Catherine stood there waiting for his response, that mischievous smile playing at her lips — as if she'd just delivered checkmate and was savoring the moment — something shifted in Alex's expression.
Not panic. Not defensiveness.
Appreciation.
'She knows everything.'
The thought settled in Alex's mind with surprising calm, clinical assessment overriding any impulse toward panic or defensive posturing.
'Of course she does.'
Catherine Blackwood commanded resources that made comprehensive investigation trivial, had access to security footage, financial records, witness accounts... everything needed to reconstruct events with surgical precision.
The question isn't what she knows. It's what she plans to do with that knowledge.
His lips curved into a smile that matched hers exactly — the same knowing quality, the same edge of amusement.
"What a thorough research," Alex said quietly, voice carrying genuine admiration wrapped in dry humor.
