Chapter 3 – The First Dig

Natalie’s POV

“How important is this case?” I asked, sipping my coffee like we weren’t about to discuss a federal-level asset crime.

He blinked. “What?”

I tilted my head, casually stirring in another sugar packet. “The one you begged me to take. How important is it to you?”

He cleared his throat. “Very.”

“That’s not a number.”

He leaned forward a little. “It’s—” he paused, looking mildly uncomfortable for the first time, “it’s personal.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Personal?”

“Yeah.”

I leaned back, just slightly. “Is she your girlfriend?”

His mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

“I—I wouldn’t call her that.”

“Then what would you call her?”

Silence.

He looked down at the table like he was searching for the answer in the wood grain. “She’s someone very important to me,” he finally said.

I nodded, slow and deliberate, like I was adding that to a mental file I planned to review later.

I already knew the answer. I just wanted to hear him say it.

He still hadn’t recognized me. Not even the name that appeared on the file I rejected this morning.

Typical Brandon York… so smart with numbers, so blind with people.

And now, here he was, asking me to help the woman he likely dumped me for.

“Important enough for you to throw a mansion at her?” I asked, keeping my tone easy. “That’s a pretty generous move for someone who isn’t your girlfriend.”

His jaw tightened.

“She saved my mother’s life,” he said quickly, like he needed to defend it. “It’s complicated.”

“Right,” I said. “And this complicated woman is now under investigation for financial crimes tied to your company.”

“I believe she’s innocent.”

I smiled into my cup. “Of course you do.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Look, are you going to help me or not?”

I set my coffee down slowly.

“I don’t usually take on clients who start off hiding things from me.”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

I gave him a long look. “You just asked a lawyer to clean up a case involving a forged property transfer, tied to a woman you refuse to label, and told me nothing about your personal connection until I asked twice. But sure, totally transparent.”

He swallowed hard.

“But,” I continued, “I’m curious. So let’s talk about Carmilla Kingston.”

His eyes twitched at the name.

“From what I’ve gathered, she’s your CFO. Currently detained due to suspicion of funneling illegal funds through a subsidiary flagged in three countries. That about right?”

“Yes,” he said. “But it wasn’t her fault. The company’s in the middle of a global expansion deal. A military-grade AI chip export. It’s worth five billion. The entire payment pipeline got frozen after the investigation started.”

“And she’s the key witness.”

“She’s the only one who can explain the full trail. If she goes down for this, I lose everything. Not just her… my company, the contracts, the future.”

I nodded once.

So that was the real panic huh?

“So tell me honestly,” I said, folding my arms, “you don’t just want me to handle the property transfer. You want me to get her out of the detention center too. Correct?”

He hesitated. “Yes,” he admitted. “And I know you’re the only person who can do both. Please.”

I let out a slow breath.

“This is heavy, Mr. York,” I said. “Feels like you’re trying to hit two birds with one stone.”

“Please,” he said again, voice lower now. “I’m begging you, Mrs. N.”

I looked at him. And yeah, I could see it.

He was desperate.

I squinted slightly, not out of sympathy, but because the whole thing annoyed me.

“Alright,” I said. “I’ll take the case.”

Relief hit his face instantly. “You will?”

“But on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“Next time someone asks if Carmilla Kingston is your girlfriend, don’t stutter like a guilty husband.”

He went pale.

I stood up, grabbing my bag.

Outside, the air was cooler. Elena stood by the car, already waiting with the door open like she knew we wouldn’t be long.

Brandon followed close behind. “After you, Mrs. N.”

I didn’t even blink.

“Ms. N,” I said, sliding into the seat. Then casually, “Natalie.”

That flicker in his expression… it was quick, but I caught it.

Not quite recognition.

Or… was it?

I couldn’t tell. If he did recognize me, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

He gave a small nod. “Right. Ms. N. My mistake.”

The door shut behind him. Silence filled the car, but not the comfortable kind.

I looked out the window, not because I was interested in the view but because I needed a second.

The man beside me looked like he belonged on a front-page business feature.

Sharp suit. Clean cut. Calm presence. The kind of man people listen to without asking why.

It wasn’t fair that he looked like that. Honestly. Especially considering how good he was at disappearing from this world. I mean, completely.

If I didn’t know better, if I didn’t know exactly who he was, I might’ve had a crush on him.

But I did know better. 

And now I was sitting next to him, waiting to help clean up his mess.

Elena leaned in from the front, whispering something to him. I couldn’t hear it, but I saw the way he shifted, slight, still but tense.

He cleared his throat.

“So,” he said, way too casual, “do you, uh… take on divorce cases?”

I didn’t look at him right away. Just blinked once, then turned my head.

“Not really.”

He nodded quickly, tapping his fingers once on his leg. “Right. Shame.”

A pause.

He was quiet for a second, then said it like it just popped into his head. “You know… funny thing is, you have the same name as my ex-wife.”

I kept my expression still.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” He let out a small laugh. “Natalie. Weird coincidence.”

I gave the smallest smile, just enough to be polite. “Small world.”

The man didn’t know he’d sent me divorce papers this morning and now asking me to fix a problem he created.

What a funny coincidence.