Chapter 56

Max’s question lingered in the air between us, deceptively casual.

“Did anything special happen at the office today?”

He said it like he was just making conversation, but the timing, the way his eyes held mine… there was intent behind it.

I let the silence stretch. I didn’t drop my gaze immediately. Instead, I tilted my head, letting my lips press together like I was trying to recall my day. My mind was already ten steps ahead, arranging the pieces before I moved one.

If I answered too quickly, he would know I was ready for the question and if I hesitated too long, he would smell the lie.

Finally, I gave a small shrug. “Nothing much, really. Just the usual work and meetings” I let the sentence hang in the air before adding, like it was an afterthought, “But… you won't believe it, Kimberley stopped by.”

The reaction was tiny, but I caught it.

A fractional pause in his breathing. The faintest tightening at the corners of his mouth. His eyes flickered, one heartbeat too quick before the easy expression slid back into place.

“Oh?” His voice was light, too light for me to ignore. “What did she want?”

I kept my tone deliberately casual, almost dismissive. “That’s the weird thing. She just walked into the office like she belonged there, no appointment, no warning. I’m not even sure how she got past Drew’s assistant.”

He leaned back on the couch, glass in hand, his thumb running slowly around the rim. A relaxed pose for anyone else, but I’d spent enough time around him to know he was buying time to think.

“Did she… say why she was there?” he asked, his voice perfectly smooth.

I pretended to consider it. “Ehmm, yeah. She had something she clearly thought was going to impress Drew. Do you remember the Visage & Void collection I told you about? The one I mentioned when we were at the hospital?”

This time, the flicker in his eyes wasn’t just a blink. It was a sharp flash of recognition, quickly masked.

“Yeah,” he said after a beat, drawing the word out, pretending to be reaching for the memory. “I remember.”

I leaned forward slightly, my voice taking on the energy of someone still baffled. “She came in claiming she’d bought the entire thing, every single piece. She sounded like she had pulled off some major coup.” I gave a soft laugh that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Honestly, I was shocked. I mean… that’s not the kind of collection you just stumble across.”

He set his glass down on the coffee table, leaning forward now. “That’s… surprising,” he said, his tone measured. “How’d she even manage that?”

I gave a small shrug, widening my eyes just a touch, like I was still processing it. “No idea. She made it sound like she’d worked some miracle to track it all down. I’ll give her credit though, it’s not easy to secure every piece of something like that. And she was so smug about it gosh, you would think she just solved world hunger.”

Max gave a short, humorless chuckle. “Sounds like her.”

“She said she thought Drew might want it for the Manhattan hotel,” I added, watching his face carefully. “Which is funny because… We were really reconsidering it for that hotel. As part of a deal, you know? But somehow she got there first.”

He tilted his head slightly. “And? Did he take it?”

I let out a small, almost exasperated sigh. “No. That’s the thing. He said he wasn't interested and I was also shocked. I really thought he was going to consider it but he didn't so all her theatrics were basically pointless.”

For the first time, he smiled, not the charming, easy one, but a thin, knowing curve of the mouth. “Guess she wasted her time.”

I returned the smile, small and polite. “Guess so.”

I let a pause settle between us, then leaned back into the couch, adopting a thoughtful look. “But it’s strange, though.”

Max raised a brow. “What is?”

“That she even knew about it,” I said, letting a note of curiosity creep into my voice. “It’s not exactly public information. Drew doesn’t discuss potential acquisitions with just anyone. Which means…” I trailed off, letting him fill in the blank.

His expression didn’t shift much, but his shoulders rose and fell in a faint shrug. “Maybe she has her own sources. She’s… resourceful.”

“Sure,” I said, nodding slowly. “But for her to know the collection was even in consideration, someone on the inside would’ve had to tell her. Drew is planning to get to the bottom of it and fish out whoever it was.”

That one landed.

I saw the way his jaw tightened ever so slightly before he forced a relaxed breath. He reached for his glass again, buying himself the cover of a sip.

“Really?” he said, feigning mild interest. “He’s investigating?”

“Yeah.” I kept my tone light, even playful, but my eyes stayed on him. “He’s not the type to just let something like that slide. It’s bad for business.”

Max gave a small nod. “Makes sense.”

“I mean,” I continued, pretending to think aloud, “if someone on the team’s been leaking information, it’s only a matter of time before it ruins the whole plan. And whoever it is…” I let my voice drop slightly, almost conspiratorial, “they had better hope he doesn’t find them because Drew’s not exactly forgiving when it comes to betrayal.”

Max’s gaze held mine for a moment too long. “Good thing neither of us has anything to worry about, then.”

I smiled faintly, tilting my head. “Good thing.”

The silence that followed wasn’t awkward, just on the surface, it was comfortable, but under it, there was a quiet tension, like two chess players leaning back in their chairs between moves, both pretending they weren’t already thinking three moves ahead.

I made sure my body language stayed open, my tone light, my smile easy. All the while, my mind was cataloging every beat of hesitation, every over casual response.

By the time Max left, I’d gotten exactly what I wanted, not a confession, but confirmation.

He believed I didn’t suspect him.

And for now, that was exactly how I wanted it.