"If anyone found out what I overheard in the boardroom this morning, my career wouldn't just be over—my life would be."
I pressed myself against the cold wall inside the executive restroom, barely daring to breathe.
My heart hammered so hard it felt like it would burst through my chest. This wasn't where I was supposed to be. I had only come upstairs to deliver a document. Instead, I'd heard something that could destroy one of the most powerful men in the city.
Ethan Vance.
The billionaire CEO everyone feared.
His voice still echoed in my head.
"I don't care what it costs," he had said over the phone. "I need a wife before midnight. If this scandal gets out, the board will remove me."
A wife?
The ruthless businessman who never smiled and avoided every public relationship suddenly needed a wife?
None of it made sense.
Then came the second part of the conversation.
"If I can't fix this by tomorrow, the merger is dead."
My stomach twisted.
The merger was worth millions.
Maybe billions.
I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could forget everything I'd heard.
But it was too late.
A sharp sound echoed outside the restroom.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Coming closer.
I froze.
The handle of the main door turned.
Someone had entered.
My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.
The sound seemed deafening in the silence.
Unknown Number.
Before I could decline the call, a text message appeared on my screen.
My blood ran cold.
I know you heard everything. Stay where you are. I'm coming for you.
I stared at the message, unable to breathe.
This had to be some kind of mistake.
No.
Not a mistake.
A nightmare.
If someone had told me when I woke up this morning that I would end my day hiding inside an executive restroom while the most powerful man in the city hunted me down, I would have laughed in their face.
Today was supposed to be normal.
Boring, even.
I had left my apartment thinking about overdue rent, an unfinished manuscript, and whether the instant noodles in my kitchen would survive until payday.
That was it.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing life-changing.
Certainly nothing involving Ethan Vance.
Yet here I was.
Trapped.
Holding my breath like a criminal.
Staring at a message that made my blood run cold.
How did my life get here?
More importantly, how did I unhear what I had just heard?
Because if there was one thing I wanted at that moment, it was the ability to erase the last ten minutes from my memory.
Unfortunately, life didn't work that way.
The secret was already in my head.
And apparently, Ethan Vance knew it.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
Maybe if I stayed quiet long enough, he would assume I had left.
Maybe he would get distracted.
Maybe pigs would start flying.
A nervous laugh almost escaped me.
Almost.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Steady.
Coming closer.
My stomach dropped.
The sound echoed through the restroom, each step louder than the last.
I was so terrified I thought I might actually pee on myself.
Which would have been a terrible way to die.
Because I was becoming increasingly convinced that I was about to die.
The footsteps didn't care about my feelings.
They kept coming.
Slow.
Patient.
Certain.
Like whoever was walking knew exactly where I was.
And somehow, that made everything worse.
I held my breath.
The footsteps stopped.
Right outside my stall.
Panic clawed at my chest.
Should I run?
Could I run?
There was no way I could outrun a billionaire with an army of security guards.
Maybe I should stay quiet.
Maybe if I didn't move, he wouldn't know I was inside.
Then again, he had literally sent me a text message.
Of course he knew I was inside.
Brilliant thinking, Maya.
Absolutely brilliant.
A knock sounded against the stall door.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Miss Thompson."
The deep voice sent a chill racing down my spine.
Well.
There went the tiny bit of hope I had left.
Not only did Ethan Vance know where I was.
He knew exactly who I was.
