be holding onto him. Of course, we could also let him go if you or Miss Allison decide to drop the charges."
"That's never gonna happen. Can I see him? I have a few questions."
His left eye twitched.
"You can hang around too—at least that'll stop me from strangling him, 'cause I'm feeling pretty murderous right now."
He flinched—a small recoil, like a pulse of instinctive fear.
Well, I've never been vocal about my temper.
I always told Vik I had no intention of acting on it, so hearing me say otherwise must have caught him off guard.
He looked dumbstruck for a second.
Although reluctant, he brought my cousin to the interrogation room and stayed close as well.
The air inside was cold, metallic, the fluorescent lights humming faintly above us.
"Zane."
Elias's grin was too confident for a man in cuffs. His chair scraped softly against the floor as he leaned back, relaxed. Idiot.
I know he didn't stab Allison—I have evidence proving he wasn't involved—but it'll do him some good to stay locked up a little longer.
Right now, he's a headache the police are trying hard to figure out.
He had a solid alibi the night Allison was stabbed, and with evidence backing their affair, there was no motive strong enough to convict him.
He just had to mess it all up by abducting Maddy.
"What brought you here? With that glare… I'm almost convinced you missed me." I scoffed, a sharp exhale through my nose.
"How long have you had a crush on her?"
His taunting smile disappeared. The muscles in his cheek twitched.
"I mean, I figured if you'd go as far as blackmailing her into sleeping with you… you must have liked her long enough to get desperate. Obtaining that video of her screwing up must have felt like an opportunity for you, huh?"
I caught Vikram loosening his posture in the corner of the room, his eyes sparking with interest.
And Elias—finally—I sensed the anxiousness I'd been craving: the way his fingers curled, his breathing subtly hitched.
After the Tony Awards night, Allison and I stopped sleeping together.
She took every project available and put distance between us.
I thought she wanted to focus more on her career.
I even cheered her on. For six months, Allison and I didn't share a bed. I assumed she was busy.
As usual, she eventually came back to me, so I dismissed it as me overthinking.
She's an actress, I have to understand. She's a celebrity… I have to support her.
I repeated that song so many times I grew sick of it. But during that time, Allison met Elias seven times. At first reluctantly…then she started seeking him out.
I let out a soft, bitter laugh that surprised both Vik and Elias—the sound echoing lightly off the metal walls.
There were still many parts of their messages I didn't understand, but I was curious.
Disjointed pieces that felt like parts of a longer conversation.
I had so many questions he wouldn't willingly answer, and yet here I was—dragging myself before him—hanging onto the tiniest hope of understanding what my fiancée was doing behind my back, and what led to her stabbing.
"Was it fun?" I asked.
He swallowed—Adam's apple bobbing sharply, his expression tightening.
I scoffed when I saw him starting to get restless—his knees subtly shifting under the table.
"Zane, it's—"
Wearing a deadpan expression, I cut in sharply, my tone calm but belligerent. "I asked you a question, Elias."
I rose from my seat and watched him sweat—a thin sheen forming at his temples. Vik tensed up too.
"Have I been playing around with you so much you forgot the kind of person I am? You have the audacity—"
I rested my hands on his shoulders and slammed his upper half onto the interrogation table, pressing his neck against the metal. The sharp clatter vibrated through the room, and he gritted and groaned in pain.
"Zane!" Vik warned, and I glared at him. "That's enough." His voice dipped—firm but cautious. I ignored him. I hadn't even done anything yet.
"I'm curious though… how'd you even get your hands on that video?" I demanded.
The cold metal beneath Elias's cheek echoed the tremor in his breath.
No matter how angry Allison was at getting recorded, it didn't make sense.
"You planned this, didn't you? Making Allison believe I slept with someone else?" My anger spiked—heat rushing up my chest, tightening my jaw—but Elias scoffed.
"What? You think I made her believe that you did?"
He laughed, and my grip on him loosened as we stared at each other, scrutinising each word, each breath—the air between us thick with resentment.
"I didn't cheat on her." I said firmly. No matter how rough things got, I'd never fall that low. "Think again," Elias insisted.
I tried.
I tried so fucking hard to remember that night, but it was all a foggy mess—flashes of noise, spinning lights, the burn of alcohol in my throat.
I remember being pissed at Allison's co-star feeling her up at the event. I told her, but she brushed it off as me overreacting. I wanted to bash the idiot's head in but held back, drinking more than I should've. I got too drunk.
Thankfully, Allison brought me back to my room—or was it Aya? I can't remember. I remember kissing Allison and falling asleep. She tried to initiate sex later, but I was still pissed, so I turned her away. But by morning, Allison wouldn't have it.
We ended up having sex, and then she apologised for the previous night—like she'd sensed I was mad.
"I didn't," I repeated, but Elias smirked.
"Then why was Allison so mad?"
His question stung.
Allison hardly ever showed she was upset, and yet now I'd seen a video of her assaulting another actress—and letting Elias use it to blackmail her.
"You think that excuses the photos and videos you took of her without permission?" I demanded.
Elias clenched his jaw—a tight grinding motion that matched the tension in the room.
He had the perfect leash on Allison, whose reputation meant everything. And I hate that I had a role to play in his sick ga
mes. But one thing I'm sure of—
He wasn't smart enough to come up with this on his own.