Chapter 3 - THE INTERROGATION

Seconds passed as the silence stretched between them. Celine stood frozen beneath Adrian Kane's cold gaze, every muscle in her body stiffened with tension.

The tablet remained in his hand.

The security guard shifted uneasily near the door. None spoke nor moved.

The storm lashed against the windows like a living thing. Then Adrian looked back down at the screen.

His expression revealed nothing.

He was too calm for the situation.

And somehow that terrified her more than ever.The guard cleared his throat.

"Sir?"

Adrian remained focused on the footage.

Seconds ticked by.

Celine's heartbeat hammered against her ribs so violently she was certain everyone in the room could hear it.

The footage would show everything.

Her entering the hallway.

Her lingering outside the study.

The lock picking.

Her slipping inside.

There was no excuse she could give.

No lie convincing enough.

No escape route.

She had been caught.

The only question now was what Adrian planned to do about it.

Finally, he handed the tablet back.

"Leave us."

The guard blinked.

"Sir?"

"I said leave."

The command was quiet.

The effect immediate.

"Yes, sir."

The guard practically fled.

The study door clicked behind him.

Once again, they were alone.

Celine resisted the urge to bolt.

Adrian placed his whiskey glass on the desk.

Neither spoke.

The silence stretched between them.

He was waiting.

Waiting to see which of them would crack first. Unfortunately, Celine had spent the last ten years learning how to survive.

She remained perfectly still.

Eventually Adrian sighed.

"Am quite disappointed."

The statement caught her off guard.

"What?"

His gaze lifted.

"I expected something more creative."

Confusion flickered across her face.

Adrian leaned against the desk.

"The forged credentials were impressive."

Her stomach dropped.

"The lockpick was ambitious."

Another blow.

"But getting caught by a security camera?"

A faint shake of his head.

"That's unprofessional."

Her face turned white instantly.

Forged credentials.

He knew.

Not suspected.

Not guessed.

Knew.

The room tilted slightly.

Adrian watched her reaction carefully.

Not with triumph.

Not with cruelty.

With interest.

Like a scientist observing an experiment.

"Who are you?"

The question landed softly.

Celine forced herself to breathe.

"I told you who I am."

"No."

His voice hardened.

"You told my staff who you are."

A pause.

"You haven't told me."

Thunder cracked overhead.

Neither flinched.

The storm felt distant now.

The real danger stood six feet away.

Adrian folded his arms.

"I ran a background check."

Her pulse skipped.

Of course he had.

Men like Adrian Kane didn't simply trust people.

“Your identity is fake.”

"You don't exist."

The words landed heavily like a blow.

No accusation.

Just fact.

"The woman on your ID has no childhood records. No school records. No government history."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Almost impressive."

Celine remained silent.

Every instinct warned her not to speak.

At least not yet. Not until she understood how much he knew.

Adrian seemed to reach the same conclusion.

A faint smile appeared.

"You're calculating."

She hated that he was right.

"You're trying to determine whether I'm bluffing." His smile deepened slightly.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not."

The room felt smaller.

Much smaller.

He pushed away from the desk.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

The movement alone sent tension skittering through her body.

Adrian walked toward one of the massive windows overlooking the storm.

Rain hammered the glass.

Darkness swallowed the gardens below.

His reflection stared back at them.

A ghost in a tailored suit.

"You know what's strange?"

Celine said nothing.

"You broke into my study."

His reflection met hers.

"You searched my files."

A beat passed.

"And somehow I don't think you wanted to steal from me."

The observation struck dangerously close to the truth.

Far too close.

Adrian turned.

"What were you looking for?"

Silence.

He studied her face.

Patient.

Relentless.

The way a predator might study a wounded animal.

Waiting.

Watching.

Learning.

Then something unexpected happened.

He changed the question.

"What were you hoping to find?"

Celine froze.

He noticed.

A shadow crossed Adrian's expression.

"Was it my father?"

Her heart stopped.

Just for a second.

But it was enough.

Adrian saw it.

His eyes sharpened instantly.

There.

A reaction.

Neither spoke.

Neither moved.

The atmosphere shifted.

Adrian's voice lowered.

"Interesting."

The exact same word.

Yet somehow far more dangerous now.

He took a step toward her.

Not enough to invade her space.

Enough to hold her attention.

"You know Victor Kane."

Not a question.

Another statement.

Celine swallowed.

The room felt unbearably warm now.

"Lots of people know Victor Kane."

His gaze remained fixed on her.

"Not like that."

The answer came too quickly.

She realized instantly.

Adrian wasn't questioning her anymore.

He was building a profile.

Piece by piece.

Reaction by reaction.

And she was helping him.

Without knowing it.

For the first time all night, uncertainty flickered across his face.

Only briefly.

Only for a second.

But she saw it.

And what she saw disturbed her.

Because it wasn't suspicion.

It was recognition.

As though he was trying desperately to remember something.

Someone.

His eyes remained on hers.

Searching.

Calculating.

Processing.

Then—

A sharp knock shattered the moment.

The study door opened.

Another member of security hurried inside.

Unlike the first guard, this one looked genuinely alarmed.

"Sir."

Adrian didn't take his eyes off Celine.

"What now?"

The guard hesitated.

His face had gone pale.

"We have a problem."

Something about his tone changed the atmosphere instantly.

Adrian finally turned.

The guard swallowed hard.

"The intruder wasn't working alone."

Every nerve in Celine's body ignited.

No.

No way, that wasn't possible.

She came alone.

The guard continued.

"We reviewed the exterior footage."

His voice sounded strained.

"Someone else entered the estate approximately forty minutes before she did."

The room went still.

Adrian's expression darkened.

"Who?"

The guard handed over another tablet.

"We don't know."

For the first time, genuine concern appeared on Adrian's face.

Because the image on the screen wasn't clear. The figure wore dark clothing.

A hooded jacket.

Gloves.

The face completely hidden.

But that wasn't what made the blood drain from Celine's body.

It was what the figure was carrying.

A silver lighter.

Small.

Ordinary.

Except she recognized it instantly.

Because it used to belong to her father.

The lighter Sebastian Wolfe had been carrying on the night he died.

The lighter that vanished from police evidence ten years ago.

The lighter she had spent a decade searching for.

The tablet slipped slightly in Adrian's hand.

His eyes narrowed.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

He turned toward her.

And for the first time since they met...

Adrian Kane looked shocked.

Because the moment that image appeared—

Celine had forgotten how to hide her reaction.

And now he knew.

Without a single word spoken.

He knew that whoever had entered his estate tonight...

Was connected to Sebastian Wolfe.