In The Shadow of Betrayal

I sat on the couch of a grand mansion, surrounded by luxury. The white walls were adorned with beautiful designs, elegant flower vases stood in every corner, and everything around me seemed almost perfect.

Almost.

Because the one thing that didn’t belong in this perfect place was me.

My presence here felt like a mistake waiting to be discovered.

The papers lying right in front of me were proof of that—a carefully fabricated lie. Every word, every detail, every signature had been prepared for one purpose: to make me appear eligible for an offer I had never been qualified for in the first place.

Yet here I was.

In this godforsaken place.

My stomach churned with nervousness as my mind raced through everything I had been through, everything my friends and I had done for this particular opportunity. We had gone too far to turn back now.

The papers trembled slightly in my hands.

And the practiced lies sat ready on my lips.

All I could do was wait for the man I had been appointed to meet.

“Miss Angel. Mr. Singhania is here.”

Miss Kipgen, the manager, came into the room and informed me.

Her words felt more like someone had spilled boiling water over my already burning skin.

I took a deep breath.

There were two things I had never been able to master in my entire twenty-two years of life.

The first was communication skills.

My heart started thundering inside my chest whenever I had to talk to new people, stand on a stage, or communicate with someone in professional words. It felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest if I didn’t stop talking.

And it wasn’t just because of English.

I couldn’t do it even in my own mother tongue.

And today was going to be the ultimate test of a skill I had never really possessed.

I followed Miss Kipgen as she guided me toward a narrow space behind the wall, where we could catch glimpses of the people arriving.

People.

The Singhania family.

One of the most influential families in the state, with a name well known throughout the country and the business world. And among them was their heir—the upcoming CEO of the Singhania Textile Industry.

Then I saw him.

A man was being pushed forward in a wheelchair.

I was standing on the opposite side, so all I could see at first was his back. Broad shoulders beneath a perfectly tailored suit, his posture straight despite the wheelchair, the dark fabric sitting flawlessly against him.

I leaned slightly to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of his face.

Then a little more.

Just enough to see without getting noticed.

Or, at least, that was what I told myself.

I was trying to ogle him.

I only caught a glimpse of his eyes.

They seemed somewhere between grey and green, though I couldn’t tell clearly from where I was standing. His eyebrows were sharp, and a deep mark cut through the right one, giving his otherwise composed face an intimidating edge.

There was something unreadable about him.

Something that made me pause.

Something fluttered strangely in my stomach.

I dared not press a hand against it, but—

“Miss Angle!”

Miss Kipgen’s voice snapped me back to reality.

I immediately straightened.

Only then did I realize that all the staff were looking at me.

Every single one of them.

And judging by their expressions, they were definitely not impressed.

“I-I’m s-sorry…” I muttered.

My heart was jumping so loudly inside my chest that I could feel every beat at the base of my throat and even in my ears.

I swallowed hard.

“I j-just was… l-looking!”

Just looking?

Looking at what, Angle?

WTF?

My mind screamed at me before I could even think of an answer.

“If you wanna stay here, remember one rule—never try to poke your nose into something or somewhere you are not supposed to be. And you will meet him soon. Because your job will be confirmed only if he agrees,” Miss Kipgen informed me.

“Wait, what?”

The words escaped my lips before I could even stop them.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you tell me my job was confirmed here?”

Miss Kipgen slowly looked me up and down, her expression carrying a mixture of annoyance and something dangerously close to disgust, as if I were some irritating little insect that had somehow managed to crawl into her perfectly organized world.

She scoffed.

“No. You misunderstood. You were selected, but not confirmed yet. This will be your final interview. Treat it like one.”

For a few seconds, I simply stared at her.

No.

No, no, no.

This couldn’t be happening.

My mind went completely blank before a hundred thoughts crashed into it at once.

I had left so many things behind for this.

I had already lied so much.

I had crossed lines I had promised myself I wouldn’t cross.

And now, after coming all the way here, after fabricating those papers, after convincing myself that there was no turning back—

I was being told that everything still depended on him?

No.

Not like this.

I couldn’t go back now.

I had already come too far.

“You cannot do this to me!”

My voice came out louder than I intended.

“I clearly remember you saying I was confirmed! My job was confirmed! How can you turn back on your words like this?!”

The words kept spilling out before I could stop them.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I didn’t even realize how loud I had become until the room suddenly felt strangely quiet.

I looked around.

Every staff member was staring at me.

Oh.

Fuck.

This.

This was exactly why I had told myself to keep my mouth shut.

I had one job.

One simple job.

Stay quiet. Act normal. Don’t draw attention to yourself.

And within minutes, I had managed to do the exact opposite.

Miss Kipgen opened her mouth, probably ready to say something that would finish me off completely—

“What’s going on here?”

The voice stopped everything.

Deep.

Calm.

Cold.

And somehow, far more dangerous because of how calm it was.

My entire body stiffened.

I slowly turned around.

And there he was.

Mr. Sinhgania.

The man I had been trying so hard not to stare at only moments ago.

His wheelchair was positioned just a few feet away.

And now I could finally see his face properly.

Those green-blue eyes were fixed directly on me.

Not curious.

Not amused.

Just watching.

My throat went dry.

Oh God.

Please.

Please, God.

Save me.