Lahat ng Kabanata ng Second Time, Mrs. Ricciardi: Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 168

I opened the same project folder and pulled up the two documents side by side.There was an additional line item in the floral budget that had only been approved after yesterday's client call. The amount matched down to the last digit, including a revision code that should've appeared only in our working file.Someone wasn't just pretending to be GALA. Someone knew where GALA kept its work.I closed the email, opened the audit history, and pulled my chair closer to the table. “Okay,” I said. “Let's find out who thinks they were invited into my house.”Dianna turned her laptop toward me. “IT already checked the internal accounts with access to that budget. There hasn't been any suspicious login activity on our accounts since yesterday.”“On our accounts,” I repeated. “What about the shared workspace?”“They're pulling those logs now.”I opened the document history, went through the revisions one by one, and compared the timestamps against the copy sent to the client.Most of it looked

Its five p.m when Marie came back into the conference room with her laptop in hand.Most of the staff had already gone back to work on their respective floors. Dianna was on the phone with a client, Jemima was correcting the vendor schedule on the big screen, and Rafael was still sitting beside me, reading the security documents Theo had just sent over.“Boss.” Marie approached me.I looked up. Something in her voice made me put my pen down immediately. “What?”“I found an additional file in the archived vendor folder.”“An invoice?”“No.”“A contract?”Marie shook her head.I pushed my laptop aside. “Okay. What is it?”She set her laptop on the table and opened the folder Vela Meridian Logistics had previously used to upload delivery documentation during Project Glass House.There were several ordinary documents.Vehicle schedules.Equipment handover.Delivery confirmations.And one video file.The filename told me absolutely nothing, just a combination of letters and numbers with an

The Whitcomb mansion was just as beautiful as I remembered.The old Edwardian house stood behind black iron gates and rows of neatly trimmed trees, with stone steps leading up to the entrance, tall windows, and a backyard overlooking the city lights. Inside, there was dark wood paneling, family portraits worth enough to make an accountant cry, and antique chandeliers that had probably witnessed more affairs than an entire season of reality television.I loved it.Rafael got out of the car first, then waited while the driver opened my door. Three security guards spread out discreetly enough that most guests wouldn't even realize they were part of the same team.“How many people did you bring?” I whispered as I took Rafael's arm.“Enough.”“Rafael.”“Not as many as you think.”“When your answer involves the word enough, I immediately picture an entire platoon.”He gave me a faint smile and led me up the steps.Inside, Mrs. Whitcomb greeted us in a burgundy gown, oversized pearls, and th

Rafael led me onto the dance floor, one hand resting at my waist while my other hand settled on his shoulder. His movements were smooth and effortless, and he led so naturally that I didn't even have to think about where my feet were supposed to go next.“You're enjoying this,” I whispered as we moved to the music.“I'm dancing with my wife.”“And avoiding an interrogation.”“Two things can be true at once.”I scoffed.Rafael dipped his head slightly. “Still mad?”“Yes.”“Good.”I looked up at him. “Good?”“You're still willing to dance with me.”I stared at him.He smiled.I desperately wanted to smack that handsome face with my clutch. Sadly, I'd left it on the table.“You know what,” I said, “there are plenty of men in this room who'd probably be easier to talk to.”“Ramirez, for example?”Oh. I smiled slowly. “Axel is a great conversationalist.”“Apparently.”“And he's an architect. He has plenty of stories.”“The printer story was particularly impressive.”I laughed.Rafael shift