Nathan POV I race through the hallway, Han and Adrian running behind me. I catch my reflection in the glass-panneled walls. I look like a man possessed.Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!I can't think. Can't even plan. I pull my phone out of my pocket, and sure as day, I can't get a single bar. Whatever Sebastian did to lock down the building, it's also affecting the connectivity up here. Despite myself, I can't help but be impressed by this stroke.I push the door to Controls, stepping in. My breath is ragged from my run, and when my employees see me, their eyes widen in fear before it settles into recognition.“One of you. Explain. Now,” I growl, stepping closer.Adrian and Han arrive as the IT guy begins to explain. “Sir, I still don't understand exactly how it happened. This is custom-built malware. Sophisticated stuff. It’s designed to stay hidden, and it’s wrapped in multiple layers of obfuscation. I’ve been digging through the code, but every time I try to unpack it, it thro
Lena POVGrace snorts. “You've been in bed with him all day. You can't possibly be missing him. It's barely been 3 hours.”I smile, ignoring my best friend. Willow has us on the roof, tending to tomatoes. The smell of wet earth is calming, and sunlight streams from above, filtering through our shade. “You don't miss Adrian?” I ask, my tone as innocent as I can make it. Grace's jaws snap shot. She opens them to say something, but her mouth only moves, forming words, but not saying them. She gives up eventually. “How long?”I laugh. “How long have I known? Jesus, Grace. You're my best friend and I'm not stupid. I see the way you look at him. And the way he looks at you.”Grace doesn't say anything, turning to transplant a vegetable into a new pot. But I can see the blush staining her neck. “I wanted to tell you,” she says finally, sighing. “Huh-uh.”She winces. “I've been a terrible friend.”I shrug. I don't think so, but Grace looks like she has more to say, so I don't want to inter
Nathan POVAs I walk into the familiar premises of my office building. Sleek glass panelling, air-conditioned hallways, the soft whirring of ventilators. It's like coming home after a long time. Heads swivel to watch me. My employees, cleaners, reporters, board members, investors, fans, they're all here. Their looks are looks of combined disbelief and surprise. None of them believed I would be here. Not in a million years. I feel immediately self-conscious without Lena by my side. She'd wanted to come, but my grandmother and I refused. I didn't think I could keep her safe here in this den of traps and vipers. “Who's going to keep you safe, Nathan?” she yelled at me, angrily wiping tears out of her eyes. I didn't have an answer then, but I don't have an answer now. Adrian tails beside me, his eyes hidden behind dark frames. He has an earpiece in his ears, and he watches around us with keen wariness. He hasn't said anything about my decision to come here. Adrian has always been loyal
Nathan POV I'm sitting in front of the large TV, and my white knuckled fist wrapped around the remote. I can hear the plastic groaning in my grip, feel it bending and breaking slowly. Then it snaps. I feel a slight sting on my palm, but through the haze of my anger, I don't feel it. It's a distant sensation, barely worth my notice. Richard fills my view. He's wearing a smart suit, one that probably costs a small car. His hair is immaculately done, and there's a gleam in his eyes. A small content smile plays on his lips as he speaks to the reporter. “Nathan is and has always been my son. I love him more than anything in this world.” He sighs. “But the truth has to be said. He's bad for the company. You've followed the news, haven't you? Stocks are dipping, the investors and pundits are confused about what's happening, and even our employees want a bit of assurance. But where is Nathan? He's holed up somewhere, probably not giving a fuck about any of us, if you'll pardon my language.
Nathan POV She's wearing a coat the colour of wood. The first thing I notice is her makeup. Lena doesn't usually wear makeup, but this time, she has the entire thing covering her face. The angles of her face has been coloured to an edge; the blush in her cheeks is a deep, vibrant pink. Her lips are the colour of blood. It's not that she's less beautiful. Quite the opposite. She's beautiful, but in a different way. The Lena I know doesn't wear her beauty like a bludgeon. This time, she is. She's wearing a blond wig, and she pulls it off, setting it on the bed next to me. She rubs her eyes with the back of her fist, smearing the mascara. And that's when I notice her eyes. They're red and puffy. Like she's been crying. “Nathan?” Hearing her voice breaks something inside of me. Irrationally, I thought I'd hear condemnation, maybe hatred, like in my nightmares. Hearing the real Lena, hearing the real concern in her voice, loosens something inside o
Nathan POV “Where is she?”In two hours, I've discovered that yelling with the amount of stitches over my gut is a right fucking idea. If I wasn't so angry, the pain would have knocked me unconscious. I try for a low growl. “Where is she, Adrian?”Adrian shakes his head sadly. “I don't know, Nathan. One minute she was in the house. And one minute she wasn't. She even took my car.”My grandmother continues with her knitting, clacking needles together as she spins a ball of yarn. She's making a sweater? “You're not worried about her?” I ask, feeling my annoyance rise. My grandmother doesn't spare me a glance. She jabs a knitting needle in my direction. “Men, I believe, worry too much about everything. It's no surprise that you die earlier than we do. That kind of worrying does terrible things to your blood pressure.”“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Lena is missing! We're on lockdown, and she's missing