Morning arrived with an atmosphere that was anything but calm.The lights in the Cole mansion were still on even though the sun had already risen. Several uniformed police officers could be seen coming and going across the grounds. A boundary line had been set up near the side of the building where the window of Elara’s room had shattered.Elara sat in the main living room. Her hair was not fully neat yet, her face was pale, but her gaze remained firm. In front of her, two police officers were opening their notes.“So, Miss Cole,” said one of the officers, a man in his forties, “we found the body of a man in the backyard. It is strongly suspected that he fell from the upper floor.”Elara nodded. “Yes. And that window was from my room.”“Did you see his face?” asked the other officer.Elara shook her head. “No. I woke up because of the sound of shattering glass. When I became fully aware, he was already gone from the room.”The first officer glanced at his partner, then looked back at

Chapter 14Elara closed the blue folder on her desk gently. She leaned back against her chair, stared at the ceiling for a moment, then let out a long breath. That morning already felt packed even before she had truly begun her day.The door to her office was knocked twice.“Come in,” Elara said.Ares appeared at the doorway. The clothes he wore were simple, neat, and without any excessive impression. His face looked calm, as if last night had never left anything behind.“You called for me, Miss?” he asked.Elara nodded. “Come in.”Ares stepped inside and stood not far from Elara’s desk. He waited without asking anything.Elara took a cream-colored envelope from her desk drawer. She turned it slowly between her fingers, then held it out toward Ares.“I received an invitation,” Elara said.Ares accepted the envelope with slight confusion. “An invitation to what?”“A wedding,” Elara answered briefly. “From Maxim Wilson and Rachel Corriere.”Ares’s hand stopped moving for a moment. Howev

Chapter 16The internal audit officially began the following morning.Since early morning, the atmosphere at Cole Group had changed drastically. There were no more casual conversations in the hallways. Managers walked faster than usual. Some employees appeared uneasy every time the audit team passed by.Elara stood behind the glass wall of her office, observing the activity outside. Her hand held a tablet containing the initial reports that had just come in.“The finance division looks the most shaken,” said Tom, who stood beside her. “Some staff have even requested sudden leave.”Elara smiled faintly, without humor. “That’s a good sign.”Tom nodded. “Pressure makes people careless.”A knock sounded at the door.“Come in,” Elara said.A female auditor entered carrying a thick folder. “Miss Elara, we have found further anomalies.”“From which division?” Elara asked quickly.“Procurement and subcontractors. There are intermediary accounts that were never officially reported.”Elara exha

Chapter 18Ares returned to the restaurant about ten minutes later. His steps were calm, his expression controlled, as if nothing had happened. The restaurant lights were the same, the crowd was still lively, and the atmosphere remained warm. Nothing had changed—except him.He saw Elara sitting at a table near the center of the room. The woman was opening a thin folder containing client documents, but it was clear she was not truly focused. Several times, her gaze flicked toward the entrance.Ares approached.“Miss Elara.”Elara turned quickly. Her brows lifted slightly. “Where have you been?”Ares pulled out a chair and sat down. “Sorry. Nature suddenly called, so I rushed to the restroom.”Elara looked at him for a few seconds, as if weighing something. “You disappeared just like that.”“I panicked, so I didn’t have time to say anything,” Ares replied calmly.Elara let out a small breath, then nodded. “Our associate is still on the way. He said he’ll be a little late because of traf

Ares stood not far from Elara. Since the incident with Rachel, he had been paying closer attention to the movements around him. Not out of excessive suspicion, but because his own emotions were unstable. He was no longer sure what was normal and what was not.Elara was conversing with several important guests. Her demeanor was calm, professional, and fully controlled.But that calm was slowly disturbed.Three men in expensive suits approached. From the way they stood and laughed, Ares immediately knew their intentions were not entirely clean.“Miss Elara Cole,” one of them said with a wide smile. “So we finally meet in person.”Elara turned toward them. “Good evening. I’m sorry, have we met before?”“Not yet,” the second man replied. “But we’ve long wanted to establish cooperation with the Cole Group.”“We’ve already sent a proposal,” the third man added as he stepped closer. Too close.Elara maintained her smile, though her tone began to cool. “Please contact my office. Today is not