rst te

he house, took a deep breath. The air was clear, heavy with the smell of pine and damp earth, a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere inside. She had spent the mor

guiding her towards the woods. The light dress she wore swayed as she moved, and although she wasn'

t, until a sound behind her shattered the illusion of so

? called out

with a dark beard and piercing eyes. The other, younger,

replied, trying to mai

his arms. The boss's new wife. But that doesn't giv

re of anger and une

s forbidden, she repl

a step forward, hi

y, almost warningly. It's a question of security. Y

suddenly fe

meone should

t laughing, a sound th

yone here has time

d them. The three turned to see Ethan emerge from t

here? he roared, ad

ing around, the tall man replied

planation and headed s

he asked, his voice low bu

replied, lifting her chin in

telling anyone? Do you re

ayna, but she ref

ained the rules of your little f

, as if struggling t

nally said, his

n her, but she finally turned and headed bac

the house, Et

out like that? he called, s

eplied, turning to face him. And

d her, his g

n, Alayna. You don't know

she retorted. Tell m

fore turning on his heel and leaving the r

ghts swirling around the incident. Why did Ethan seem so angry?

s slightly ajar, and she knew he was busy elsewhere. The hesitation l

il exuding authority. On the desk sat a pile of documents, and am

er. Opening it, she discovered a series of lette

t, she mutter

ed clues to the source of the blackmail, but they also raised more questions. Wh

her. She quickly put the letters back in thei

ermined to find out. But one thing was certain: the