Crossroads and Ghosts
The Zurich wind carried a quiet chill that morning, sharp but not unforgiving. Damien stood by the tall glass window in his office, the skyline stretching before him like a map of everything he had built and everything he had lost.
He held a mug as he sips his tea calmly while being lost in thought.
His mind had been haunted by a pair of eyes, Eva's eyes. Or were they Ana's? He couldn't tell anymore.
The sound of the office door opening snapped him out of his trance.
"Sir," Eric said, stepping in. "We just received the analytics report from the backend team. I thought you'd want to review it before the next meeting."
Damien took the tablet, his fingers still slightly trembling. "Thanks."
Eric hesitated at the doorway. "Seraphina's flight lands in an hour."
Damien didn't respond immediately. He simply gave a slight nod and returned to staring out the window.
An hour later, the luxury car pulled up at the airport. Seraphina stepped out in a fitted beige coat, her hair cascading in soft waves, and her lips curled in a subtle smile.
She looked every bit the heiress the world expected Damien Lopez to marry, elegant, poised, unshaken.
"Eric," she greeted with a soft kiss to his cheek. "How is he?"
"Still the same," Eric said. "But maybe seeing you might help."
Her smile faltered just slightly. "We'll see."
Back at the office, Damien sat through another security presentation, but he was very much distracted.
Just as the team began wrapping up, Eric entered and whispered something in his ear.
Damien nodded and stood. "I have a guest. That will be all for now."
Seraphina
Seraphina glanced around the impressive Zurich branch of Lopez Industries, her eyes wide with silent awe. She had always known the Lopez family was wealthy, anyone who'd seen their California estate would know that, but this? This was something else entirely.
It wasn't just rich. It was powerful. Quiet, commanding, breathtakingly grand.
She'd heard rumors about the Zurich expansion, but standing here now, seeing it with her own eyes, the sheer scale, the sleek architecture, the quiet hum of money and influence, it made her stomach flutter.
A small smile curled at the corners of her lips. Not the polite kind. The kind you smile when you feel like the universe just handed you everything you've been waiting for.
She couldn't help it, she felt lucky. No, blessed.
She crossed her legs, smoothing her skirt as she sank into the soft leather chair like she belonged there. This was the life she had fought for. The future she imagined when she couldn't sleep at night. The reason she had stayed through the cold silences, the slammed doors, and the heartbreak.
And Damien...
Through the glass, she watched him now calm, focused, scribbling notes in front of one of the many glowing screens. He looked like he was born to rule an empire effortless, intense, devastatingly handsome.
He looked too... unreal.
Too perfect for a man. Too unreachable for the outside world.
But not for her.
Seraphina's chest rose and fell slowly. She had come too far to walk away now. Whatever it took, no matter what...
It would be her.
It had to be her.
"Zurich suits you," she finally said a word as she sipped wine. "It's quiet. Clean. Controlled."
"Too quiet," Damien replied, loosening his tie and pouring himself a glass.
She watched him for a long moment, setting her wine down. "You've lost weight."
"I'm working."
"No," she said gently, "Its the kind of weight loss that comes when you're chasing shadows."
Damien didn't reply.
Seraphina stood and walked to him, placing a hand on his chest. "You can't live like this. Let her go. She's never coming back."
He looked down at her hand. "You came all the way here to tell me that?"
"No," she said, eyes softening. "I came because I care about you. And because your mother asked me to."
He stepped away from her touch. "Then you've both wasted your time."
Then he picked up his tablet and walked out.
Ana
Elsewhere, Eva sat in her dim apartment, trembling hands wrapped around a cup of tea. Her mind spun from the encounter earlier.
She had seen him.
Damien Lopez.
And he had seen her.
She'd spent so long hiding. So long erasing every trace of who she used to be. But now, the past she tried to bury was standing in a boardroom across from her, alive and dangerous.
She knew she couldn't stay much longer.
Not now.
But before she could plan her next move, there was a knock on her door.
Her breath caught in her throat. And when she opened the door Bob was standing there, and the sight of Bob terrified her, because he was covered in bruises, like he was beaten badly, beyond recognition.
"My God..." she whispered, with her hands over her mouth, her heart slamming against her chest as she saw Bob hunched over, bruised and bleeding. Horror swept across her face.
