로그인Nora's povI sat at Maya's kitchen island with my laptop open, going through a long list of floor art for the museum.My coffee had gone cold an hour ago, but I was too lazy to even think about throwing it out. "Nora," Maya said, walking into the kitchen wearing a tight hot pink dress."You need to go get ready. Our date is in two hours."I didn't take my eyes off the monitor as I replied. "I don't have a date, Maya. 'You' have a date.""We agreed on this days ago!" Maya groaned, stepping beside me and slapping the top of my laptop screen halfway shut."You promised you'd come along for bestie support."I blinked, looking up at her in shock. "Wait, it's already six o'clock?""Yes!""Maya, I really don't think I can go," I said quickly, pushing the screen back up."I have way too much work to finish for the expansion on Monday.""Oh, absolute rubbish," Maya snapped, folding her arms."Nora, you have worked every single day since you got to London. You can't spend the rest of your life
Nora's pov. I got out of the cab as fast as I could and hurried toward the front doors of Vance & Associates. My leg was aching slightly but I couldn't afford to slow down. I had no idea if the contractors had gone up already, but I knew they would be annoyed by my absence. But at that moment, the front doors were pulled open and four men in Green vests stepped out of the building, carrying thick rolls of paper and leather bags. They looked furious. "We came all the way across town because we were told the head architect wanted to see us." one of the men grumbled, waving a hand in frustration."And she's not even here!""It's a complete waste of our time," another man agreed, shaking his head."Let's just go."My heart sank to my stomach at this point. With how they looked, I couldn't possibly let them walk away. I took a deep breath, stepped in front of them and stood as straight as I could."Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Nora Vance, the lead architect on the Kensington project
Nora's pov.I pushed myself away from my desk, rolling my shoulders to ease the ache between my shoulders. The morning had gone by quickly, but thankfully the first draft of my drawings for the site foundation would be complete soon. I grabbed my purse, pushed myself off my chair and grabbed my coat. My stomach had already begun grumbling, so I decided to head down the hall to Maya's office to see if she wanted to grab food together.When I reached her door, I knocked twice. On getting to answer, I pushed the door of her office open slightly and peeked inside.Maya was sitting at her desk, twirling a pen in her fingers with a massive, goofy grin on her face. She was practically talking into her phone, giggling like a teenager with her first crush."I might bring a friend along," Maya said, her voice pitched in that overly sweet tone she only used when flirting. She paused, laughing at whatever the person on the other end said. "Well, I hope you're as energetic as this when we actuall
Julian's pov. "What makes you think you're special?"Clara's smile disappeared almost immediately, as she slowly lowered her hand.The playful look on her face turned into a frown before she forced a small chuckle. "Oh, come on, Julian," she said, leaning back and resting her hands on her lap."I know you've been under a lot of stress lately with the company. You're just busy.""Being busy doesn't mean I want unexpected visitors interrupting my workday, Clara," I said firmly. She stiffened slightly, her eyes searching my face for what I couldn't quite figure out.But I knew, this wasn't the reaction she had planned for. She glanced down at her red dress, then back at me with a deeper frown. "Are you angry with me?"she asked softly, her voice dropping into that quiet soft tone she usually used when she wanted me to comfort her.I didn't answer right away. My eyes shifted to the bouquet of red roses resting right on top of my desk. A week ago, I might have thought it was a sweet
Julian's pov.I didn't even bother looking up from the thick stack of documents on my desk when the door was pulled open. "What is it this time?" I asked, pushing a few strands of hair out of my face. My assistant, Mark, stepped into the room holding a document against his chest with a pale look on his face. "Mr. Vance, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we found several errors in the company's account that need your immediate review. The numbers aren't balancing." He said, his voice trembling slightly. I threw my pen onto my desk, before saying, "Are you being serious right now, Mark? What exactly do I pay you for if something this simple has to be brought directly to my desk? Figure it out!""Sir, I tried," Mark said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's just... usually, Lady Nora goes over these reports first. She always catches the missing entries before they reach your desk."The room went silent immediately, hearing her name felt like a slap across my face. My hand on the des
Nora's pov. "With respect, ma'am, this isn't about running," Officer Patel said. "It's about keeping yourself safe.""He's right, Nora," Maya said, turning to me. "You're not staying here tonight. End of discussion."I looked around the living room, my gaze falling on the sealed plastic bags on the coffee table. The apartment felt different now, it seemed bigger and made me uncomfortable. But still, I didn't want to leave. Yet the thought of having an intruder in my house made my stomach turn in fear. "Okay, I'll go ahead and pack some thing's." I said softly. Maya let out a sigh in relief, "Thank you."Officer Hargrove picked up one of the sealed plastic bags before looking up, "We'll test all of this for fingerprints at the station. If anything comes up, or if we get a lead on Clara, I'll call you immediately.""Do you think you can actually find who sent it without an address?" I asked, fiddling with the hem of my trousers. "It's hard to say," Hargrove admitted. "We'll also re







