Before she could respond, the door opened behind her and the air rushed out of her lungs. Her nerve endings awoke, firing so fast that goosebumps erupted over her skin. She shivered from the sudden change in body temperature and bit her bottom lip to keep from gasping. The expansive energy washed over her and spread throughout the room - dark, hot, seductive. Daniella didn't need to see who was behind her. There was only one person who had ever made her feel this way.

"Good morning, Ella." The deep baritone of Greg's voice rolled over her in waves.

She straightened in her chair, trying to disguise her body's natural response to him. "Good morning, Greg."

He walked to the head chair, coming to stand between herself and Luke. While he conversed with Luke, she looked him over. Gregori Novak was breathtaking. He was a six-foot-six Adonis covered in toned bronze skin that made his Spanish heritage proud. His russet-colored hair fell to his ears, complementing his sharp jaw and strong facial features. While Greg considered his eyes to be brown, she had stolen enough glances at him to know they were, in fact, hazel. They took on a life of their own, becoming lighter or darker depending on his mood, sometimes even light enough for her to see their pale jade depths. They drew her in, enticed her, while his lips could - and often did - convince her of anything. And if that wasn't enough, he also had a perfectly shaped ass.

Luke cleared his throat and she blushed at being caught ogling. Luckily, the door opened once more, saving her from any additional embarrassment.

Once the rest of the executive team arrived, Greg took his seat, drawing their attention. "Now that you're all here, let's begin."

* * *

The room fell silent when Greg uttered the single word "embezzled".

"Embezzled? What the fuck do you mean, embezzled?" Mya snapped.

His eyes narrowed. Mya's anger was second to none and she was about to unleash it in full force. "Mya - "

"Do not 'Mya' me right now. How the fuck did this happen?"

"We don't know. But this is a time for solutions, not anger."

"I go away for two weeks, two fucking weeks, and this happens?" she grumbled.

Greg's eyes bore into Mya's, warning her to keep her mouth shut. She sat back in her chair with a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms while still glaring in his direction. That was as good as he would get, and he'd take the small blessing.

He scanned the room, observing his team. Merida and Dominick appeared calm and collected, even though he knew they were brimming with rage. Luke had also known of the news prior to the meeting, which was the only reason he hadn't lashed out like Mya.

Greg's gaze lingered on Daniella, who concerned him the most. Her amber eyes stared down at the table, unblinking. She may have hidden it well, but the death grip on her pen told him exactly how upset she was. She took her job seriously and was devoted to not only the company, but his family as well.

"Aren't there accounting principles and security measures in place to prevent things like this from happening?" Johanna asked. "I'm sorry, but I'm with Mya. I don't understand how this could have occurred."

As his Chief Human Resources Officer, Greg knew she had a right to this table. He could understand her concerns, especially if anything might affect funds for wages and benefits, but he did not appreciate her subtle accusation of blame toward Daniella and Merida.

"That's an excellent question, Johanna," Merida said as she laced her fingers together. "The security and accounting protocols that we have in place are why we made this discovery so quickly. This is a jarring and confusing time for all of us, but we will collaborate with the pertinent parties to find the perpetrator and fix any security issues in our processes. If you have any questions regarding this incident, please be sure to come to my office and I will do my best to explain everything to you."

"Thank you," Johanna responded, giving Merida a curt nod.

Greg continued, holding the gaze of each person around the table as he spoke. "I know this is a stressful time for everyone. Your behavior here shows how much you care about this corporation and the dreams that Luke and I founded this company upon. We thank you and are confident that we will overcome this setback."

He motioned to his security team. "Merida and Dominick's team will be speaking with each of you and your departments. We trust that if you have seen anything suspicious, you will be forthcoming with any information you may have. As Merida has already stated, if you have any questions, please direct them to her. Thank you."

Greg watched as Daniella stood, her expression tight as she left the room. Johanna followed after her, leaving him, Mya, Merida, Luke, and Dominick behind.

The moment the door shut, Mya sat forward, and slammed her hands down upon the table. "Now that the fake bullshit is over, tell me what really happened."

***

Greg paused outside of the door to Daniella's office, his fingers clutching the brass handle. You have to. Just keep it together for a little longer. Remember, you're keeping her in the dark to protect her. She can't know, not yet. He took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders back, and stepped across the threshold.

Daniella froze, her fingers hovering above her keyboard. Trepidation flashed across her face when she saw him, and even though it was only for a moment, it made his heart ache.

Greg cleared his throat against the emotion as he closed the door behind him and shut the horizontal blinds. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's all right." Her voice was tight, clipped, and he hated it.

Greg sighed. "Ella, come here."

They met in the middle, somewhere between him reaching out to pull her into his embrace and her curling herself around him. "It's not your fault."

Daniella trembled in his arms. "But it is." She lifted her face from his chest. "It's my job to make sure that the company's finances are squared away, and I failed. Someone stole money from here, from us!"

She moved away from him and began to pace, her hands flying wildly in the air as she spoke. "I've been backtracking through all of my reports, trying to make sure this has never happened before. What if I missed something? What if that's the cause for all of this? They got away with it once and thought they could again?"

He caught her hands in his own. "Ella, this is not your fault. You are brilliant and an incredible accountant. Because of you, we know exactly how much was taken. If your reports were not as detailed as they are, or if your data was not up-to-date, we would be screwed."

She looked away, but Greg grasped her chin, forcing her gaze back to his. "Give yourself some credit. You saved us. You, no one else. I see it that way, we all do. None of us blame you, and I'm not going to sit here and let you blame yourself either."

She shook her head with a sigh. "I just don't know, Greg, I just don't know."

"Well, I do," he replied with a tap on her chin.

Greg forced himself to step away from her, and led her to her office chairs, where they sat facing one another.

Daniella tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, an action Greg wished he could have done for her. "Thank you for comforting me, but you're the one who had your money stolen. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. Disappointed, but okay."

"But how are you so calm? Why aren't you angry or frustrated?"

Greg rubbed the center of his forehead. "Because someone has to be. Luke was only calm because he knew beforehand. Without that, between Volcano Luke and Hurricane Mya, someone would have lost their head."

Daniella hiccuped a laugh, clamping her hand over her mouth to keep the sound contained.

He chuckled at how effortlessly adorable she was and then reminded himself to mask his emotions, because he wasn't joking. But that didn't matter, right now, all he wanted was to see Daniella laugh, see the way her mocha-colored eyes twinkled in delight, and how her shoulders relaxed as the stress left her body. He wanted his mate to be safe.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just, those two are something else. I don't know how any of you survived to this age," she said with a smile.

"It was difficult, I can tell you that."

Daniella looked him over, then leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms. "Greg, there's something you're not telling me. What are you hiding that kept me from finding out about the embezzlement before that meeting?"