"Ma'am, Emily's Enterprise has agreed to your terms. They'd like you to advertise their products," Amelia's secretary announced, startling her from her train of thought.
Amelia blinked, then quickly composed herself. "I see. Tell them I'll draft a few ideas and send them over. They can let me know if it fits their brand's vision."
The secretary gave a nod and exited the room.
Work at the office felt like a never-ending marathon, but that wasn't the real reason she was distracted. The real problem?
Asher.
She had thought marrying him would make her job easier. Get closer. Extract information. Find something useful. But two days in, and she still hadn't turned over a single stone.
She hadn't even started searching the house for anything incriminating—no files, no hidden drives, no clues. What was wrong with her?
Her mind drifted to that awkward, fleeting moment at breakfast—the way her heart skipped like a broken record when he looked at her. She didn't know what it was or why it happened. Her heart had never acted like that. Especially not because of a man.
Especially not him.
Her next target. Her mission. The man she was supposed to eliminate.
She couldn't possibly like him. That would be ridiculous. She barely even knew him. So then why the hell did her stomach feel weird every time she thought about him?
"I'm going to have a headache at this rate," she muttered, massaging her temples with a groan.
Later. She'd figure it all out later. Right now, she needed to focus on work.
Hours passed in a blur—planning, drafting, reviewing. She buried herself in strategies and slogans, but every now and then, Asher's name slipped back into her mind, uninvited.
At some point during the day, her phone buzzed. A message from Asher.
She ignored it. She couldn't afford distractions, especially not ones with broad shoulders and unreadable smirks.
But now the sun had dipped low, painting the sky in gold and gray. Work was done. The message was still unread.
Might as well check it now.
She reached for her phone, eyes scanning the text. Her brows knit together. He's not coming home early? Where was he going?
No answer came to mind—not one she liked, anyway. Of course, only Asher could answer that question. But she doubted he would.
Well… if he was going to be out late, then maybe it was the perfect time.
She stood up, already planning her next move.
Time to start searching.