Third POV

The leather seat creaked as he leaned into it slightly, his dark eyes stayed trained on the grimy street ahead.

She sat beside him in silence-- a silence that felt too dense and too forced. Like it was something she couldn't do without.

Nicholas hadn’t expected her to be this still. She was nothing like the sneaky brunette girl he'd chased across city streets, through camera networks and the nightclub shadows the other night. He’d imagined someone defiant, not... quiet and accountable.

But here she was.

Tidied, and decent. No one would believe him if he'd accused her of stealing his wallet right now.

But here he was, the very man she’d very much knowingly stolen from.

Nicholas Cassian Vellari.

Heir to the late Gianluca 'Luca' Matteo Vellari, founder of the Vellari Conglomerate firms. A man who could silence a boardroom with a single glance, who inspired both fear and fascination wherever he went.

Nicholas adjusted his cufflinks, and tugged at his tie even though they were already perfect. He needed the ritual. Anything to keep him grounded off his anger, his mind trailed back three weeks ago.

His father’s funeral.

The sealed envelope he handed him on his death bed, saying;

“Everything you thought you knew was only a shell. The truth, son, is all in here. Do as you wish with it.”

Nicholas found coordinates and an old iron key in the envelope, which baffled him. After gathering enough courage to look into it, he sought the location and found out that the key unlocked a private storage locker in a closed off mansion at the outskirts. The locker contained files, photographs, letters, bank slips, audio confessions-- basically, his father's rot in raw form.

'Luca' Vellari, the renowned man who’d built a billion-dollar steel empire, had also engineered a labyrinth of corruption, buried lawsuits, and industrial sabotage along with his allies!

It was an overwhelming revelation for Nicholas. He didn't know what to do with such information.

Realizing how unsafe it was to leave such tantamount information lying around in an unguarded mansion, Nicholas hired someone to consolidate it all onto one encrypted flash drive.

But then, he struggled with what he was supposed to do with it. Should he turn it all in, or carry on the God-awful legacy?

Nicholas found himself often drowning his thoughts in liquor, he'd tucked that flash drive into his wallet, keeping it on himself every day and night for the fear of it being exposed to the world.

Until that night, two weeks ago.

That was the night a lovely girl bumped into him as he walked out of a bar he was frequent at. 'Serene' it's called.

Perfume, urgency, and beauty wrapped in poverty. Only he didn't realize that her fingers were slick, her touch faster than reflex.

Her evil nature had been concealed under baggy clothes and beanies that screamed innocence.

He only realized his wallet was gone when he'd felt the emptiness of his pocket a short while after.

Nicholas had immediately chased her, but she was quick. Too quick, she got away. She had no idea just what was in that wallet, and Nicholas couldn't risk her finding out.

The days following that had been a haze of surveillance footage and frustration in search of her. All has been futile.

He'd hired several private investigators but they'd all come up with little to no results. He couldn't get the police involved.

Nicholas had spent his day and night ever since then, anxiously watching the news channels and social media platforms for breaking news as to the dirty secrets of of the Vellari Conglomerate being leaked. He also awaited calls of blackmails but neither happened.

But then, just as Nicholas became convinced that either of the two was likely to happen anytime soon, he walked into the office this morning and there she was, sitting in the reception area like she hadn’t thrown a wrench into his world.

Nicholas had never felt so puzzled. He'd pondered if he was dreaming for a second but then held his composure shortly after. He didn't confront her instantly, and just turned to ask his PA to confirm what her business was in the company.

“She's one of the applicants for the front desk opening.”

Too perfect!

Nicholas didn't act. He'd just walked off a different route from hers to his office and arranged to join the HR panel to interview her.

And when she stepped in, eyes wide but still carrying that street-born confidence, he had to fight a smirk.

He'd tactfully dismissed the others, claiming they were close friends who needed to talk and only then did he confront her about the wallet.

But then, what she said afterwards had flipped his whole mind.

Thinking about it even now, Nicholas felt a raging burn in his chest.

Days after days of looking for her, and stressing to find her. This was what she had to say.

" I spent it"

" I threw it out"

She’d spent the money and thrown the wallet away. In the trash!

She hadn't even bothered to look for any other thing in the wallet!

Nicholas had been so furious that he didn't know when he'd grabbed her and dragged her to his car, demanding she bring him to the trash where she'd thrown the wallet. This was his only hope at recovering the flash drive...

No, he has to!

“Did you see a flash drive in it?” he asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

She turned to him, startled. “Flash drive? No... just cards and cash.”

Her voice was genuine. Too genuine.

' Great. Now I have no idea where the drive could be.' Nicholas exhaled sharply. He didn't ask anything else further.

“Just show me where you tossed it,” he muttered, pressing his fingers to his temple.

She pointed. “M-my place. Down that way.” She directed until they got to her place.