The air between them crackled like lightning before a storm.
Lydia's heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear herself speak.
> "What do you mean… she's your debt?"
Jaden's eyes darkened. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing near the window as rain began to fall outside. The city lights shimmered in the reflection, painting him in fragments of gold and shadow.
"She wasn't just someone I dated," he said at last, voice low. "Cassandra saved me once — and I've been paying for it ever since."
Lydia frowned, confusion and anger mixing in her chest. "Saved you? From what?"
Jaden turned to her slowly, his expression torn between shame and defiance.
"From prison."
Lydia froze.
He took a deep breath. "Years ago, before my company took off… I made a deal with people I shouldn't have. I was desperate to build something fast, and Cassandra — she was already part of that world. She helped me clean it up, made sure my name stayed out of the reports. But she never let me forget it. She owns part of what I have, Lydia. Every deal I've made, every success I've had — she's had her cut. Quietly. Invisibly."
Lydia took a step back, her breath catching. "You mean… you've been lying to me all this time?"
"I never lied," he said quickly. "I just—didn't tell you everything."
Tears gathered in her eyes. "That is lying, Jaden."
He flinched at the words.
Then Lydia's voice softened, trembling. "And now? What does she want from you now?"
Jaden's gaze dropped to the floor.
"She wants what she always wanted — control. She thinks if she can get to you… she can get to me."
Lydia's heart stopped.
Her voice came out in a whisper. "You think she'll come for me again?"
Jaden looked up at her, his jaw tight, his eyes fierce. "No. Because this time, I'll end it before she gets close."
He reached out, his hand brushing her cheek — protective, desperate.
But Lydia couldn't shake the feeling that something darker lingered in his words.
Because even as he said it, somewhere in the shadows , Cassandra was already watching.