The CEO's Secret Obsession-Chapter 102: The Trespasser

Her breath hitched.

"I—you were just here a few hours ago," she whispered, her cheeks burning.

"I still miss you."

The simplicity of it hit her harder than anything else tonight.

She swallowed. "Come back soon?"

"I will," he said with no hesitation and no doubt. "And when I do, no more rushing out, no more calls cutting short. I owe you a proper evening."

Her toes curled under the blanket.

"Goodnight, Evelyn," he said, voice low and warm.

"Goodnight, Alexander."

Neither of them hung up for several seconds until one of them finally whispered, "You first."

"No, you—"

Both laughed quietly, soft and breathy, the kind of laugh that only happens when two people are falling into something they can’t name yet.

Finally, the call ended, leaving both of them smiling into the dark.

....

[Heinberg—Project Site]

The floodlights cut harsh white cones through the darkness, throwing long, jagged shadows across the half-constructed structure.

Alexander had just finished reviewing inspection logs with Lucas when the sound of shouting tore through the site.

"Sir, we caught someone!"

Alexander’s head snapped up instantly.

Lucas was already moving. "What do you mean caught someone?"

A security guard came running toward them, breathless. "Night patrol spotted a man near the restricted wing. He tried to run."

Alexander’s jaw tightened. "Take us to him."

They reached the far end of the site where two guards had pinned a man against a metal beam.

He was in his late thirties, clothes dusty, face slick with sweat and his eyes darting like a trapped animal’s.

"What were you doing here?" Alexander asked coldly.

The man swallowed. "I—I just came back to check something."

Lucas scoffed quietly. "At midnight? After the entire project’s been frozen?"

The man flinched.

Alexander crouched slightly, meeting his eye level. His voice was calm but there was steel beneath it. "You were seen near the altered structural points."

He narrowed his eyes, "Start talking."

The man hesitated for a second too long, then his shoulders sagged.

"I did it," he blurted. "The sabotage. I messed with the construction steps."

The guards stiffened.

Lucas’s brows knitted together. "You are admitting it just like that?"

"Yes," the man said quickly but then he started hesitating when he realized his response was too fast and direct, "I—I was paid a lot of cash to do it.

Alexander straightened slowly. "By whom?"

The man shook his head immediately. "I never met him properly. It was arranged through someone else."

Lucas stepped closer. "Man or woman?"

"A man," he answered without hesitation. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Alexander exchanged a brief glance with Lucas.

"Show him," Alexander said quietly.

Lucas pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward the man.

It was Jack’s photo.

The man barely glanced at it before shaking his head. "No, it was not him."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have never seen that face before."

Lucas frowned. "Then who?"

"I don’t know," the man insisted. "He never gave me a name and no number. He used burner phones to contact me. He met me once with a hood up and paid in cash."

Alexander studied him in silence. Something wasn’t sitting right.

One of the site engineers, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Sir, this could be a competitor."

Alexander turned to face him. "Explain."

The man cleared his throat nervously. "We have had interest from rival firms for this land and project for years. If someone wanted to delay us, this is exactly how they would do it."

Lucas folded his arms. "Convenient theory."

The engineer shrugged but nervousness was dripping down his face. "It’s possible."

Alexander didn’t respond immediately.

His gaze returned to the man pinned against the beam.

"You realize," Alexander said slowly, "that coming back here tonight makes no sense."

The man stiffened.

"You knew the site was under scrutiny. You knew security would be doubled," Alexander continued. "If you were smart enough to stage a sabotage cleanly, why risk returning?"

The man opened his mouth then closed it again.

Lucas caught it. "He doesn’t have an answer."

"No—" the man started explaining. "I thought I left something that belonged to me when I came here last time. I wanted to take it back."

The guards shifted uneasily.

Alexander straightened fully now and his presence dominated the space. "People who get away with something don’t come back to the crime scene unless they’re careless or planted."

The word hung heavy in the air.

The man’s breathing grew uneven. "I—I just panicked and didn’t know what to do. I thought the man who hired me would ask me to return the money if he found out I left evidence behind."

Lucas shook his head. "This is too easy."

Alexander agreed silently.

Everything lined up just enough to close the case but not enough to convince him.

"Take him in," Alexander finally ordered. "Hand him over to authorities."

The guards nodded and dragged the man away.

As the noise faded, Lucas leaned closer, lowering his voice. "You don’t believe him."

"No," Alexander said flatly.

"Neither do I," Lucas replied. "Feels staged. Like someone wanted us to find him."

Alexander stared at the dark structure ahead with his jaw tight.

Someone had intervened and was now trying to redirect the blame.

And whoever it was had just bought Jack time which meant this wasn’t over.

In fact, it wasn’t even close to being over

....

Jack’s breath turned shallow.

This was too clean and too convenient.

"Listen to me," Jack said sharply. "You stick to the competitor story. You don’t speculate and don’t panic. And you do not mention me ever."

"Yes, yes, of course," the man said quickly. "I swear."

Jack ended the call without another word.

The room felt suddenly smaller.

He dropped onto the edge of the bed with his phone dangling loosely in his hand.

Someone cleaned up after and he had no idea who it was. But he was sure of one thing, whoever had done this hadn’t done it to protect him out of kindness.

....