The moment the door clicked shut behind Lucien and Philip, the air inside Charlie Moreau's office stretched thin. The kind of thin that made it impossible to pretend nothing was wrong.

Charlie didn't speak at first.

He simply rested both hands on the polished surface of his desk and looked at her—not as her father, not even as the Chairman of Moreau Dynamics, but as a man who had already pieced together enough to know she was hiding something.

"Celestia," he said finally, "what is it you're not telling me?"

Val had heard that tone her whole life.

It wasn't loud.

It wasn't harsh.

But it was sharp enough to slice through any attempt to dodge.

She kept her posture straight, hands clasped in front of her. "Nothing that affects today's review."

"Don't play with your words." Charlie leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing just a fraction. "You wouldn't have stood silent in a project briefing unless there was a reason."

Val inhaled slowly.

Her instinct was to protect Lucien—because no matter how reckless he was, he was still her brother.

But she'd also spent her entire life learning how to think like the man sitting in front of her.

There was no point dancing around it.

"It might be nothing," she started carefully. "I'm not saying it's fact, but… I think Lucien might be in talks with an investment company."

Charlie didn't move.

He didn't speak.

But something in his expression snapped into focus.

"What kind of company?" he asked.

"The kind that looks legitimate on paper," Val answered, "but… isn't."

Charlie's gaze sharpened. "Name."

> "Vanguard Ark Investments."

His eyebrow lifted immediately—small, but enough to give his reaction away.

He knew the name.

Val caught it instantly. "So you've heard of them."

Charlie leaned back slowly, folding his arms. "They're not a company anyone with sense entertains. Vanguard Ark is a web of shell firms and loopholes held together by one man with an appetite for exploiting desperation."

Val's stomach dipped. "…Benjamin Otavio."

Charlie's lips twitched, not quite a smile, more a disdainful acknowledgment. "A crook. A fraudster. And unfortunately, a very well-documented one. Everything he does is painted legal enough to pass surface inspections."

Val swallowed.

She had suspected it.

But hearing her father confirm it openly, shoved the weight deeper into her chest.

"How did you come across this?" Charlie asked.

Val hesitated.

Charlie noticed.

] "Don't tell me Lucien brought this to you."

She shook her head. "No. Lucien didn't say a word. A friend of mine told me he saw Lucien meeting with Benjamin Otavio."

Charlie's expression darkened, but his voice stayed cold. "Which friend?"

Val knew that look.

The look of a father trying to assess how far an outsider had stepped into Moreau Dynamics business.

"A friend of Kai's," she said carefully. "Trent. He's a top executive at another investment firm."

Charlie didn't respond, but the flicker of disapproval toward me was unmistakable.

He still didn't approve of me—not as his daughter's husband, not as anyone tied to the Moreau family, and definitely not as someone with access to internal information.

Val noticed it too.

She lifted her chin. "He's reliable. If he said he saw them together, he did."

Charlie didn't argue that point. But he didn't hide the tightening of his jaw either.

"And Kai is involved in this how?" he asked.

Val replied evenly, "I told him. We discuss everything."

Charlie exhaled sharply through his nose. "Of course you do."

Val didn't flinch. "He's my husband."

Charlie moved on before the conversation could shift into something personal.

"Celestia," he said, tone firm now, "if Vanguard Ark Investments is circling this company, even indirectly, I need to know exactly how far their reach goes."

"I'll look into it," Val said immediately.

Charlie held her gaze. "And Lucien?"

Val's throat tightened.

There was so much she still hadn't told her dad. So much she wasn't sure she should.

"He's been making changes," she admitted. "To the projections. To the allocations. To Meridian as a whole."

Charlie leaned forward slowly. "Changes you're not approving."

"It's more than that," Val murmured. "He's making changes that… don't make sense. They feel rushed. Even sloppy."

Charlie's jaw clenched. "If his actions compromise this project—"

"It's too late to remove him," Val cut in quietly. "The final presentation is next week. Replacing the Executive Vice President of Global Operations now would cause more damage than letting him finish."

Charlie didn't argue, he knew she was right.

Silence settled between them for a moment.

Then he asked, "What exactly are you suspecting?"

Val swallowed. She wasn't ready to say the words. Not out loud. Not to her father, who would move mountains and raze cities if he thought his son was threatening the company's spine.

