Maya stepped into Cole Towers feeling a strange mix of determination and unease. The storm of the past week — her growing competence, the subtle tension with Adrian, and the sparks she couldn't ignore — had left her on edge.
Before she could settle at her desk, her phone buzzed. A message flashed on the screen:
"Be careful. Not everything is as it seems."
She frowned, slipping the phone back into her bag. Tasha's warnings had felt distant before, but today, they carried a weight Maya couldn't shake. Something in Adrian's office — the intensity, the unspoken words, the secrecy — felt larger than her understanding.
When she entered Adrian's office, he was already reviewing a folder, brow furrowed. The usual calm precision was replaced with a subtle edge, a tension that immediately put Maya on alert.
"Reed," he said without looking up. "I need your focus on the Renshaw account. There's… irregularity in the financials. Someone is manipulating the reports, and I need you to help me trace it."
Maya nodded. "Understood. I'll check every line."
He finally looked at her, and for a fleeting moment, his expression softened — a glance that hinted at trust, and something deeper he rarely allowed anyone to see. "Be thorough. Not everyone here can handle this," he murmured.
Hours passed in a tense blur. Maya combed through spreadsheets, cross-referenced transactions, and flagged anomalies. All the while, she sensed Adrian's gaze on her — calculating, sharp, but not controlling. There was trust in it, but also a warning: be careful where you tread.
Finally, she approached him with her findings. "I've traced the discrepancies," she said quietly, "and I think I've identified the source. But… there's more at play than numbers. Someone wants to destabilize this account, and they're careful not to leave obvious traces."
Adrian leaned back, eyes dark and unreadable. "Interesting. You've caught on faster than I expected." He paused, then added softly, "You're close… too close to the truth. And that makes you… vulnerable."
Maya's chest tightened. The words weren't just about work; she felt the unspoken layers beneath them — the danger, the secrecy, and the trust he was extending to her while simultaneously warning her away.
"I… understand," she said carefully, meeting his gaze. "I'll be careful."
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked closer, close enough that the air between them seemed to hum. "Careful doesn't mean distant," he said finally. "And proximity can be… useful."
Maya swallowed hard. She didn't know if he meant professionally or personally, and the ambiguity sent a thrill through her chest. Her heart raced, and she realized the stakes weren't just in the numbers anymore — they were in him, in the trust and tension that bound them together.
By the time she left Cole Towers, night had fallen. The city lights shimmered across the streets, and Maya's mind replayed every glance, every word, every moment of closeness. Adrian Cole was a storm, unpredictable and consuming, and she had stepped directly into its path.
But unlike before, she knew one thing clearly: she wouldn't step away. Not now, not ever.
Because storms left marks, and some marks… changed you forever.