LOGINAdrian POV I tried not to stare at her, tried not to be transfixed by the sternness of her gaze. “As you wish. Do you have another account?”“Yes. Isabella Hayes now I'm suspicious but she didn't even look tense."I typed in her name and saw her funds, she was broke.She had enough money to complete the transaction she was asking for, but very little on top of that. I never reacted to my clients’ incomes because they were all multimillionaires and billionaires.Honestly, she shouldn’t even have been a client of mine because she had no need for my services. She didn’t need money laundering or government assistance but I wasn’t going to be an ass to this gorgeous woman. “Who is still a mystery to be.”She pulled out a document from her purse and set it in front of me. It contained the wiring directions to send the funds to the company.There was usually a fee to do this kind of transaction, but I decided to wave it because if I didn’t, she might not be able to eat. I worked on the comp
Adrian POV When I rosefrom my chair, I buttoned the front of my suit and I held the folder of papers in my hand and left my office to head down the hallway.My footfalls were heavy on the hard wood, and my shoes were stiff because they were new.There was a slight squeak in the air, but since they were hand-picked by my designer, I ignored the sound.My grandfather door was cracked at the end of the hallway, and as I got closer, the old rush of feelings returned and I hated that fucking asshole.I walked inside when he was on the phone, noticing his well tailored black suit. The last time we had a real conversation was when I told him to fuck off when Serena suddenly disappeared again for the second time, I still didn't understand that shit about the DNA and once again, I'm in the dark. We were civil as much as possible, communicating at the bare minimum to get the company running. I tossed the folder on his desk. “These are my numbers for the week.”Victor stared at me with the phon
Serena's ears rang as Dr. Brooks' words settled over and her heart couldn't stop pounding.A first-degree biological relationship, there was only one man on earth who could match that description, and she had spent five years making sure he would never come within a hundred feet of a hospital form with Noah's name on it."Who submitted the sample?" she asked, forcing the words past the tightness in her throat."That's the complication," Dr. Brooks said carefully. "It came through the general donor registry three days ago and there was no name attached, just a registration number. We only ran the compatibility match against Noah's profile this morning, and it came back stronger than anything we've ever seen since we started searching.""Anonymous donors happen?""Rarely but it's not unheard of for someone with means to prefer privacy, especially in this city."There was a pause before Dr. Brooks continued. "Serena, I have to ask this question directly. Is there any possibility Noah's
"Noah!"Serena's voice echoed through the apartment but there was no answer and her heart slammed against her ribs as she rushed into the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "Noah!"She flung open the first bedroom door but the bed was neatly made and the closet stood empty.She checked under the bed even though she knew a five-year-old couldn't disappear into thin air but saw nothing.She ran to the guest room and it was empty even the bathroom and the laundry room.Her breathing became shallow. "Noah!" she screamed again, her voice breaking.She stumbled back into the living room, her eyes darting wildly around the apartment, his toy blocks were still scattered across the rug and the little dinosaur lay on its side.One of his tiny sneakers had fallen beside the couch, he hadn't taken anything with him.Her hands shook so violently that she nearly dropped her phone while calling Ethan.He answered on the second ring. "Serena?""He... he's gone."His voice immediately changed. "What hap
Adrian didn't sleep and long after the lights of the city had dimmed, he remained in his study with a glass of untouched whiskey sitting beside his laptop.Adrian eyes weren't on the screen anymore, they were fixed on the wall ahead, but his mind was trapped five years in the past.Victor had met Serena that day and that much was no longer a question but the question was why.His grandfather had warned him to stop investigating, yet the security footage only made him want answers even more.A soft knock broke the silence. "It's open."Daniel stepped inside carrying a tablet and another folder. "I apologize for the late hour, sir.""If you've found something, the hour doesn't matter."Daniel placed the folder on the desk. "I spoke with the apartment building's former manager."Adrian straightened in his chair. "And?""He retired two years ago, but he remembered your case.""What did he say?""He found it strange."Adrian frowned. "Explain.""The day Miss Hayes disappeared, several peop
Victor's words lingered in the office long after he finished speaking but Adrian didn't look away.He had spent his entire life respecting the man standing before him. Victor Ashford was many things...ruthless, calculating, impossible to deceive but never careless with his words.Today, he had slipped and Adrian slowly rose from his chair. "Whose lie?"Victor's expression remained unreadable. "What?""You said everything I believed about Serena was a lie." Adrian folded his arms. "Whose lie was it?"The older man walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.."The past is buried for a reason.""I didn't ask about the past.""I know what you asked.""Then answer me."Victor remained silent and the silence irritated Adrian more than any argument could have."For five years," Adrian continued, "I believed Serena walked away because she'd found someone else."Victor said nothing. "I believed she left me a letter."Still nothing. "I believed she chose another life."Victo







