Fool By My Ruthless Billionaire

presence. "Kendrick, what's the plan then?", I start, my voice steady. His lips push together, and for a brief second I catch a spark of something, frustration perhaps, before it is replaced

ell Enterprises seem to be closing in on me. Every step I take reverberates in the silent corridors; every one is like a warning I cannot ignore. Minutes, hours, I have no idea how long I have been walking; it doesn't matter. The only thing that counts is the gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach. The treachery. The falsehoods. Kendrick's hidden truths. I pause before Mason's office. Etched in gold on the glass door, his name is the same one that has been tormenting me all day. I knock once, hard and crisp. A second later the door opens and Mason is there, his smile as lovely as always but his eyes show something colder. "Sofia," he adds, his voice silky, nearly too silky. How can I help you? Crossing the doorway, I enter and my eyes narrow. We have to speak. Mason lifts an eyebrow but stays put. "Regarding?" "About Kendrick," I add, my voice calm but my stomachs roiling. I understand what is happening. I know you've been collaborating with him on something, something I shouldn't know. Mason's expression darkens and I notice the mask break for the first time. "You have no idea what you're walking into, Sofia," he continues, his voice low and threatening. I move closer to make him look at me. Mason, what's happening? Why is Kendrick deceiving me? He doesn't respond immediately; when he does, his voice is softer, nearly defeated. It's not what you believe. Then let me know, please. Speak the truth to me. His eyes twitch with something: shame, fear? It's hard for me to say. But the silence between us extends, dense with unspoken words. At last, he talks. The reality is, you are much over your head. The words freeze me; they strike me like a punch to the stomach. What do you mean? Leaning forward, he brings his face inches from mine. Sofia, you have been played. What about Kendrick? He's been concealing the greatest secret of all. He has been hiding something significant from me; now he is prepared to reveal it. Kendrick replies, his voice deadpan, "You wanted openness." "So, here it is." Sliding a hefty folder over the table, he causes the papers within to rustle as though they hold too dangerous secrets to be whispered. My fingers are rigid at my sides, so I don't touch it right away. His stare's intensity makes me doubt. "I hope you're ready for this," he says quietly. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. The more I investigate Blackwell Enterprises, the more the walls appear to close in on me. Though I have been ready for treachery, I have never been ready for this. At last, I grab the folder. Its weight feels almost unbearable, as though it were loaded with decades of deception. Every page a step closer to a truth I'm not sure I'm ready to confront, I open it carefully. Inside, I see it, an email chain implicating someone I never thought could be involved running deep. As I read the names and facts, the reality hits me like a blow to the stomach. "Mason," I mumble, the name barely passing my lips. "It's Mason." Kendrick's jaw clenches, his hand gra