CHAPTER THIRTY
“Under the spotlight.”
The first morning in their new home felt strangely ordinary.
Zara woke before Malik.
For a few moments she lay still, listening to the soft rhythm of his breathing.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting warm strips of light across the bedroom.
She smiled to herself.
No rushing across Brooklyn.
No overnight bag.
No deciding whose place they'd stay at.
Just...
Home.
She slipped quietly out of bed and wandered into the kitchen.
Opening the cupboard, she reached automatically for her favourite mug.
It sat exactly where she'd left it the night before.
Beside Malik's.
She smiled.
The little things mattered.
The smell of fresh coffee eventually drifted into the bedroom.
Malik appeared in the doorway wearing grey joggers and an old Foundation hoodie.
His hair was a mess.
His eyes were barely open.
"You made coffee."
"I was trying to surprise you."
"I am surprised."
He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.
"You've officially made this apartment dangerous."
"Why?"
"Because now I never want to leave."
She laughed softly.
"I was thinking exactly the same thing."
Living together turned out to be surprisingly easy.
They learned each other's routines almost without trying.
Malik always made coffee.
Zara always watered the plants.
He left cupboard doors open.
She followed behind closing them.
She left books on every available surface.
He pretended to complain before secretly reading whichever one she'd abandoned.
By the end of the week, the apartment no longer looked like two people sharing a space.
It looked like one life.
Built together.
Friday evening brought the Carter Foundation's annual donor reception.
Unlike the large gala, this was a smaller gathering for long-term supporters.
Because Bellamy & Co. had helped organise the evening, Zara attended as part of the team.
She stood beside Naomi near the entrance, checking guests in.
"You nervous?" Naomi asked.
"A little."
"About work?"
Zara glanced across the room where Malik was speaking with trustees.
"No."
Naomi smiled knowingly.
"Thought so."
Halfway through the evening, Malik crossed the room carrying two glasses of sparkling water.
"I've been instructed to make sure you take a break."
"By who?"
"Camille."
Zara laughed.
"She's becoming everyone's boss."
"She already was."
They stepped onto a quiet balcony overlooking the city.
For a few precious minutes, there were no speeches.
No guests.
No work.
Just the two of them.
"I've missed you," Malik admitted.
She looked at him in disbelief.
"We live together."
"I know."
"But you've been working ridiculous hours."
"So have you."
He smiled.
"I still miss you."
She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"I miss you too."
Neither of them noticed the photographer standing inside the ballroom.
He wasn't one of the official event photographers.
He blended in easily.
Black suit.
Camera around his neck.
Professional smile.
Click.
Malik looking down at Zara.
Click.
Her laughing.
Click.
The way their hands found each other naturally.
Perfect.
The following morning, Zara arrived at Bellamy & Co. carrying pastries for the office.
Naomi looked up from her desk.
"You might want to see this."
She turned her laptop around.
A lifestyle website filled the screen.
The headline read:
Brooklyn's Most Eligible Businessman Finally Off the Market?
Beneath it sat several photographs from the donor reception.
One showed Malik opening a door for Zara.
Another showed them smiling at one another on the balcony.
A third showed them leaving together.
The article itself wasn't cruel.
Mostly speculation.
Questions.
Who was she?
How long had they been together?
Was an engagement already on the horizon?
But the comments underneath...
They were different.
"She's probably after his money."
"Another gold-digger."
"Didn't he used to date models?"
"Wonder how long she'll last."
Zara quietly closed the laptop.
Naomi watched her carefully.
"You okay?"
"I didn't realise strangers could have such strong opinions about someone they've never met."
Naomi reached across the desk.
"They don't know you."
"I know."
"It just feels..."
She searched for the word.
"...strange."
Across town, Malik was reading exactly the same article.
Marcus stood in his office doorway.
"Public interest was inevitable."
"I know."
"They'll move on."
Malik nodded.
"I hope so."
Marcus hesitated.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The photographer."
Malik looked up.
"We checked."
"He wasn't on the official guest list."
Silence.
"Find him."
"We're already trying."
That evening, Zara and Malik ordered takeaway and ate on the apartment balcony.
The article had become the elephant in the room.
Eventually Malik spoke first.
"I'm sorry."
She frowned.
"For what?"
"For dragging you into this."
She put her chopsticks down.
"You didn't drag me anywhere."
"If people are saying things—"
"They're saying things because they don't know us."
She smiled gently.
"I'm not dating the internet."
"I'm dating you."
Relief flickered across his face.
"I just hate that your privacy's disappearing because of me."
She reached across the table and took his hand.
"I knew you came with attention."
"I just didn't realise attention came with opinions."
He laughed quietly.
"Unfortunately, it usually does."
She squeezed his hand.
"Then we'll ignore them."
He nodded.
"We'll ignore them."
Above them, the Brooklyn skyline shimmered beneath the evening sky.
Inside the apartment, everything felt calm.
Outside...
Someone else was paying very close attention.
Devon sat alone in his office scrolling through the same article.
He stopped on one particular comment.
"She looks too normal for someone like Malik Carter."
He smiled.
"Normal."
He leaned back in his chair.
"They've already started judging her."
One of his associates looked over.
"You happy?"
"No."
Devon locked his phone.
"I'm patient."
He stood and walked towards the window.
"First they gossip."
"Then they speculate."
"Then..."
He smiled coldly.
"...they believe whatever story you give them."
He picked up another folder from his desk.
Across the front, in neat black lettering, was one name.
Lena Matthews
He opened it slowly.
A photograph slipped onto the desk.
A beautiful woman in her early thirties smiled at the camera.
Devon tapped the picture once.
"I think..."
"...it's time you came back into Malik Carter's life."
Far across the city, Malik wrapped an arm around Zara as they watched the lights dance across the East River.
Neither of them knew that the woman who would change everything had just entered the story.
And with her...
The beginning of the end.