Eden's POV:Sitting in a dingy corner of the pub, I wait for Alice and Holly to arrive. I can't even begin to imagine what they could possibly have to tell me. This whole thing is very cloak and dagger; it's like something out of a spy film. Perhaps they know something about this whole lawsuit drama with Lewis. It would be a big help if they could give me something I can use to fire him.I'm nervously tapping my foot on the ground.I wish Noah was here with me. He always manages to calm me down. I can't get the two women's scared facial expressions out of my mind. Who has made them so terrified that they can't even talk to me outside the company building?"Eden?"I jump slightly at the sound of someone talking to me. I'd been distractedly staring out the window and had completely missed the two women entering the pub."Can I get you both a drink?" I offer politely."Er… That's not necessary," Alice says. "We won't be here long.""But we'll look significantly less suspicious if
I'm feeling uneasy as I let myself into my apartment, filled with an urgency to check the contents of the USB drive. There are answers on this little stick and I need them.My mind is a jumbled mess as it tries to process what Alice told me. It wasn't anything particularly new, nothing that I don't already know. Just more d*mn whispers and rumours, overheard conversations. The sort of things that won't prove anything.Instead of helping, her words had only made me feel more annoyed. Frustrated that it's taken us months to find out this much and yet we still know practically nothing.I stop on the doorstop, the door wide open as I stare into the apartment. The sight before me is a bit on the bizarre side. Noah and Martin are both sitting in my living room drinking tea."Eden!" Noah's eyes dart to me. "Where have you been?"I'm surprised to see how worried they book look as I close the door behind me."Why are you both here?" I ask, although I'm not particularly displeased at their
Noah's POV:Eden barely sleeps, tossing and turning all through the night and I wonder if there's more to what happened yesterday than she has told me. We get ready for work quietly, neither of us feeling particularly chatty after not getting any sleep.I'm not even sure that I shouldn't be trying to convince her not to go in. It's the weekend after all, but we both have too much to do, not to go in, especially now that she has that USB drive.I'd have gotten more sleep at home in my own bed, except that's not strictly true. At home, I'd have spent the night worrying about Eden and so I'd probably be just as tired as I am now.The car journey to the office is quiet too and it's only when we should say goodbye, each going to our own offices that the silence is broken."I'll see you," Eden begins but I cut her off."I'll walk you to your office."My fists are clenched and maybe it's just the lack of sleep but I feel like I need to protect her, though I'm not at all sure who from.
I do as Martin says, taking a seat as my entire body tenses at the idea of what he is about to say. I wish I could just run from the room and pretend that he didn't suggest I should sit down. It's what I used to do when I was a child and grandma wanted to tell me off.It probably wouldn't work now though… Plus, I'm supposed to be a grownup. I'm supposed to be all about handling the difficult stuff.Martin pulls out the seat at the table next to mine, turning it so he's facing me as he sits down. His expression is haunted and his eyes are sad. I'm not going to like what he's going to say. That one look is enough to make me not just want to run from the room, but maybe the country.Ear plugs could work… I just need to make sure I don't hear what he's about to say. If I don't hear it, it's not real, right?"Your grandma and I have known for quite some time that your parents; deaths were not accidental."I guess there's no avoiding that."Grandma knew?"I'm completely flabbergasted.
