"Go back to your room, Tiffany," he said, his voice cold and final.

I hesitated, my instincts screaming at me to defy him. But something in his gaze stopped me.

I turned to leave, I caught his reflection in the mirror. The look in his eyes wasn’t just anger or frustration—it was fear.

My chest tightened as I stepped into the hallway, Nathaniel closing the door behind me with a resolute thud.

Whatever he was hiding in the west wing, it was something he was willing to go to war to protect.

"You’ll regret this, Nathaniel," I muttered under my breath.

But as the silence of the house swallowed me once more, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d be the one to regret it.

In the shadows, behind the mirror, a faint sound echoed—a soft, mournful whisper.

"Help me..."

I froze in the hallway, the whisper reverberating through my bones.

And I knew—I couldn’t stay away.

"Tiffany, what do you think you’re doing?"

Nathaniel’s voice cracked through the silence like a whip, startling me. My hands froze mid-motion, the stack of papers trembling in my grasp.

I turned slowly, trying to mask the guilt painted all over my face. "I… I was just—"

"Just snooping through my private documents?" he snarled, his storm-gray eyes narrowing. "Don’t even try to lie."

The fury radiating off him was almost palpable, but beneath it, I caught a flicker of something else—panic.

My heart pounded in my chest as I scrambled to think of an excuse. The damning file still rested in my hands, bold letters spelling out "MERGER AGREEMENT" mocking me.

"This isn’t what it looks like," I started, my voice trembling despite my best efforts.

"Really? Then what is it?" His tone was scathing, a blade meant to cut.

I squared my shoulders, trying to channel every ounce of courage I had. "I saw my father’s name. I had to know what you were planning."

"And you thought this was the way to do it?" he bit out, stalking closer. "By going behind my back?"

Each step he took seemed to sap the air from the room. I tried to stand my ground, but my knees threatened to buckle. His presence was overwhelming—like a storm about to unleash its wrath.

"You’re hiding something," I said, forcing steel into my voice. "This merger—it’s not just business, is it?"

Nathaniel stopped inches away, his gaze searing into mine. For a moment, I thought he might explode. Instead, he let out a sharp, bitter laugh.