Eden's POV:Working together in my apartment had seemed like a brilliant idea when I was exhausted after a gruelling day, however come the next day when the clock is getting closer and closer to the moment when Noah will have to come home with me, it definitely doesn't seem so great.I consider pulling a sicky. Fain a headache or something. Anything to avoid having to spend even five minutes with Noah Grisham in MY APARTMENT. I must have been completely balmy yesterday to have even considered suggesting it. Either that of seriously paranoid. We were clearly alone, everyone else having gone home hours ago so why had I felt as if someone was watching me.And no, I do not mean Noah. It hadn't been that nice feeling you get when your crush pays you attention. No. This had been that super creepy feeling you usually only get when you walk down a dimly lit street alone late at night.Everyone else has already gone home and the department is deserted with only me and Noah still here.He usuall
There's a knock at the door just as I'm putting the hoover back away in the cupboard. Every surface is sparkling, all my family photographs are hidden, and the whole place smells like I'm sprayed an insane amount of air freshener. 'Hopefully, he's not asthmatic,' I think to myself as I make my way towards the door nervously.He is my boss. This shouldn't be that weird. We're just working in a different environment, that's all. No matter how much I try to reassure myself of that, it doesn't work and I become more anxious instead of less."Hi," I say, opening the door to let him in. I hope he doesn't notice how high pitched my voice has suddenly become."I brought takeout," he tells me, holding up a bag of food. "I didn't think you'd have time to eat and I know I haven't.""Great!" I say over-eagerly, taking the bag from him. "I'll dish it up. Make yourself at home."I'm grateful for the excuse to leave the room, rushing into the kitchen. I take a deep and stabilising breath, reminding m
Noah's POV:Coming here was a mistake.Everything about this situation is bad. Her lounge is a little cramped, slightly on the small side. Which is to be expected given her salary. Maybe I should give her a pay rise...Wait. I can't give her a pay rise just so she can get a bigger apartment and I won't feel so physically close to her when I come to her place. It's not like this is going to become a regular thing. This is an unprecedented situation.After eating the food, we busy ourselves with the work in front of us. There's plenty to do and it should provide plenty distraction but it doesn't. Eden has curled her legs beneath herself in the armchair that she's sitting in. Her hair is pulled to one side, exposing her neck. Her skin is flawless, perfectly smooth and I'm aching to reach out and touch her.But I absolutely can't do that.Returning my attention to the piece of paper on my lap, I do my best to ignore her fidgeting. I can't tell if she's just sitting uncomfortably or if she
Eden's POV:We've spent the best part of the weekend holed up in my living room. I should never have suggested this. I had no idea how hard it would be sitting opposite him in my apartment. We work in close quarters every day at the office. This shouldn't be that different, but there's something intimate about having him here.What makes the whole thing worse is that we're no closer to finding the answers we need.We've worked through all the data Noah received in that email and compiled a list of inconsistencies but now we're all out of ideas. Noah still hasn't heard anything from his friend in IT and so we're no closer to finding out who sent the information or whether it's even accurate. No matter how many times we discuss it, Noah can't think of anyone in the finance department that can help us.We're all out of ideas. And it's getting more and more tempting to ask Martin for help. I shouldn't. Not if I don't want my grandma to know what I'm up to but I really don't see much option
Noah's POV:I shouldn't do it. I know that. But that knowledge means nothing right now. All I care about is how amazing it would feel to finally kiss her. How soft her lips would feel against mine. How much I craved it. Wanted it. Needed it.It doesn't matter that I'm her boss or that this is highly inappropriate. Neither of those things will stop me now. Not when she's this close and she smells so good. She's wearing a soft floral scent. It's delicate and definitely not overpowering. I breathe in deeply as I move to pull her against myself, lowering my lips to hers.The apartment is filled with a screeching sound, forcing us to pull apart."What the hell is that?" I ask."I think I burnt dinner," she wails, hurrying out of the room.Smirking to myself, I follow after her. The kitchen is full of smoke, which is only made worse when she opens the oven. Clearly, Eden doesn't usually cook. I feel strangely honoured. Pushing her to the side, I close the oven door most of the way so the smo
Eden's POV: He doesn't kiss me. Even though I really want him to. He doesn't do it after dinner or before he leaves and I'm left reeling with disappointment. I wash the dishes and get ready for bed, reminding myself that I'll see him in a few short hours.I decide to get an early night because I want the morning to come quicker. It's silly and childish.Frustratingly, my body doesn't seem to agree with me. I might want an early night but my body doesn't. I'm wide awake and unable to sleep. Partly because I'm too excited about seeing Noah again tomorrow but also because I'm considering our options.I don't think I have much choice but to call Martin. Without his help, I can't see a way for us to find the answers we're looking for. Glancing at my clock, I note that although it's late, it's not too late. Martin would forgive me. I've called him at worse times than five minutes to midnight.Grabbing my phone, I place the call and wait for him to answer.He sounds groggy when he answers an
Noah's POV:"That's not what I meant," she hurries to tell me.I love watching her squirm. Her reactions are brilliant. I shouldn't really tease her. It's hardly professional."I'm pretty sure no one will see anyway," I tell her confidently, "but if they do, we'll just tell them the truth.""That you're taking me home?""No. That we're working late.""Oh... Yeah... That might make more sense."I bite my tongue so as not to laugh. As funny as it is, her reaction is a good reminder of why I really can't act on how I feel. I don't want to think about that though so I choose to start a safe conversation, talking about work.***Sitting in Eden's living room shifting through the new information she's gained, I want to ask her again where she got them. The more I look through it, the more curious I become as to who her source is. Not just anyone would have access to this many years of the company's accounts.These records go back twelve years. I don't know of many people who have been workin
Eden's POV:I've made this meal more times than I can count but I've never felt so nervous. We're actually sitting at the table unlike every other time Noah has eaten in my apartment. Usually we eat as we work but not tonight. It's strange and there's a weird atmosphere between us. This feels far more like a date than two colleagues working late together.Searching for something to say, I try to draw the conversation to safe territory but Noah is having none of it. When I ask his opinion on some of the data we've been working through, he tells me not to even think about it. It's frustrating and out of character. He's supposed to be a workaholic and yet here he is throwing it all aside and for what... to have dinner with me?"This is delicious," he says enthusiastically."It really is the only thing I can cook," I say, not exaggerating."Well, you could just eat this every day."Looking up at him from my plate, I notice that his eyes are teasing. He's enjoying this."I think I'd get a l
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