LOGINElena stared at the far wall, her mind racing. Harlan wouldn't do something like this. If the cameras didn't catch him, how could he have been here? Nothing about this adds up."For Harlan to avoid the cameras," Alexander offered, breaking into her thoughts, "there are only two possibilities. Either he knew about a specific blind spot and used it—or he had a hand in taking the document and made sure he wouldn't be seen."Elena couldn't argue with the logic, much as she hated it. But she couldn't simply accept it either—not without looking Harlan in the eye herself."What do we do now, boss?" Grace asked carefully.Elena let out a long, quiet sigh. "Leave it to me. I’ll handle this myself. Just keep an eye on the company." She reached for her handbag and stood up from behind her desk. "I'm heading out. That will be all for now.""Yes, ma'am." Grace bowed slightly and backed out of the room."Let's go," Elena said, turning to Alexander.Alexander straightened up. "Where are we going?""
At the Meridian headquarters, the mood had shifted from impatience to something closer to suspicion. The contract should have been on their desk by now. It wasn't. No call, no update, no explanation. Ryan Cole — heir to the Lucas Cole, heir to the Meridian Group and son of Raymond Cole, had just set foot back in the country since the last time he left. He had held onto his father’s promise—that Elena would be brought to choose him willingly, rather than being forced into his arms. He had returned believing he would be officially taking his place beside his bride. Instead, he stood here looking as though the journey to win her heart had not even begun. He sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on the empty space in front of him. "Why hasn’t she come?" he muttered, leaning back slowly into his chair. "The contract was simple. All she had to do was sign it. A single day should have been more than enough." He turned the thought over in his mind, the silence of the room only feeding his frustr
Enough." Alexander lowered the gun. He looked at Harrison steadily. "Tell Raymond Cole the work is in progress. I will be in touch with what comes next." He set the gun down on the table. Elena stood very still. The pain in her ankle faded beneath something colder — a quiet ache settling deep in her chest. She had been a pawn. A trap. A forced choice disguised as salvation. Her stomach turned. “Let’s go,” Alexander said to her. Elena took a step — and her ankle twisted beneath her. Pain shot through her leg, sharp and sudden, and she cried out despite herself. Alexander caught her before she hit the ground. His hand was firm around her waist. His other arm steadied her elbow. For a suspended second, their eyes locked, and something strange passed between them — charged, private, unspoken. Nadia's voice cut through like a blade. "What are you doing? Helping her stand or holding her hostage?" Alexander steadied Elena and adjusted his grip to something more appropriate
Drake stepped forward with both hands in his pockets, shaking his head slowly. “I have never met anyone as arrogant as you in my entire life. He didn’t wait for a reply. His right hand shot up, fast and hard, aimed straight at Alexander’s jaw.” But the blow never landed. Alexander caught his wrist mid-swing — not with effort, not with strain, but with the kind of lazy precision that made it look like he’d known before Drake had even decided to throw it. His fingers closed around Drake’s wrist like iron. Drake stared at his own hand, held there like it had hit a wall. “You are standing in front of death itself,” he said, his voice dropping low, “and you are still pulling this? What is wrong with you?” Behind Alexander, Nadia was pinching him in the back, hitting him with her knuckles, whispering urgently. “What are you doing? Do you not value your life? Do you not care about any of us right now?” Alexander didn’t answer her. He didn’t even glance back. His eyes stayed locked on Drake —
Drake stared at him. Then he burst out laughing — a sharp, surprised sound. "Elena?" He shook his head. "I think I understand your plan now. Trying to get close to two best friends at the same time. I have to say — I actually admire that." "You—" Nadia snapped. "What are you pretending for?" Drake said, looking at Nadia. "You did not even know your friend had something going on with her own bodyguard, did you?" He smiled. "I just figured it out right now." Nadia stepped forward. Alexander touched her arm lightly. She stopped. Drake reached for the wine bottle on the table and poured himself a glass. "Look," he said, settling back. "We are both men. Let us be reasonable about this." He took a slow sip. "There are plenty of women in this city. More than enough. Elena is mine — I think we have established that. But her friends?" He waved a hand generously. "All yours. And that is just the beginning." He leaned forward. "Tell me what she is paying you. Whatever the number is, I wil
Alexander arrived at the Voss residence a few minutes later.He had barely reached the entrance when Ryan pushed past him and spun around, pointing. "You just wait right there—" He turned toward the door, already calling out for Drake's men to come and put this man on his knees before he set foot inside.But Ryan was stopped at the door before he could get through."I'm sorry, sir. You are not permitted to enter."Ryan stared at the guard. "I have been here twice already. Do you not recognize me? I am Young Master Drake's friend.""Young Master Drake did not mention you, sir. You will have to wait outside."Ryan opened his mouth to argue. Alexander stepped forward." All of you, I am here to settle an account with your Young Master," Alexander said. He looked at the guards one by one, slowly. "That has nothing to do with any of you. But if you decide to get in the way—" he paused, "don't say I didn't warn you.""How dare you—" one of the guards started.Then a group of men came out fr
The laugh started small and built into something loud and genuine. The laugh of a man who has just heard something he finds truly funny. He turned to his group with his arms spread wide and two of them laughed along.“Sixty seconds.” He kept laughing when he turned back. “You walked in here alone.
Elena put the phone down after her father's call and sat very still for a moment. Then she stood up. She paced the room slowly. Back and forth. Her mind turning over everything and finding nowhere to land. The contract. Grace is still somewhere in the building. The access log. The legal team. He
While Elena was sitting in her meeting one floor below, Harlan was already inside her office. He walked in through the main entrance without any hesitation. He had grown up coming in and out of this building, so he knew every hallway, every corner, and exactly how the security worked. Since his dea
Near the entrance, a group of men sat around a table. Drake Voss was sitting at the center of the group. well-dressed and relaxed. The kind of relaxation that comes from having money for a long time. He was young. Not much older than Elena. Slim build. Short dark hair. An expensive suit sitting







