Chapter three
This was the kind of story she lived for.
A dangerous man. A hidden scandal. A chance to reclaim her name.
She exhaled slowly. "I'll need access to his records."
Cassius nodded. "Done."
She hesitated. "And my sources—"
"Handled."
Her stomach twisted. Everything was too easy.
"One more thing." Cassius's voice was smooth, but there was an edge beneath it. "Kane is dangerous. If he senses you're onto him, he won't hesitate to shut you down."
Leila knew what he meant.
Shutting down didn't mean a lawsuit.
It meant she'd disappear.
Her grip on the envelope tightened. She had faced threats before. She wasn't afraid of powerful men.
But Cassius wasn't just warning her.
He was testing her.
She lifted her chin. "Then I guess I'll have to be careful."
For the first time, Cassius smiled. Not polite. Not amused. But something else.
As she had just passed the first round of a game, she didn't even know she was playing.
The First Test
Leila Carter had been in some nerve-wracking situations before—confronting corrupt politicians, digging up scandals no one wanted uncovered, and standing her ground when powerful men tried to silence her.
But nothing compared to this.
Because this time, the powerful man was sitting right in front of her.
Cassius Beaumont didn't rush her. He just watched, his piercing blue eyes locked onto her like he was reading something underneath her skin. Like he already knew what decision she would make before she even made it.
A black envelope rested between them on the desk.
She had a feeling that whatever was inside would change everything.
Leila hesitated before reaching for it. The paper was smooth and expensive. Of course, it was.
She pulled out the documents inside, her eyes scanning the name printed at the top.
Theodore Kane.
Her stomach twisted.
Theodore Kane was more than just another billionaire. He was a ghost, a man whispered about in the darkest corners of the city. A man with money in places it shouldn't be and blood on his hands no one could prove.
She had tried to expose him once.
And she had paid for it.
She could still remember the night her editor killed the story. The way he wouldn't meet her eyes as he shoved a severance package across the desk.
"It's too dangerous, Leila. Drop it."
But she hadn't dropped it. She had spent months digging, watching, waiting—until suddenly, every door slammed shut in her face.
Now, Cassius was handing her another chance.
Leila looked up slowly. "You want me to investigate Kane?"
Cassius leaned back, the corner of his mouth twitching—not quite a smirk, not quite approval.
"I want you to do what you do best."
Her fingers tightened around the paper. "And what exactly do I 'do best'?"
His eyes darkened slightly. "You shine a light where men like him don't want it."
A shiver crawled down her spine.
She exhaled through her nose. "And what's your angle?"
Cassius didn't answer immediately. He just tilted his head, studying her. Measuring her.
Then, he simply said, "Does it matter?"
Her jaw clenched. Of course, it mattered.
Cassius Beaumont didn't move without reason. He didn't wake up one morning and decided to take down a man like Theodore Kane out of the goodness of his heart.
There was a game being played here.
And she had just become one of the pieces.
She placed the documents back in the envelope. "I'll need access to his financials, offshore accounts—"
"Done."
She hesitated. "And my sources—"
"Handled."
Her stomach twisted. Too easy.
Cassius was making the impossible seem effortless. That meant one thing—
This wasn't about Theodore Kane. This was about her.
She set the envelope down, her heartbeat picking up speed. "You already had people on him, didn't you?"
Cassius didn't confirm. He didn't deny it either. He simply said, "If Kane senses you're onto him, he won't hesitate to shut you down."
Leila stiffened.
He wasn't talking about lawsuits.
He was talking about something permanent.
Theodore Kane didn't silence reporters with money. He silenced them with missing person reports.
A normal person would walk away.
A smart person would run.
But Leila Carter had never been either.
She picked up the envelope and met Cassius's gaze head-on. "Then I guess I'll have to be careful."
For the first time, Cassius smiled. Not polite. Not amused. But something sharper.
As she had just passed a test, she didn't even know she was taking.
Leila Carter had done a lot of reckless things in her life.
Challenging corrupt officials?
Risking her career for the truth?
Walking into Cassius Beaumont's world with her eyes wide open?
All of it had been dangerous. But this?
This felt like stepping off a cliff with no idea how far the drop was.
She sat cross-legged on her couch, laptop balanced on her thighs, her screen illuminating the dimly lit apartment. The envelope Cassius had given her was spread across the coffee table, mocking her.
Theodore Kane's name was everywhere—bank statements, offshore accounts, property records.
Everything was too clean.
The more powerful the man, the dirtier the secrets. So where the hell was Kane's?
She leaned forward, typing rapidly, digging through financial records, news archives, and leaked reports. Nothing.
Her frustration was building when her phone buzzed beside her.
Unknown Number.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
She hesitated, then picked up. "Hello?"
Hello again
Silence.
Then a low, distorted voice. "Walk away, Ms. Carter."
Ice slid down her spine.
Her grip tightened on the phone. "Who is this?"
Click.
The call ended.
She stared at the screen, her pulse pounding in her ears.
And then, as if to drive the point home, a message popped up.
Unknown: STOP DIGGING.
A cold chill spread through her chest.
The air in her apartment suddenly felt too thick, too suffocating. They knew.
Her fingers trembled as she texted Cassius.
Leila: Someone just called me. They knew my name. They told me to stop digging.
The response came almost instantly.
Cassius: Come to my office. Now.
Leila grabbed her jacket and was out the door in seconds.