Noah's POV:When I enter Eden's office to learn that she's told Martin about the email, I'm pretty surprised. I can't believe she'd just outright tell him like that. Alone too.What if he actually was her parents' killer?Then what would she have done? Just sit back in her chair while he kills her? She could have waited and we could have done it together. But then she wouldn't be the super independent woman I know and love.It's difficult though because I spend the next hour or so trying to work out exactly how much she has told him. Like does he know that technically he's a suspect? That someone has accused him of committing the crime?The first chance I get, when Martin leaves the room briefly to collect some documents from his desk, I close the distance between me and Eden, so I can whisper in her ear."How much does he know?" I ask her."What do you mean?" she responds, feigning innocence. She knows I'm not happy about this. Unlike her, I don't trust Martin."Eden, you know
Martin holds the door open for me when we enter the restaurant. "Sorry, it's not nicer," he says apologetically. "But no reservation and we're in a rush, right?""Nicer?" I ask, looking around. It looks nice enough to me. I'm not the biggest fan of fancy restaurants.Noah actually laughs. "Eden would happily eat food off a food stall."He's not exactly wrong… I'm definitely not a fussy eater. It's hard to be fussy when you can't cook to save your life.A waitress leads us to a table in the centre of the bustling restaurant. Noah, always the gentleman, holds out my chair for me before sitting down next to me. He takes my hand in his as the waitress gives us each a menu.I'm not really hungry so I skim the menu without really seeing it. It seems strange to even think about eating when things are such a mess."What can I get you?" the waitress asks and the guys both wait for me to place my order first."Can I have some sparkling water please?" I ask, still unsure what I should ask
After lunch we return to the company. I'm a little distracted and not really paying attention to what the guys are saying. And not because we just had a run in with Mason.That whole conversation is like a nonentity. It seems irrelevant compared to everything else that has been happening recently."Eden what do you think?" Noah asks, pulling me from my thoughts.I stand still and blink up at them both. I haven't got a clue what they want to know. What do I think about what?"Er… I'm not sure. I'm going to go to the loo."They nod before returning to their conversation. Leaving the office, I make my way across the lobby and down one corridor, heading in the direction of the toilets.The idea that my grandma has known about my parents' murder for years and has done nothing about it is really bothering me. I just can't grapple with it. It doesn't make sense. Even if she wanted to protect me, she wouldn't just allow someone to get away with killing my parents. Would she?Surely, she
"Just how much did you tell her?" Lewis shouts as he enters the room. I'm not sure who he is talking to. Perhaps his uncle?"Lewis, shut up," James retorts angrily as the door slams shut behind them. "You know full well that Eden Clancy is in the building. The last thing we need is for her to overhear you.""It's not me that told her…""No. But it is you that got caught stealing intellectual property not just once but countless times. So stop shouting at Alice.""She told…""No. She didn't. From what Alice is saying, it was actually your assistant that gave Eden the details of your indiscretion.""My indiscretion? It was your idea! I never even wanted this job and now thanks to you, Uncle James, I'm probably going to end up in prison.""Don't be such a big baby and shut the hell up. Taking a little responsibility won't do you any harm."The room falls silent and I pray to whoever might be listening that no one will come around this side of the desk. "Alice tell me everything,
Noah's POV:When I manage to get through the crowd of people, I find Eden sitting at the centre. She's in a metal chair with a hot drink in her hand and she's shaking slightly. My eyes linger on her momentarily before they take in the person talking to her, or more precisely the clothes they are wearing.Eden is speaking to a police officer.What the hell happened? I move to her side quickly, before crouching down to check on her."Eden, are you okay?" I ask.She gives me a small smile and offers me a shaky hand. I take it, feeling the cold that is emanating from her skin."I'm alright," she answers but I struggle to believe her."What happened?" I demand."James…"That's all she needs to say for me to see red. "Where is he?""The police have him now," she tells me, her voice hollow like she's overwrought with emotion."Do you need to stay here?" I want to take her away from all the prying eyes. I know Eden won't be enjoying the attention she's currently getting."I don't
Noah's POV:Mrs Clancy is happily talking away about Eden. Her voice is filled with evident pride. I'm surprised that Eden's been gone this long. It's been almost half an hour and I had gotten the distinct impression that she would rush back."I wonder what's taking Eden so long," Mrs Clancy's words echo my own thoughts.Getting to my feet, I reply, "I should go find her."Mrs Clancy smiles at me as I make my way out of the room in search of her granddaughter. Just outside, I'm glance around. I'm not really sure where to look for Eden. Coffee was just Mrs Clancy's excuse to get Eden out of the room. All so she could ambush me with questions. Questions I would have answered even if Eden had been in the room.The nurses are sitting at their desk, chatting away happily and there are several patients wandering about, but there's no sign of Eden. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call her. It's not like I can search the entire hospital, although I will if I have to. Even if it does
