BENEATH THE BILLIONAIRE SILENCE

urnt plastic h

ion unreadable. What used to hold his private backups-financial re

id. "And they didn't just want to send a messa

he café's office, arms crossed

ut the motel's cameras were dis

" Damian muttere

access, Someone who knows

said softly, al

didn't

-

but Maya barely noticed the orders she took. She kept seeing the fire in

d torch his motel r

ope was slid under the caf

ked it up. Inside was

under the string lights outside the café.

nly written, som

left his world behind. He didn'

-

in the apartment above the café, the pho

e said. "We're being followe

kno

it keeps crashing into mine. I can't run a business with shadows circling me. I ca

is hair, restless. "I didn't

he snapped. "Your past isn't just mess

filled t

ed up. "Do you w

hed at th

want to know if you are going to

ive you everything. No filters, no edits, just...

d, then sat d

-

hours, Damian tol

estors happy, The shortcuts, The buried mistakes, The whistleblower

urnout, it was about preventing a sto

was done, Maya

said quietly. "But I was ashamed, Not just

him. "So this... thi

but now? I want to build something

say anythin

over to the window, a

ay with you on this, it's going to

kno

ustomers, frien

protec

. "Don't promise me th

d

long s

," she said

-

a quick trip to a nearby town. She d

ned before Damian stepped down," she sa

ad snapped

l vendors. Moved small amounts in large volume. Smart enough

w it all wide o

c with this, we can force the board to in

l he's been avoid

indisputable proof," May

Then we dig d

-

mpanies Marcus had used as a front-a so-called educational nonprof

anted

s head. "It mig

n't c

d

k, frustrated,

ment you get th

Kissed he

n l

-

nondescript, gray

"This place is either hiding someth

e metal door and step

r that was slightly

oved c

y, a lo

tal seemed t

arted past

o her phone. "I'm

ld, a figure stepp

an f

sn't

someo

hadn't se

ght had disappe

he man said

xpect to se

red, pulse

uc