Chapter 6

I hadn't told Lana until the next day. Maybe I'll call her back during lunch break. After all, I'll be back in San Francisco in three days, and Mr. Shaw will forget about me... and I'll forget about him.

A slight pang of regret enveloped my heart. Ugh, Ella, don't be foolish. Perhaps Mr. Shaw has merely been courteous all along, just happened to help me and replace my shoes.

...and invite me to lunch, and escort me home.

I pulled down the corners of my mouth. He's just being polite, right? Besides, he seems to already have a partner. I looked at my reflection in the hotel mirror; today, I wore a blood-red blouse, a gift from Lana, and a black pencil skirt. I rarely wear this blouse. I like its color and silk material, but it's a bit too conspicuous. Perhaps more suitable for a formal dinner than for work.

I straightened my slightly wavy auburn hair. I had planned to dye it a richer brown, but unfortunately, I never got around to it. My amber eyes looked back at me in the mirror, and after taking a deep breath, I left my hotel room.

***

Julio's bagel restaurant was a bit busier in the morning. I ordered a smoked salmon bagel and a cup of tea to take to the office. Julio chatted with me briefly before returning to serve other customers. I'll truly miss Julio and his bagels in San Francisco, I put my bagel into my purse and left the restaurant.

The weather in Manhattan was still slightly overcast with the sun shyly peeking through the clouds. It was almost certain there would be heavy rain again tonight.

I entered the elevator with a few other employees, but this time, I didn't stop on the 15th floor. I had something to return to Mr. Shaw. I waited until the elevator door in front of me opened on the top floor, the 19th floor. A small mini-lobby welcomed me as I exited the elevator. I walked towards the secretary's desk, a black-haired woman with a pixie cut smiled at me.

"Can I help you?" She glanced at my employee badge briefly.

"Hi! Has Mr. Shaw arrived?"

"Mr. Nicholas or—"

"Mr. Nicholas Shaw." I cut in with a smile.

"Did you have an appointment?"

"Not yet. I just want to leave something for Mr. Shaw." I replied, stirring my bag before taking out an envelope containing a check. "Please, deliver this from Eleanor Heather." I added, placing the envelope on the receptionist's desk. "Thank you."

She nodded, then her eyes shifted behind me, before I could turn around a deep voice grumbled from behind.

"Eleanor Heather." The voice repeated my name. The fine hairs on the back of my neck tingled at the sound.

I turned around, facing Gregory Shaw standing a few steps behind me. He looked different from last night; this time, he wore a black suit that matched his neatly combed hair.

His blue eyes gazed slowly from bottom to top, making me uncomfortable. He pulled up one corner of his mouth, forming a smile. "Looking for Nick?" His voice sounded slightly cold.

I smiled awkwardly at him, then nodded slightly.

"He's in court this morning. But... you can deliver your message to me, Miss Heather. I'll meet him afterward." He said without diverting his gaze from me at all. He didn't have the intimidating aura of Nicholas Shaw, but there was something in his eyes that made me feel uneasy.

"Oh, there's no need. I just wanted to leave—"

"I can take care of it later... Besides, Nick won't be at the office today." He cut me off before I could refuse. Then, he walked towards the reception desk and took the envelope I had just placed. "Just this?"

I nodded again.

He smiled again, "I'll make sure Nick gets it."

"Thank you, Mr. Shaw." I replied with a forced smile, then walked back to the elevator. I could feel his gaze on my back as I walked. He continued staring at me expressionlessly even after I entered the elevator. I sighed after the elevator doors closed, and my hand touched the base of my neck, unintentionally feeling the throbbing of my bruise since earlier.

***

My eyes were still fixed on the same financial file for an hour now. Mrs. Lynch didn't check on me at all today; she just asked me to send her an email. I did as she requested until I found this file.

A significant amount of money was transferred to an account at the Bank Rotterdam, and this wasn't the first time. At least ten transfer reports to various accounts in the Bank Rotterdam, and the amounts were all the same. Something is not right here.

I made a small note for Mrs. Lynch and glanced at my watch; it was 9 p.m.

It seems like I should send the report tomorrow morning because there's no point in sending it tonight; Mrs. Lynch won't read it now.

I leaned back in my chair, furrowing my brows. What made me feel strange was how a company this big hadn't noticed the leakage? Or maybe there was another reason? But why would Shaw & Partner transfer its funds to Thompson & Thompson and several accounts in Rotterdam with the same amount repeatedly? Does Mr. Shaw know about it?

