Beneath the Veil of Shadows

Chapter 16

Elias stood by the window, watching the city below, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. The skyline was a sea of lights, endless and indifferent to the conflict churning within him. Cars crawled along the streets like tiny glowing insects, people going about their lives, unaware of how little control they really had. He knew all too well how easily things could spiral, how quickly power could slip from one’s hands.

The past few days had been a blur of meetings, deals, and decisions, but none of it had managed to clear his mind. No matter what he did, one thought remained constant, haunting him like a shadow: Sapphire Martin.

Her name came with a weight that pressed against his chest, making it hard to breathe. He had tried to push her out of his mind, tried to convince himself that she was nothing more than a complication—a piece in the puzzle he needed to solve. But that wasn’t the truth, was it? She wasn’t just a tool or a means to an end anymore. She was more. He didn’t want to admit it, didn’t want to give voice to the truth gnawing at the edges of his consciousness, but it was becoming harder to ignore with each passing day.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He wasn’t supposed to care. That had always been the plan: no attachments. Attachments made you weak, vulnerable. They made you hesitate, and hesitation could get you killed. He had built his life around that principle, and it had served him well—until now.

He glanced at the reflection in the glass, his own face staring back at him, cold and emotionless, as it always was. But that wasn’t entirely true anymore, was it? Sapphire had changed something in him, and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he couldn’t deny that she had gotten under his skin.

Why? Why her?

He turned away from the window, the question echoing in his mind. He had been around plenty of women before, some of them more dangerous, more enticing than Sapphire. But none of them had ever managed to make him feel like this. None of them had ever made him question himself. None of them had ever made him care.

Elias crossed the room and sat heavily in the leather chair behind his desk. He stared blankly at the stack of papers in front of him—contracts, logistics reports, deals that required his attention—but his mind was elsewhere. Every time he closed his eyes, it was her face he saw, her voice he heard. Her laughter, her smile, the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

But he was paying attention. More than he wanted to admit.

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. How did it come to this? He had never allowed himself to be distracted like this before. But now, it seemed like he couldn’t go a single hour without thinking about her. It was infuriating. She was infuriating. The way she challenged him, pushed him, refused to back down even when she should have. She was everything he wasn’t—optimistic, idealistic, hopeful. And that scared him more than anything else.

Elias had spent his entire life in the shadows, dealing with people who knew the cost of loyalty and the price of betrayal. He had learned early on that the only way to survive in his world was to keep people at a distance, to trust no one. He had perfected the art of detachment, and it had made him powerful. Untouchable.

Until Sapphire.

With her, it was different. He couldn’t maintain the distance he needed, no matter how hard he tried. Every time he pushed her away, she came back, stronger, more determined. She didn’t give up on him, even when he deserved it.

And that terrified him.

He hadn’t meant to let her in, hadn’t meant to care. But here he was, grappling with emotions he couldn’t name, feelings he had spent his entire life avoiding. She made him feel vulnerable in a way that no one ever had before. And he hated it.

But more than that, he hated that he didn’t hate it enough.

He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor as he moved. He needed to get out, clear his head. Sitting here, drowning in thoughts of her, wasn’t helping. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, his footsteps echoing through the empty hallway. His men didn’t question him as he passed, though he caught a few curious glances. They knew better than to ask.

The cold morning air hit him as he stepped outside, the chill biting at his skin. He lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag, the familiar burn in his lungs grounding him, if only for a moment. He stared up at the sky, exhaling a plume of smoke. He had always found solace in the night. It was where he thrived, where he felt most in control. But today, even the dark wouldn't have been able to offer him comfort.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him back to reality. He fished it out, glancing at the screen:
Martin vs State – Courthouse, 11:30 AM.

Sapphire’s case.

She had been working on it for weeks, and he hadn’t even bothered to ask her about it. He hadn’t wished her luck, hadn’t shown any interest at all. He had been too consumed with his own internal battle to care about what mattered to her.

But it did matter. It mattered because it mattered to her. And that realization hit him harder than he expected.

He flicked the cigarette away, the ember glowing briefly before it was swallowed by the darkness. His feet were moving before he had fully processed the decision. He didn’t know why he was going to the courthouse—he didn’t belong there. That was her world, not his. But something inside him couldn’t stay away.

By the time he arrived, the courtroom was already in session. He slipped in quietly, taking a seat at the back, his eyes immediately finding her. She stood at the front, her back straight, her expression focused. She commanded the room with a quiet confidence, her voice steady as she made her arguments.

This was where she belonged. In the light, fighting for what she believed in. She was brilliant, passionate, and determined. Everything he wasn’t. And watching her now, he couldn’t help but feel... proud.

Proud? The word felt foreign, out of place. He wasn’t supposed to feel proud of her. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything for her. She was just another person in his life, another temporary connection that would eventually fade.

So why didn’t it feel that way?

He leaned back in his seat, his mind racing. Every argument she made, every time she countered the opposition, he felt the knot in his chest tighten. She didn’t need him. She never had and never will. She was strong on her own, capable of standing on her own two feet.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? He wanted her to need him, just as much as he found himself needing her. And that terrified him.

What was happening to him? He had built his life on control, on keeping his emotions in check. But with Sapphire, that control was slipping. Every time he looked at her, he felt something he couldn’t explain, something he didn’t want to admit.

He stood abruptly as the judge called a recess, his heart pounding in his chest. He needed to get out of here before she could catch the sight of him.

As he left the courtroom, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway, one thought kept repeating in his mind:
What was he going to do about Sapphire?

He didn’t know. All he knew was that he couldn’t keep running from whatever this was. He couldn’t keep pretending that she didn’t matter.

But admitting that? That was a whole other battle.