"You look like you've seen a ghost," Eva said, setting her cappuccino down with a clink.
Grace sat across from her at the café terrace, oversized sunglasses shielding her tired eyes. Her fingers toyed with the rim of her glass. She hadn't even touched the sparkling water.
"I didn't sleep well," Grace murmured, her voice low. "Felt like someone was in my room."
Eva's arched brow rose just slightly. "Grace. Are we talking about a hunch, or are we talking about you actually hearing something?"
Grace exhaled, the sound trembled just enough for Eva to notice. "Not hearing. Feeling. Like... like the air wasn't mine. Like I was being watched."
Eva's lips parted, but she didn't interrupt. Grace went on, her fingers tightening on the glass now.
"I woke up and I knew something was wrong. The way the sheets felt. A pillow slightly moved. My vanity drawer was... not how I left it. Nothing missing. Just... touched."
"Did you check the cameras?" Eva asked, her voice now cool, sharp.
Grace shook her head slowly. "There are no cameras in my bedroom."
Eva leaned back. Her glossy red nails tapped on the side of her cup. "Alright. First, change that. Bedroom. Bathroom. Closet. Hidden and encrypted. I'll have my guy come in tomorrow."
"Eva, what if I'm just being paranoid? What if it's just... stress?"
Eva gave her a look that made Grace fall silent.
"Women like us don't get the luxury of brushing off instincts. Especially not when you live alone in a glass tower and run a kingdom. You feel something? You act on it."
Grace bit the inside of her cheek.
"And if someone was in your room?" Eva leaned forward now. "Then we find out who. And they regret it."
Grace nodded slowly. "Okay. Do it. Have your guy come in tomorrow."
"Good girl," Eva said with a wink. She leaned back and sipped her coffee like they hadn't just discussed a possible intruder like it was just another business meeting.
Silas watched from his screen, fingers folded under his chin. They sat in the open, sunlight hitting their designer coats and espresso cups like a fashion editorial.
But he didn't hear the noise. He read the energy. Grace's panic. Eva's fierce protectiveness. The way Grace confided in her and no one else. It stirred something primal in him. Possessive. Dangerous.
He leaned back in his chair, rewinding the audio.
"She felt me," he whispered, almost amused. "And she still doesn't know it was me."
He watched Grace again, this time looking more fragile than he'd ever seen her. And the thought thrilled him. Because he had brushed that hair off her cheek. Had heard her mumble something in her sleep. Had lain next to her just to memorize her scent.
He'd done that. And she didn't even know.
Yet.
That evening, as Grace left for an event, Eva's guy came in. Silent. Efficient. Familiar with the shadows. He placed the cameras where Eva had instructed, inside vents, behind the mirror, and between the pages of untouched books.
Everything looked perfect. The system should have synced. But when Eva checked the feed later that night, nothing showed. Static. Darkness. An error message blinking quietly in a language of silence.
Somewhere in a hidden network, buried behind layers of proxies, Silas watched the flicker of new wires. He smiled.
Her fortress was still his playground.
Glitches weren't born by accident. Sometimes they had names. And this time, it was Silas.