I pictured Nicholas Shaw standing in the middle of the courtroom, with his cold face and intimidating gaze. Perhaps he's handling billion-dollar cases or significant embezzlements. As far as I know, the Shaw brothers handle more cases like that, not criminal cases like murder or something. They only deal with big and crucial cases, leaving the rest to their subordinates.

I wondered how much a lawyer of his caliber gets paid for each case...

"Eleanor."

I jumped slightly in my chair upon hearing that voice. My head turned towards the open door of my small office. Nicholas Shaw was standing there, leaning one shoulder against the door frame. His blue eyes, though slightly tired, still managed to be intimidating as he stared at me. He wore a light blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves and dark blue formal pants, no tie. The top two buttons of his shirt were open. His dark brown hair, usually neatly combed, was now slightly disheveled, tempting my hands to mess it up more.

He didn't smile at me. And he looked very, very, very handsome.

"Hi..." I mumbled after staring at him for a full minute. How does he do it? How does he always show up when I'm thinking about him?

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Suddenly, he pulled both corners of his mouth down.

Huh?

"I won't accept your money, Eleanor."

Oh. The check.

He came all the way here just to say that? "Well then, I can't accept those shoes, Mr. Shaw."

Suddenly, he walked towards my desk. Just two big steps, and he was already in front of me. He placed both hands on my desk in an intimidating position, and I looked up slowly to meet his gaze. There was a hint of anger on his face, and I could swear the blue color of his eyes got darker.

Maybe because of the lighting?

"What if you stop being stubborn and accept the shoes? Then we can go to dinner soon." His voice sounded deeper than usual, and I could hear a bit of anger in it.

I stumbled in my seat. Stubborn? Me? Doesn't he have a mirror at home?

"So, what should I do to replace them?" I asked with a defeated tone. "Mr. Shaw, I can't accept such an expensive item just like that."

The pout on his face slowly faded, he pulled his hands away from my desk and tugged his mouth corners up slightly, forming a small smile. "We can discuss it over dinner, Eleanor."

"I don't remember we had dinner plans." I muttered to myself. I closed my laptop and grabbed my bag. Mr. Shaw just stood in his place, observing me. I stood up and walked past him; his gaze didn't shift away from me at all, making me even more nervous. We walked together towards the elevator.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked when entering the lift with him.

He blinked briefly and then looked at me from head to toe. "Yeah, a lot." He muttered, and his gaze returned to my face with his intense stare. Unlike his brother's gaze this morning, his look didn't make me uncomfortable at all. Just nervous.

Very nervous.

"You look very beautiful tonight. That's your first mistake." He whispered with his deep voice. My heart raced when I heard him speak, no man has ever had this effect on me before. Not Oliver, and not anyone before him.

The lift doors opened before I could respond to his compliment. Mr. Shaw allowed me to exit first, then he followed. We walked out of the Shaw & Partner building into the Manhattan night air. His black SUV was parked in front of the building, and Eric got out from the driver's side to help open the door for me.

"Thank you." I said with a smile. Eric nodded politely. He wore a black suit without a tie, the same as when he dropped me off at the hotel a few days ago.

Mr. Shaw got in and sat next to me. From this close, I could smell his masculine cologne and a hint of mint. I tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear nervously. "Where are we going?" I asked to break the silence.

"Fleur de Lis. Do you like French cuisine?" He turned slightly towards me.

"Yeah." Fleur de Lis? Sounds like an expensive restaurant. "So... what case are you handling? Is everything going smoothly?"

He smiled slightly, then glanced at his Rolex briefly before looking back at me. "Tax evasion. You won't be interested, Eleanor; my work might sound boring to you."

"Oh, I thought my job was the most boring in the world."

He smiled again, his usually cold and intimidating blue eyes softened a bit when he smiled. "What about you? Have you finished the audit?"

For the first time, we were genuinely chatting. Not just small talk like usual. "80 percent. I think I can finish it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" The smile faded quickly from his face. "I thought you told me your job would take a week? It's only been four days."

"The requested audit wasn't as extensive as I thought, plus Mrs. Lynch provided all the necessary data, so I didn't have to start from scratch." Our conversation reminded me of the financial data of Bank Rotterdam. Should I ask him? Tomorrow morning, I'll send my report to Mrs. Lynch, and she'll inform her superiors. So, if I tell him now, it won't hurt, right?

