Noah's POV:I feel sort of useless. Eden is crying as she sits next to her grandma's hospital bed. I'm eyeing Martin suspiciously. If what James said is true and Martin killed Eden's parents, he really has some gall being here at all. It's hard to imagine a person being so unfeeling that they could live in such close quarters with the family of the people they killed. And what's even more bizarre, is Eden's reaction. James said that he sent Eden an email about it. I can't believe she's letting Martin anywhere near her grandmother.I have a strange protective urge to throw him out of the hospital room myself. I just can't understand how Eden can just sit here with him. Then again, she's got a lot to be distracted by.The doctor has just been in to check on Mrs Clancy and it would seem like she has been keeping some secrets of her own. This family seems to be all about their secrets."She was sick?" Eden asks, her voice quiet and slightly disconnected, like she's somewhere else.N
Eden's POV:"Eden," Noah whispers, shaking me slightly.I hadn't realised that I'd fallen asleep, my head resting on my grandma's hospital bed while I hold her hand desperately tight."You need to rest," he tells me. "Let me take you home?""I don't want to..." I begin, my voice drifting away. "I won't leave her."Martin is sitting on the opposite side of the bed, a sad look on his face."Eden, I can call you if anything happens," he offers but I shake my head."No," I insist. "You guys can go, but I'm not leaving.""I'm staying with you," Noah says sternly. He's got a strange look on his face like he wants to say something but is holding it back, probably because he's worried about me."At least, let me get you something to eat," Martin says, getting to his feet."I'm not really hungry," I say with a yawn.I don't even know what time it is. Am I supposed to be hungry right now? Looking down at my watch, I'm surprised to find it's close to midnight. I don't even know how Mar
It's been a long twenty-four hours. Eden keeps insisting that Martin and I should go to work but I'm not leaving her alone and I'm definitely NOT leaving her here with Martin.Even if she trusts him, I really don't.Although apparently that distrust doesn't count when he tells us that he's going to head out to get us some fried chicken. I'm starving and I can think of nothing better than some fried chicken right now. It takes me several minutes before my mouth clears from thoughts of fried food and I'm able to recognise this for the opportunity it is. We're finally alone.But I don't rush to speak. Even though I know exactly what I need to say to her, I'm not sure how to actually start the conversation. She's got a look on her face that doesn't really belong there. It's a mixture of exhaustion and misery and it doesn't look good on her. Then again. I don't think either of those things look particularly good on anyone."Eden," I try to broach the conversation."Mhmm?" she asks, h
Martin thinks I should go home. It's dark outside now and it's getting late. Noah is silently sitting next to me, holding my hand. He knows better than to try and convince me to leave again. Unlike Martin... Martin should know better, but he's unrelenting."Eden, your grandma won't forgive me if you don't get some rest.""I'll sleep here," I insist."Eden," his voice is gentle as he comes towards me, "your grandma needs you."Finally he's speaking sense. He's right my grandma needs me here with her."But not here," he continues, frustrating me immensely. "She needs you at the company tomorrow."What is he talking about? I'm just an assistant. I'm not going to work. There's no way in hell. The company needs Martin more than it needs me right now. I know hardly anything about the company except what I've learned in Noah's team. Hardly any of which actually relates to the running of the company. I guess, I might know more about the company's expenses than anyone other than Noah and
Eden's POV:Noah's being amazing and if I was feeling a little bit less exhausted, I'd be all over him. Literally. But I'm not okay and the perfect gentleman that he is, he doesn't expect me to pretend to be.Instead, he leads me into my apartment, telling me to go and wash up as he wanders into my kitchen to start cooking something. He's not really thought this through. I would have thought he would have worked it out by now that my fridge is usually a little on the empty side.As I undress and step into the shower, I almost laugh at the idea of his disappointment when he realises that he won't be able to cook that dinner he's promised me.I hurry to wash myself, not wanting to waste a moment of my time with him. He's been nothing but a complete gentleman and I can almost guarantee that he'll be leaving as soon as we've finished eating together. I might be completely done in and desperate for a decent sleep but that doesn't stop me wanting more than just dinner.We've been so bus
Noah insists on driving me in to work in the morning. I'm not sure it's his best idea. It's bound to just cause gossip. Not that he seems to care.It also means I have to get up earlier than I'd like because Noah needs to head back to his place to shower and change. That's something I can get behind though, even if it does mean getting up when it's still dark outside. I've never seen Noah's apartment. He always comes to mine so the chance to see a little more of his world is definitely not something I'm going to pass off on.Noah drives us there while I text Martin to check on my grandma. Martin's reply arrives quickly and is far shorter than I would like. He simply says that she is still sleeping.I almost tell Noah to turn the car around so I can return to the hospital.Taking a deep breath, I try to encourage myself not to get distracted. As much as I might want to be with my grandma, the thing I really need to do is find out who killed my parents. That's if someone did in fact
Eden's POV:The rest of the day goes relatively smoothly. I focus on my work, doing my best to avoid the team where I can. It's even worse when I leave our department to run errands. People who I've never spoken to before today are stopping me in the hallways.Some people ask after my grandma and I have to come up with realistic lies. I can't think of any logical excuse for why my grandma would miss the memorial for my parents. When she comes back to work and hears that everyone thinks she's had a severe case of food poisoning, she's going to kill me. I may have been a bit more graphic in my descriptions than was actually necessary, my mouth running away with itself as I tell them about her 'projectile vomiting.'I'm restless though, eagerly anticipating the moment when the work day will come to an end so I can go to the hospital to check on my grandma.I can only hope that Noah isn't planning on working late tonight. After just one day off, I know that there's a massive pile of wo
Over the next few days I do everything I can to focus on my work. My time is split between work and the hospital, although grandma keeps trying to send me away.People frequently ask after grandma.For the most part I'm able to maintain the story that she's suffering from food poisoning but that excuse has a expiration date. And everyday people seem to be more impatient to know when she'll be coming back to work.I'm sitting in Noah's office, discussing his schedule on Friday afternoon, when there's a knock at the door. Martin enters the room and I get to my feet. I prepare to leave, thinking that Martin is here to speak to Noah but I'm taken aback when Martin turns to me."Sit back down, Eden," he says softly, coming to sit in the seat next to mine. "We've got a problem."Oh dear. I don't need to know what the problem is to know that I'm not going to be happy about it. If I've been asked to stay then it must be to do with grandma."The department heads are growing restless," Mar
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