AdrianYesterday didn’t leave me.The paper in my pocket, the smell of antiseptic, the man’s voice saying _altered_ and _closed quickly_ — it all sat under my skin.I realized then that this was deeper than debt, deeper than Lancaster, deeper than Vivian leaving me five years ago.So first thing I did when I got home was call my secretary.“Elena, I need you to look into hospital records,” I said. “St. Mary’s. Five years ago. Vivian Sinclair.”She didn’t ask why. She never did.“I’ll start first thing, sir.”Now it was morning.I walked into Lancaster at 8:15am. The building was too bright. Too clean. My mind wasn’t here. It was on Celeste’s father.Mr. Whitmore.He hadn’t called in three days. Not about the wedding. Not about the merger we were supposed to finalize next month. That wasn’t like him. He liked control. He liked calls.And I was having a bad feeling about it.My plan was simple. Get to my office, give him a call, confirm that we were still partners. Confirm that nothing
Last Updated : 2026-09-14 Read more