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Beneath The CEO'S Mask

Chapter 2 The Price of Truth

Word Count: 1324    |    Released on: 12/07/2025

looked so pret

laxy pinned to black velvet - cold and unreachable, exactly how Seraphi

er breath curled in the night air, leavin

me way it always did when bills piled up, when Maya's textbooks sat u

aid softly. "But please... don't pick

er eyes shut. T

-

he phone trembled in her hand. She wanted to throw it off the roof

- the soft click of ex

The air itself seemed to sharpen, like the city hel

ld, deep voice. A voice t

suit blended into the night, only his pale, angular face illuminated by the r

t. Her voice was hoarse, but steady. "Did you c

ile. Of cour

impossibly loud in the hush of midnight. He stopped just behind her

-

onight?" he asked, his tone smo

, they were a stormy blue-grey, like ocean ice unde

ot back. "Your fiancée was

The only crack in his marble mask.

to be the victim now. Poor Eryx Kane, tricked by a gold-diggi

raced against the railing behind her, his body caging her in. Not touching - never touching - but clo

d, each word precise, measured,

ked. "You

tory. "If I'm not engaged by the end of this quarter, the board can challenge my ownershi

eks, the stubborn tilt of her jaw. She knew he w

ured. "You destroyed ev

forced her chin up higher. "So

uckle rumbled in his

-

e flipped it open with a flick of his thumb. Inside, a ring glittered under the rooftop lig

twisting in her gut. "

ch his eyes. "You wi

re in

t, as if he already knew it didn't matter what she said. "But you se

t dry. She didn't need to look to know exactly what was inside - her life, her de

ements," he said, tone mocking, "I do

r sides. "You think you ca

breath brushed her ear. "No

-

e rooftop like a caged tiger.

of a hundred witnesses. Tell them how you broke a multimillion-dollar contract by sabotag

. So reasonable. It m

n my famil

ddenly sharp. "Actions have consequences, Miss Val

id, but better. And in return, your mother's treatments continue. Your sister's tuition is paid in full. Your debts disappear.

-

lap him. She wanted to cry - but she

s narrowing into slits. "And what do

most looked like a real smile - but it

trust to ruin me properly if I slip.

-

between them like

ling like ants, neon lights blinking out

ftop, Sera knew her world wo

ow and steady. "I'll play you

ow lifted

g my soul, I'll do it on my terms. I keep my job. I keep my friends.

es - approval, maybe. Or mayb

he sai

r finger - a cold circle of diamonds that felt like a

ons, fiancée,

-

, fear, desire, something hot and shar

he didn't dare admit existed, Sera

hell wou

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1 Chapter 1 The Perfect Night to Ruin Everything2 Chapter 2 The Price of Truth3 Chapter 3 Welcome to the Cage4 Chapter 4 Breakfast with the Beast5 Chapter 5 The Art of Pretending6 Chapter 6 Cracks in the Glass7 Chapter 7 Playing With Fire8 Chapter 8 The Closet, the Lie, and the Scar9 Chapter 9 Echoes and Eggs Benedict10 Chapter 10 The Price of Protection11 Chapter 11 One Bed, No Mercy12 Chapter 12 Lines We Don't Uncross13 Chapter 13 Shadows Between Us14 Chapter 14 The Space Between Heartbeats15 Chapter 15 A Kiss That Burns16 Chapter 16 When Shadows Speak17 Chapter 17 Into the Lion's Den18 Chapter 18 Masks and Daggers19 Chapter 19 The Knife Behind the Smile20 Chapter 20 Shadows in Silk21 Chapter 21 The Weight of a Trigger22 Chapter 22 Fractures in the Dark23 Chapter 23 Whispers in the Veins24 Chapter 24 The Edge of the Mask25 Chapter 25 Fractures in the Fire26 Chapter 26 Shadows of the Crown27 Chapter 27 The Knife Between Us28 Chapter 28 The Crown and the Cracks29 Chapter 29 The Splintered Oath30 Chapter 30 Into the Serpent's Den31 Chapter 31 The Weight of Silence32 Chapter 32 Fractures in the Crown33 Chapter 33 Shadows at the Edge of Truth34 Chapter 34 The Midnight Divide35 Chapter 35 Fractured Truths36 Chapter 36 Shattered Promises37 Chapter 37 Chains of Fire38 Chapter 38 Fractured Promises39 Chapter 39 The Knock in the Dark40 Chapter 40 The Devil at the Door41 Chapter 41 The Weight of Cracks42 Chapter 42 Fractured Vows43 Chapter 43 The Edge of Truth44 Chapter 44 A Toast to Shadows45 Chapter 45 The Shape of a Trap46 Chapter 46 The Fracture Line47 Chapter 47 The Eye in the Dark48 Chapter 48 The Trap Beneath the Crown49 Chapter 49 Into the Wolf's Den50 Chapter 50 Blood Ties, Broken Crowns51 Chapter 51 The Weight of Silence52 Chapter 52 Fractures in the Dark53 Chapter 53 Lines in the Sand54 Chapter 54 Cracks in the Glass55 Chapter 55 The Enemy in the Spotlight56 Chapter 56 Broadcast of Blood57 Chapter 57 The Weight of Ashes58 Chapter 58 The Wolves at the Table59 Chapter 59 The Summons60 Chapter 60 Shards of Glass61 Chapter 61 Veins of Betrayal62 Chapter 62 The Storm at the Door63 Chapter 63 Threads of the Web64 Chapter 64 Fractures in the Glass