Eniayo Odunlade

Silent Deception

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Julian Blackthorne doesn't believe in accidents. Everything follows patterns he's learned to read, markets, people, empires. So when a woman who won't speak walks through his gates, he assumes she's manageable. Useful. Temporary. He's never been more wrong. Elara arrived with nothing but a suitcase and a forged signature. For three years, she's been hunting the man whose money silenced her brother's murder. When the job listing appeared, she recognized her opening. Her silence isn't trauma, it's a weapon. But weapons cut in unexpected directions. As Elara infiltrates Julian's carefully controlled world, something fractures. He begins to see himself reflected in her quiet. She watches him tremble before boardroom calls, watches her presence rewire his nervous system. She knows where the bodies are buried. He knows the men hunting her answer to him. The harder they get, the harder it becomes to remember which one is the hunter. Because the greatest deception isn't the forged credentials or the infiltration, it's that Elara is falling for the man she came to destroy. And Julian, who built his empire on the principle that nothing is worth vulnerability, is discovering that some risks are the only ones that matter. But her handler isn't looking for justice. He's looking for a scapegoat. In a world where silence buys everything, sometimes the most dangerous thing you can do is speak the truth. Even if it destroys you both.

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