Page 37 of Tempting My Nemesis

"You want trust? Earn it," I add, my voice low and controlled.

Her eyes flash with a mix of hurt and determination.

"The same goes for you, Caleb."

For a moment, we stand there locked in a silent battle of wills—both knowing that trust must be earned but unwilling to make the first move.

As she turns to leave, something inside me loosens—a small concession that maybe, just maybe, we're not as far apart as I thought. But the distance between us still feels vast, filled with secrets and unspoken fears.

The door closes behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of her perfume.

My mind flashes back to last night—Zoe's wide-eyed shock, the confrontation in this very room. Her voice, a mixture of fear and betrayal, echoes in my memory.

"You're involved with them?"

I shove papers back into their drawers with more force than necessary, the sound echoing in the quiet room. Standing up, I lean heavily against the desk, my reflection distorted in the polished surface.

"You need to fix this," I growl at my reflection. "Before it spirals out of control."

But how do I fix something that's already broken? How do I keep her safe if she already knows too much?

A surge of protectiveness crashes through me, followed by a wave of self-recrimination. I've spent years building walls around my heart, my life, and now, in a matter of weeks, Zoe has managed to breach them. The thought of her leaving, of her hating me, twists something deep inside—a pain I thought I'd buried long ago.

My hands clench into fists, knuckles white against the dark wood of the desk. The taste of bitter coffee lingers on my tongue, a reminder of the mundane world I'm desperately trying to hold onto.

The humof my laptop is a small comfort, grounding me in a world I understand. I need to lose myself in work, to drown out the storm of emotions. The screen flickers to life, and my fingers fly over the keys, navigating encrypted files with practiced ease.

"Come on… show me something I can use," I mutter.

The system pings, and a message appears:File decrypted successfully.

My breath catches as I read the document. There it is: the information I’ve been looking for all this time. A financial report detailing transactions tied to the collapse of Steele Ventures' precursor company. My parents' deaths, the shattered life I've spent years rebuilding—everything links back to Archer Innovations.

The report reveals a series of increasingly risky investments and falsified documents, all signed off by Jonathan Archer, CEOof Archer Innovations. There's a trail of emails and memos showing his growing desperation as the partnership with Steele Enterprises began to falter.

One memo stands out, dated just days before the collapse.

Board members, we're past the point of no return. If we don't push these investments through now, both companies will fall. I take full responsibility for any fallout. Steele can never know the extent of our actions.

Attached financial statements show blatantly falsified projections, painting a rosy picture of a partnership that was already crumbling.

My eyes lock onto the final line of Jonathan's memo.

Whatever happens, we must protect Archer Innovations at all costs.

"Zoe's father... He caused all of this?" I whisper, barely believing it.

Is this why she got close to me? Did she know?

The thought twists like a knife in my gut. I slam the laptop shut, pushing it away as though it burned me. My mind reels, the foundation of my carefully constructed life seeming to shake beneath me.

Despite all my vigilance, my insistence on never letting anyone in, have I still allowed someone the opportunity to betray me again? The connection I felt with her—was it just another lie?

I stand abruptly, pacing the room, trying to outrun the seething anger building within me. My hands clench into fists, knuckles white against the dark wood of the desk.

I need answers. And I need them now.

But first, I need to calm down. I can’t afford to fly off the handle.

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