The Mask Cracks

Finn’s hand tightened around the edge of the canvas he was holding, his knuckles turning white as his grip grew firmer. The wood creaked under the pressure, a slight crackling sound that seemed to echo in the still room.

“Aristocratic standing? What on earth is she talking about?” Finn’s thoughts raced, shock coursing through him as the words sank in.

From the other end of the Zoom call, a man’s voice crackled through the laptop speakers, thick with a European accent, carrying a tone so condescending it made Finn’s skin prickle.

“I understand your point, Ms. Sinclair,” the man said, his words deliberate and clipped, “but our agreement was very clear from the start. You’re not simply supposed to ‘associate’ yourself with him. He must formally become a partner in your business. Without that, there will be no deal. And if that doesn’t happen, you can forget about entering the European pharmaceutical market altogether.”

Eva’s jaw clenched, her frustration written all over her face. Finn could see it even from across the room. Her fingers tightened around the edge of her desk, and for a fleeting moment, he thought she might yell—or throw something. Instead, her voice was calm, but the steel beneath it was unmistakable.

“You’re moving the goalposts on me,” Eva snapped, her voice cutting through the tense silence like a knife. “I’ve done exactly what you asked me to do. I brought Finn Richmond—Earl of Kensington—into my life. He’s here, he’s close, and we’ve developed a relationship just as you demanded. You can’t suddenly add extra conditions now and expect me to just go along with it.”

Finn froze where he stood, his breath caught in his throat. The name she had just spoken—Finn Richmond. Earl of Kensington. The words echoed in his head, loud and disorienting, as if someone had struck a gong right next to his ears.

That title. That cursed title. It was a part of his past he had worked tirelessly to bury, a piece of his life he had turned his back on and vowed never to revisit. He hadn’t heard those words in years. And yet, here they were, being spoken so casually on a Zoom call he wasn’t even supposed to overhear.

What stung even more was the realization that Eva had known about it all along. She had known who he was, and she had never said a word.

How? How had she found out? And why hadn’t she told him?

Forcing himself to focus, Finn leaned closer to the slightly ajar door, straining to hear the rest of the conversation. His body was rigid, every muscle tight with a combination of anger, confusion, and something deeper—hurt.

The man on the call didn’t miss a beat. “Let me make this simple, Ms. Sinclair,” he said, his tone cold and detached.

“If you want this deal to go through, Finn Richmond must officially join your business. If he does not, I will personally ensure that these negotiations are terminated immediately. Your entry into the European market hinges entirely on this. You need someone with noble standing to give you credibility. That’s the way the European market works, and you know it. Without him, you’re nothing more than another outsider trying to break into a world that won’t welcome you.”

Eva inhaled sharply, and for the first time, Finn thought he detected a crack in her armor. Her voice wavered, ever so slightly, as she tried to keep her composure.

“You’re backing me into a corner here,” she said, her words slower now, more deliberate. “You gave me one condition—to get close to someone of aristocratic descent. I’ve done that. Finn is living with me. He trusts me. He’s…” She faltered, looking down at the desk as if searching for the right words.

“He’s in my life. What you’re asking for now is something entirely different. You can’t expect me to—”

The man on the other end of the call cut her off sharply, his voice as icy as ever. “You don’t have a choice, Ms. Sinclair. Either Finn Richmond becomes your business partner, or the deal is off. It’s as simple as that. He’s your ticket into this market, and without him, you don’t stand a chance. Do you understand?”

Finn’s entire body went numb. His legs felt like they were made of lead, rooted to the floor as his mind struggled to process the betrayal unfolding before him.

Every word he overheard felt like a dagger to the heart, each one cutting deeper than the last.

This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

Eva hadn’t wanted him for who he was. She hadn’t cared about him, about Finn Richmond, the man. No, she had wanted him for what he represented. She needed him—his name, his status, his connections—all for the sake of a business deal.

The realization hit him like a freight train, and he felt the weight of it crush his chest. The air in the room was suffocating now, pressing in on him, but it wasn’t the room—it was the weight of everything he had just learned. It was the silence between them, the truth that had been exposed.

All the moments they had shared—the laughter, the late-night conversations, the trust he thought they were building—it was all unraveling before his eyes, reduced to nothing more than a calculated move in her strategy. His pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out everything else, and his mind raced through the last few months, desperately searching for a clue, a sign that could have warned him of this.

Eva sighed deeply, her frustration impossible to miss now. She sounded weary, like someone who had been cornered and knew she had no way out. For a brief second, Finn saw something flicker in her eyes—a hint of vulnerability, maybe even regret. But it was gone before he could even process it.

“Fine,” she muttered at last, the word barely audible.

“But I need time to get him onboard as a partner.” Her voice was quieter now, resigned.

“I’ll give you two weeks,” the man replied, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

And just like that, the call ended, leaving Finn standing there in the suffocating silence. The seconds stretched on, the weight of everything pressing down on him as his heart pounded in his chest.

Two weeks. That’s all Eva had. Could he even trust her now, after everything? Could he ever look at her the same way again?

He couldn’t move. His mind was a tangled mess of confusion and hurt. When the time came to confront her, would she still have the same answers? Or would she offer him something entirely different—something he might not be able to accept?

The air in the room felt thick now, like it was closing in on him, and for the first time, Finn wondered if everything he had built with Eva was just a lie.