Chapter 2

At exactly nine Monday morning, my doorbell rings.

Ethan stands outside in a charcoal suit, two assistants behind him.

He holds out a garment bag.

“Change.”

I unzip it enough to see a designer dress.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out.”

I lean against the doorframe.

“Off-site work wasn’t included in our arrangement.”

“Ten times your normal rate.”

Now we’re talking.

“Confidential destination?”

“Yes.”

“That requires a separate NDA.”

One of his assistants looks at the floor.

I pull out my phone.

“Ten-thousand-dollar deposit.”

Ethan stares at me.

I wait.

His phone comes out.

My account pings.

“Can we leave now?”

“Absolutely.”

The car stops outside Cole Holdings in Midtown Manhattan.

Ethan takes me straight upstairs.

The conference room is already full.

Executives sit around a long table while a presentation glows on the wall.

Ethan points to a chair in the corner.

“Sit there. Listen. Don’t speak.”

I look up at him.

“Silence wasn’t included either.”

“Claire.”

“Fine. First hour’s free.”

He walks away.

The meeting starts.

Cole Holdings is preparing to acquire Sinclair Development, a smaller company tied to a major redevelopment project.

Executives argue over valuation, debt, construction costs, and how much pressure they can put on Sinclair before making an offer.

I stop listening after ten minutes.

Then the finance director flips past a slide.

“Go back.”

Nobody moves.

I raise my hand.

The room goes quiet.

Ethan slowly turns toward me.

“What?”

“The previous slide.”

His face hardens.

“Claire.”

“Third-quarter cash flow and fixed-asset changes don’t reconcile.”

The finance director gives me a tight smile.

“Miss Bennett, you may not understand what you’re looking at.”

I stand.

“I majored in finance.”

His smile disappears.

I walk to the screen and pick up the laser pointer.

“This increase doesn’t match the reported construction-in-progress balance.”

I move the pointer lower.

“And these consulting expenses rise at exactly the same time as the capital spending.”

The finance director shifts in his chair.

I look at him.

“That’s not normal.”

He says nothing.

“If these figures are accurate, someone is moving money through project costs.”

The room goes silent.

Ethan looks at the screen, then at the finance director.

“Continue.”

I turn toward him.

“Commercial consulting costs extra.”

Several executives stare at me.

Ethan closes his eyes for half a second.

“How much?”

“Per minute?”

“Yes.”

I name my price.

“Fine.”

Now I smile.

For the next ten minutes, I point out three separate inconsistencies.

By the time I finish, the finance director is sweating through his collar.

“My preliminary estimate?”

I tap the screen.

“At least eight million.”

Nobody speaks.

Ethan turns to one of his assistants.

“Take Mr. Harris somewhere private.”

The finance director shoots to his feet.

“Mr. Cole, I can explain—”

“You’ll have plenty of time.”

Two people escort him out.

After the meeting, Ethan takes me to his office.

The door shuts behind us.

“How did you catch that so quickly?”

“Basic analysis.”

“You graduated last week.”

“And somehow I still learned to read a balance sheet.”

He studies me.

“You’re more interesting than I expected.”

“Compliments are free.”

He steps closer.

I step back.

“Standing that close isn’t.”

His mouth tightens.

Before he can answer, the office door flies open.

A woman rushes inside.

She stops the second she sees me.

I stop too.

For one strange moment, it feels like I’m looking into a mirror.

Same eyes.

Same face shape.

Same mouth.

Only her hair and styling are different.

So this is Vanessa.

She looks at Ethan.

Then at me.

Her eyes immediately turn red.

“Ethan.”

Ethan steps away from me so quickly it’s almost funny.

A second ago, he was standing close enough to kiss me.

Now there’s a full step of distance between us.

“Vanessa. What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?”

She points at me.

“You brought her to your office?”

“Vanessa—”

“And you removed Mr. Harris because of her? He works for my father.”

That catches my attention.

Sinclair Development.

So that’s the connection.

Vanessa looks back at me.

“I saw her downstairs.”

Her voice shakes just enough to sound hurt instead of angry.

“She was taking pictures of the lobby security setup.”

I go still.

I did take pictures downstairs.

Vanessa turns to Ethan.

“She could be gathering information on your building.”

Ethan’s eyes lock onto mine.

“Explain.”

The corner of Vanessa’s mouth lifts. Just slightly.

I pull out my phone.

“Sure.”

“But accusing me of corporate espionage is serious.”

I unlock my screen.

“My defamation fee is one million dollars.”