I glanced at Mr. Shaw. He was gazing out the window with a furrowed brow. The top two buttons of his shirt were open again. His gaze seemed a bit distant, lost in thought.

"I found a few anomalies in the financial reports a few months ago."

Mr. Shaw turned his attention back to me, running his dark brown hair through his hand, and nodded slightly, urging me to continue.

"There are about ten suspicious outflows, all sent to different accounts in Bank Rotterdam, some to Thompson & Thompson—"

"Thompson & Thompson?" All of Mr. Shaw's attention was focused on me when I mentioned that name. "Are you sure, Eleanor?"

I nodded. "The funds weren't directly sent to Thompson & Thompson, but transferred to a subsidiary company owned by Thompson & Thompson. If all the funds are totaled, it might be around 4 or 5 percent of your company's value, Mr. Shaw."

Four or five percent is a significant amount for a company the size of Shaw & Partner. Perhaps enough to buy a small office building.

I studied his facial expression in the dim light of his SUV; the lines on his forehead deepened. That meant only one thing; he wasn't aware that his company had a leak all this time.

"I can recheck if needed..." I added. If I trace it back from the beginning, the culprit's trail is likely still fresh. He looked at me slowly, the wrinkles on his forehead slightly easing.

"Of course..." He turned a bit towards me, and we locked eyes. His left shoulder leaned against the back of the driver's seat. We were so close that I could see every detail of his face – the firm and slightly arrogant jawline, the lips that now formed a small smile, and his intense gaze.

"I need you, Eleanor. What if I ask your company to extend your contract for two more weeks?"

For a moment, I saw a glimpse of relief on his face, just for a split second, before it turned serious again. Did I misinterpret it?

"Most likely, they will send a team to investigate matters like this, Mr. Shaw. Besides, this isn't my division; I'm just performing an audit."

"No, I don't need a whole team. I just need you." He pulled out his Blackberry from his pants pocket. "I'll ask Mrs. Lynch to take care of your contract. For the reports, I want you to report directly to me or Greg."

Wait a minute.

"Mr. Shaw, investigating embezzlement like this takes more than two weeks if done alone, and I can't stay here longer." Or more accurately, I don't want to.

He pulled both corners of his mouth down. "Can't?"

I nodded slightly.

"Tell me, Miss Heather, what prevents you from staying in Manhattan longer?"

"Um," my brain paused for a moment. Come on, Ella, think! "I just don't like being in a foreign place alone for too long." I chuckled, repeating the same reason I gave him two days ago.

And my reason sounded so lame now. "I mean... I don't know anyone here." I laughed softly to cover my embarrassment. "A few months ago, I was attacked by a man, maybe that makes me a bit traumatized if I'm alone."

"Attacked?" he repeated. A strange expression crossed his face, then his expression turned cold... almost dangerous. I couldn't look away from his face as it changed drastically.

"What did he do to you?"

I hesitated for a moment, weighing whether to tell him the truth. "It might sound a bit strange, but he... he bit me."

His eyes slightly widened. "And you can't remember the assailant?" His voice sounded strange, like someone holding back anger. I stared at him with a bit of confusion.

"Well, no... I don't remember much."

The streetlights occasionally illuminated the inside of the car, giving brighter light. Mr. Shaw closed his eyes for a moment, his forehead wrinkling, and then suddenly he said, "Turn around, Eric. Go home."

Then he opened his eyes, looking back at me. "I hope you don't mind having dinner at my house." His voice had returned to normal. He looked at my hesitation before adding, "I want to discuss your findings further."

I checked my watch briefly; it was 9:20 PM.

Well, I still had an hour to chat with him. Consider it overtime, Ella. Besides, I'll be back to San Francisco the day after tomorrow. And this is just a regular dinner... at his house.

"Okay," I replied.

We fell into silence again for a few moments before he asked again, "About your attacker... Are you sure he bit you?"

I felt my face slightly warming. The police didn't believe it either; no one did except Lana. Even though sometimes I found my story sounding ridiculous, that man really did bite me. I could still see the mark on my neck, though it had faded a bit. His voice always haunted my nightmares, and every time I tried to remember his face, it felt like a thick fog covering my memory.

"I know my story might sound a bit crazy, and no one believes it—"

"I believe you, Eleanor." He cut me off. "It's just that you don't..." Suddenly, he stopped his sentence, gritting his jaw in anger.

"I don't...?" I urged him.

"It's okay." He mumbled. He redirected his attention to the streets outside, and we didn't talk for the rest of the journey.