CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LILA
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
A slow mocking echo breaks the silence like a slap to the face. “Let’s not be naive, Beck,” a voice drawls. “She could be lying through her teeth. You know how manipulative women are.”
I freeze. The voice doesn’t come from Beck. It comes from behind him, somewhere deeper in the room. From the massive desk chair facing the wall-to-ceiling windows, back turned, silhouetted against the skyline. And then the chair turns slow and deliberate.
Well, there’s the we I couldn’t find.
He’s been sitting there this whole time, eavesdropping, listening to every gut-wrenching word that took everything in me to talk about with Beck.
My stomach drops through the floor as my mouth goes dry.
The bastard was listening to my trauma like it was entertainment.
He heard everything. Every word. Every crack in my voice.
Every secret I swore I’d keep buried is now in the hands of a stranger.
Not just Beck. Him. And the way he listened…
quiet, calculating. He knows my weakness.
And people like him? They use that kind of power.
Bile rises in my throat. I cross my arms, stunned.
Is he serious? How dare he even suggest I’d lie about something so raw. So real and painful for me to even talk about .
Beck sighs and rubs his forehead like he’s already exhausted. “Lila, this is Kage. My best friend and my advisor.”
And then our eyes meet.
Oh no.
The navy suit. The broad, muscular frame.
Great… It’s him. The bathroom guy. Mr. Urinal. Maybe he won’t recognize me… or my voice. Where are the hidden cameras? Because my life is clearly a joke.
And then it happens. That grin. That smug, jackass grin spreads across his face like he’s been waiting for this moment. He knows exactly who I am.
"Ohhh, this is funny," he says, leaning back in his business chair. "We can’t hire her."
Beck frowns, crossing his legs and looking completely caught off guard. "And why not?"
"Because," Kage says smoothly, "Ms. Anderson was spying on me in the men’s bathroom this morning. She’s a perv. How can a perv work at our company with what we represent?"
My mouth drops.
He did not just say that. Who the hell does he think he is?
And just like that, my other personality decides to make an entrance.
I really did try to keep her contained, but I stand to my feet, ready to defend myself and fight this rich douchebag.
"Listen here, skinny dick. I would never lie about my darkest secret. And if I wanted to look at you or make a move, trust me, I would have. But I didn’t.
And if you must know, I was trying to use the women's bathroom. "
I emphasize women’s with every ounce of attitude I have.
Oh God. I just said that. Out loud. To him. In front of my potential boss .
I sit back down stiffly, cross my legs, and take a casual sip of tea like I didn’t just verbally attack the room. Silence. My heart pounds.
Kage narrows his eyes like he’s deciding whether to argue with me or throw me out the window. Then, out of nowhere, Beck does the last thing I expect. He throws his head back… and laughs.
Is he laughing at me? At Kage? At both of us?
Kage scowls. "What the hell are you laughing at?"
Beck clutches his chest, trying to catch his breath. "Well, we have to hire her now."
“And why is that?" he snaps.
"Because I’ve never seen anyone stand up to you. And I’ve definitely never heard someone call you a skinny dick."
He breaks into another round of laughter. A smile tugs at my lips. I can’t help it. I made him laugh. And God, does he look good when he laughs.
Shit. I want him .
After what we did the other night… I must make him mine. And that smile? It could melt me into a puddle.
Kage crosses his arms and glares out the window like he's plotting my potential death. “And what about the other thing?” He mutters.
Beck’s brows draw together. “What other thing?”
“This is the girl who decided to cheat in the maze. We all saw it on the cameras.”
I blink, wide-eyed, unable to process what I just heard.
Stop. No. This can’t get worse. CAMERAS?! I tased Clint to get this interview. I practically fell to my knees for the Red Mask while he was fingering me.
The memory slams into me like a freight train. I slap a hand over my face in horror. They saw it. They saw everything .
My stomach drops. My face flushes red-hot. Beck turns toward me, his expression unreadable. “Wait… this is Rapunzel from the party?”
“Well, yeah,” Kage says dryly. “Didn’t you recognize her?”
I brace myself. Waiting for the judgment. Waiting for the disgust. Waiting for the moment he decides I’m not worth hiring, even after I told him my deepest inner pain.
Beck stands and walks toward me, his tall, muscular frame looming over where I sit.
This is it. I pissed off the golden retriever. He’s going to revoke the money. Maybe even humiliate me for showing up, thinking I ever had a chance in a place like this.
“I searched for you everywhere after you disappeared,” he says softly. "I saw you in the crowd and kept hoping I’d run into you after you won. But you were gone. Vanished like a ghost." His voice dips lower, almost like he’s still trying to convince himself I was ever real.
He gently takes my hand and pulls me to my feet, standing close to me. What is happening?
Then, like I’ve stepped into some twisted fairytale, he lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses it. Soft. Intentional. Familiar.
This confirms it. He is the Red Mask. That’s what he did before he zip-tied my wrist.
My heart skips. Not because I’m anxious, but because I’m relieved.
I know it’s him. But are we still playing his game? Should I run? Or should I tell him I already know ?
