"What if she's just shy?" Lucrezia suggests, but even she doesn't sound convinced.
I shake my head in disbelief.
Enzo pulls out his phone, already tapping away at messages. "I'll put our people on it. As soon as I have information, I'll let you know. Shouldn't take more than a day to take the basics.."
I nod, satisfied. "Good. And Enzo?—"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure whoever's digging keeps it quiet. If Easton catches wind we're investigating his daughter, it might spook him before we understand what game he's playing."
"Got it. Discreet but thorough."
I drain my coffee, the bitter liquid matching my mood. Something about this whole situation feels wrong—Easton's sudden appearance, his convenient business proposal, and now this mysterious daughter he wants to marry off to me.
There are no coincidences in our world. Only carefully laid plans.
I stare at the financial reports spread across my desk, but the numbers blur together. My mind keeps drifting to Easton's proposal—and the blonde by the pool. The way she looked at me. Something in her eyes...
A knock interrupts my thoughts.
"Come in," I call, straightening in my chair.
Enzo steps into my office, a folder tucked under his arm. His expression tells me he's found something.
"Got the information you wanted," he says, closing the door behind him.
I push the financial reports aside. "Let's hear it."
Enzo drops into the chair across from me and opens the folder.
"Zoe Easton," he begins. "Twenty-five years old. Born to Byron and his late wife Elizabeth Easton.Mother died during childbirth, leaving Byron to raise her alone."
"No stepmother?" I ask.
"None. By all accounts, he devoted himself to raising her. She attended Constance Billard School for Girls—expensive private school. Then Columbia University, graduated with honors in business and finance. She also spent a year studying abroad in Florence."
Italy. Interesting.
"What about her public presence?" I ask, leaning forward.
"Limited. She appears occasionally at charity events with Byron, but she's not a socialite. According to my sources, Byron has kept her somewhat sheltered. Private tutors in addition to school, carefully selected friends, that kind of thing."
I drum my fingers against the desktop. "Any boyfriends?"
Enzo shakes his head. "None serious enough to make it into any records. I have people looking into that further, but Byron seems protective. Very protective."
"Too protective," I mutter. "Anything else?"
"She's his only heir. Set to inherit everything when he dies. Easton Enterprises, real estate holdings, investment portfolios—all of it. We're talking billions."
I let out a low whistle. "No wonder he's trying to secure her future with a strategic marriage."
"There's one more thing," Enzo says, pulling out a photograph and sliding it across the desk. "This is from a charity gala last year."
I pick up the photo. It shows the blonde from the pool, standing beside Byron. Her smile is perfect. But her eyes... there's something in them I recognize. A carefully hidden sadness.
"She's beautiful," I say, setting the photo down.
