The morning sun bled through the blinds like golden judgment. Kian sat at the edge of the bed, buttoning his shirt, feeling a strange weight in the silence that lingered behind him.Liona hadn't said a word.
She'd woken before him, moved with grace, showered, dressed, applied her signature nude lipstick,and never once looked his way. Not in irritation. Not in concern. Just… nothing. And it unnerved him more than if she had screamed.
"Everything okay?" he asked, voice low, trying not to sound too cautious.
She stood at the dresser, her back straight, tucking her earrings in with calculated elegance. "Of course," she said, tone even, distant. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Kian forced a smile, trying to ignore the tightening in his chest. "You're quiet."
Liona turned slightly, finally meeting his eyes through the mirror. "Isn't it exhausting, always needing noise to feel secure?"
He didn't know what to say to that.
Downstairs, the clink of cutlery echoed. Their housekeeper was preparing breakfast, but the atmosphere in the house felt icy, static,like something had cracked silently in the night and neither of them was willing to name it.
Meanwhile...
At the office, Sasha adjusted the stack of congratulatory bouquets on her desk, her smile strained. Whispers had followed her since the promotion announcement. The kind of whispers that weren't curious,were sharp, full of accusation.
"She slept her way to the top."
"She got a raise, but no real skills."
"Have you seen how Kian looks at her?"
She wasn't stupid. She heard them all. And though no one said it to her face, the eyes in the hallway carried enough venom to poison her mornings.
Lex tried to lighten the mood with jokes during lunch, but Sasha barely tasted her food.
"Hey," he said gently. "Don't let them get to you. You earned this."
"Did I?" Her voice cracked.
Lex raised a brow. "Sasha…"
"I'm fine." She stood, brushing crumbs off her skirt. "I need to go over the Nairobi files before the weekend."
She walked away before he could say anything more.
In her office, the blinds were half-drawn, the air too warm. She sat and closed her eyes for a moment, but Kian's touch lingered in her memory like a brand.
One night. One moment of weakness. And everything had shifted.
He hadn't looked her way all day. No check-ins. No lingering glances. Just silence.
And she hated that it hurt.
Back at home...
Kian arrived late. Liona was seated at the dining table, wine glass untouched, staring at the flickering candle like it might reveal the answers she hadn't yet asked for.
"You didn't say you'd be late," she said without looking at him.
"I had meetings."
"Of course." Her lips curled into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Kian sat across from her, the silence louder than ever.
Liona sipped her wine, then finally spoke. "You know what I realized today? Silence tells more truths than words ever could."
He frowned. "Liona, what's going on?"
She stood slowly, walking around the table until she was beside him. "I wonder how much of you is still mine," she whispered, brushing an invisible thread from his shoulder. "Or if you've already given it away."
His heart stopped. For a second.
But she leaned down, kissed his cheek, and walked away before he could respond. The click of her heels echoed like a ticking bomb.
The next morning...
Sasha arrived early, trying to stay ahead of the rumors. She found a small envelope slipped under her door,no name, just her own initials written in neat, curved handwriting.
Inside was a single line typed out on crisp white paper:
"Secrets never stay buried. Are you ready when the ground breaks?"
She stared at it, throat tightening. Her hands trembled as she folded it and tucked it into her drawer, locking it with shaky fingers.
Across the hall, Kian stared out of his office window, eyes bloodshot, jaw tight. He'd barely slept.
He knew Liona knew something.
And Sasha? She was slipping through his fingers.
Again.
That night, as Sasha finally walked out of the office, exhausted and emotionally drained, her phone buzzed. A new message. Unknown number.
"Check your email."
She did.
Attached was a still frame,grainy, but unmistakable. Her back against her door. Kian's face inches from hers. His hands on her waist. The kiss.
Below it, two words:
"Tick Tock."