Malik set the mug down slowly, as if testing Rylan’s mood.“We’re looking into it now.”
“That’s not good enough,” Rylan bit out.His voice was low, but it carried an edge of steel.“She was on my damn sofa talking about engagement rings.I want to know how she got past the front gate.”
Aaron ended his call and stepped forward.“She slipped in with the cleaning crew.We’ve confirmed it.”
Rylan’s jaw flexed.“And no one stopped her?”
“She timed it perfectly,” Aaron said.“Waited until the crew was inside, slid in just as they were unloading.No one saw her.”
Rylan’s fist hit the counter.The sound was sharp, final.“Unacceptable.”
“Agreed,” Aaron replied.“From now on, every outside worker gets screened.No exceptions.No one enters without direct clearance from you or me.”
“And the gate codes?”
“Already being changed,” Malik said.“Upgraded system, full logs.This won’t happen again, Your Highness.”
“Make sure it doesn’t,” Rylan said flatly.
Malik hesitated, then said, “She didn’t break anything—except maybe your pride.”
Rylan’s glare could have pinned him to the wall.Malik’s mouth twitched but he didn’t push further.
“She’s gone,” Malik added.“We’ll make sure she stays away.”
Rylan nodded once, but his mind had already moved on.Monica was a closed file.Natalie wasn’t.And losing her wasn’t an option.
“Review the cameras, every angle,” he ordered, turning toward his office.“If there’s anything else off, I want to see it.”
“Understood,” Aaron said, already pulling out his phone.
Rylan shut the office door behind him, the quiet settling like a challenge.He’d handled Monica.Locked down security.
Now, there was only one mission left.
Find Natalie.
Fix this.
Chapter 11
Natalie stepped into the conference room, clutching her notebook so tightly her knuckles ached.Her gaze landed on Henry first.His expression was overly enthusiastic, the same pasted-on smile he used when he was desperate to impress a client.
“Here she is!”Henry said, pitching his voice into that too-bright, too-false register.Before she could even form a question, he gestured toward the tall, dark-haired man by the windows.“I’ll leave you two to talk privately.”
And then he was gone, the door clicking shut with an almost ominous finality.
The air seemed heavier now, charged, like the moment before a thunderstorm breaks.Natalie’s eyes went to Rylan—and her breath hitched before she forced herself to steady it.She had spent all of yesterday pushing him out of her mind, building mental barricades to keep him and the damage he could cause far away.But seeing him now—standing so casually, his stance radiating power and quiet dominance—was like watching those barricades crack under the pressure.
Memories she didn’t want came rushing in.His voice.The heat in his eyes.The cruel reminder of his fiancée.
She straightened her shoulders, clutching professionalism like a shield.“What can I do for you?”Her voice was cool, even, as she set her notebook down on the polished table.
“I wanted to explain.About yesterday.”He took a step closer, and she could feel it—his presence settling over her like a shadow.
She raised a hand, stopping him before he could close the distance.“You’re engaged.I understand.There’s nothing to explain because your relationships are none of my business, Your Highness.”
His jaw tightened at the title, eyes narrowing.He didn’t move back.
