too much like a trap snapping closed. The partition was up, the driver anonymous behind tinted glass. Dominic wasn't there. But on the seat beside her lay a single manila envelope. Her na

intage cameras, a wall of monitors flickering with live feeds she couldn't place. Dominic handed her a glass of bourbon she didn't remember him pouring. "Here's the deal," he said, leaning against an antique desk. "You want the truth about me? You'll get it. But for every question I answer, you answer one of mine." Elena sipped the bourbon. It burned going down. "And if I refuse?" "Then this ends now." He shrugged. "But we both know you won't." *Bastard.* She set the glass down with a sharp *clink.* "Fine. First question-why Hartman Holdings?" Dominic didn't hesitate. "Because Daniel's father stole from my family first." A revelation. *Personal,* not just business. His turn. "Why journalism?" His gaze was unnervingly focused. "You could've been a lawyer like your father." Elena's fingers tightened around the glass. "Because the truth matters." "Liar." He stepped closer. "Try again." The air between them crackled. "Because I wanted to ruin people like him," she snapped. Dominic's smile was dark with approval. "Now we're getting somewhere." --- **THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE** Two hours later, the bourbon was gone, the files between them a minefield of half-truths and revelations. Elena had learned: - Dominic's mother died in a car accident when he was twelve (*"It wasn't an accident"*) - He'd built his first company at nineteen (*"Bought it, actually. From a man who didn't know what he had"*) - He'd been watching Hartman Holdings for years (*"Waiting for the right moment to burn it down"*) And in return, she'd given up: - Her father's affair (*"I was the one who told my mother"*) - Her failed novel (*"Too much truth in it"*) - The real reason she'd said yes to Daniel's proposal (*"I was tired of being alone"*) Now, Do