My heart pounded hectically even three hours after Aiden and I parted. It felt like pure madness. The words he told me left me confused but, at the same time, foolishly hopeful. I should have been wiser. I shouldn't have felt this way. I was supposed to focus on finding Julienne's killer, not consider engaging in a romantic relationship with my boss!"Don't fool yourself, Charlie. You are falling fast." I knew I could always count on Emily's brutal honesty. She was waiting for me to return as if she was anticipating Santa on Christmas Day. Certainly, I was then forced to give her a full and detailed report about my not-date with Aiden Hart.I slumped on our sofa and showed her my trembling hands. "I don't know what I'm doing. I feel strange around him, out of control. I'm beginning to want things I haven't thought about in a long time. I feel butterflies in my stomach for absolutely no reason, and I'm turning into a complete idiot!" I groaned and tilted my head back.Emily sighed and

I squeezed the documents in my hand. "I'm just doing my job, Mr. Hart," I said and gave him my best attempt at a smile. His eyes landed on the papers I held. "Show me the documents." He almost hung a meaningful "or else" on the final note. "These are copies of the documents the CEO needed," I explained, shifting my hand to my back. He inched closer and stretched his hand, aiming for my wrist. I stepped back and frowned at him. "Mr. Hart, I suggest you don't make things harder for me. I am working for your brother, and I answer to him alone." I studied his expression and found something frighteningly disturbing. His eyes were filled with darkness, while his lips twitched into an angry smile. Resisting a swallow, I stepped back. "Excuse me, I need to get back to work," I said and turned toward the elevator. He leaped forward and blocked my way. "You must realize that I practically own this company. Now, I will let you go as soon as you show me the documents you took from the archives

The rest of the evening was a blur. I couldn't think. I could barely breathe, and all my sensitive parts were aching for attention. I needed someone who could disarm the pressure inside me, help me calm down, and reboot my brain. Unfortunately, Emily was still out of reach, and I could either use BOB—my Battery-Operated Boyfriend—or a cold shower. The latter won since my agitation quickly grew past the point where I could perform more complicated operations than entering the bathroom and turning on the water. I knew I should have transferred my attention elsewhere. I should have thought solely about the contracts signed by Caesar Hart and all issues related to them. I should have actively searched for other potential suspects and perhaps found out more about Caesar's most trusted ally in the company, Mr. Stone. But was I doing any of it? No! I kept my mind filled with images of Aiden, and how it felt when his lips touched mine. For the first time in four years, I felt wanted, and it f

I had always been a good swimmer—not a good diver, but a good swimmer. But all my skills turned out to be useless when I fell into the water, completely breathless. My instincts told me to move, but the pain radiating from my stomach and the lack of air efficiently took away my muscle power. If it wasn't bad enough, those multiple layers of silk in my skirt cocooned me, thoroughly blocking my vision. I panicked. I was desperate for air, but no matter how fiercely I tried, I couldn't reach the surface. Instinctively, I opened my mouth as if I was trying to suck the oxygen out of the surrounding water. My throat burned from the helpless struggle. I vaguely heard noises distorted by water. Someone screamed. My vision darkened, and then I thought how stupid it would be to die in the pool during a VIP party. Would someone write an article about it? Would they call me a drunken, idiotic, rich girl who fell into the pool and drowned because she got stuck between a ridiculous number of layers

That wasn't exactly how I imagined spending Saturday afternoon. I was in Aiden's office, staring at the laptop screen and desperately trying to control my rising panic. My moment of madness with Aiden in the Palais des Roses suite ended right after Logan's phone call. We packed and rushed back to New York City. Now I was sitting on the sofa with Logan beside me while Aiden stood by his desk, making his million-and-one call. The video of Aiden carrying me out of the pool was playing on the laptop's screen on repeat, and I just wished that someone had pinched me and woken me up from this nightmare.I wasn't sure what triggered Aiden's agitation, but I definitely knew why I was about to go frantic. My face was shown clearly in more than a few frames of this video, and of course, so was Aiden's. I couldn't have cared less if there had been only "civilians" who watched that damn clip. I wasn't a celebrity, and even if I had flashed my naked butt straight to the camera, I would have shrugge