"I don't know yet," she said softly. "That's why I need to look deeper first."

Charlie studied her for several seconds, long enough to remind her that he had never been easily fooled.

But he didn't push.

"If you uncover anything," he said finally, "anything at all, you come to me directly. No hesitation."

Val nodded. "I will."

Charlie lifted his chin slightly. "Good. I expect updates."

She stood. "I'll do what I can."

"And Celestia—" Charlie added as she reached the door.

She looked back.

"Don't underestimate Otavio." His voice was low, clipped. "He doesn't deal in partnerships. Only leverage."

Val held his gaze. "I won't."

But as she walked out of his office and the door closed behind her, she felt the truth settle like ice:

She hadn't told him everything. Not about Lucien already acting erratic. Not about the Prometheus Acquisition Index.

And definitely not about the possibility that Lucien had already signed something.

Some truths, she wasn't ready to unleash, not until she knew exactly how deep the damage went.

---

Val slipped back into her office with the same quiet poise she always had after any meeting with her father. She didn't slump or drag her feet, but the slight exhale she released once the door clicked shut said everything. Still, she crossed to her desk, sat, and opened her laptop like the consummate professional she was, letting herself fall into work that had nothing to do with Lucien or Vanguard Ark.

Emails. Budget review notes. A set of supplier negotiations that needed her glance before Philip sent out confirmations. She handled each with the same sharp precision she always did, fingers gliding over the keyboard in focused silence.

But even Val had limits.

At some point, she leaned back to rest her eyes, letting the room fall quiet except for the soft ticking of her clock. When she finally turned her head toward it, her brows lifted.

1:15 p.m.

She blinked once, then reached for her phone.

A small smile tugged her lips as her thumb hovered over the speed dial she had absolutely saved that way on purpose:

💕 My Husband 💍 Forever 💕

The call connected after the second ring.

"Hey, love," I answered, leaning back in my chair. "Perfect timing. Was just thinking about you."

"Mm. Really?" she murmured, her voice soft but carrying that familiar edge of exhaustion. "I'm holding you to that, Kai… but uh, can we go now?"

"Already ahead of you." I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair. "I've been waiting for your call. Took excuse from my boss already."

"Which boss?" she asked knowingly. "Hale or the old grumpy one?"

"The relevant one," I replied diplomatically. "Don't worry about it."

She hummed softly. "Alright. I'm going to tell Gianna I'm stepping out now. I'll drive home first and change into something less… work-like."

"Yeah, do that. I'll head out too."

"See you soon," she whispered, lighter now.

"See you soon, love."

She hung up.

I'd walked up to Hale's desk earlier that afternoon, cleared my throat, and kept my expression as professional as humanly possible.

"Sir, I need to head out a little early today. My wife has a medical appointment she can't attend alone. I need to take her."

Hale paused, pen hovering halfway in the air.

Then he looked up at me — that slow, assessing look he reserved for deciding whether someone was responsible or an idiot.

"…Is she alright?" he asked, concern sliding into his voice.

"Yes, sir," I replied. "It's nothing major. She just needs someone there."

Hale nodded once, briskly. "Family first. Go. And send me an update tomorrow on the budget adjustment sheet."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

He waved me off like it was obvious.

Of course, Val didn't have any appointment whatsoever. Unless "we need to go see Trent the second she calls" counted as a medical emergency — which, honestly, with the way she'd been stressed lately, it probably did.

So I stood, slid into my jacket, and grabbed my keys. Didn't even make it three steps before Derrick spun his chair around, eyebrows already raised like he had been waiting for this exact moment.

] "Going somewhere?"

I exhaled. "Yeah. Hale gave me the green light."

He stared at me like he was trying to scan for sarcasm or signs of temporary insanity. "O…kay?"

"See you tomorrow," I said, patting his shoulder on the way out.

I headed down the hallway, past the familiar hum of printers and the low spill of conversations, and pushed through the glass doors into the late-afternoon light. The air outside felt different — heavier, like it already knew what the rest of my day was about to turn into.

I slid into my car, shut the door, and let the silence wrap around me for a moment.

Val and I were finally going to see Trent.

And whatever he had to say…

whatever he'd been hinting at…

whatever those missing names and that strange file really meant…

I had a bad feeling we weren't driving toward answers, but something neither of us saw coming.

---

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