Jack's phone rang at two in the morning.
An unknown number.
He rubbed his eyes and looked at the screen. Who could it be at this hour?
He answered the phone.
"Hello?"
A deep voice came from the other end—cold, threatening.
"Jack Reed. Stop working for that woman. Or... your mother will pay the price."
The line went dead.
Jack's hands trembled. He almost dropped the phone.
Did... did that really just happen?
He stared at the screen, his heart pounding. This wasn't a joke. The voice was real. Dangerous.
And the most terrifying thing—they knew about his mother.
12 hours earlier...
"Jack Reed. Cabin 1807. Come now."
The voice echoed from the intercom.
Jack's fingers froze on the keyboard. He glanced at the clock—5:47 PM. Only thirteen minutes left. Thirteen minutes until he could go home.
But that voice...
Zara Walter.
The owner of Elindor Digital Ventures. Beautiful, wealthy, and dangerous—a deadly combination. There were whispers about her in the office. Some called her a princess, others a devil.
Jack had worked there for three months. Good salary, straightforward IT work. But Zara... she was always different. Distant. Alone.
"Dude, good luck," Rohan, sitting nearby, whispered. "She's probably going to give you night work again."
Jack didn't say anything. He just got up and headed towards the cabin.
Cabin 1807—in the corner, surrounded by glass walls, the blinds drawn.
Jack knocked.
"Come in."
The voice was tired. Broken.
He opened the door.
And the sight that greeted him... Jack froze. Zara Walter—usually perfect, controlled, professional—looked completely different today.
She held a wine glass in her hand, almost empty. The bottle on the table—nearly finished. Black pencil skirt, white blouse, but her hair was disheveled. Her makeup smudged.
And her eyes...
prop
Moist.
Jack's heart sank.
"Sit down," Zara said, but there was no command in her voice. Just... emptiness.
Jack slowly entered. He sat down in a chair, but couldn't take his eyes off her.
What happened to her?
Zara took another sip of wine. Then placed the glass on the table—a little too hard. The sound echoed.
"I have a task for you," she said, looking at the screen. She wasn't looking at Jack.
"Yes?" Jack said softly.
Zara pushed a thick file towards him.
"Weston Industries," she said, her voice trembling. "Their server map, access points, security layers. You need to analyze it by tonight. I need the complete plan tomorrow morning."
Jack opened the file. He looked at the data inside—complex, serious. This wasn't just analysis.
This was... something else.
"But this..." Jack began, "This is illegal—"
"I know."
There was so much pain in Zara's voice that Jack fell silent.
She looked at Jack now. And what he saw in her eyes... wasn't just pain.
It was defeat. Complete and utter defeat.
"I know this is wrong," Zara said, her voice now almost a whisper. "But I... I have no choice."
She paused. Picked up the wine glass again. Filled it. Finished half of it in one gulp.
"Six o'clock tonight," Jack said, a hint of anger in his voice. "It's almost six o'clock. I need to go home—"
"Please."
One word. Just one.
But there was so much helplessness in it that Jack's throat went dry.
Zara closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Please, Jack," she said again. "I... I can't do this alone."
Jack looked at her—really looked at her. This wasn't the Zara Walter the office knew. This was someone else. Someone broken.
"Okay," Jack said softly.
Zara opened her eyes. Relief—faint, but it was there.
"Thank you," she said.
Jack stood up. He picked up the file.
But as he reached the door, he stopped.
"Zara," he said, turning back, "what's wrong? Really?"
Zara swirled the glass of wine. She didn't speak for a long time.
Then—
"My uncle," she said, her voice even weaker now. "He wants me to marry his son. Damian."
Jack remained silent.
"After my father's death," Zara continued, "the company is in my name. But in reality... my uncle runs everything. And now he wants the company to go entirely to Damian after the marriage."
She took another sip. Her hand was trembling.
"And if I refuse," her voice broke, "he'll ruin all of my father's hard work... everything."
Jack's jaw tightened.
"That's why I have to do this," Zara said. "Hack Weston. Because my uncle ordered it. And if I don't..."
She stopped. The tears were clearly visible now.
Jack wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
"Go," Zara said, hiding her face. "Do the work. Please."
Jack went out.
But as he closed the door, he looked back. Zara was slumped in her chair, her face covered with her hands, her shoulders shaking.
She was crying.
It was seven o'clock in the evening.
The office was empty. Only Jack remained, at his desk, with a file open.
Weston Industries—one of the largest companies in Zenthara. Elindor's biggest rival.
And now Jack had to hack them.
