A deceit deal with the ruthless billionaire CEO

ting for the next shoe to drop. She had been used to the charade, the phoney smiles, the practiced reactions. But Andrew's attitude tonight had a certain quality that seemed unusual. Work

voice pierced her reverie. What? She enquired, too afraid to look at him. The lines are hazy. Among us. Between what is false and what is reality. I don't know how to halt it. Her heart leapt. She had never imagined Andrew would admit it. She was speechless, her mouth open. The quiet lengthened, and Victoria understood then that she was unsure which route she still wanted to follow. Late in the day, Andrew finally switched off his phone, massaging his temples as though to relieve the burden of his day. From across the room, Victoria observed him, her mind a jumbled wreck. He appeared so far away, so out of reach. But under that frigid surface, she could feel a weakness she had never thought in someone like him. "What's it like?" she enquired softly, nearly afraid to shatter the delicate stillness between them. "Growing up in a family like yours?" Andrew's eyes met hers and for the first time there was no mask. No maths. Simply pure honesty. "It wasn't simple," he remarked, his voice hoarse. My parents had hopes. I was meant to be flawless. A trade person. A successor. But no one gave a damn what I desired. What I experienced. He let out a quick breath, almost as though he were letting go of a long-held breath. I grew up quickly. I grew up quickly. But I never got the opportunity to be a child. Never got the opportunity to be... me. Victoria could feel the pressure of his words against her chest. She had never witnessed this aspect of him, and it made her question how much of the guy standing in front of her had been concealed all along. She enquired gently, "Why didn't you ever inform anyone?" A subtle request for comprehension, the query hung in the air between them. "Because I didn't need anyone to understand," he said, looking away. The moment felt fragile, like something valuable and delicate hanging in the balance. Victoria moved closer, but Andrew withdrew before she could speak. The moment had passed, and the walls surrounding him were back in place. Victoria, however, could not help but believe that things were shifting as she saw him pull back. And that, against all odds, she was starting to care. For days, the tension had been mounting. Victoria stood in the centre of the living room, her pulse racing as Andrew loomed over her, his typical cold mask slipping for only a second. It was as though something had changed between them, the barriers they had constructed over the previous weeks beginning to fall apart. More to herself than to him, she said, "I can't do this anymore." But Andrew was listening. He moved closer, his body heat emanating. Victoria, you don't get to walk away just because it has become difficult. Her breath caug