The storm persisted even after the rain eventually stopped. That uneasy strain that Isabella was unable to completely release weighed heavily on her chest. After spending hours going over Alexander's new shipment records, she still had more questions than answers. There was a problem. She also detested the fact that she couldn't see it. It was almost midnight on the modern workplace wall clock. She was still there, the brightness from her screen the lone light in the room, although most of Steele Enterprises had long since gone dark.
The elevator made a gentle chime. She didn't have to raise her eyes. She already knew who it was. Alexander. Before he spoke, his presence dominated the room, and he traversed the room with deliberate, measured steps.
Determined not to acknowledge him, she continued to focus on the facts, but her pulse betrayed her—it was heavier and faster.
His voice was smooth but a little coarser than normal as he said, "Captain Reyes." Perhaps exhausted. "You remain here." With a harder tone than she had intended, she snapped back, "So are you." Long, thick, charged silence. With a final sigh, she turned to him and quietly snapped the iPad shut.
With his hands in his pockets and his sleeves slightly rolled back, he stood in the shadows just beyond the glass wall. There was tension in the image despite its extreme precision and control. the kind that most people would overlook. However, she wasn't like most people. "Anything?He nodded at the folders as he inquired. "Not enough," she acknowledged. "Whoever covered these songs did a good job.".
There was a flash in his eyes. "You're implying that there might be a member of your team involved?" Her stomach churned. "I'm stating that I'm not sure yet. However, I'm not discounting it. Alexander nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on hers. She felt a certain amount of exposure from the way he examined her. That was something she detested. "You appear worn out," he remarked softly. "I'm all right." "You're telling lies." She squinted.
Do you believe you can read me right now?She asked in a mocking tone. "No." He stepped forward, his words trailing off. "But when someone is using their job to outrun something else, I know what exhaustion looks like." She was surprised by how deeply the words struck her. Am I acting in that manner?
Steel in her spine, she straightened. This is important, which is why I'm here. Because I am in charge of individuals who died, and I will not stop until I identify the culprit. His jaw tensed, and she briefly believed he was about to quarrel.
However, he simply nodded. "Good," he murmured quietly. "I trust you with this because of that." She was surprised by the words. Have faith? She opened her mouth to reply, but his calm, enigmatic, yet unquestionably close gaze captured the words.
Suddenly, the case was no longer the source of their tension. It was something else. She began by saying, "Alexander—" using his first name, which was foreign to her.
The moment was broken by the sound of his phone vibrating. Pulling it out of his pocket, he let out a breath and broke eye contact. The steel crashing back into place, his expression hardened at whatever he saw on the screen. He turned away as he continued, "I have to take this." "Don't go just yet. We're not finished yet.
And he was gone in an instant. Isabella, however, could still feel the pressure of his stare.
The fissure in his armor. Worst of all—the fiss
ure in hers.