"Bob!" she cried, rushing to his side.
He sat slumped on the edge of the couch, biting back groans as she gently dabbed his injuries with a warm towel. Each touch made him flinch, tears of pain glistening in his eyes.
"It hurts? Oh, really?" Ana snapped, her voice breaking with disbelief. "If it hurts, then explain why on earth you would do something so reckless, so stupid, getting into a fight? Are you out of your mind, Bob?!"
"I wasn't fighting, Ana," Bob murmured, his voice tight with emotion. "I swear. I just... I wanted to help. You've been working yourself to the bone, covering my school fees, taking care of Mom, trying to hold everything together. I couldn't just sit back and watch anymore. I wanted to do my part. I can't let Mom die, Ana. I can't let us become orphans."
Ana froze, her grip on the towel tightening as a flicker of heartbreak crossed her face.
"And your brilliant solution," she said coldly, "was stealing from a drug lord?"
She stepped back, staring at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious, Bob? Are you trying to walk in Dad's footsteps now? Have you forgotten how we even got into this mess? Do you not remember what that life cost us? How could you, Bob?! I'm out here doing everything I can to keep this family afloat have I ever complained to you?"
Her voice cracked, and she turned away, rubbing her forehead as if trying to wipe the stress off her skin.
"I'm dealing with so much already. And now this?" she whispered obviously frustrated.
"What happened, Ana? What's going on? Something's not right, tell me."
"Even if something did happen, what would you do?" Ana asked, her voice quieter now but filled with anguish. "How can you help in the state you're in? You can't even keep yourself safe."
"Please, just tell me. Are you in trouble? Is it Mom?"
Ana exhaled sharply, then sat down again, suddenly weary. Her eyes darkened with dread.
"Bob, we might need to relocate. Again."
His face dropped. "What? Why?! "Why?" Bob asked, his brows drawn into a deep frown. "You're working at one of the most prestigious tech firms in the world, you're earning good money, Mom's finally in a hospital that's giving her the care she needs, and I just graduated college. For the first time in forever, things are finally starting to look up. So why on earth would we relocate now? Where else are you going to find a job that pays this well, Ana? Come on."
Ana gave him a long look, then let out a slow, weary sigh.
"Guess who showed up at the company today?" she said quietly, her voice carrying more weight than she let on.
Bob squinted at her, already bracing for something heavy. "Who? Just say it, Ana. You're killing me with this suspense."
She hesitated for a second, then spoke.
"Damien."
There was a pause, then Bob's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "Wait, who? Damien? As in the Damien? Damien Lopez?"
Ana gave a small nod.
Bob blinked. "No way. Damien Lopez, the tech prodigy, heir to Lopez Industries? Are you serious?!"
"Dead serious. Turns out he's the 'big boss' everyone's been whispering about for weeks."
Bob paced a step, running a hand through his hair. "Wow. Just, wow. I thought their headquarters was in California. What, are they global now? These guys are literally everywhere. I mean, of course, Lopez Tech. Those guys are beyond loaded. And after what Dexter pulled with the stolen code? The way they bounced back? Honestly, it's like they didn't even feel the hit."
He let out a low whistle. "Those people don't bleed. They print money."
"Is that seriously your takeaway right now?" Ana snapped.
"I mean are you kidding me right now? Is that seriously all you have to say?"
Bob blinked. "What? Is something wrong?"
Ana stared at him in disbelief, her voice rising with frustration. "Bob, I'm telling you that Damien, Damien Lopez just showed up at our company! And not as some visiting investor or tech rep. He owns the place. And rumor has it he's staying at the branch for a while. And you're just here acting like it's no big deal?"
He shrugged, confused. "What do you want me to say?"
Ana's eyes blazed. "That we are in trouble! That this could ruin everything! That we could be exposed, I could be exposed. What if he's not here on coincidence? What if he's come for me? What if he already knows?"
Bob raised his hands calmly. "Sis, take a deep breath. You're overreacting."
"I'm not Bob!" she snapped. "He looked right at me, Bob. Not a glance, he looked at me, as if he was trying to burrow into my soul, like he recognized me. His eyes, it was like he was staring through every layer of this disguise I've spent years building."
Bob exhaled and gave her a pointed look. "You're not Tyler Ross anymore. You're Eva. Eva Myles. You've got a new life, at least Victor made sure of that part, you've got a new job, even a new accent half the time. You're being paranoid."