"Please forgive me for not recognizing you," he murmurs. "That night on the dance floor, one of my contacts tore. I could barely see. But I didn’t need to see you to know I wanted to find you again."
God. Only men in books talk like this. But he keeps saying and doing all the right things. Over and over and over.
I smile, eyes dropping to the floor, blushing like a schoolgirl. And then it’s ruined by the villain in the room. Kage stands up, and the air shifts instantly. He slides his hands into the pockets of his navy suit and briskly makes his way toward us.
"That’s enough of this bullshit. Stop thinking with your cock, Beck. Let’s focus on the real issue."
My eyes drift to Kage’s side profile as he snaps at Beck, and I’m completely caught off guard. My thighs twitch, warmth pooling low in my stomach. He steps in close. Too close. And for the first time, I really see him. And honestly, I wish I didn’t because he is absolutely captivating.
Tall. Masculine. Dark brown hair, thick and tousled like he just casually strolled out of Fashion Week in Paris. Effortless. Sex on legs. A boy next door dipped in something dark and dangerous.
I haven’t even seen his smile yet, but if I do? Go ahead and zip me into a body bag. And then his eyes. God. His eyes. They aren’t the Phantom’s icy blues that haunt my dreams… but damn, these will do.
They are a kaleidoscope of green and gold.
Like moss and wildfire woven together. The kind of eyes that could make you confess sins you haven’t even committed.
And I hate that I notice all of it. Hate that my body is reacting to him.
Because I just met this man, and he is already my archnemesis.
I don’t want anything from his arrogant prick.
The asshole who just called me a liar and a perv .
And yet this perfectly sculpted man in Prada has no idea the power he holds over me.
I mentally clamp my jaw shut before I start to drool.
I mean… It wouldn’t be the worst thing to get Eiffel Towered by these two. Aster did draw that out for me once when I asked what it was. She said it was the most erotic night of her life.
No.
No.
No.
Get it together, Lila. You’re in trouble. They saw you cheat. Should I confess to it all? No. I can’t do that. My mom needs treatment.
I stand my ground. "I didn’t cheat."
"Yes, you did. This is your third time lying, Lila. This doesn’t look good for you," the smug bastard says.
The way my name rolls off his tongue…
"No, I didn’t. The only rule that Mr. Heartford said was to make it to the end of the maze… not how."
Kage locks eyes with Beck, his glare sharp enough to cut steel. "What the fuck. You didn’t specify?"
Beck slides his hands into his pockets and shrugs, completely unbothered. "To be honest, I’d had a couple of shots. I was buzzing, so I may have forgotten to be specific. But even with that buzz, I couldn’t forget you, Rapunzel."
My heart swoons as I smile at Beck.
Kage rubs his forehead like he’s about to lose his mind. "Dammit. I can’t be your friend anymore if I hear that shit one more time."
I chuckle internally because, weirdly, I like watching him squirm .
"Okay, so what would you like me to do, Your Majesty?" Beck says, with complete sarcasm on his sharp tongue.
Who owns the company? Because I’m not sure anymore, by the way they're acting.
“The price she’ll pay for the favor is cleaning your house once a week.”
Okay, so that’s really not so bad. It definitely could be worse. But if the drama king had kept his damn mouth shut, I doubt Beck would have made me do anything . Not with the way he was looking at me. Not with the way he kissed my hand like I was his.
My heart pounds with frustration. I didn’t spend years earning a cybersecurity degree to end up a glorified housemaid. But fine. I’ve had worse jobs.
"And since she tased and blackmailed Clint, our most loyal employee, she will work on his team. He will be her manager."
Damn. That is cold, but I guess I deserve that.
"Do you have any objections, Miss Anderson?"
I hold my tongue and glare at Kage. "Nope. That sounds perfect," I say, every word laced with sarcasm. I turn to Beck with a softer smile. "Thank you, sir, for the opportunity to work here. And thank you for taking care of my wish. I won’t let you down."
He smiles and takes my hand. "We’ll be in touch. Can I have your number? Not as an employee, but as what we were at the party."
Those words send butterflies swirling in my low belly. The memory of his hard length pressed against my backside makes my knees wobble.
Answer him before you drop to the floor.
"Yes. I’d love that. "
Kage huffs, clearly annoyed. "Fuck. I’m done with this shit. Be here at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. Tenth floor." He storms out.
And damn, I like to watch him leave.
The door slams behind him like a gavel. Final. Cold. Unforgiving. But the silence he leaves behind? It screams louder than anything he said.
And I can’t stop thinking about the way he looked at me like he knew me.
Not just from the bathroom. Deeper than that.
His anger felt too sharp to be about a job.
Too personal. Like I crossed a line I didn’t even know was there.
Was he in the maze? Has Aster dated him?
Did I ghost him on Tinder? No. I would’ve remembered those eyes. Wouldn’t I?
Beck brushes my arm gently, and I manage a smile. But my mind is already chasing the shadow that just walked out of the room. Because Kage wasn’t just pissed, he looked haunted. And I’m starting to think I’m not the only one running from something… or someone.