The storm had passed, but Lydia couldn't shake the chill that clung to her.
Jaden's confession replayed in her mind like a broken record — "You're the first person who's made me want to try."
She wanted to believe him. She did believe him.
But something about the way he said Cassandra's name earlier… the way his eyes clouded over, told her there was more he wasn't saying.
That evening, Jaden was out handling "business." He hadn't told her what kind. Lydia found herself pacing through the penthouse, the city lights reflecting in her eyes. Curiosity gnawed at her.
She passed his office — the door slightly open. For a moment, she hesitated.
Then her hand pushed it wider.
Inside, everything was neat. Too neat.
His laptop was off, but a file lay open on the desk — "Hayes Holdings – Confidential."
Lydia froze. Hayes.
Her heart pounded as she flipped it open.
Inside were recent transactions — offshore accounts, property transfers… all under Cassandra Hayes' name.
But what made her knees buckle wasn't the name. It was the signature at the bottom.
Jaden Cross.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips. The papers slipped from her hands, scattering across the floor like broken trust.
> "I thought you said she was gone…" she whispered.
Then, the office door creaked behind her.
"Lydia?"
Jaden's voice. Low. Controlled. But his eyes — they weren't calm anymore.
He saw the files on the ground and her trembling hands.
For a second, neither spoke. The air between them was electric — fear, betrayal, love, all fighting for space.
"Why are you still connected to her?" Lydia demanded, voice shaking.
Jaden's jaw clenched. "You don't understand."
"Then make me understand!"
He took a step closer. "If I tell you the truth, Lydia, everything changes. You'll see me differently."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Then let me decide that."
For a long, tense moment, Jaden stared at her — the man who built walls now standing at the edge of one.
Finally, he whispered, "Because Cassandra isn't just my past. She's my debt....and my secret.