“Someone leaked to three major outlets.” His voice was controlled and completely flat. “A report alleging that Laurent Enterprises knowingly used substandard materials across multiple developments — not just Lakefront. It names me directly as the person who authorized the cost-cutting measures.”
My stomach dropped. “That’s not true.”
“No. It’s not.” He was already moving toward the door. “But someone wants it to look like it is, and they’ve provided documentation that appears to support the allegations.”
“Fabricated?”
“Almost certainly. But by the time we prove that, the damage will be done.”
I grabbed my notebook and followed him. “Where are we going?”
“To find Richard Hartley.” His jaw was set, his eyes hard with the specific cold focus I’d seen him use in boardrooms. “Before he disappears with whatever evidence he hasn’t already destroyed.”
We made it to the elevator before he stopped, turning to face me. The fury had shifted into something quieter.
“You should stay here,” he said.
“Not a chance.”
“Emilia—”
“You wanted my help finding the truth.” I held his gaze steadily. “This is me helping.”
He looked at me for a long moment. Something in his expression moved — the resistance giving way to something that wasn’t quite surrender and wasn’t quite relief but lived somewhere between them.
“You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”
“I know.” I stepped into the elevator. “Are you coming?”
He followed me in. As the doors closed, his hand found the small of my back — that gesture I’d cataloged a dozen times now, the one that felt protective rather than possessive, the one that my body had developed an embarrassingly Pavlovian response to.
“Whatever we find,” he said quietly, “whatever happens next — I want you to know that meeting you is the only good thing that’s come out of this disaster.”
I looked up at him. “Sebastian?—”
“I know the timing is terrible. I know this is complicated. I know you’re still deciding how much to trust me.” His thumb traced a small circle against my spine through the silk of Jenna’s blouse. “But I need you to know that.”
The elevator descended, carrying us toward whatever chaos waited below. And despite everything — the threats, the investigation, the rapidly unraveling scandal surrounding us on all sides — all I could think about was how right his hand felt against my back.
How dangerous it was to want something this much.
How I was going to want it anyway.
Chapter Ten
Emilia “Em” Rivera
The financial documents spread across my kitchen table looked like a bomb waiting to detonate — one story capable of destroying a billionaire’s empire, provided the numbers held.
I’d been staring at them for three hours, cross-referencing against Marco’s original files, against the leaked allegations, against every scrap of evidence I’d accumulated over the past month. The coffee in my mug had gone cold twice. My neck ached from hunching. And still, the picture only grew worse.
Richard Hartley hadn’t just skimmed money from the Lakefront project. He’d built an entire shadow network — shell companies layered like nesting dolls, each one funneling funds to contractors who delivered substandard materials while pocketing the difference. The corruption ran deeper than I’d imagined, tentacles reaching into city permits, environmental assessments, even the insurance policies covering the development.
Sebastian’s signature appeared nowhere in the damning documents.
His company letterhead was everywhere.
I rubbed my eyes and reached for my phone. Jenna’s last text blinked at me: You alive? Haven’t seen you in three days. Starting to think you’ve been kidnapped by a billionaire.