Eden's POV:I'm pretty sure grandma shouldn't be having caffeine so I forgo the coffee and just wander around instead. I tell myself that I'll give them ten minutes – exactly ten minutes – and then I'll head back.I hope Noah knows what he's getting himself into. Grandma is sneaky and she knows exactly how to dig for information. She'll have a wedding date, the number of kids he wants and the names and numbers of his immediate family members all within that ten minutes I'm giving them.Any longer and she'll wrangle every secret he's ever kept out of him.I'm not sure where to go so I head towards the exit, thinking that I'll get a little air. My mind immediately returns to the events of the previous day. It had taken ages to explain everything to the police. They'd have what felt like hundreds of questions.They have more, of course. They want witness statements from all of us. I guess, that's what I'll be doing tomorrow in between trying to fix the mess that James and Lewis have
Eden's POV:Opening my eyes, I stretch my arms over my head. A quick glance at the alarm clock tells me it's later than it should be. I should have gotten up hours ago.I don't have time to waste.In a daze, I change my clothes and give myself a quick wash in the bathroom attached to my bedroom. I need to know what the hell is going on. Hurrying out of my bedroom, I'm surprised to find Noah in my little kitchen. He's bare foot and making breakfast."Morning," he says with a wide smile.I really love the sight of him here like this. Its not the first time I've seen him in my home in the morning but it feels special somehow. Every morning with him feels special.He tells me to sit down at the table and I only waver for a second as I wonder where my phone is. He must see my hesitation because he hands me my phone, unplugging it from the charger that is on the counter."Your battery was low," he tells me gently, as he drops a kiss to my head and places a cup of tea on the table in f
While I wait for the police to arrive, I hurriedly search through Alice's computer for anything about Luxen. I'm pretty sure that's where the company's money has gone and so it's essential that I find the information about it as soon as possible.I hear pounding footsteps and when I look up I see Noah coming towards me."What the hell is going on, Eden?" he demands."The police are on their way," I tell him, my attention returning to the computer. "Where's Lewis?""With Martin. What do you mean the police are coming?""I heard James… He's leaving. He's running away. I need to stop him."It's clear from the look on his face that he's not really following."James killed my parents.""I know.""You do?""Lewis…""Oh.""I called the police. He's going to leave the country.""When?""Alice booked him a flight in four hours' time.""So, we have time… What are you doing now?" he asks, his hand on my forearm."I need to find… There's an account – Luxen. I need to…""That's whe
Eden's POV:I'm moving on autopilot, surviving on adrenaline alone. Several minutes ago when I heard James Artie leave his office with his assistant, I had let out a sigh of relief. I couldn't believe I'd managed to remain hidden.I'd tiptoed down the corridor until I found myself staring right at Noah.My pulse had skyrocketed as I stared at him and I hadn't been able to stop the wide smile that covered my face. As awful as it was to hear James' callous words about my parents' death, I felt like I was finally able to breathe again after the longest time.I knew for sure who killed my parents.Knowing that James Artie is responsible for all the pain I've felt, that my grandma has felt in the last ten years, knowing that he is the enemy I've been trying to beat in the last few months, gave me the fire to win.That need to put him behind bars is what pushes me back in the direction of his office. I know that he's gone back to his apartment to pack his stuff. I heard him tell Alice
Noah's POV:When Eden doesn't hurry back from the loos, I don't immediately panic. It's understandable that she might need a few minutes alone after everything that we've discussed today. It feels like every day we learn something new that has the power to destroy her and yet she faces it with a strength that is beyond belief.I'm in awe of her.I don't think I've have handled all this anywhere near as well as she has if it were my parents that were murdered. In fact, I know that I wouldn't. And it's not because I'm a weak man, but rather because she is something else entirely. She has a quiet resilience, a fire that keeps her moving towards her goal, though I'm not completely sure what that is.Is she trying to save the company or discover her parents' murderer? It's hard to say and I don't think it really matters either way. One will no doubt lead to the other and vice versa.Ten minutes turn to twenty and twenty soon becomes thirty. I find myself checking the clock frequently,
"Just how much did you tell her?" Lewis shouts as he enters the room. I'm not sure who he is talking to. Perhaps his uncle?"Lewis, shut up," James retorts angrily as the door slams shut behind them. "You know full well that Eden Clancy is in the building. The last thing we need is for her to overhear you.""It's not me that told her…""No. But it is you that got caught stealing intellectual property not just once but countless times. So stop shouting at Alice.""She told…""No. She didn't. From what Alice is saying, it was actually your assistant that gave Eden the details of your indiscretion.""My indiscretion? It was your idea! I never even wanted this job and now thanks to you, Uncle James, I'm probably going to end up in prison.""Don't be such a big baby and shut the hell up. Taking a little responsibility won't do you any harm."The room falls silent and I pray to whoever might be listening that no one will come around this side of the desk. "Alice tell me everything,
After lunch we return to the company. I'm a little distracted and not really paying attention to what the guys are saying. And not because we just had a run in with Mason.That whole conversation is like a nonentity. It seems irrelevant compared to everything else that has been happening recently."Eden what do you think?" Noah asks, pulling me from my thoughts.I stand still and blink up at them both. I haven't got a clue what they want to know. What do I think about what?"Er… I'm not sure. I'm going to go to the loo."They nod before returning to their conversation. Leaving the office, I make my way across the lobby and down one corridor, heading in the direction of the toilets.The idea that my grandma has known about my parents' murder for years and has done nothing about it is really bothering me. I just can't grapple with it. It doesn't make sense. Even if she wanted to protect me, she wouldn't just allow someone to get away with killing my parents. Would she?Surely, she