CHAPTER FOUR

NORA POV 

I don’t feel rested when I wake up.

I barely sleep. My mind never really let go of yesterday.

Davis Rowan’s voice still lingers in my head.

Calm.

Controlled.

Like everything around him already has its place.

Even people.

And now I’m part of that structure.

Not outside it anymore.

Inside it.

The thought follows me all the way to Rowan & Co.

The executive floor feels different the moment I step off the elevator.

Quieter.

More controlled.

Everyone seems to know where they should be and what they should be doing.

My desk is waiting for me when I arrive.

It isn’t tucked away in a corner.

It sits in the middle of the executive coordination section, surrounded by assistants and coordinators who work where everyone can see them.

I stop beside my desk for a moment. 

So this is where I’ll be working.

Visible.

Every day.

“You’re early.”

I look up to see Clara walking toward me.

“I couldn’t sleep properly.”

She studies me for a moment, like she knows there’s more behind my answer.

Then she gestures toward my desk.

“Your access has been updated. You’re officially on Orion coordination.”

I nod and take my seat.

Orion.

The name has been following me since last night.

The more I hear it, the less it feels like an ordinary project.

Before I can organize the files on my desk, I feel someone watching me.

I lift my head.

A woman stands across the workspace.

She’s around my age, dressed as sharply as everyone else on the executive floor.

Her ID badge catches my eye.

Melissa Walker. 

She doesn’t look away when our eyes meet. Instead, she walks straight toward me. 

“So you’re Ms. Edward.”

“Yes.”

Her gaze moves over my desk before returning to me.

“So you’re the new executive favorite.”

I frown.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

A small smile appears on her face.

“You will.”

She turns and walks away before I can say anything else.

I watch her go, unsure what just happened.

A few minutes later, Clara returns with a folder.

She places it on my desk.

“Your full task breakdown.”

I open it.

The first page catches my attention immediately.

Direct Executive Oversight.

Daily Reporting.

Executive Coordination Access.

A knot forms in my stomach.

I look back at Clara.

“This changed.”

“It was approved this morning.”

“Who approved it?”

She doesn’t answer right away.

Then she says quietly,

“You already know.”

I do.

No one has to say his name.

I close the folder slowly, but the uneasy feeling stays with me.

Clara turns to leave, then stops.

“Nora.”

I look up.

“Yes?”

She hesitates for a moment, as though deciding whether she should say anything at all.

“Just one piece of advice.”

I wait.

“Mr. Rowan notices everything.”

My brows draw together.

“Everything?”

She gives a small nod.

“You’ll see.”

Before I can ask what she means, she walks away.

I watch her disappear into the hallway.

Somehow, her warning stays with me long after she’s gone. 

The morning slips by, but I can’t seem to settle into my work.

Every time I look up, someone seems to be looking back.

Conversations grow quieter when I walk past.

People glance in my direction before quickly returning to whatever they’re doing.

Maybe I’m imagining it.

Maybe I’m not.

Either way, I don’t like it.

Around midday, I step away from my desk to clear my head.

As I pass the break area, voices drift toward me.

Quiet.

Careful.

“…She’s the one under executive oversight?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard Mr. Rowan approved it himself.”

I stop without meaning to.

A second later, the conversation dies.

When I glance over, both employees suddenly find something else to focus on.

I keep walking.

So people are already talking.

I return to my desk, but before I can sit down, my phone vibrates.

An unknown number.

I hesitate.

Then I answer.

“Hello?”

A familiar male voice makes me freeze.

“Nora.”

I blink.

“…Jayden?”

A soft laugh comes through the phone.

“So you still remember me.”

How could I forget?

Jayden is one of the few people who knows the version of me that existed before my life changed.

Before one night rewrote everything.

I step away from my desk, lowering my voice.

“Why are you calling me?”

“I’m back in the city,” he says casually. “I’m here to help with something involving my uncle’s business.”

My grip tightens around my phone.

“Your uncle?”

“Yeah.”

He sounds completely relaxed.

“I’m getting involved with the company for a while.”

I frown.

That doesn’t sound like Jayden.

He never cared much about business.

Something about this feels different.

Too close.

“I thought I’d check on you,” he continues. “It’s been a while.”

I don’t answer immediately.

“What do you want?”

He laughs again.

“Relax. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

A brief silence settles between us before he speaks again.

“Maybe we should meet. Catch up.”

Unease settles in my chest.

Meeting Jayden isn’t the problem.

Everything he knows is.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Fair enough.”

Then his voice softens.

“Oh… how’s little Mai?”

My heart sinks.

“She’s fine.”

“Good.”

He pauses.

“I saw the picture Lucy posted. She’s getting so big.”

I grip the phone a little tighter.

He already knows enough.

Too much.

“I’ll be around for a while,” he says. “I’ll call you again.”

Before I can respond, the line goes dead.

I lower the phone slowly, but the knot in my stomach doesn’t ease. If anything, it only grows tighter. 

If anything, it’s only getting tighter.

I lock my phone and slip it back into my pocket.

For a moment, I simply sit there, staring at the folder on my desk without really seeing it.

Jayden is back.

After all this time.

And somehow, it doesn’t feel like a coincidence.

I draw a slow breath and force myself to focus on work.

It lasts less than a minute.

A notification appears on my computer screen.

Internal Update.

ORION PROJECT — EXECUTIVE ADDENDUM.

A chill runs through me.

I open the document.

My eyes move quickly over the page.

Then they stop.

Additional Coordination Assignment.

Three names are listed beneath the heading.

Davis Rowan — Executive Lead.

Nora Edward — Coordination Unit.

My breath catches.

I keep reading.

The last name comes into view.

Jayden Rowan — Strategic Integration (External Liaison).

Everything inside me goes still.

I read it again.

Then again.

The words don’t change.

Jayden Rowan.

Rowan.

My pulse begins to climb.

Rowan.

Davis Rowan.

How is that possible?

Jayden never told me.

Not once.

He never mentioned he was part of Rowan & Co.

Or that he belonged to the Rowan family.

The questions come one after another, leaving no room for answers.

Does Davis know me through Jayden?

Does Jayden know Davis is my boss?

What happens if they start talking?

Before I can make sense of any of it, my phone vibrates again.

Another message.

I stare at the screen for a second before opening it.

Welcome to Orion.

Report to my office at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

— D. Rowan

I read the message twice.

Then a third time.

Tomorrow.

Davis.

Jayden.

Orion.

Just yesterday, I thought my biggest problem was working for the father of my daughter.

Now another piece of my past has walked into the same company.

And for the first time since I accepted this job…

I have the sinking feeling that everything I’ve spent three years hiding is beginning to close in on me.