LOGINLucas’s POV
The formal warning was still sitting on my desk when I arrived the next morning.
I had asked HR to send me everything connected to the incident, including the submission records, access logs, email history, and the original documents.
Something about the situation didn’t make sense.
Natalie had been careful with the project from the beginning. I’d watched her work closely enough t
Natalie’s POVBy Thursday, the situation had gotten worse.The original document issue had been resolved, but that hadn’t stopped the problems.A client email had somehow been sent from my account with incorrect information.Then a meeting I’d scheduled was suddenly missing from Lucas’s calendar.By the time I realized what had happened, the client was already calling to complain.I spent most of the afternoon trying to fix mistakes I hadn’t made.Every explanation sounded weaker than the last.And every time someone asked what had happened, I had to repeat the same thing.“I didn’t do it.”After a while, I started wondering whether anyone believed me.I knew Lucas did.That was the only
Lucas’s POVThe formal warning was still sitting on my desk when I arrived the next morning.I had asked HR to send me everything connected to the incident, including the submission records, access logs, email history, and the original documents.Something about the situation didn’t make sense.Natalie had been careful with the project from the beginning. I’d watched her work closely enough to know she wasn’t careless, and more importantly, the document submitted to the client wasn’t even the version she’d prepared.Someone had changed it.The question was who.I opened the first report.The submission had been made using Natalie’s credentials at 4:42 p.m.I checked her schedule.She had been in a conference room with three department
Natalie’s POVThe project landed on my desk Monday morning.I stared at the folder for a few seconds before opening it.“That’s yours?”I looked up.Mia stood in my doorway holding a cup of coffee.I nodded.“Lucas wants me to coordinate the entire client proposal.”Her eyebrows lifted.“That’s a big one.”“I know.”I looked back at the documents.King’s Corporation was preparing to finalize a major partnership with a national retail company, and Lucas wanted the proposal ready before the end of the week.It wasn’t the kind of assignment I could afford to make mistakes on.“I’ve never handled something this important before.”Mia smiled.“Then I guess this is your chance.”I nodded.She placed the coffee on my desk.“You’ll do fine.”“I hope so.”She started to leave, then turned around.“Just don’t let Lucas scare you.”“He doesn’t scare me.”Mia gave me a look.“Right.”I rolled my eyes.“Go do your job.”She laughed and disappeared.I spent the next several hours working through th
Natalie’s POVAva had somehow decided that King’s Corporation was one of her favorite places in the world.I wasn’t sure how that had happened.The first time she’d come to the office, she’d spent most of the afternoon drawing pictures and asking Mia questions about everyone who walked past the reception desk.The second time, she’d drawn Lucas and called him Mr. Serious Face.Apparently, that had been enough to make the entire building memorable.Now she was standing beside me in the elevator, holding my hand while talking nonstop about a drawing she’d made that morning.“And then Carla said the dog looked like a potato.”I smiled.“Did it?”“No.”She looked offended by the sugg
Natalie’s POVBy eight that evening, most of the executive floor was empty.The usual noise had disappeared hours ago, leaving only the quiet hum of computers and the occasional sound of footsteps somewhere beyond the glass doors.I was still at my desk, staring at the same presentation slide I’d been working on for the last fifteen minutes.Nothing was wrong with it.I just couldn’t concentrate.The project had been sitting on Lucas’s desk for weeks, but a major client had suddenly moved their deadline forward, which meant everything had to be reviewed, corrected, and submitted before morning.Normally, I could handle pressure.I’d spent years handling pressure.Bills, work, Ava, unexpected emergencies, and every other problem life seemed determined to throw at me.
Lucas’s POV“Who contacted her?”The question had barely left my mouth when Tom looked down at the folder in his hands.“That’s what we’re trying to determine.”I frowned.“Then why did you say you found another lead?”“Because there’s something else in the file.”He opened the folder again and pulled out a photocopied document.“I found this attached to one of the old investigation reports.”I took it from him.At first, it looked like nothing more than another useless piece of paperwork, the kind of document that had probably been overlooked because nobody thought it mattered.Then I saw the name.Natalie Hart.My eyes narrowed.“What is this?”“It’s a record of a phone call attempt.”I looked at him.“From Natalie?”Tom nodded.My attention immediately returned to the paper.The date was several years old.Five years ago.Around the same period Natalie had disappeared.My fingers tightened around the edge of the document.“That can’t be right.”“It gets more interesting.”I looked
Chapter 3LUCAS’ POV I didn’t want to attend that meeting, but I was glad I did. Apparently, I had a new personal assistant. Not that I needed one, but mother insisted. But when she walked in and I got just a glimpse of her, my whole world stopped. It was a face I hadn’t seen in years, and neve
Chapter Two - NATALIE'S POV The phone nearly slipped from my hand.“What the fuck?” I muttered. Jason was a lot of things, but this was a whole new level of low. I typed. “Are you stalking me now?” Then I cleared it. I stared at the message, panicking and thinking of how to respond. So I did
Chapter One - Natalie Pov: My phone started ringing before I could take a single sip. I looked at it in pure disgust. It was an unknown number and I wasn’t in the mood to even guess who it was. I stared at the screen, debating whether to ignore it. The phone rang again. And again.With a sigh,
Prologue - Five Years EarlierI should have known something was wrong the moment Vanessa volunteered to help with the wedding.My stepsister had never volunteered for anything in her life, not unless there was something in it for her.Yet somehow, I ignored every warning sign.The late-night phone







