Chapter 56 Secrets Unraveling
Jack's Pov
I noticed the shift in Elena's expression before we landed back in New York.
She kept her eyes on the window, even when there was nothing but clouds. Her fingers rested on the armrest, close enough that I could’ve brushed them if I wanted to but I didn’t because guilt made me hesitate.
The memory of the pact I had with her father, the secret I never told her made my heart ache.
I've always wanted to tell her but I couldn't bring myself to do it all this time.
When we landed, she stood before the seatbelt sign even had the chance to turn off. It wasn't like her.
There was something wrong but I couldn't ask her just yet. She reached for her bag and stepped into the aisle without looking at me. I intended to help her with her bags.
“Elena,” I said quietly, reaching for the overhead compartment.
“I’ve got it,” she replied flatly.
I let my hand drop to my side.
Afterwards, we moved through the airport like strangers walking in the same direction.
The air in New York felt heavier than Lisbon like the city was already wrapping its fingers around our throats.
Outside baggage claim, I instinctively reached for her carry-on.
She pulled it away before I could grab it. “I said I’ve got it.”
I looked at her then, “What’s going on?”
She didn’t answer, she just adjusted her grip and walked toward the exit.
Something tightened in my chest. What made her change so suddenly?
In the car, she stared straight ahead, with her jaw set and her lips pressed thin.
I tried to talk to her again. “Elena...”
I got nothing, then I knew the silence was deliberate.
When we reached the penthouse, she stepped out before the driver could open the door for her and she didn’t look back or wait for me.
She just walked inside like she was moving through a building she owned but didn’t want to be in and I followed shortly.
The elevator ride up felt suffocating when I watched her reflection in the mirrored walls.
She didn’t even bother to look at me once and then the doors opened as she stepped out.
The distance between us felt wider than the Atlantic and Inside the penthouse, she placed her bag down carefully like she was containing something.
I stepped closer to her. “Elena,” I said again, slower this time. “Talk to me.”
She walked past me toward the kitchen ignoring me completely. It hurt more than yelling would’ve.
I followed her because I needed to find out why she was acting cold.
“If I did something,” I continued, my voice tightening despite my effort to keep it steady, “just tell me.”
She opened a cabinet, took out a glass, poured water and took a sip like I wasn’t even in the room.
I felt frustration and a mix of guilt flicker inside me.
“All right,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “Are we just… not speaking now?”
Still no response.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “Why are you being cold to me?”
A beat passed, still no response.
She set the glass down with precision as I reached for her arm just enough to get her attention.
But she stepped away before I could touch her.
“Don’t,” she said quietly.
“Don’t what?” I asked, my voice breaking a little despite myself.
She still didn’t answer.
When she walked toward the bedroom, I followed her again because I didn’t know how not to.
“Elena, you can’t just shut me out,” I said, frustration seeping through now. “If you’re angry, fine. If you’re upset, fine. But don’t—”
She stopped abruptly and turned to face me.
Her eyes were distant.
“We had so much fun back in Lisbon, why are you suddenly like this?” I asked calmly.
She stared at me like she was weighing something heavy and like she was deciding whether I deserved to know.
And then, she turned away again and walked into her bedroom and slammed it.
I stood there staring at it like it might open if I looked long enough. My chest felt tight as
Conrad’s voice echoed in my head.
''This stays between us."
At the time, it was a necessary compromise. I’d convinced myself it was a sacrifice.
I walked to the bedroom door slowly and knocked once.
“Elena.”
I rested my forehead briefly against the wood. “I need you to say something,” I murmured.
If anything, I didn't want to lose her. “I can’t fix what I don’t understand.”
“Whatever this is,” I muttered under my breath, “we’re not letting it destroy us.”
But even as I said it, doubt crept in.
And at that, the door opened but she walked past me in silence.
I don’t know what finally snapped in me. Maybe it was the way she moved around the penthouse like I was a freaking furniture, or maybe it was the silence stretching so thin it felt like it would slice us open, or maybe it was in fact the guilt sitting in my throat like something I couldn’t swallow.
She was halfway down the hallway when I caught up to her.
“Elena...”
She kept walking.
That was when I reached for her.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back toward me.
She gasped softly as her body collided with my chest, her palms instinctively bracing against me.
For a split second, it felt normal. “What is wrong?” I demanded, my voice low but strained. My hands slid to her waist, holding her there. “Talk to me.”
Her eyes lifted to mine and I swear, I’ve faced hostile boardrooms, corporate takeovers, and men who wanted to ruin me but the look in her eyes undid me.
“What secrets are you hiding from me, Jack?” She asked like she already knew something.
My hands went cold against her waist and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“What?” I said, but it came out too quickly.
Her gaze didn’t waver. “What are you hiding from me?” she repeated.
My fingers loosened as my hands fell from her waist slowly, like they no longer belonged there.
“Elena…” I started.
But where the hell do I begin?
“I—” I swallowed the lump at the back of my throat. My mind felt scrambled. “I don’t know what you think you—”
She let out a short, humorless breath. “Don’t,” she said quietly.
I froze.
“Don’t insult me by pretending,” she continued, her voice trembled just slightly at the edges.
I opened my mouth again, but she cut me off.
“You're hiding something, you made some kind of deal,” she said, her eyes searching mine. “Didn’t you?”
I considered telling her everything but the fear of what the truth would cost made me hesitate.
“I didn’t—” I started again, and even I could hear how weak it sounded.
She stared at me for another long second.
Then something in her face shut down.
“You know what?” she said quietly. “Don’t bother.”
“Elena—”
“I’m at the verge of finding out anyway.” She said. “I always do.”
And then she turned and walked down the hall. Her steps were quick before she finally disappeared into her room.
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath and dragged a hand down my face, pacing once across the living room.
What exactly does she know?
Did someone talk?
Did Conrad say something?
Did I slip?
What in the world is going on?
My chest felt tight, like the walls were inching closer. So I pulled my phone out of my jacket with more force than necessary and dialed the number from memory.
It rang twice before he picked up.
“Yes?” the voice answered, low and cautious.
“Was there a leak?” I snapped immediately, keeping my voice low but sharp. “From our private servers, you know... anything that could’ve reached Elena.”
There was a pause.
“No.”
“Double-check.” I pressed.
“I already have. There’s been no breach.”
I turned away from the hallway, lowering my voice further. “Then what the fuck is going on?” I hissed. “It looks like she has a clue about it.”
Another pause.
“That’s not possible.”
“Don’t tell me what’s possible,” I bit out. “She asked me directly about secrets and about a deal.”
“Did you tell her by chance?”
I laughed bitterly. “Obviously not.”
“Then she’s fishing, or someone's helping her. Maybe Layla is.”
Layla? I doubted it.
“You don’t know Elena,” I said tightly. “She doesn’t fish and if she asked, it’s because she already sees the outline.”
My free hand clenched at my side.
“Listen,” the voice said, measured. “If she doesn’t have proof, you say nothing. The arrangement stays between us. That was the point.”
“She’s not stupid,” I muttered.
“No one said she was. But unless you’ve left a trail—”
“I didn’t,” I snapped.
“Then control the narrative.”
What the hell?
I ended the call without another word.
Elena cannot know that I chose strategy over honesty.