LOGINVictoria stayed on the phone for almost twenty minutes. By the time the call ended, Noah had moved from the desk to the sofa, one leg tucked beneath him as he went through the documents Marcus had left behind. I watched him for a moment. He had been quiet since the call with Eli. Not upset. Just thinking. I knew the difference now. “You’re staring,” he said without looking up. “I wasn’t aware you could see me.” He finally looked over. “You’re sitting six feet away.” “Still.” He smiled. I walked over and sat beside him. “What did Victoria want?” “She wants the revised Mercer figures before tomorrow afternoon.” “And?” “And apparently I’m not allowed to spend the entire evening investigating people who may or may not have tried to manipulate my life.” “That sounds unreasonable.” “I thought so too.” He closed the folder. “I told her I’d have it done.” “You have a board meeting tomorrow.” “And a Mercer presentation after that.” “You’re taking on too much.” He gave
Noah I barely slept. Not because I was afraid. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. The problem was that every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the sentence Marcus had recovered from the deleted note. You are not the person they are looking for. It had been sitting in my head for hours. Someone had gone through the trouble of creating a job listing through Damien’s father’s old account. They had chosen the age range. They had chosen the qualifications. They had interfered with applicants who came close to meeting them. And somehow, I had ended up there. I turned over in bed and stared at the ceiling. “What were you looking for?” The question came out quietly. Beside me, Damien shifted. “You’ve been asking yourself that for the last twenty minutes.” I turned my head. His eyes were still closed. “You’re awake?” “I was until you started talking to the ceiling.” I smiled despite myself. “Sorry.” “You’re not.” “No.” He opened his eyes and turned slightly
I didn’t like the timing. Daniel Mercer leaving the recruitment company three days before Noah applied could have been meaningless. It could also explain why someone had access to the listing before Noah ever saw it. Marcus arrived at the penthouse less than twenty minutes later with a folder under his arm. “You look like you didn’t sleep,” I said. “I didn’t.” He placed the folder on the dining table. “I pulled everything I could on Daniel Mercer.” Noah sat beside me. “Is he related to Victoria?” “No.” Marcus opened the folder. “Different family. No known connection to Mercer Holdings.” That eliminated one problem. It didn’t answer the important questions. “Where is he now?” I asked. “According to his last employment record, he left the recruitment company and started consulting privately.” “Where?” “Mostly London and New York.” Noah looked at the documents. “And the company?” “Closed his employee account three days before your application.” “Why?” “His employe
By the time we left Damien’s office, I couldn’t stop thinking about the other applicants. Someone had warned one of them to withdraw. That meant this wasn’t just about finding me. Someone had been controlling the pool of people who could have ended up in Damien’s house. We took the elevator down together. Damien stood beside me, one hand resting lightly against mine. Neither of us spoke until the doors opened. Marcus was waiting in the lobby. “You’re still here?” He held up his phone. “I found the number used to contact the applicant.” Damien stopped. “Who does it belong to?” “That’s the problem. It’s registered to a company.” “What company?” Marcus looked at me. “Calloway Risk Management.” I frowned. “That company was dissolved.” “Officially.” Damien’s expression changed. “Where did you find it?” “An old telecom record. The number was active for four months after the company was supposedly dissolved.” “Who used it?” “I don’t have a name yet.” Damien glanced a
The message from Marcus changed the room. I read it twice before handing Noah’s phone back to him. Eight months before Noah applied. Eight months before I knew his name. Someone had accessed my father’s old account and used it to create the job listing that eventually brought Noah into my home. For months, I had treated Noah’s arrival as one of the strangest coincidences in my life. It wasn’t a coincidence. “Marcus needs to come back,” I said. Noah slipped his phone into his pocket. “He probably hasn’t even left the building.” I called him. He answered before the first ring finished. “I was about to call you.” “Come back to my office.” There was a short pause. “You saw the login?” “Yes.” “I’ll be there.” I ended the call. Noah remained beside my desk. “You’re thinking too much.” “I have several reasons.” He smiled faintly. “That’s fair.” I reached for his hand and pulled him closer. “I don’t want you involved in anything dangerous.” “I’ve already been involved
Nobody spoke while Damien read the letter. I sat beside him, watching his expression change as his fingers moved slowly across the paper. He didn’t need anyone to tell him it was important. He could feel it. Marcus stood across the desk with his arms folded, while Jonathan remained near the door. Vincent had moved to the window, giving Damien space. I looked at the date again. It was from before Damien’s accident. Before everything that had happened. Before I had even known his name. Damien reached the end of the first page and turned it over. The silence in the room made me nervous. “What does it say?” I finally asked. Damien didn’t answer immediately. He ran his fingers over the second page. Then he said, “My father knew someone was moving money through the company.” Marcus straightened. “From Cole Enterprises?” “Yes.” “How much?” “I don’t know yet.” Damien continued reading. I watched his face. “He says the transfers weren’t large enough
I knew he was nervous before he sat down. Most people were nervous around me. I’d stopped finding it interesting years ago. Nervousness made people stupid and stupid people wasted my time, and the one thing I did not have patience for was the wasting of my time. I heard it in the way he walked. S
I knew the sound of every person who had ever worked in this penthouse. Mrs. Hale walked like she was always running late, short quick steps, always slightly rushed even when there was no reason to rush. My previous assistant, Marcus, dragged his left foot slightly, a habit he was probably not ev
I packed everything I owned into one bag. That should have taken longer than forty minutes. It didn’t. Caleb sat on the edge of the bare mattress and watched me fold the pale blue shirt. “How long will you be gone?” he asked. “I’ll visit every Sunday,” I said. “That’s my day off.” “Every Sunda
The first time Damien Cole touched me, I couldn’t breathe. His hand found my jaw in the dark, certain, deliberate. His thumb pressed just below my lip and he tilted my face up toward his, and even though I knew he couldn’t see me, it felt like being seen more completely than I had ever been seen







