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:The next two weeks are mostly spent hidden away in Eden's apartment. When we're not at work, we're lost in a pile of paperwork, doing more mathematics than I've done in years. The more we delve into the accounts, the more confused we become. It's hard to imagine that all of this could be going on without Mrs Clancy knowing.Neither one of us have said it yet and I'm not sure either of us actually will but it's hard not to feel suspicious.There's been tens billions shaved off the companies profit margins and I'm struggling to believe that that amount of money can just disappear without someone noticing. Especially someone like Mrs Clancy. She's clearly a very intelligent woman. Not the sort of person it's easy to get one over on."This is insane," Eden says, getting to her feet and making her way towards me.Coming to sit on the sofa next to me, she points at a column of figures."Noah, this is huge money," Eden says angrily. "How could this go on for so long without..." He
Eden's POV:I should pull away. I should tell him that I'm fine and not to worry about me. Now is the perfect opportunity to tell him who I am. Any of those things would be reasonable responses to his embrace.But I choose to stand still, grabbing the sides of his shirt with my fists so that I can cling to him. The one thing I probably shouldn't do. Not if I want to keep my sanity and whatever professionalism I have left.My heart is racing and I don't know if it's from being upset about my grandma or because he's hugging me. He smells amazing and he feels even better; warm and strong, he makes me feel surprisingly safe. This small gesture goes a long way to calm my nervous energy.If he wasn't here, I'd be rushing out the door to go to my grandma's. No matter how late it is, I'd barge in there and demand to know everything. But I'm not sure it would do me any favours. Grandma doesn't like ambushes. There's no way I'd get the information I need out of her. If anything I'd just make fin
Noah's POV:I kiss her even though I probably shouldn't. I've wanted to do it for months and as soon as my lips meet her, I know without doubt that I'm not going to regret this decision. She leans into the kiss, as I remove my hands from her arms so I can cup her face.My senses are in overdrive as I allow my tongue to explore Eden's mouth as one of my hands moved to the back of her neck, encouraging her to tilt her head up further as I step towards her, pushing my way into her personal space.Her hands wrap around my neck, inviting me closer still.The sensation of her tongue against mine combined with the taste of her is hypnotic. I don't know how long we stand here like this, lip locked, kissing with a furious passion that at least I've been trying to ignore for months. The feeling of her slight frame against my own body sends fire through me and I know if I don't pull away, I'll probably rush us into something that neither one of us is prepared for.This can't be just one night. Or
Eden's POV:I'm practically giddy with excitement when I get to work this morning. I've barely slept, unable to clear my head of thoughts of Noah or more precisely kissing Noah. If I'd realised he was that good a kisser, I'd have kissed him sooner. Possibly.Alright, I probably wouldn't have. Especially because he can be a right jerk sometimes but I'd definitely have imagined it sooner.Thoughts of kissing Noah had even managed to keep me from ringing my grandma to demand answers about the company's finances. If distracting me had been Noah's goal when he kissed me, he did one hell of a fine job.The problem is that now I have to act like it didn't happen. I have no idea what Noah is thinking... I don't know if he wants to date or if it was a mistake. Just the heat of the moment or something. But really none of that matters.What actually matters is that this building is our workplace and I'm going to do my best to maintain a perfect level of professionalism. I will not let on that an
So much for getting out of the building before anyone saw me...It's always the way, right? When you're trying to avoid people you run into EVERYONE! Trust my luck that I'm wearing Noah's shirt on the one morning when everyone decides to come to work early. Mostly no one seems to notice as we make our way past them. It would help if I was wearing a coat but nope, I stupidly decided not to wear one today.Stacey definitely notices though. She stops us near the door to our department to ask Noah a couple of questions. There's a smirk on her face and I can only imagine what she's thinking."Nice shirt, Eden," she says casually. "You pull it off well... Definitely better than..."D*mn! I have to stop her before someone hears. It's perfectly innocent after all but there's no way anyone would believe me. What's more the truth is far less exciting than what the trashy gossip they can make up."I spilt my coffee," I try to explain before she can say anything else."Ah... I see," she says, adju
Noah's POV:It doesn't matter how much I try to understand. I just can't wrap my head around why this matters so much to her. I wanted one night without all this between us, just one night where it would be just me and her. No work. No one else. No distractions.Earlier when she refused to go out for dinner with me, I'd tried to convince her. My motivation wasn't completely selfish either. She's been putting so much energy into all of this work stuff and it has clearly taken an emotional toll on her. I'd wanted to give her just one night without all this hellish overtime.I know she takes her job seriously but this is beyond any semblance of normal levels of workaholicism.She's not looked up from her work once in the last thirty minutes. I know because I've been watching her. It's getting late and usually she'd be telling me round about now that she's starving and we'd be ordering in takeout. But apparently not tonight.Her behaviour makes little sense to me. I know why I'm invested i
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