The team is in uproar. I try to calm them all down but to no avail. Holly for her part, dropped that bomb and then left, leaving disaster in her wake. Everyone is panicked and anyone would think they've never had a complaint come through before. In reality, there are complaints every week. What makes this different is the sudden spike in complaints and the fact that it's against one of their best products.They're all looking expectantly at me as if I'm supposed to have all the answers.I don't want to disappoint them but I don't know much more than they do."Guys," I try, "Noah is talking to them now. We'll all know soon enough."I somehow manage to make it sound like he's got the whole situation in hand and they seem to believe me momentarily."Which product is it?" Stacey asks, as they all circle around me.I don't know how much I'm supposed to tell them. It would be better for Noah to do it. But they're all looking at me, beseeching me to tell them."Er… the walnut coffee table," I
"Can I see the manager?" Noah asks the first member of staff who pays us any attention.The factory is packed full of people, all hard at work. If we weren't in a rush, I'd want to look around. It's fascinating, seeing them creating the furniture my grandma is so proud of. Her house is full of Clancy's Comforts furniture.She always says that if it isn't good enough for her house, it's not good enough for her customers' houses either."Wait here," the staff member says. "I'll get him for you."Looking around, I spot one of the coffee tables a slight distance away. I make my way across the factory floor towards it. I recognise it immediately as the table my grandma has in her conservatory. It's clearly the same design. The shape and colour are the same but there is something off about it."They're using the wrong wood," Noah says from just behind me as I run my hand across the leg of the table. "They've supplemented it for a cheaper option."I'm impressed that he knows that just from lo
Noah's POV:Returning to the company, I head straight into a meeting, leaving Eden to return to the department alone. Lewis Artie looks as smug as ever as I make my way into Mrs Clancy's office. It's pretty obvious who is responsible for this disaster. He's looking far too pleased with himself for him not to be.I feel like he's goading me. While Mrs Clancy talks, he stares at me with that stupid smirk plastered on his face. I'd love to punch that look off his face and I'm not a violent person.When Mrs Clancy asks me about the complaints, I tell her that I would like to replace all those sold in the last two weeks."Just two weeks?" she asks. "You've worked out when the mistake was made?"Her tone is upbeat, and I think she might be willing to continue selling the product. She certainly isn't angry if the small smile on her face is anything to go by."Yes. There was an email sent two weeks ago.""You mean this was your department's fault?" James Artie, Lewis's uncle asks, leaning forw
The team are all waiting for me in a huddle near the door, when I return to the department."What did they decide?" Rob asks."Mrs Clancy gave us permission to replace the products," I tell them eagerly. "Stacey, Rob, head down to the factory and give them the good news, would you?""Yes, sir," they reply in unison."Make sure they order the correct walnut wood," I say. "Let's get production back on track. I'll call you shortly with the exact number of replacement products."Looking around, I notice that Eden is missing."Where's Eden?" I ask."Don't know, sir," Stacey says. "She was here about twenty minutes ago."I'm disappointed. I wanted to tell her the good news."Right, everyone! Back to work," I tell them, heading back into my office.I leave the door open. I want to talk to her as soon as she comes back. Trying to distract myself with my work, I reach out to the sales team to find out the exact number of coffee tables that were sold since the date Mr Laurence received the email
Eden's POV:For the most part things return to normal. Noah is as busy as ever, attending meetings and working with the team on the new products.Even though he told me not to, I can't resist looking into the email. I drop Martin a quick text on Tuesday asking him if he can find anything out from the IT department.I'm impatient as I wait for him to get back to me and when his response does come on Friday, he tells me only that the email was sent from my computer."But that doesn't make sense," I say in a hushed voice.I don't want anyone to hear my conversation. For one thing, if Noah hears me, he'll be cross but I also don't want the others to know what is going on. They'll only worry.How could someone use my computer without me knowing? Or without someone seeing?"What time was it sent?" I ask, struggling to remember myself."Around midday.""So, the department could have been out to lunch," I mutter to myself. "But we rarely all eat at exactly the same time…"Pulling out my diary,
In everyone's haste to get me out of the building last night, I ended up leaving my phone at work. It's so annoying because I'm supposed to meeting my grandma to go shopping this afternoon and without my phone, I can't even call her to confirm.What's worse, without my phone I slept late so it's already after eleven when I leave the house.I run full pelt around the corner and down the steps to the underground. I arrive just in time to catch the tube. It's crowded as always. It's funny how used to this I've become in the last month. Four weeks ago, I'd felt claustrophobic, hating everything about the Underground. Now though, I've barely even noticed that the guy on my left's elbow is digging into my arm or the person on my right is chewing obscenely loud.Well, I might have noticed… But I'm definitely better at not getting irritated by my fellow commuters.Since it's the weekend, the train is busier than normal and instead of being full of people on their way to work, it's brimming wi
Noah's POV:We find ourselves in a little Italian restaurant a few roads away from the company. I can't believe my luck that Eden came in to work today. I'd come in, thinking that I'd spend the whole day in a sea of paperwork and so her arrival is a pleasant distraction.I can't stop smiling as our waitress takes our order. I shouldn't be this happy to see Eden. We bicker all the time. I'm not convinced she doesn't hate me. There are times when I think she might actually like me a bit, but it never lasts. Before long, we always end up arguing again."How is your granny?" she asks."My granny?""You said you always visit your granny on Friday nights."I'm surprised she even remembers. Eden Winters is nothing like what I thought. I really underestimated her the first time I met her. In fact, all I have done in the last month is misjudge her over and over again. I feel terrible. I've been a right jerk."She's good," I tell her. For some reason, I want to tell her more. I don't usually tal
Eden's POV:It's strange hearing someone else talking about my grandmother. I know she's amazing, but it's bizarre having someone else tell me. The worst thing is that I have to control my reaction. Usually if someone was to talk to me about grandma, I'd be the first to tell them how amazing she is.But as far as Noah knows, I've never even met Mrs Clancy, unless you count passing each other an hour ago.I don't really want to say goodbye when we finish our meal. We both seem to hesitate, standing just outside the restaurant."I guess I'll see you on Monday.""Yeah, try not to spend the whole weekend working," I tell him.He doesn't say anything and I get the distinct impression that's exactly what he's planning to do."Maybe, you should get a puppy," I tell him before adding, "or a girlfriend," as an afterthought.He covers his mouth as he suddenly starts coughing. I can't believe I just said that! Where did it even come from?"Er… That's never stopped me working on the weekend in the
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