He looked at the data on the screen. Server map, firewalls, encryption layers. It was difficult, but not impossible.
Not for Jack.
He was a white-hat hacker—exposing corrupt systems was his job. But this... this was different.
This was black-hat work.
Wrongdoing.
But Zara's eyes... that pain... that helplessness...
What am I doing?
He took a deep breath and started working.
Nine o'clock at night.
The sound of footsteps.
Jack looked up.
Zara.
Walking down the corridor, but... stumbling. Still holding a bottle of wine—almost empty.
"Still here?"
Her voice was slurred. Drunk.
Jack immediately got up.
"Zara, you—"
She swayed.
Jack rushed to catch her. Her arms went around his shoulders, her full weight on Jack.
"I'm fine," Zara insisted, but her voice was weak.
"No, you're not," Jack said, supporting her. "Sit down."
He helped her into his chair.
But Zara didn't let go of his hand.
"Jack," she whispered, her eyes now completely moist. "I... I'm so lonely."
Jack's heart ached.
"After my father died," Zara continued, her voice breaking, "no one... no one has been there for me. Everyone... everyone just wants the company. Not me."
She squeezed Jack's hand tighter. "But you," he said, looking at her, "you're different. I... I know it."
Jack's throat went dry.
"Zara, you're drunk—"
"I know," Zara said. "But even when I'm drunk... I don't lie."
And suddenly, she spun Jack's chair around and sat down on his lap.
Jack's breath caught in his throat.
"Zara—"
"Just for a little while," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. "Please. I... I just need someone."
Jack's hands were in the air—wanting to touch her, but not.
This was wrong.
Zara was vulnerable. Broken. Drunk.
And Jack... he wasn't the kind of man to take advantage.
"You... you're good," Zara whispered. "I know it. That's why... that's why I trust you."
Jack took a slow breath.
"Zara," he said, his voice gentle, "you need to rest."
"No." Zara lifted her face. Her eyes met Jack's—deep, full of pain, but... something else too.
"I... I need you."
And the next moment, she pressed her lips against Jack's.
Jack's mind went blank.
Zara's kiss—slow, hesitant, and full of pain. Her hands were on his shoulders, but without any force. Just... resting there.
Jack didn't respond.
He just sat there, his hands in the air, supporting her but not taking advantage of her vulnerability.
After a few seconds, Zara pulled back.
Tears were streaming down her face.
"You... you never respond," she said, her voice filled with despair. "Why?"
Jack looked
into her eyes.
"Because you're drunk," he said softly. "And I... I'm not the kind of man who takes advantage of someone's weakness." Something shifted in Zara's eyes.
Respect. Perhaps pain. Perhaps both.
"That's why," she whispered, "that's why I trust you."
Jack walked Zara to her cabin.
He settled her on the sofa. Gave her a glass of water.
"Thank you," Zara said, her eyes closing.
"Rest," Jack said.
As he was leaving, Zara grabbed his hand.
"Jack," she said, without opening her eyes. "You... you're a good person. I know it."
Jack gently pulled his hand away and left.
It was ten o'clock at night.
Jack had finished his work.
The complete analysis in the file—perfect, just as Zara wanted.
But his heart was heavy.
Zara... she wasn't just the boss. She was a broken girl, destroying herself to save her father's legacy.
And Jack... he understood.
He was trapped too.
He closed the file, picked up his bag, and left the office.
He reached home at half past ten.
A small flat. His mother was asleep, but she had left food for him—the plate covered with foil.
Jack didn't eat. He just went to his room.
He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Zara's face... her eyes... that kiss...
What am I doing?
Then—
The phone rang.
Two o'clock in the morning.
An unknown number.
Jack answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Jack Reed. Stop working for that woman. Otherwise... your mother will pay the price."
The line went dead.
Jack's hands trembled.
He immediately got up, ran towards his mother's room. He opened the door—
His mother was sleeping. Safe.
But the window...
It was open.
Jack had closed it that morning. His heart began to pound.
They were here. They had come here.
He closed the window, covered his mother, and went outside.
Standing in the living room, he stared at the phone.
Who was it?
And the biggest question—
Was this connected to Zara? Or something else?
He looked at the phone screen. No name. No location.
But the message was clear.
The danger was real.
And Jack...
He was no longer just an IT employee.
He had become part of a much bigger game.
And he didn't know yet... whose game it was.
End—Chapter 1
In the next chapter: Jack arrives at the office—and meets Damian for the first time. Zara is being forced into marriage. And the truth about the phone call... will change everything.