جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 103

MALCOM HEARTST Constructions wasn’t far, less than fifteen minutes away.If Mr. Lincoln truly wanted to see me, he would’ve called himself or sent his secretary. That alone put me on edge.I pulled into the parking lot and walked toward the building.I was barely halfway inside when a man in a white shirt approached me.“Mr. Heart?” he asked politely.“Yes,” I replied.“Please, come with me.”I followed him down the hall until we reached the Lincolns' private mini restaurant.“Here, sir.” He gestured toward the bar. Only one man sat there, perched on a bar stool, his back turned to us.The man who brought me stopped behind him.“Mr. Heart is here, sir.”The man on the stool turned around.He was young, with Irish-colored eyes and sharp jawlines. For a moment, I thought I was looking at a younger version of Mr. Lincoln.He stood and extended his hand, a smile on his face, one I would easily describe as smug.“Nice to meet you, Mr. Heart.”I shook his hand, keeping my expression calm,

KARIMA HEARTI finally found the nerve to shake her hand back. It came out more awkward than I intended. But I pretended it didn’t.“You already know my name,” I said evenly. “Even though I only just found out yours.”Her lips curved into a slow smirk.“I don’t like dancing around words,” she said firmly but calmly. “So forgive me if I’m direct from now on.”I nodded, but I couldn’t ignore the thought creeping in. Now I understood why Owain would fall for someone like her. She was sharp. Confident. And there was something dark in the way she carried herself, the same edge Owain always had.I had alot of questions bubbling in but I tried to keep them away.“I don’t like games either,” I replied. “So let’s start with how you knew my name, Ciara.”She tilted her head intentionally, studying me like she was deciding whether I even understood what I’d just asked.“I assumed Owain had mentioned me,” she said calmly. “I thought you two were… serious.”“We agreed to be direct,” I said. “So le