"I know," she said, her voice quieter now. "I know I sound paranoid. And maybe I am. But I swear, for a split second today, I almost slipped. I almost gave myself away. I could feel it, my cover almost cracked. And that look in his eyes, it was too intense. Like he wasn't just seeing Eva, I can't do this Bob."
She stood up and began pacing, panic creeping into her movements. "I swear I can't do this shit, Bob. I can't be around him. Not with everything that's at stake. We need to relocate, again, before it's too late."
"Stop this, sis," Bob said, stepping in front of her. "Think about Mom. Her medical bills are mounting. The hospital she's in right now? It's the best we've ever gotten her into. Do you really want to uproot all that?"
He gestured around the room. "This house we just bought it. It's in a safe neighborhood, finally something that feels like home. And your job? You're earning more than you've ever made. Why throw all of that away just because he showed up?"
Ana didn't answer right away. She folded her arms, her face tense. "You think it's that simple? That I can just pretend everything's fine while he's walking those halls?"
Bob softened his voice. "Avoid him. Keep your head down. Focus on your work. You've done it before. He won't recognize you. Trust me."
She shook her head slowly. "My conscience won't even let me breathe around him. I feel like I'm drowning in guilt every time I look at him. I can't do it, Bob."
"You're overthinking this," he said, trying to steady her. "Come on, the Lopez family owns an empire. That building you work in? It's a skyscraper built out of gold plated success. Whatever you took, it's a drop in their ocean. Damien's probably already moved on."
Ana turned to him with pain flickering in her eyes. "Moved on? You didn't see the way he looked at me..."
Bob exhaled, frustrated. "Sis, you know how much we need the money right. Mom's health is hanging by a thread. You can't afford to walk away from this job now, not with surgery looming."
She nodded solemnly. "The doctor called today. Said we need to come up with the surgery fees ASAP. Or we might lose her."
"That's why I tried to help," Bob muttered. "I know there's no way you can raise that kind of money alone."
"But stealing from a drug lord, Bob?" she snapped. "That's your definition of helping? Do you want to end up dead, or worse, drag us all into another nightmare?"
"I'm not trying to add to your pain, sis," he said quietly. "But what would you have me do? Sit around while Mom dies? If we lose her, we lose everything. We'll be orphans."
Ana's shoulders slumped. "I know, I'm trying, okay? I'm trying to figure something out."
Bob narrowed his eyes. "Figure something out? What does that mean?"
"It means, I'm looking into other options."
"Like what? Ana, unless you mean,"
He paused.
"Victor?"
Ana froze. "What?"
""Victor?" Ana's voice rose, sharp with disbelief. "What? I cannot believe this. Bob, how many times have I told you to stop bringing up that man's name?!"
"Oh come on, big sis," Bob muttered defensively. "Victor has been there for us, whether you want to admit it or not. He helped us get this house. He helped you get the best discreet surgeon. He's been checking in, helping out, he's never turned his back on us."
Ana spun on him, her eyes blazing. "Shut up, Bob! Don't you dare defend him! Let this be the first and the last time you mention his name around me! And I mean it Bob, don't you ever talk to me about Victor again!"
Bob stepped back slightly, startled by the raw fury in her voice, but he pushed on. "But he's not like Dexter.."
"He's worse!" she cut in, voice cracking. "He's Dexter's right hand man. He watched while everything around us fell apart, while Dad was murdered. He didn't stop it. He didn't save us. He was there, also part of our worst nightmare!"
Bob's face hardened. "Dad stole from them, Ana. Let's not rewrite the story. Mom said they supported Dad for years. And he betrayed them. He crossed a line he brought this on all of us. And whether you like it or not, it was Victor who brought us food when Dexter locked me and Mom up like animals. He was the one who begged Dexter to let us live. Maybe we owe him more than you think."
Ana's fists clenched. Her entire body trembled. "I don't care if he fed you. I don't care if he cried over our broken lives. He was still one of them. And as long as I'm alive, I will never forgive him."
She turned, her voice low and venomous. "This conversation is over."
And with that, she stormed out of the room, her footsteps echoing like thunder in the silence she left behind. Bob stood there alone, jaw tight, regret and helplessness twisting inside him.