t at the dining table, her phone still clutched in her hand, the headline from the article burning in her

had given her for managing her schedule and pulled up his calendar. Meetings, conference calls, and

om, lined with dark wood paneling and accented by sleek, modern furniture, smelled faintly of coffe

" he asked, his tone

e, and his jaw tightened as he scrolled through the article. When he finally se

s voice carried an edge of uncertainty

looking. And if Vivienne is behind this,

ingers as he considered her words. For a momen

d. "But we need to be strategic. If we overr

ut you, Thom. If they expose us, my life is over. I can't go back

of the CEO gave way to something more human. "You won't

he boundaries of their agreement were blurring, and with every passing day, she f

to join, though she felt like an outsider among the polished professionals who filled the conference room.

he PR managers said. "We need to give them a sto

suggested. "Something that reaffirms

t Helena. "Wha

.. we need to be careful. If it looks too staged,

ul. "Then it needs to be genuine.

social media posts. By the time the meeting ended, Helena's head was spinning. She was be

one she hadn't had the chance to enjoy since moving into the penthouse. The kitchen, with its state-

hom appeared in the doorway, his tie loosened and his sleeves

ed, a hint of amus

d. "It's not gourme

, watching as she worked. "Wh

ing normal," she said, glancin

ed. "You're handling it

ed to face him. "Am I? Because it

y. "You're stronger than you think, H

But before either of them could say anything more, Thom's pho

" he said, already mo

wanted to believe him, to trust that he would keep his promise. But trust

he pressure was beginning to take its toll. During a rare quiet moment, she decided to visit the

er, the kind that had clearly been read many times. Curious, she picked it up and flipp

T

me from, and never lose s

ot

e into a side of Thom she hadn't seen before, a reminder that

ntered the room. He paused in the doorway,

said quickly, setting the bo

sion unreadable. "My mother gave this to me before she

how to respond. "She must

elieved I could do more than I thought I could. Sometimes,

said softly. "You're driven, and you

een them. But before either of them could say mor

s," he said, his voic

she was starting to see the real Thom Bernard. And des

d by another notification on her phone. She groaned, expecting it to

anonymou

u trust. The trut

creen. Someone knew. And whoever it was,

ade they had built was beginning to crack,