Adrian’s POV

The bourbon stung my throat when I took a sip, but it was the last thing on my mind. Irritation and an unfounded anger found their way into my bloodstream as I paced my study back in my mansion.

My hand around the glass tightened, and I only let go when I realized there could be a lot of blood if it shattered. I hated feeling this way, like I was gradually losing control.

There was something about that girl that just kept grating on me. It felt like something my mind was aware of, but my body was yet to join in that awareness. And I couldn't ask for her name because she worked for bloody Cassian.

Everyone in the corporate world knew we were always at loggerheads, and in recent times, we just did everything we could to avoid each other.

We never contested for the same piece of property or the same investor.

Until now.

Until that woman.

My brain brought back flashes of how hot she looked in that dress, in that high slit that threatened to reveal everything yet only teased the senses.

When eyes preyed on her like hungry hyenas the minute she stepped in, it was all I could do not to throw my fist into someone’s face. That would have been strange.

But then again, she was making me contemplate strange things.

A knock sounded on my door, and I turned around, sitting behind my desk before asking whoever it was to come in.

My PA pushed the door open and strode in, urgency in his steps and a certain look in his eyes.

“Mr. Stravos, there is a development on the case that happened five years ago,” he muttered, his voice as cold as ice. It was one of the reasons I hired him. His expressionless nature.

My head snapped up so fast that I felt a sharp pain in my neck. For the last five years, it had been so quiet that I thought everyone had forgotten about it.

Everyone except me.

My PA looked at me for a minute, waiting for me to give the go-ahead. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it. I felt blood roar harshly against my ears as everything I'd tried to regulate since the incident threatened to come crashing down.

"What did you find?" I asked finally, taking a long sip of my bourbon. I knew I would need a lot more.

"Someone has been digging around," he explained, stepping further into the room. The dim lights danced on his dark features, making him look even more menacing. "There have been sightings of a few persons near the warehouse, and calls have been made. It started about a month ago, and now, it has grown more insistent."

"The last move was made during the gala. They knew you would not be available and tried to gain access to the warehouse. Of course, they were denied. But I don't think they are going to stop there."

My eyes narrowed as a thought dropped into my mind. No, it couldn't be.

“She’s back in town?”

He frowned. “Who, Sir?”

I shook my head, dismissing the question. But that was the only thing that made sense. She was the only one with enough motivation and need to reopen the case, especially considering how brutally it ended for her.

I felt it in my guts. Selene was back in town.

"I need you to do a little search for me," I muttered, inviting him to the desk. "Search for a certain Selene Quill. She left New York five years ago. Find out if there were any ticket bookings coming into New York with that name, and check employment contracts. Find her."

There was a chance that she would have entered the city with a new name. But I had to try. If there was any chance that Selene Quill was back in town, her life was in danger, and the more she swooned around this, the riskier it would be for her.

I got off the seat and started pacing my study again. My PA hated people crowding him while working, and that was exactly what I felt like doing.

After what felt like an eternity, he spoke up. “I found something, Mr. Stravos.”

I rushed back to the desk. “Is she in town?”

"She got in a month ago," he said, his hands clacking on the keyboard. "She works for a company here. Give me a minute, let me get that out."

I sighed, raking my hand through my hair. “How long do you need?”

"Done," he muttered. "She works for the Draycott Empire. She's assisting Cassian Draycott with a deal he came to land in New York. My hunch is that they got in together."

Everything in me stilled as those words settled. Cassian Draycott. I felt the wind knocked out of me as the different parts of the puzzle came into place.

How on earth had I not been able to recognize her? I kept feeling like I’d met her before, but not in my wildest imagination had I considered that it was Selene. She’d changed her hair, and her eyes were now a different colour.

I remembered the gala night, how Cassian kept watching like a hawk. Did the fucker know who she was, too?

“I need to get across to her,” I said, grabbing my jacket.

“Who is she exactly?”

“Spencer’s sister.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “I was under the impression that she accepted the settlement. Why resurface now?”

The general conception was that Selene had taken the money we offered her for compensation, yet went ahead to sue the company. I had to do everything in my power to ensure that she was frustrated.

And I was only able to heave a sigh of relief when she packed her things and left the city.

Because what no one knew was that a note was found in Spencer’s pocket after he died. A note that must have terrified him.

It read, “Your sister is next.”