Calla had never seen Zayne like this before. He was a man of control, always calculated, always one step ahead in everything. But now, standing in his office with his phone clenched tightly in his hand, his knuckles red, he looks rattled.
He did not say anything at first. The silence stretches, the tension between them growing heavier. Calla could feel her pulse in her throat, her mind racing with questions. What had Sinclair done? What was this move he had called in?
"Zayne" Calla's voice is barely a whisper, hesitant. She didn't want to push him, not when he was like this, but she needed to know. "What did Sinclair say?"
Zayne's jaw tightens, and he finally raises his eyes to meet hers. His gaze is hard, colder than ever before, like the icy depths of a gemstone untouched by light. He looks dangerous.
"He is pushing me into a corner," Zayne says, his voice low and tight. "He is going after everything I have built, and now, he is trying to destroy the one thing that can't be replaced."
Calla's stomach twists. "The mine?"
Zayne shakes his head, his expression grim. "No. Something much worse. He is targeting my reputation, my name. And he is doing it through you."
Calla freezes. "What?"
"Sinclair's not just coming after the business," Zayne continues, pacing now, his movements sharp and restless. "He is leaking information. Personal information. About me. About us."
Calla's blood runs cold. "What kind of information?"
Zayne stops pacing, stands in front of her, his intense gaze locking onto hers. "He is making it look like we have been involved in insider trading. That I have been using our relationship to manipulate stock prices. He is feeding the media false stories, twisting everything we have done together to make it seem like I have been using you."
Calla could feel the floor drop out from under her. Her mind spins, trying to process what Zayne is saying. Insider trading? Manipulating stock prices? That is illegal, career-ending. And it would ruin everything Zayne has worked for. Worse, it would ruin her too.
"He is lying," Calla says quickly, her voice shaking. "He is just trying to get to you, Zayne. Everyone will see through it..."
"No, they won't," Zayne interrupts, his voice sharp. "Not at first. Sinclair is too good at this game. He knows exactly how to plant just enough doubt to make people believe it. And by the time we prove it's a lie, the damage will already be done."
Calla's heart race. "What are we going to do?"
Zayne turns away, runs his hand through his hair in frustration. "I have to get ahead of it. I have to stop this before it escalates."
"How?" Calla asks, her voice small. "What can you do?"
Zayne was silent for a moment, his back to her, the weight of his decision hangs in the air. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, more controlled.
"I need to distance myself from you."
Calla's pulse stops. "What?"
Zayne turns to face her, his expression unreadable. "If I publicly distance myself from you, if I make it look like we are not involved, personally or professionally, it will take the heat off. Sinclair's claims will fall apart without any proof."
"No," Calla says, her voice trembling. "You can't do that. Zayne, we can fight this together. We don't have to..."
"We don't have a choice," Zayne interrupts her, his tone final. "This is the only way to protect you. If I don't do this, Sinclair will ruin your life too. He will drag you into this mess, and your name will be just as tainted as mine."
Calla's heart breaks at his words. She had come into Zayne's world without realizing how high the stakes were, how dangerous the game was. And now, she was caught in the crossfire. But the thought of losing him, of walking away from the one person who had made her feel alive in this world of glittering facades—was unbearable.
"There has to be another way," Calla whispers, steps closer to him. "We can figure this out together. I don't care what people think, I care about you."
Zayne's gaze softens for a brief moment, his walls cracking just enough for her to see the man behind the mask. The man who, despite everything, cared for her too. But then the hardness returned, and the walls were back up.
"This is not about what we want, Calla," Zayne says, his voice low. "It's about survival, I already told you that. And right now, the only way for you to survive this is to stay far away from me."
Calla could now feel tears sting her eyes, but she blinks them back. She wouldn't cry. Not here. Not now. "And what about you?" she asks, her voice now sounding like a whisper. "What happens to you if you push me away?"
Zayne's expression darkens. "I will handle it. I have been fighting battles like this my whole life. But you… you don't belong in this world, Calla. You deserve better than this."
Calla's chest tightens, the weight of his words now crushes her. She did not belong in his world. She had always known that, hadn't she? But she had fallen for him anyway, fallen for the man beneath the billionaire's mask. And now, it was all being torn away from her.
"Zayne," Calla begins, her voice shaking, "please don't do this."
But Zayne had already made up his mind. He steps back, putting distance between them, both physically and emotionally. "It's done, Calla. This is the only way."
Calla feels a tear slip down her cheek, but she didn't move to wipe it away. She just stood there, watching as Zayne turns his back on her and walks away. It was over. Just like that.
She was losing him.
.....
Later that night, Calla sat in her apartment, staring blankly at the wall. The events of the day replayed over and over in her mind, each detail cutting deeper than the last. Zayne had made his choice. He had chosen to protect her by pushing her away, but all it felt like was abandonment.
Her phone vibrates on the table next to her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glances down and saw an unknown number flash across the screen. Hesitant, she answers.
"Hello?"
There was a pause, then a low, familiar voice came through the line.
"It's Mason."
Calla's heart skips a beat. "Mason? What… why are you calling?"
"I need to talk to you," he says, his tone serious. "There is something you don't know. Something important."
Calla's grip tightens on the phone. "What are you talking about?"
"Zayne's not telling you everything," Mason says, his voice dark. "There's more going on than you realize."
Calla's pulse quickens. "What do you mean?"
"Meet me at the pier in an hour," Mason replies. "I will explain everything."
Before Calla could ask any more questions, the line goes dead.
She stares at her phone, her heart racing. What was Mason talking about? What was Zayne hiding from her? And why did she suddenly feel like everything was about to change?