The morning light barely touched the edges of Adrian's office. He stood by the window, coffee forgotten in his hand, staring at the skyline that had once made him feel invincible. Now, it only reminded him of how fragile control really was.
Frederick Hale.
The name had burned through his mind all night like a warning.
If Hale was the one behind Maya, then this went deeper than betrayal , it was strategy.
And if the last message was right, "Keep her close", then Elena was already a target again.
He ran a hand through his hair and turned when he heard a soft knock.
Sophie entered, holding a tablet. "Sir, I've confirmed Hale's travel logs. He's been out of the country twice this quarter, Dubai and Zurich. Both trips line up with offshore transfers from the Lennox account."
Adrian's expression hardened. "So he's still moving the money."
"Yes. But there's something else." She hesitated. "One of the projects under Hale's department just got approved for review. The same project Elena designed five years ago."
He froze. "That's impossible. That project was shut down."
"Apparently not," Sophie said quietly. "It's been renamed Phoenix Systems."
Adrian's jaw clenched. "He's resurrecting her work."
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then his voice dropped low, controlled, dangerous. "Send Elena a message. I want her in my office by noon."
When Elena's phone buzzed, she was in the middle of reviewing Ryan's latest findings. She frowned when she saw the message.
Adrian Cole:Come to my office at noon. Urgent.
Ryan noticed her expression. "You look like you just got summoned by a storm cloud."
She exhaled. "Close enough."
"Want me to come with you?" he asked.
Elena shook her head. "No. Whatever this is, it's between him and me."
Ryan hesitated. "You sure that's smart?"
"No," she admitted. "But it's necessary."
When she stepped into Adrian's office later that day, the air shifted, thick with old tension and something else, something neither of them wanted to name.
He looked up from his desk, his gaze intense but unreadable. "Elena."
"Adrian," she replied evenly. "You said it was urgent?"
He gestured toward the chair across from him. "Sit."
She did,but she kept her chin high, her defenses quietly rising.
He slid a file toward her. "Recognize this?"
Elena opened it and her heart nearly stopped. Blueprints, designs, and detailed notes that were unmistakably hers.
Her voice wavered. "This is my project. But… the name.."
"Phoenix Systems," he finished for her. "It's being revived under Hale's supervision."
Elena's hands tightened around the folder. "He's stealing it again."
"Not this time," Adrian said, his tone firm. "You're coming back to lead it."
Her head snapped up. "What?"
He leaned forward. "Officially, it'll look like a reinstatement. Unofficially, it's protection. Hale's already moved against people who get too close to his operations. You'll be safer here, where I can keep an eye on you."
Elena gave a disbelieving laugh. "You mean where you can control me."
"Where I can keep you alive," he said sharply.
Their eyes met, fire against ice.
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Elena rose, pacing the room. "You think dragging me back into your company will fix this? Adrian, the last time I worked here, I lost everything. My career. My reputation. You."
He stood slowly. "And I'm not letting that happen again."
The words came out raw, almost broken. For the first time in years, there was no armor in his voice , just truth.
Elena stopped, her breath catching. "You can't protect me from this. Whoever's behind Hale won't stop because you care."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "Then I'll give them a reason to be afraid."
Her pulse quickened. He was too close now, close enough that she could smell the faint trace of his cologne, the warmth of his breath mingling with hers.
For one fleeting second, the air between them shifted it became charged, familiar, dangerous.
The kind of closeness that remembered what it meant to love and lose.
Elena took a small step back, steadying herself. "If I come back, it's on my terms. I lead the project my way. No interference."
Adrian nodded. "Agreed."
"And Ryan stays as my consultant."
That made him pause. His jaw tightened jealousy flickering, though he hid it behind a polite smile. "Fine. But he reports to me too."
Elena smirked faintly. "Still the control freak."
"Still the woman who refuses to make it easy for me," he countered.
She almost smiled ; almost.
Later that evening, Elena found herself walking through the halls of Cole Industries again. Everything looked different, yet nothing had really changed. The sleek walls, the quiet hum of power, the scent of polished wood and glass, it was all the same.
She caught her reflection in one of the glass panels and paused.
Five years ago, she'd walked these halls full of dreams.
Now, she was walking through them with scars.
Sophie met her near the elevators. "It's good to have you back, Ms. Brooks."
Elena smiled faintly. "I'm not sure if that's true yet."
Sophie hesitated, then lowered her voice. "Be careful. Things aren't as stable here as they look."
Elena's expression hardened. "They never were."
Meanwhile, on the top floor, Adrian watched from his office window as Elena spoke to Sophie below. The sight of her confident, determined, walking back into the building she'd once been exiled from stirred something deep inside him.
But beneath that admiration was fear.
He'd seen the message.
Keep her close.
And if whoever sent it meant what Adrian thought they did, it wasn't a warning.
It was a trap.
Later that night, Elena was sorting through old design files in her new office when she heard a faint ping from her computer. A new email.
From:Unknown Sender
Subject:Welcome Back, Elena Brooks
Message:Some ghosts should stay buried.
Her breath caught.
The email had no traceable address. No signature. No attachments. Just that one line taunting, deliberate.
She stared at the screen, heart pounding.
For the first time since returning, she realized something chilling.
She wasn't just being watched.
She was being welcomed.
In another part of the city, Frederick Hale stood in a dimly lit study, speaking quietly into his phone.
"She's back in the building," a voice on the other end said.
"Good," Hale replied. "Cole just made this easier for us."
"What about Maya?"
"She served her purpose. Now, Elena will finish what she started whether she wants to or not."
He hung up, looking out at the skyline with a faint, knowing smile.
"Keep her close," he murmured, echoing the words Adrian had just lived by. "That's where she'll do the most damage."
That night, as the lights of the city flickered outside her window, Elena pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing, torn between fear and something far more dangerous the feeling that history was repeating itself.
And this time, she wasn't sure if she'd survive it.