Sleep refused to come.
Lydia tossed and turned, Jaden's words replaying in her mind — "Anyone too close to me becomes leverage."
She'd seen fear before, but never in him. Not the cold, calculated billionaire who everyone thought was untouchable.
By morning, her decision was made.
If Jaden wouldn't tell her the truth, she'd find it herself.
At 8:00 a.m., Lydia walked into Steele Industries as though everything was normal. She smiled at the front desk, waved at her coworkers, and slipped quietly into the restricted floor she wasn't supposed to enter.
Her ID card didn't grant her access — but she'd noticed something the day before: a security guard who always left his card unattended during his coffee break.
Heart pounding, Lydia took a chance.
Click.
The door opened.
The room was darker than she expected — filled with filing cabinets, sealed boxes, and servers humming softly in the background.
One box stood out.
A red tag read: "PROJECT PHOENIX – CONFIDENTIAL."
Lydia's breath caught.
She glanced over her shoulder, then opened it.
Inside were photos — dozens of them. Board meetings, offshore accounts, signatures, receipts… and one picture that froze her blood.
It was Jaden.
Standing beside a man she recognized from a news headline — Dominic Vale, a known financier with criminal ties.
She stepped back, whispering, "No… that can't be."
Suddenly, the office lights flicked on.
"Looking for something, Miss Evans?"
Her heart stopped.
It was Jaden.
He looked furious, but not surprised — as if he already knew she'd come here.
"I— I just wanted to understand," she stammered.
He walked closer, each step deliberate. "You broke into a secured room using a guard's ID. Do you realize what that means?"
"Then explain it to me, Jaden! Why are you in that photo? Why keep me in the dark?"
Jaden's jaw clenched. "Because this isn't just about business, Lydia. Dominic Vale isn't just an investor — he's the man who owns the debt I've been trying to bury."
Lydia's eyes widened. "He owns you?"
"For now," Jaden said coldly. "Until I pay off what was stolen years ago. And if he finds out you're involved…" He exhaled sharply. "You'd be gone before I could even reach you."
She shook her head. "You can't keep protecting me by lying to me. I can help you."
He laughed bitterly. "Help me? Lydia, this isn't some love story you can fix with hope. This is war."
She stepped closer anyway. "Then let me stand beside you in it."
For the first time in hours, Jaden's composure cracked. His hand brushed her cheek briefly — hesitant, trembling — before he turned away.
"Go home," he whispered. "Before I lose what little control I have left."
---
Lydia left the building in a blur of emotion — fear, anger, heartbreak… but also something stronger: determination.
She now knew that Jaden wasn't cold because he didn't care.
He was cold because he did.
And she was done letting him fight alone.