Karl stood near the long table that sat in the center of the living area, his attention fixed on the large monitor Zach had connected to his laptop. The glow from the screen washed across the room, illuminating the three men gathered around it while the rest of the loft remained dim. Reed stood a few steps behind Karl with his hands behind his back and faced a void of expression as usual. He had asked Maxwell to allow him the honour of serving Karl again after years of the young master's disappearance. Luckily, the old man had agreed. Why he did remains a mystery to both Karl and Reed. Zach sat in front of the laptop with one leg stretched out under the table and the other bouncing slightly as his fingers moved across the keyboard. Several windows filled the screen; security footage, timestamps, and small digital maps that marked the location of different cameras inside and outside the ballroom where the attack had happened. Karl had decided to look deeper into the att

Anna did not expect the slap. The sound of it cracked through the office before she even fully processed what had happened. Her head jerked to the side as pain flared across her cheek. For a moment the room spun slightly and she tasted copper at the back of her mouth where her teeth had cut into the inside of her lip. She stood frozen where she was, one hand slowly rising to touch the burning skin of her face. Across the desk, Melody was still standing with her arm half-lowered and her eyes as cold as ever. “How dare you?!” Melody said. Anna blinked, trying to steady herself. Her thoughts struggled to catch up with the situation. Only minutes earlier she had been called into the office without explanation and then she got hit. Across the room, Caden stood behind Melody, hands to his pocket as his gaze remained fixed on Anna. She had always thought Caden would do anything Melody asked but she'd been wrong. He was pretending to be tameable. Melody turned slightly to

Karl pushed open the door to the hotel room as quietly as he could. The last thing he wanted was for him to wake her up. The door swung open and he stepped inside quietly, his eyes adjusting to the dim light filtering through the curtains. His eyes searched the small sitting area, he could have dropped it on the couch or even on the bed. He searched the room but there was no sign of his phone. Karl ran his fingers through his hair, where the hell is it? He walked deeper into the room and stopped to see Anna, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hair tousled from sleep, her cheeks flushed clearly from the shots she had earlier. Her eyes met his, searching his face for something he couldn't really put a finger on. “Hey.” He said quietly. “Just came for my phone. Didn't mean to wake you.” Anna said nothing but she took a step closer to him, eyes fixed on his face with something he couldn't quite pin point. “Anna?” “This has to be a dream.” She mumbled, he could barely mak

Karl stared at the door for a long second. For once in his life, he was genuinely caught off guard. Behind him, Anna stood frozen near the bed. The color had drained from her face the instant Melody's voice filtered through the door. "Karl? It's me. Melody." Silence settled over the suite. Anna's eyes lifted slowly to meet his. Karl already knew what she was thinking. The timing couldn't have been worse. "Anna…" She didn't wait for him to finish. Grabbing her things, she hurried past him and disappeared into the bathroom before he could say another word. The door clicked shut. Karl rubbed a hand across his jaw. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Outside, Melody knocked again. "Karl?" He glanced at the door, brows furrowed. Why the hell is she here? How did she know he was here? Is she stalking him? Before opening the door, his gaze swept over the suite and landed on the bed. Shoot, the stains. A pillow disappeared from the couch and landed neatly over the center of

Melody leaned back into the cushioned chair as the attendant finished her manicure, her gaze drifting lazily across the polished interior. She was at the spa, anything to get away from Caden and his intrusive questions. He was starting to irritate her if she was being honest. Her phone lay face down beside her . For once, she did not want to think about anyone but herself like she's always done. The attendant’s soft voice pulled her back. “You’re all set, ma’am.” Melody gave a small nod, glancing down at her nails before offering a dismissive look. “Better than the last time.” She rose from her seat, smoothing down her outfit as she moved toward the relaxation lounge. The large windows allowed sunlight to spill into the room. A few other guests sat quietly with drinks in hand, absorbed in their own thoughts. Melody reached for a glass of infused water and took a slow sip, letting the coolness calm her. A message notification lit up her screen from Karl. Her thumb