Chapter 13 - The Man Behind the Name

The next morning, Arabella arrived at Montgomery Holdings determined not to think about Adrian Knight.

She lasted until nine fifteen.

The records specialist had agreed to examine the document, provided she explained where it came from. Arabella had given him only the necessary details; she wasn’t ready to put Sebastian’s name into another person’s hands.

A knock sounded against her open door.

Vanessa stepped inside carrying two takeaway cups. “Peace offering.”

“For what?”

“For making you work through lunch yesterday. And because you look like you’ve been arguing with a spreadsheet all night.”

“I was arguing with a man, actually. The spreadsheet was innocent.”

Vanessa placed a cup beside her keyboard. “Adrian?”

Arabella gave her a look. “Why does everyone assume every difficult thing in my life has something to do with him?”

“Because you say his name like you’re trying to win an argument with it.”

Arabella reached for the coffee to hide her smile. “He gave me a contact for an independent records specialist. That’s all.”

“And you trust this specialist?”

“I trust that he can examine a document. I haven’t decided what I think about the person who recommended him.”

Vanessa’s expression shifted for a moment.

“What?” Arabella asked.

“I just think you should be careful about letting Adrian get close while everything with the company is uncertain.”

“That’s the second time you’ve warned me about him.”

“He’s interested in Montgomery Holdings. That’s not exactly a coincidence.”

The point was fair, which made it irritating.

Vanessa sat opposite her. “I’m not saying he’s lying. I’m saying you don’t know him.”

“Neither do you.”

“No,” Vanessa said a little too quickly. “I don’t.”

A small silence settled between them.

They had known each other for years, and Arabella could usually read Vanessa better than almost anyone. Lately, it felt as though her friend kept pulling a curtain across her face.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Arabella asked.

Vanessa looked down at her cup. “About what?”

“That’s what I’m asking.”

For a second, Arabella thought her friend might answer honestly. Instead, Vanessa stood and smoothed the front of her jacket.

“I have to get going. Call me later, okay?”

“Vanessa—”

“I will, Bella.”

She left before Arabella could decide whether to stop her.

Arabella stared at the untouched coffee. She had asked a straightforward question and received an unmistakable avoidance.

Again.

Late that morning, her assistant announced that Adrian Knight was downstairs.

Arabella nearly dropped her pen.

“Did he say why he’s here?”

“He has a meeting here and asked whether you received the specialist’s details.”

“Tell him I did. I can manage the rest myself.”

A few minutes later, her assistant called again. “Mr Knight says he’ll be in the conference room for another twenty minutes if you want to discuss the verification process. There’s no need to come down if you’re busy.”

She should have been relieved that he wasn’t insisting. Instead, the choice left entirely in her hands irritated her.

Still, Adrian might know which surviving records could help verify the document. That was a practical reason to speak to him, she reminded herself as she walked to the conference room.

Adrian stood beside the table, reading a document. He looked up when she entered.

“I thought you were going to manage the rest yourself,” he said.

“I am. I’m here to ask two questions, not surrender my independence.”

“I’m relieved. I wasn’t prepared to negotiate for it.”

She sat across from him. “What exactly should the specialist compare the reference number against?”

“The surviving project ledgers, if they can be located. And any records showing how the original accounts were transferred after the project failed.” He closed his folder. “But he should decide what’s relevant. Neither of us should tell him what conclusion to reach.”

Arabella studied him, surprised.

“What?” he asked.

“I expected you to have a much longer list of instructions.”

“I can make one, if it would make you more comfortable.”

“Don’t ruin the moment.”

His mouth curved into a small smile. “I wouldn’t dare.”

For a moment, the room felt less like a battleground. He had made space for her to disagree without turning it into a contest.

It was an unexpectedly appealing quality.

She immediately decided she disliked that thought.

“I’ll send the specialist the details we can verify,” she said. “Anything else will have to wait.”

“That’s sensible.”

“Careful, Mr Knight. Two compliments in one day might damage your reputation.”

“Then I shall try to be more unpleasant tomorrow.”

She stood, fighting a smile. “I look forward to it.”

The words escaped before she could soften them.

Adrian’s expression changed—not dramatically, just enough to tell her he’d heard the invitation hidden inside the joke.

Arabella turned for the door before he could respond.

Back at her desk, she began drafting her reply to the specialist. Her doubts about Sebastian, Vanessa, and Adrian remained.

But beneath all of them sat a new, inconvenient thought.

She had gone to the conference room for answers about an old financial record.

Instead, she had come away wondering what Adrian Knight might be like if she ever stopped expecting the worst from him.