Chapter 17 – A Game of Shadows
Chapter 17 – A Game of Shadows
The following morning, Nadira arrived at the office earlier than usual. The city was still half-asleep, its streets quiet except for the occasional rumble of passing cars. She had barely slept, her mind running through possible moves, possible countermoves.
Reyhan had told her to let him handle the situation, but that was before the article, before the ambush in the lobby, before she’d realized just how far Elena was willing to go.
Today, she would take her first step.
\---
She started small. A call to a former colleague at a PR firm. A quiet request to dig into Elena’s recent public appearances, the interviews she’d given, the events she’d attended. The information came back faster than expected—Elena had been spotted at several high-profile functions with figures from the investment and media sectors. The pattern was clear: she was building an alliance.
Nadira tucked the printed pages into her folder, slipping them between innocuous meeting notes. If Reyhan asked, she’d tell him. But first, she wanted to confirm something for herself.
\---
At noon, under the pretense of a lunch meeting, Nadira made her way to the Marble & Ivy, an upscale restaurant known for its glass walls and discreet staff. She knew Elena would be there—her PR contact had confirmed it.
And there she was, seated by the window in a cream-colored suit, her posture perfect, her smile just sharp enough to cut. Across from her sat Dr. Wiratma Gunawan.
Nadira didn’t approach. She didn’t need to. She simply positioned herself at a table across the room, ordered a coffee, and let her presence be noticed.
It didn’t take long. Elena’s gaze slid past Gunawan’s shoulder, locking onto her. The smile never wavered, but Nadira caught the flicker of recognition—the silent acknowledgment that this wasn’t a coincidence.
For the next twenty minutes, they played a quiet game of glances, neither making a move. Finally, as Nadira finished her coffee, she rose, crossed the room, and stopped at Elena’s table.
“Dr. Gunawan,” she greeted politely, her eyes steady. “Ms. Elena.”
“Miss Salma,” Elena replied, her voice as smooth as silk. “What an unexpected pleasure.”
“I’m sure it is,” Nadira said lightly. “Enjoy your lunch.”
She left without another word, but she knew the seed had been planted. Elena would know now that she wasn’t going to fade quietly into the background.
\---
Back at the office, Reyhan was waiting. His tone was sharper than usual.
“You left the building during your lunch break. Care to explain why?”
“I had an errand,” she said, meeting his gaze without flinching.
“An errand that just happened to put you in the same restaurant as Elena and Gunawan?”
Her lips curved faintly. “Maybe.”
Reyhan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Nadira—”
“I’m not just going to sit here and let them dictate the game,” she interrupted. “You told me to trust you. I do. But you need to trust me too. I know how to handle people like Elena.”
There was a long pause. Then, unexpectedly, Reyhan smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile—it was the dangerous kind he wore in boardrooms when he was about to win.
“Fine,” he said. “You want to play? Then we play. But we do it together.”
\---
That evening, they worked side by side in his private office, mapping out moves like generals preparing for battle.
First: uncover the full extent of Elena’s alliance. Reyhan would use his corporate network, Nadira her quieter, more personal connections.
Second: plant their own story in the media—not to deny the rumors, but to shift the narrative entirely.
Third: set a trap that would force Elena to make her next move publicly, where she could be exposed.
It was midnight before they finally stopped. Nadira leaned back in her chair, exhausted but charged with adrenaline.
“You know this could backfire,” she said.
“It won’t,” Reyhan replied with quiet certainty. “Because for the first time, they’re not the only ones pulling strings.”
\---
Three days later, the trap was set.
A fabricated leak—nothing too obvious, but enough to suggest that a major Azhari Group expansion deal was in jeopardy—found its way into the hands of someone in Elena’s circle.
Within hours, the “news” was passed along to Gunawan’s network. They took the bait, accelerating their moves in a way that made their coordination impossible to deny.
And just as planned, Reyhan and Nadira were ready.
\---
The confrontation came sooner than expected. Late in the evening, as Nadira was gathering her things, she received a call from Elena herself.
“Careful, Nadira,” Elena’s voice purred through the receiver. “You’re playing in a league you don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly,” Nadira replied. “You think you can corner him by going through me. But what you didn’t account for is that I’m not here by accident.”
There was a beat of silence, and then Elena’s laugh—low, amused, but edged. “Then let’s see how long you last.”
The line went dead.
\---
When Nadira stepped out of the office that night, Reyhan was already waiting by the elevator.
“She called you,” he guessed.
“Yes,” Nadira confirmed.
“And?”
“She thinks I’m in over my head.”
Reyhan’s gaze softened for just a moment. “She’s wrong.”
As the elevator doors closed, Nadira realized that the game had shifted again. She was no longer just defending herself.
Now, she was part of the offense.
To be continued....