CHAPTER SEVEN

NORA POV

The question hangs between us.

Neither of us moves.

Davis Rowan remains seated at the head of the conference table, one hand resting beside the open file.

Waiting.

Watching.

Like he already knows silence can reveal more than questions ever could.

The room suddenly feels much smaller than it did a few minutes ago.

Slowly, I lower myself back into the chair.

The silence stretches between us.

Not awkward.

Intentional.

Davis is the first to break it.

“The three years.”

I keep my expression neutral.

“Sir?”

His voice remains even.

Controlled.

“Your answer was incomplete.”

I fold my hands in my lap, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Because the details aren’t relevant to my work.”

A brief silence follows.

“That’s your opinion.”

I hold his gaze.

“It’s also true.”

Something flickers across his face.

Not annoyance.

Not amusement.

Something harder to read.

Most people look away first when Davis Rowan stares at them. I’ve noticed that.

I don’t.

Maybe because life taught me long ago that looking away doesn’t make difficult questions disappear.

“Most people don’t step away from the workforce for three years,” he says.

“Most people don’t have the same circumstances.”

“And yours were?”

There it is.

The question beneath the question.

I choose my words carefully.

“My priorities changed.”

His eyes narrow slightly.

“For three years?”

“For as long as they needed to.”

The silence that follows feels heavier than before.

Then he asks,

“What priorities?”

I could lie.

I could invent something simple and harmless.

But lies have a way of growing.

“Family.”

The word settles between us.

Davis studies me as though he’s waiting for me to say more.

I don’t.

After several long seconds, he leans back slightly.

“Family.”

“Yes.”

“That’s all you’re willing to say?”

I meet his gaze without hesitation.

“Yes.”

The room falls quiet again.

Not because he’s out of questions.

Because he’s deciding which one to ask next.

Then, unexpectedly, he closes the file.

Not completely.

Just enough to tell me he’s changing direction.

He studies me for another moment before speaking.

“Interesting.”

I frown.

“What’s interesting?”

His eyes remain on mine.

“The amount of effort you’re putting into not answering a simple question.”

My stomach tightens.

There it is.

“I’m answering your questions.”

“Partially.”

His reply comes without hesitation.

For the first time, I look away.

Only briefly.

Just long enough.

When I meet his eyes again, I already know he noticed.

Of course he did.

Davis notices everything.

The thought is as irritating as it is dangerous.

Another silence settles between us before he asks the question that makes my stomach drop.

“How long have you known Jayden?”

I steady the folder on my lap.

The movement is almost invisible.

Not enough for most people to notice.

Enough for him.

I see it in the way his eyes sharpen.

“Why?”

“Because that wasn’t the reaction of two people who recently met.”

My heartbeat falters.

Careful.

Very careful.

“We knew each other before Rowan & Co.”

The answer is true.

Just incomplete.

“How?”

I glance down for a moment before looking back at him.

“Through mutual connections.”

Another truth.

Another omission.

His expression remains unreadable.

“That’s vague.”

“So is asking about my personal life.”

The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

The room goes still.

For one horrifying second, I wonder if I’ve gone too far.

Then something unexpected happens.

Davis doesn’t look offended.

If anything, he looks more interested.

Which only makes it worse.

“Fair enough.”

That’s all he says.

No irritation.

No warning.

That unsettles me even more.

His gaze drifts toward the closed conference room door.

“Jayden appears comfortable with you.”

I force myself not to react.

“He’s friendly.”

“Friendly enough to reference an inside joke during an executive meeting?”

My heart stumbles.

I hate that he noticed.

Worse, he remembered it.

And he’s right.

I choose my words carefully.

“Jayden is naturally informal.”

“Not with everyone.”

I don’t have a response to that.

Because he’s right again.

The silence that follows feels heavier than the ones before it.

He keeps noticing the very things I’m trying hardest to hide.

Eventually, he closes the file completely.

The sound feels strangely final.

“You’re very protective of your privacy, Ms. Edward.”

I rise to my feet.

“Is that a problem?”

His gaze follows me.

“No.”

A brief pause.

“It’s unusual.”

I manage a polite smile.

“Then I suppose you’ll have to get used to it.”

Something flashes briefly in his eyes.

Gone before I can identify it.

I turn toward the door, and relief begins to loosen the knot in my chest.

It’s over.

At least, that’s what I tell myself.

As I reach for my phone, the screen suddenly lights up in my hand.

A notification flashes across it.

Bright Stars Preschool.

Please confirm today’s pickup.

My blood turns cold.

I stop walking. 

A moment too long. 

I lock the screen almost immediately.

Too quickly.

My heart pounds against my ribs.

Slowly, I lift my head.

The moment our eyes meet, I regret it.

Davis is still watching me.

Not the phone.

Me.

The reaction.

The hesitation.

The panic I failed to hide.

His expression never changes.

It’s the same look he had when Jayden slipped during the meeting.

Like he’d just found another piece of a puzzle he has no intention of letting go.

I turn and leave before he can say another word.

But the entire walk back to my desk, one terrifying thought refuses to leave me.

Davis Rowan didn’t believe me.

Worse…

I don’t think he’s going to stop looking.