Falling Into the Forbidden

Maddie had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of the photo Jenny had handed her flashed behind her eyelids. Elijah King and Victoria. The connection between them was too close, too intimate. She tried to push the thought away, to focus on the facts in front of her. But the nagging feeling at the back of her mind kept pulling her back to that image. What was Elijah hiding? And why had he kept this part of his life so carefully hidden from her?

Her phone buzzed on the table beside her, pulling her from her spiraling thoughts. It was a message from Jenny: "Meet me. Now."

Maddie didn't hesitate. She grabbed her coat, and within minutes, she was in her car, heading for the café where Jenny had insisted they meet. Her mind raced as she drove, her thoughts bouncing between the warning text and the mysterious file. Was Jenny's information enough to make her rethink everything? Or had she just stumbled onto something much more dangerous than she was prepared to handle?

The café was quiet when Maddie arrived, the soft hum of conversation barely audible over the clink of coffee cups. Jenny was already sitting at a corner table, her phone in hand, but her eyes were glued to the door as if she were waiting for someone to arrive.

Maddie took a seat across from her, her pulse still racing from the drive. "What's so urgent?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Jenny glanced around before lowering her voice. "I've been digging into Elijah's past. And I found something you need to hear."

Maddie's stomach churned. "What are you talking about? What's going on with him?"

Jenny hesitated, then slid a piece of paper across the table. "This is what I found. I don't know how far this goes, but… it's enough to make you question everything."

Maddie unfolded the paper. It was a police report. The name at the top caught her attention: Victoria King. The report was dated more than ten years ago.

"Victoria was involved in a violent incident," Jenny continued. "A kidnapping. Elijah was named as one of the people who was present. But there's more. A witness claimed to have seen Elijah with Victoria in a place that wasn't… exactly legal."

Maddie's breath caught in her throat. "What are you saying? That Elijah was part of something illegal?"

Jenny's eyes flicked to the report. "I don't know the details, but the witness statement is clear. They were involved in something dangerous. And it's not the only thing I found."

Maddie felt a rush of dizziness. This was a side of Elijah she hadn't seen. The man who'd charmed her with his charisma, the man who had asked for her help, was connected to something darker—something that went back years. And she couldn't ignore it.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Maddie asked, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and fear.

Jenny's face darkened. "I didn't want to get you involved. But you need to know who you're dealing with. Elijah's not just some rich businessman with a shady past. He's part of something bigger, Maddie. And now you're caught in the middle of it."

Maddie set the report down, her thoughts swirling. She had trusted Elijah. She had trusted that he was being honest with her about the case, about his motivations. But this… this was something else entirely. Was it possible that he had been manipulating her from the beginning?

"I need to talk to him," Maddie said, her voice firm. "I need answers."

Jenny grabbed her arm, her grip tight. "Be careful. You're treading on dangerous ground, Maddie. Once you dig too deep, there's no going back."

Maddie met her gaze, her resolve hardening. "I'm not going to let this go. Not now. I need to know the truth."

Elijah's office was just as imposing as it had been before, but now, the walls seemed to close in on Maddie. She had expected him to be calm, collected, maybe even a little aloof, but there was something in his eyes when he saw her walk through the door—something she couldn't place.

"What's going on, Maddie?" Elijah asked, his voice a little sharper than usual.

Maddie didn't sit down. She crossed her arms and faced him head-on. "I've seen the report. The one with your sister. The one that ties you to a kidnapping."

Elijah's face paled slightly, but his composure never faltered. "You've been digging into my past, I see," he said, his voice low but controlled. "And I'm guessing Jenny's the one who gave you that file?"

Maddie didn't flinch. "I need answers. I don't know what's going on between you and Victoria, but you've been hiding something from me. Something big. And now I need to know what it is."

Elijah's expression hardened, but he didn't move. "I told you before, Maddie. There are things you don't need to know. Things I can't explain."

"Why?" she pressed. "Why can't you tell me the truth? What happened with Victoria? What is this really about?"

For a long moment, Elijah said nothing. His gaze was fixed on her, but his eyes were distant, lost in memories that Maddie couldn't even begin to understand. Finally, he spoke, his voice a mixture of anger and regret.

"Victoria and I… we were both involved in something we never should have been. I made mistakes, and I've spent years trying to make up for them. But the past doesn't just disappear. It follows you, no matter how hard you try to run from it."

Maddie felt a cold wave of realization wash over her. "What are you telling me? That you were part of some criminal enterprise?"

Elijah looked away, the weight of his past evident in his expression. "Not exactly. But it was close enough. Victoria was caught up in something—something much bigger than we both realized. And I did everything I could to protect her. But in the end, it wasn't enough."

Maddie's heart raced. This was not the answer she had been expecting. "You're telling me that the person you want me to help protect… is part of something criminal?"

"No," Elijah said quickly. "I'm telling you that she's a victim. We both were. But the people we crossed—those people don't forget. And they never let go."

Maddie was silent for a moment, trying to process what he was saying. "So, what do you want from me? You want me to help you fix this? Help you protect her from whatever's hunting you both?"

Elijah's gaze softened. "I don't know if I can ask that of you. But I need your help, Maddie. I can't do this without you."

Maddie's mind spun with the implications of his words. She had walked into this case believing she was dealing with a corporate scandal, something she could fix with the right legal maneuvering. But now, everything had changed. Elijah's past, Victoria's involvement, the people they had crossed—all of it was much darker than she had ever anticipated.

The question was: Could she trust Elijah? Or had she just walked into a trap that would swallow her whole?