LOGIN(Daniel's POV)"No. He assumed she was sick or taking a personal day. She didn't call in?""I don't know. I wasn't home. Lena, where is she?""I don't know Daniel. But I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she just needed some time alone.""Her phone is off. That's not like her.""Did something happen? You said you had a fight."I sat down on the couch, dragging my hair. "My intern Janelle stayed over last night. She had a panic attack and couldn't be alone. Elena was upset about it."There was silence on the other end of the line."Lena?""Your intern stayed at your house?""It was one night. She left this morning.""And Elena was okay with that?""No. She was angry. But Janelle needed help and I couldn't just leave her alone when she was that upset."There was more silence."Lena, please. Do you have any idea where Elena might go?""No. But Daniel, if she's upset enough to turn off her phone and disappear, maybe you should think about why.""I know why. She thinks Janelle is manipulating me. S
(Elena's POV)Daniel came upstairs around eleven.I was already in bed, lying on my side facing away from the door. I heard him moving around the room, taking off his clothes, brushing his teeth in the ensuite bathroom. The familiar sounds of our nightly routine that now felt foreign.The bed dipped as he got in beside me."Elena," he said quietly.I didn't respond."I know you're awake."I still didn't say anything.He moved closer. His hand touched my shoulder, warm through the thin fabric of my nightgown. "I'm sorry about tonight. I know this isn't how you wanted the evening to go.""You brought her into our home.""She needed help. What was I supposed to do?""Not bring her here. Not make me feel like a stranger in my own home."His hand moved down my arm slowly. "Can we not fight tonight? I'm tired of fighting.""Then maybe you should sleep in the guest room with your intern.""Elena." His voice was softer now. He moved closer, his body pressing against my back. "I miss you. We h
(Elena's POV)I stood in the living room alone, the smell of lamb stew filling the flat, the table set for a dinner that was never going to happen the way I'd planned.My husband had brought the woman who was manipulating him, Into the space that was supposed to be ours. And he expected me to be okay with it because she was upset.I heard the guest room door close. Heard Daniel's footsteps coming back down the hallway.He walked into the living room and saw the table, his eyes taking in the good dishes and the wine. "You cooked.""I made your favorite. Thought we could talk.""That smells good. Maybe dinner will help us all calm down." He looked toward the hallway. "I should let Janelle know there's food. She hasn't eaten since lunch.""Of course you should."He ignored the bite in my tone and walked back down the hallway. I heard him knock softly, heard the door open, heard him saying something about dinner being ready.A minute later they both came out. Janelle had washed her face b
(Elena's POV)The dam broke and tears rained down my cheeks in torrents.I sat in the driver's seat with my hands gripping the steering wheel, the expensive bag of Chinese food I'd bought sitting uselessly in the passenger seat, and I just let it out. I lost track of time. When I could finally breathe normally again I started the car and drove home. It was pointless going back to the office.While driving, I tried not to think about the incident. But I couldn't help it. I kept seeing the disappointment and anger in Daniel's face as he chode his intern over his own wife. And he'd believed her. Without question. Without even considering that I might be telling the truth.I parked in the garage of our building and took the elevator up to our floor, still carrying the bag of food. When I got inside the flat I set it on the kitchen counter and stared at it for a long moment.Then I opened the fridge and started pulling out ingredients.If expensive Chinese food wouldn't work, maybe his
(Elena's POV)Tired of how things have been between me and Daniel lately, I decided to let bygones be bygones, and try my luck again. Because come what, he was still my husband. I took a long lunch break and drove to an expensive Chinese restaurant over 10 minutes drive from my workplace to pick the best seafood they had and a bottle of wine. We were going to have a proper lunch and talk like old times. The bag felt heavier than it should as I grabbed it and walked toward the building entrance.Jennifer waved me through when I walked in, her usual friendly smile in place as she gestured toward Daniel's office. Janelle was at her desk typing on her computer, her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard. I walked past without acknowledging her and knocked on Daniel's door."Come in."He looked up when I entered, surprise registering on his face. "Elena. What are you doing here?""Brought you lunch," I said, holding up the bag with what I hoped was my best smile. "Thought we could ea
(Daniel's POV)I was packing up to leave for home when Janelle knocked on my office door."Mr. Hart? Do you have a minute?""Sure. What's up?"She stepped inside. "I'm still working on that client presentation you assigned. The one for the Crawfordpitch. I thought I'd be done by now but it's taking longer than expected.""How much longer do you need?""Maybe another hour? I want to make sure it's perfect. I know the meeting is tomorrow morning.""You don't have to finish it tonight. I can review it first thing tomorrow and we'll adjust if needed.""I'd rather have it done. But the issue is I took the tube here this morning and the last one leaves at eight thirty. I was wondering if maybe you could give me a ride home when I'm finished? I know it's asking a lot but I don't want to leave the work incomplete."I checked my watch. Seven fifteen. If she needed another hour that would put us leaving around eight thirty anyway.I did a quick mental Math. She stays close to her college last t
(Evelyn's POV)And so we spent the rest of the night preparing.Adrian's cybersecurity team went through every corner of our system. No stone was left unturned. Every folder, backup, and file that had been touched in the last three months. They worked in focused silence, and occasionally reached ou
(Evelyn's POV)Julian's car pulled away from the street the moment the police sirens became audible in the distance. One second it was there, and the second the car engine revved and he was gone, swallowed by the London night.The police approached me with Elena following closely behind. I showed
(Evelyn's POV)"Elena…”I was already dialling her number with shaky hands before I'd finished reading Serena's message. "I need you at the lab. Now.""What happened?""Something bad has happened. Serena just tried to hack our system. Get here now."“What the hell—”But I already ended the call and
(Evelyn's POV)One week later, I stood in the newly renovated BioGen Dynamics lab in East London. It was smaller than what Adrian's version would have been, with no expensive windows, or sleek furniture. But it was okay by me, and I was content. The walls still smelled of fresh paint. The floors w







